TEXT: Fantasy Renaissance Adventure Module
  SHADOW OUT OF SAPPHIRE LAKE
  Written by “Weird Dave” Coulson
  An Adventure for Character Levels 4-6
   
  MeMories of the toad God #3
  TG3
  
  Fantasy Renaissance Adventure Module TG3
  SHADOW OUT OF SAPPHIRE LAKE
  MEMORIES OF THE TOAD GOD #3 
  For use with the 5th Edition of the First Fantasy RPG
  Writer: “Weird Dave” Coulson
  Editor: James Lund
  Cover Art: Matthew Morrow
  Interior Art: Johnathan Bingham
  Cartography: Glynn Seal 
  Layout: “Weird Dave” Coulson
  The Cut to the Chase logo is a trademark of Cut to the Chase Games LLC.
  Cut to the Chase Games LLC is not affiliated with Wizards of the CoastTM.
  
  2
  In a distant extraplanar prison, the outer power 
  Ibholtheg thrashes and reels, sending tremors into 
  the Prime Plane. Those tremors are causing a split 
  to appear between the planes, and from that gulf 
  Ibholtheg stretches its influence out, attempting to 
  widen it. Shadows lengthen in the nearby frontier 
  town of Kraden’s Hill, but is it too late to stop the return 
  of the once-powerful Squamous Toad?
  TG3 Shadow Out of Sapphire Lake is the third 
  scenario in the MEMORIES OF THE TOAD GOD 
  Fantasy Renaissance Adventure Module trilogy. It is 
  designed for a party of four to six characters levels 
  4 to 6 (optimized for 6th level). The GM should read 
  the module thoroughly before playing to become 
  familiar with the overall plot of the adventure. 
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: The Frontier
  The Memories of the Toad God series takes place in a 
  frontier town on the borders of an inhospitable and 
  dangerous jungle. Details of this blot of civilization 
  known as Kraden’s Hill are given, but not much is 
  determined as to whom its masters answer.. Find a 
  place in your campaign for Kraden’s Hill to help root 
  the characters in your setting. You won’t regret it.
  Adventure Background
  In ages past, great empires now crumbled stood tall 
  and proud across the ancient land. One of these was 
  Xilonoc, with its pyramids of gold hidden in the deep 
  jungles and its priest-kings who wore the dressings of 
  their jungle gods. The people of Xilonoc venerated 
  great, powerful beasts that rose to the status of minor 
  gods as a result of the worship.
  But slowly, a shadow from the deepest depths of 
  the jungle crawled over Xilonoc and its people. The 
  shadow was called Ibholtheg, the Squamous Toad, 
  a creature not of the jungle but from a faraway 
  place and time. Ibholtheg craved subjugation and 
  hungered for the minds and souls of the Xilonoc 
  people.
  Ibholtheg whispered promises of power in the ears 
  of the priest-kings, who were swayed by the allure of 
  greater influence over the jungle kingdom. Temples 
  to the jungle gods were torn down one by one over 
  the course of hundreds of years, until Ibholtheg and its 
  squatting brood were the only ones venerated across 
  the breadth of Xilonoc.
  Xilonoc became a cesspool of depravity, debauchery, 
  and vile cruelty. Its armies plundered wherever 
  they could, and the priest-kings laughed and held 
  debased festivals in their pyramids of gold and stone 
  before the idols of Ibholtheg. Corruption and power 
  were the rules of the day, but it would not last.
  Eventually, while Ibholtheg’s appetite grew greater 
  and greater, several of the priest-kings saw that 
  they were merely puppets performing the will of a 
  loathsome god from beyond the stars. They banded 
  together in secret, and alongside an order of loyal 
  jaguar knights, they found Ibholtheg’s jungle resting 
  place and assaulted it directly with the intention of 
  banishing the Squamous Toad forever.
  They were partially successful. Ibholtheg knew of the 
  plot, but he was blind to the powers the priest-kings 
  and jaguar knights had wrought. Terrible and ancient 
  sorcery clashed against the might and willpower of 
  an empire, and when things looked their bleakest for 
  the priest-kings the jungle gods themselves returned, 
  turning the tide.
  Ibholtheg was cast from the Material Plane into a 
  lightless realm known as the Prison of Black Gulfs, 
  relegated to an empty eternity. Xilonoc collapsed into 
  ruin soon thereafter, its peoples returning to a simpler 
  life in the jungle as generations passed.
  But Ibholtheg saw that its time to rise would come once 
  again. Key locations yet lingered in the Great Jungle 
  tied to the outer power’s influence, and through them 
  the Squamous Toad could still exert some control 
  over the Material Plane. The last golden temple of 
  Ibholtheg squatted alone but the clever jungle gods 
  used it as an anchor to hold the foul power within the 
  Prison of Black Gulfs. A band of heroes searching for 
  riches found the temple, inadvertently destroying it.
  In Kraden’s Hill, a frontier town built to push the 
  borders of civilization and exploit the wonders of the 
  jungle, Ibholtheg called out to a powerful merchant 
  company called Noviortum House and used their 
  influence to attempt to break the seal. The wicked 
  Natan and his followers were defeated in the swamp, 
  but the Ritual of Rising was enough to open a crack in 
  Ibholtheg’s dark prison.
  Below the tranquil Sapphire Lake near Kraden’s Hill, 
  deep within a cluster of unexplored caves, the crack 
  appeared. And from that crack Ibholtheg sent the 
  Shadow of Ibholtheg, an extension of its vile power, to 
  break wide the prison seal and release its master into 
  the world again.
  Module Synopsis
  The adventure begins in the frontier town of Kraden’s 
  Hill, which sits on the border of the Great Jungle. The 
  characters find themselves in the town, celebrating 
  the Festival of the Night Bird with a friendly tribe of 
  SHADOW OUT OF SAPPHIRE LAKE
  
  3
  shadow orcs that has come in. But this night is not 
  going to end well, for the Shadow of Ibholtheg has 
  risen from the depths of Sapphire Lake, an extension 
  of Ibholtheg’s vile will, and it moves to visit destruction 
  upon Kraden’s Hill.
  The effects of the Shadow of Ibholtheg are felt 
  immediately at the beginning of the festival. 
  Bystanders stare into wells of darkness that consume 
  the mind while winged, tentacled bat monsters fall 
  upon them to feast on their flesh. The characters must 
  move quickly to combat the Shadow of Ibholtheg 
  and its effects on Kraden’s Hill, during which they 
  discover can be pushed back with strong light. With 
  the aid of the residents, the characters must create 
  a huge bonfire on top of the town’s eponymous hill in 
  order to drive back the shadow.
  With the Shadow of Ibholtheg pushed back and 
  dawn breaking over the horizon, the characters and 
  their allies can take stock of their situation. A tendril 
  of darkness snakes its way to the east of Kraden’s 
  Hill, where it ends at a great mass of squirming black 
  shadows squatting over Sapphire Lake. In order to 
  find out what’s going on and put an end to it, the 
  characters must travel into the lake itself.
  The source of the great shadow is from deep within 
  the depths of Sapphire Lake so the characters must 
  swim down to find it. There they uncover a series of 
  caves inhabited by a tribe of degenerate toad-men 
  overjoyed since the essence of Ibholtheg seeped 
  into the world. Getting past the tribe on the upper 
  levels of the caverns puts the characters in the lower 
  levels, which were built by the ancients of Xilonoc and 
  protected by their magic still against intruders (they 
  did not ward it well enough from intrusions through the 
  prison itself).
  In order to seal the crack, the characters must venture 
  into it, taking them inside the Prison of Black Gulfs, an 
  extraplanar site that contains the physical presence 
  of Ibholtheg itself. The characters are greeted by one 
  of the ancient caretakers of the prison, an immortal 
  jaguar knight now sick and wounded, who relates 
  how to seal the crack and keep Ibholtheg and other 
  powerful beings imprisoned.
  A dangerous journey through the Black Gulfs awaits 
  the characters, filled with madness and strange 
  monsters, until they finally come upon the Realm 
  of the Squamous Toad. In order to seal the crack 
  the characters must obtain a piece of Ibholtheg’s 
  essence, a task that does not prove trivial, and then 
  escape before the outer power can catch them.
  Once the crack is sealed and the characters are 
  on the other side, Ibholtheg’s direct influence over 
  the Material Plane wanes. The world is safe from the 
  Squamous Toad for the time being.
  Future Modules
  This module is the third and final part of the MEMORIES 
  OF THE TOAD GOD trilogy. It builds upon the actions 
  of the previous two adventures. In TG1 Lost Temple 
  of Ibholtheg, the characters unwittingly set into 
  motion the return of the Squamous Toad, and in TG2 
  Tongues of the Screaming Toad they had to deal 
  with a powerful sorcerer and his allies who wanted 
  to bring about Ibholtheg’s rise early. If the characters 
  are successful in this module, they can rest easy – but 
  other adventures are sure to come their way!
  Involving the Characters
  Characters who have already participated in the 
  previous two modules should be familiar with Kraden’s 
  Hill and the dangers of the Great Jungle – and the 
  things that lurk just below its surface. For a new group, 
  however, it’s easy to have them arrive with a caravan 
  of merchant wagons that cross the mountains and 
  resupply the frontier town on a semi-regular basis.
  However they arrive, the characters find that Kraden’s 
  Hill has become host to a tribe of shadow orcs who 
  have come in peace to celebrate the Festival of the 
  Night Bird, a time of great celebration – a celebration 
  destined to be interrupted by a terrible shadow out of 
  Sapphire Lake.
  Adapting the Module
  This module tries to use as many generic location 
  names as possible to make it easy to port to nearly any 
  fantasy campaign setting. Below are the elements of 
  the module that would need to be mapped out to an 
  existing setting along with notes of how they fit within 
  the adventure.
  Great Jungle: A vast expanse of largely unexplored 
  jungle wilderness on the edge of (or even just beyond) 
  settled territories. Occupied by tribes of nomadic 
  wild elves, savage shadow orcs, and native humans 
  who were once part of a large Aztec-like civilization 
  (Xilonoc) long ago.
  Kraden’s Hill: A frontier town settled a few years ago 
  by enterprising members of Grimden House.
  Grimden House: A powerful merchant family with 
  trade connections across a great area. Interested in 
  plundering the Great Jungle for valuables to be sold 
  in other markets.
  Clan Ironstar: Dwarven merchants with an eye for 
  adventure and gold.
  Ibholtheg: Squamous bat-toad entity of ancient 
  antiquity. Worshipped by mutant bullywugs, some of 
  which can fly on bat-like wings.
  Xilonoc: 
  Ancient 
  society 
  of 
  humans 
  that 
  fell 
  
  4
  mysteriously thousands of years ago. Descendants 
  are now barbaric natives of the jungle, many of whom 
  are cannibals.
  Prison of Black Gulfs: An extraplanar site that holds 
  a number of outer powers imprisoned for eternity. 
  Perhaps located within the plane of Carceri 
  somewhere. Current location of Ibholtheg.
  PART ONE: THE SHADOW RISES
  The characters find themselves in the frontier town of 
  Kraden’s Hill during a strange time. The Akanni, a local 
  tribe of shadow orcs friendly to the settlers for over a 
  year, have decided to share their annual Festival of 
  the Night Bird with the residents of Kraden’s Hill. It’s a 
  night of raucous celebration as huge flocks of pink 
  and white birds take to the sky from the jungle to 
  travel north to the mountains.
  This year, however, a shadow has risen from Sapphire 
  Lake to encompass Kraden’s Hill with plans to ruin the 
  celebrating with a night of death and madness.
  Talk About Town
  The characters are staying at the Thirsty Serpent, the 
  only inn within Kraden’s Hill, as the news about the 
  Akanni tribe spreads around (though to begin with, 
  the rumors are dark and people are already afraid 
  of shadow orc raids on the town). This is a good time 
  for the characters to pick up rumors as well, and if 
  they’ve been through the previous adventures in 
  the trilogy they can bask in some well-deserved hero 
  worship as well.
  Read or paraphrase the following to begin.
  The mercilessly hot sun glares down on the town of 
  Kraden’s Hill, the frontier settlement you’ve found 
  yourself in for the past several weeks. Located on the 
  borders of the Great Jungle – a massive expanse of 
  dense tropical forest hiding all manner of dangerous 
  creatures – Kraden’s Hill has become a destination 
  for adventurers seeking to make their fortune in the 
  employ of powerful merchant companies exploiting 
  the jungle for resources. Lured by such golden 
  promises, you made the long caravan trek from 
  civilization far to the north, through the mountains, 
  and now behind the high walls of the frontier town. 
   
  The only inn for travelers in Kraden’s Hill is the Thirsty 
  Serpent, owned and operated by the twin wild 
  
  5
  elves Ereldris and Esythis Evenleaf. It’s noon, and 
  you’ve found yourself in the common room of the 
  Thirsty Serpent avoiding the blistering heat of the 
  midday sun. Several other patrons hang around 
  the bar, and the wild elf twins move about, setting 
  plates of meat and flagons of ale when requested. 
  On the back wall behind the bar are nailed dozens 
  of snakes of various sizes, shapes, and colors – a 
  curious tradition for the frontier tavern.
  The characters are assumed to have been traveling 
  together, but if this is not the case now is the perfect 
  opportunity for them to get to know one another. You 
  can roll randomly or assign one of the rumors to the 
  characters as well to represent what they’ve heard 
  over the past few days in Kraden’s Hill.
  1d8
  Rumor
  1
  Savage shadow orcs have been seen 
  moving about the jungle just beyond the 
  walls of Kraden’s Hill. Some say they’re 
  preparing to assault the town!
  2
  Bands of wild elves have been moving in 
  irregular patterns in the jungle, disrupting 
  expeditions and causing panic among the 
  merchants. What’s got them riled up?
  3
  The sheriff of Kraden’s Hill, Karolina Lomen, 
  has been having a tough time lately. 
  Since Noviortum House, one of the three 
  main merchant companies in town, was 
  discovered to be harboring demons in their 
  warehouse the sheriff has been absent from 
  her duties of late.
  4
  The surrounding homesteads have reported 
  increased shadow orc raids in the past few 
  weeks, but there haven’t been a lot of 
  spare warriors to send out to protect them.
  5
  Unusually large bats have been seen 
  around the walls of Kraden’s Hill at night. 
  Some people claim that the bats have eyes 
  of emerald fire!
  6
  War drums have been heard in the jungle 
  over the past few nights. Some tribe of 
  shadow orcs are preparing to fight another 
  one – or preparing to assault Kraden’s Hill 
  itself!
  7
  The last wagon to pick up fresh water from 
  the nearby Sapphire Lake claim that the 
  animals that normally frequent the site 
  have left completely. A sign of bad things 
  to come!
  8
  Grimden House, the most influential of the 
  merchant companies in Kraden’s Hill, has 
  seen a spike in business since Noviortum 
  House was wiped out by a band of 
  adventurers. Theodric Grimden is said to 
  swimming in gold now!
  Many of the rumors involve a mysterious tribe of 
  shadow orcs that have been seen around Kraden’s 
  Hill. These are the Akanni, a tribe friendly to the town, 
  but with Sheriff Lomen in solitude they have not had 
  anyone to contact regarding the upcoming Festival 
  of the Night Bird. People are scared and tempers 
  are running high along with the heat and humidity. 
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: Sheriff Lomen’s Absence
  Since the events of TG2 Tongues of the Screaming 
  Toad Sheriff Karolina Lomen has become derelict in 
  her duties. She fully blames herself for not seeing 
  the evil in Noviortum House and has taken to long 
  periods of solitude to attempt to atone for her 
  failings. What she doesn’t see is that she is failing the 
  town more in her absence. A player who went through 
  TG2 may have stepped up to replace her, and if so 
  adjust the beginning to match.
  In Come the Orcs
  After the characters have had a chance to share 
  their rumors and perhaps gain a few new ones, the 
  door to the Thirsty Serpent bursts open as the Akanni 
  orcs arrive in town. Though they seem threatening, 
  they are quite friendly and want only to share in the 
  festival with the settlers of Kraden’s Hill.
  Read or paraphrase the following.
  The saloon-style doors of the Thirsty Serpent slam 
  open suddenly, drawing your attention in a snap. 
  Standing in the doorway, backlit by the blazing sun, 
  are four savage shadow orcs, daggers held in their 
  great hands and feral looks upon their faces. They 
  bellow and charge inside!
  The scene and the rumors are meant to get the 
  characters ready for a combat against shadow orc 
  raiders, but the truth is that they are friendly and want 
  only to share in their festival. Allow jumpy characters a 
  chance to see the dead birds in the hands of the orcs 
  that they use the daggers to cut and the looks of feral 
  joy on their faces before taking any hasty actions. If a 
  character gets a shot off or an attack before realizing, 
  the orcs simply laugh it off as a misunderstanding.
  One of the tribal leaders, a strong warrior princess 
  named Kufika Akanni, announces to the people in 
  the Thirsty Serpent that the time of the Festival of the 
  Night Bird is upon them! It is a night of celebration 
  and feasting, and the Akanni tribe wishes to share 
  in the joyous night with the people of Kraden’s Hill. 
  Kufika speaks Common well enough, though with a 
  
  6
  thick accent, and explains that she normally would 
  send a runner to town to let Sheriff Lomen know of 
  their arrival. However, it seems Sheriff Lomen was not 
  informed in time.
  The shadow orcs, friends to the Evenleaf twins, buy 
  rounds of ale for everyone in the Thirsty Serpent 
  before heading out to let the rest of the town know 
  about the Festival of the Night Bird. Kufika explains 
  that once every year, great flocks of night birds – pink 
  and white birds that normally stay around the rivers of 
  the jungle – migrate north to the mountains. They do 
  so at night in one large group, timed to the rising of 
  the full moon, and the shadow orcs view it as a time 
  of great of celebration.
  Kufika invites the characters to participate in the 
  festivities as well, and promises that this Festival of the 
  Night Bird is going to the most spectacular ever. Little 
  does she know that the Shadow of Ibholtheg moves 
  even now invisibly in the air, rising from Sapphire Lake 
  to blanket Kraden’s Hill beneath its stupefying evil 
  once and for all – unless it can be stopped by a band 
  of adventurers.
  Festival of the Night Bird
  The shadow orcs of the Akanni tribe move about 
  Kraden’s Hill throughout the day, spreading word of 
  the Festival of the Night Bird and inviting everyone 
  to come out of their houses and wagons to witness 
  the spectacle and take part in the celebration. The 
  shadow orcs are friendly, even jovial, and their good 
  nature sweeps through the frontier town quickly. 
  People begin to excitedly gather together and talk 
  about what kinds of things they can expect.
  Kufika personally invites the characters to join in the 
  celebrations, and tells them that Kraden’s Hill is under 
  the watchful eye of the Akanni tribe for the night so 
  they don’t have to worry about other orcs or monsters 
  from the jungle. The shadow orcs are honestly excited 
  to share in this yearly festival with the people of the 
  town and are not hiding anything, though suspicious 
  characters may wish to check things out just the same.
  Night Falls ...
  Read or paraphrase the following as the sun sets on 
  Kraden’s Hill.
  The day winds down, with the entire town abuzz 
  about the night’s upcoming Festival of the Night 
  Bird. The infectious smiles and good nature of 
  the shadow orcs has turned around the attitude 
  of Kraden’s Hill entirely, and you feel yourself 
  being caught up in the high spirits. Kufika, one 
  of the Akanni tribe’s leaders who speaks the 
  best Common, lets out a bellowing yell as the 
  sun sets, calling everyone in town to the center 
  NPC Profile: Kufika, First Daughter of the Akanni
  Kufika is the eldest daughter of the chief of the 
  Akanni tribe, a powerful shadow orc warrior 
  who sees peace as the best course of action 
  with the settlers of Kraden’s Hill. Kufika agrees 
  with her father and has been the ambassador 
  for the shadow orcs in the frontier town for well 
  over a year – the merchants of Grimden House 
  and Clan Ironstar along with Sheriff Lomen all 
  appreciate her insight into local traditions and 
  customs, and her knowledge of the surrounding 
  jungle tribes is second to none.
  As a shadow orc warrior of her tribe, Kufika is 
  strongly built, with taut ebony muscles and a 
  lean figure. She keeps her black hair pulled back 
  in a ponytail most of the time, though for the 
  Festival of the Night Bird she has it hung loose 
  (along with the rest of the tribe). Her skill with 
  a scimitar is well-recognized but it is her talent 
  for diplomacy and negotiation that keeps the 
  Akanni tribe well-liked in Kraden’s Hill.
  
  7
  to witness the beginning of the festival. People 
  begin moving out of their houses and wagons 
  and into the streets, murmuring excitedly to each 
  other about the sights they are about to behold. 
   
  You follow the crowds and reach the center of 
  town, where shadow orcs stand holding brightly 
  burning torches. The sun has completely set and 
  night has settled over the area like a warm blanket. 
  The center of town where everyone has gathered 
  is a short distance away from the hill that gives the 
  town its name, upon which you can see guards 
  standing in their vigil, though they too look to be 
  fascinated by the orcish festival. Kufika steps on top 
  of a pile of boxes and shouts for quiet.
  Kufika starts the Festival of the Night Bird by invoking 
  the spirits of the jungle, the ancestors of the Akanni 
  tribe, and the gods of the settlers and people of 
  Kraden’s Hill to watch over the joyous night. She 
  raises her hands, and a pair of nearby orcs blow on 
  gigantic sounding horns. The sound echoes through 
  the night, low and rumbling, and from the jungle a 
  riotous squawking rises.
  The squawking grows to a cacophony and fills the 
  air, accompanied moments later by the flapping of 
  great river birds’ wings. A few minutes later, as the 
  noises grow louder, the air over the town is filled with 
  hundreds of white and pink birds with long necks and 
  wings taking to the air, traveling north from the jungle. 
  Great gasps go up from the gathered people and the 
  shadow orcs cheer.
  Have the characters can make DC 14 Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks. Anyone that succeeds notices 
  something is not right – the night sky is blotted out 
  behind the flocks of birds. A character proficient in 
  Nature recalls that there were no clouds in the sky 
  in the evening, and the darkness that hangs over 
  Kraden’s Hill and above the birds does not appear to 
  be anything like a cloud.
  None of the revelers notice the strange phenomenon, 
  which is the manifestation of the Shadow of Ibholtheg 
  that rose from Sapphire Lake.
  ... Shadows Rise
  As the birds wing overhead to the delight of the 
  gathered people, the characters notice that the 
  darkness that hangs over them all begins to roil and 
  take shape (no check necessary). Suddenly, several 
  shadows tear apart from the inky black mass and dive 
  down, slicing birds in their way and heading straight 
  for the gathered people. Shouts of alarm go up as 4 
  loathsome bat shadows descend upon the town only 
  20 feet away from the characters. The crowd parts 
  as the creatures – a horrible combination of shadowy 
  bat and tentacled monster – begin to attack.
  Tactics: Kufika and the shadow orcs are shocked 
  beyond words at the sudden turn of events as the 
  loathsome bat shadows focus their attacks on 
  whoever is closest. If the characters step up and face 
  the creatures, the loathsome bat shadows turn from 
  their prey to attack, leaping into the air to strike down 
  with sudden force.
  End of the Festival
  With the arrival of the loathsome shadows, Kufika and 
  the shadow orcs call for everyone to head back to 
  their homes quickly. Other parts of Kraden’s Hill seem 
  to be under attack by the massive shadow that hangs 
  in the sky and as the characters watch as after the 
  loathsome shadows are dispatched, the great flocks 
  of white and pink birds are swallowed up by the 
  darkness above them.
  Shadow Pools
  People scream and scatter around Kraden’s Hill and 
  some seek to escape the town, but the Shadow of 
  Ibholtheg has stretched completely around the walls. 
  An impenetrable black dome envelops the town just 
  outside the walls, extending up to a height of 500 feet.
  With the town so encompassed, the Shadow of 
  Ibholtheg begins to create dangerous portals to 
  extend its loathsome will. These manifest as shadow 
  pools that appear around the town.
  After the characters have dealt with the loathsome 
  bat shadows, give them a few moments to try and 
  assist with the herds of people that are panicking 
  around them. Charismatic characters can make 
  DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion or Intimidation) checks 
  to try and calm the mob. Kufika and the rest of the 
  shadow orcs are just as bewildered, though they 
  recover quickly. Kufika seeks out the characters and 
  asks for details on their plan. She suggests making sure 
  everyone gets inside but doesn’t have much more to 
  offer.
  The First Shadow Pool Appears
  A short distance away from the characters in an 
  alley behind a nearby building, a chorus of terrified 
  screams rises. Investigating the source finds a horrible 
  scene – a pool of black shadows, 20 feet wide, has 
  formed in the center of the alley inside which four 
  people struggle. Two are stuck 10 feet into the pool 
  while the others are only 5 feet in. The shadow pool 
  holds all of them immobile.
  Rising from the center are 2 hulking shadow mounds, 
  great piles of inky blackness intent on devouring the 
  people caught in the pool. The shadow pool’s mass 
  is sticky and tar-like, and characters attempting to 
  move through it must make DC 12 Strength saving 
  throws (and the pool is considered difficult terrain). 
  
  8
  Failing the save renders the target restrained.
  Tactics: The hulking shadow mounds rise up ominously 
  from the center one round after the characters arrive. 
  They use their shadow tendrils to try and pull victims 
  towards them – the pool instinctively releases captives 
  who are grappled by a tendril. Unless the characters 
  intervene the two creatures devour the four people in 
  a matter of rounds.
  Destroying a Shadow Pool
  The shadow pools can be weakened by bright light 
  (such as a swinging torch or a light spell brought in 
  close proximity). Against such a source, the pool 
  retreats, releasing captives as necessary. Each 
  shadow pool is a near-sentient thing, and against 
  bright light its whole mass retreats – around corners or 
  up the side of buildings if necessary!
  The only way to destroy a shadow pool is by dealing 
  20 points of radiant damage to its mass. It is immune 
  to all other damages, but for these purposes a light 
  spell deals 1d8 radiant damage to a shadow pool 
  each round it is in contact. A torch deals 1d4 radiant 
  damage to the pool if used as a weapon (attacks 
  automatically hit the pool if within range).
  Shadow Pool at the Thirsty Serpent
  The Shadow of Ibholtheg spawns the shadow pools 
  around town in order to weaken the residents. The 
  next one the characters encounter should be in front 
  of the Thirsty Serpent where many townspeople fled 
  to find safety. Instead, many are now trapped in the 
  sticky tar-like pool in front of the doors to the inn. A 
  group of 2 hulking shadow mounds and 3 loathsome 
  bat shadows attack the stuck group.
  Tactics: The characters arrive on the scene about 
  100 feet away, and there are eight stuck people in 
  the shadow pool crying for help. Each of the hulking 
  shadow mounds swallow whole one person a round 
  while the loathsome bat shadows swoop down and 
  eviscerate one stuck person a round. Engaging the 
  monsters and posing a threat to them as quickly as 
  possible can halt the devouring of the people.
  Words from the Wise
  After the characters deal with the shadow pool at 
  the Thirsty Serpent, a band of Akanni shadow orcs led 
  by Kufika charge around the corner. They relate their 
  own experiences with fighting the shadow monsters, 
  but Kufika wants a moment with the characters to 
  
  9
  hear something. The band of shadow orcs part as a 
  wizened old orc woman in gray robes shuffles forward, 
  leaning heavily on a staff.
  Kufika introduces the woman as Lindelani, the wisest 
  shaman of the Akanni tribe, who may be able to assist 
  in pushing back the shadows. Kufika and Lindelani 
  move into the Thirsty Serpent with the characters 
  while the rest of the shadow orc warriors stay outside, 
  guarding the building.
  Read or paraphrase the following.
  Inside the Thirsty Serpent, the orc shaman Lindelani 
  tightens her grip on her gnarled staff, her bony claw-
  like knuckles turning white with force and her blue 
  eyes blazing with intensity. “A great evil is seeping 
  into this world,” she begins harshly, sweeping her 
  gaze across the room. “This is only the beginning. 
  The Squamous Toad, a horrible power from ages 
  long past and stars long forgotten, has reached 
  through a crack and now seeks to open it further. 
  You must drive back the darkness, and to do that 
  you must follow the shadow cord to its source.” 
  Lindelani sighs and her body sags as Kufika rushes 
  to support her.
  As far as pushing back the shadow, if the characters 
  have not realized it yet Kufika explains that bright 
  lights, such as that of a torch, affect the shadow 
  pools. It stands to reason that the shadow that hangs 
  over Kraden’s Hill is vulnerable in the same way. They 
  must somehow create a light bright enough to dispel 
  the shadow before the entire town is consumed by 
  pools of darkness.
  If no character thinks of it, Lindelani says that the hill 
  near the center of town would be a perfect spot to 
  create a bonfire that might be large enough to drive 
  back the shadow. But they must act quickly – people 
  begin arriving at the Thirsty Serpent saying that whole 
  portions of the town are being swallowed by pools of 
  shadow and the lurking horrors that they bring.
  The fire must burn bright and hot and for as long as 
  possible to do the most harm to the shadows. Lindelani 
  provides the characters with a handful of enchanted 
  nuts (one for each character), each the size of a 
  man’s fist and covered in small fibers. The shadow orc 
  shaman explains that these can be used to cause the 
  flames to rise high into the air but the fire must already 
  be started for them to work.
  Fire on the Hill
  Getting to the hill proves an easy if disturbing task. 
  Many of the people have fled to their homes or have 
  already been devoured by shadow monsters, so the 
  streets of Kraden’s Hill are nearly deserted. Arriving 
  at the hill, the characters find that a band of watch 
  guards still hold their position at the top but only barely.
  Read or paraphrase the following as the characters 
  approach.
  The streets of Kraden’s Hill are weirdly deserted as 
  you leave the Thirsty Serpent. Where once were 
  throngs of people in a mad rush to escape the 
  horrors in the center of town you now find only 
  empty alleys and deserted buildings. The night 
  air is punctuated by the occasional scream or 
  monstrous cry as you thread your way to the hill 
  that gives the town its name. There, you see that 
  the watch guards on sentry still stand at its crown – 
  but only barely. A flock of loathsome bat shadows 
  fly down and claw at them, and as you watch one 
  man is lifted bodily from the ground and pulled up 
  into the massive shadow that hangs overhead, his 
  scream silenced in an instant.
  There are 5 loathsome bat shadows attacking the 
  remaining 6 guards on the top of the hill. The hill is 200 
  feet high with steep slopes on all sides and crudely 
  carved steps leading to the top. The top is a flat 
  surface 40 feet in diameter.
  In order to create a fire big enough to drive away the 
  Shadow of Ibholtheg, the characters must get wood 
  to the top of the hill. A table, a handful of chairs, 
  and a broken canopy are already there but more 
  wood is needed. Character making a DC 13 Wisdom 
  (Perception) check see a nearby building appears 
  abandoned and in rough shape. The guards or a 
  band of shadow orcs can be ordered to retrieve the 
  wood.
  Depending on the actions of the characters, you 
  can have them hold off loathsome bat shadows on 
  top of the hill or fight off hulking shadow mounds 
  in the building (or both if they split the party!). The 
  scene is meant to be dramatic so don’t throw 
  so much that a group can’t handle, but they 
  should be feeling the pressure of the moment. 
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: Leadership Roles
  The scenes in Kraden’s Hill are going to have the most 
  impact if the players see themselves as taking the 
  leadership positions that no one seems to be filling. 
  Kufika is an outsider and most people won’t listen 
  to her, and the sheriff is away somewhere. This is a 
  chance for the players to start making some decisions 
  and stepping up in a big way!
  Light the Fire!
  Once enough wood is piled on the hill, characters 
  can light it however they see fit (with magical or 
  mundane methods). Old wood catches fire quickly, 
  and any remaining loathsome bat shadows shy away 
  from the blaze quickly. Tossing one of the enchanted 
  nuts from Lindelani on the fire creates an immediate 
  effect – a pillar of raging fire cracks open from the nut 
  
  10
  and spirals into the air.
  In order to be effective, all of the enchanted nuts 
  must be used (however many Lindelani provided to 
  the characters). If used individually, describe how 
  the shadow veil over the town weakens with each 
  column of fire, but if they are all thrown in together 
  the resulting inferno is strong enough to beat back the 
  Shadow of Ibholtheg instantly.
  Read or paraphrase the following once all of the 
  enchanted nuts are used.
  The roaring column of fire stretches up, higher and 
  higher, licking at the surface of the great shadow 
  hanging over Kraden’s Hill. The shadow roils as if 
  boiling, churning and heaving in great shuddering 
  waves, as the flames dance around it and the light 
  shines all upon it. Suddenly the flames turn black for 
  a moment, plunging the entire town into darkness, 
  but just as quickly as it happened it disappears – 
  along with the shadowy mass that filled the sky. You 
  see it receding quickly, drawing out shadow pools 
  from around the town like a leech sucks out blood 
  from a victim. It fades and you are left standing 
  near burning embers, staring up at twinkling stars in 
  the night sky once again.
  The Shadow of Ibholtheg is pushed back and the 
  immediate threat to Kraden’s Hill ended. Kufika, the 
  residents of the frontier town, the rest of the Akanni 
  orcs, and everyone else slowly emerge from their 
  homes and hiding places to see that the threat is 
  gone. The characters are hailed as heroes though 
  many lives were lost in the night.
  Dawn Breaks
  Dawn finally breaks over the frontier town, and as it 
  does, anyone awake sees a strange sight. A tendril 
  of shadows extends from the walls of Kraden’s Hill 
  heading east. Lindelani calls out the characters to 
  show them and explains that this is the cord that must 
  be followed to find the Squamous Toad, who is also 
  known as Ibholtheg. Whatever crack has appeared 
  between worlds must be repaired and the evil power 
  sealed up once again.
  Allow the characters a chance to rest and recover 
  before they head out to follow the cord. It leads east 
  for a day and half to the formerly tranquil Sapphire 
  Lake, below which lies the source of the shadow cord.
  PART TWO: DEPTHS OF SAPPHIRE LAKE
  After the characters have had a chance to recover 
  from the attack on Kraden’s Hill they can follow the 
  cord of shadow that leads east. Kufika and her band 
  of Akanni shadow orcs pledge to protect the town 
  while the characters are away, an offer that is heartily 
  accepted by the merchants of Grimden House and 
  Clan Ironstar. Once they arrive at Sapphire Lake the 
  characters must dive deep into its waters to follow the 
  cord, and then through submerged caves that hold 
  a tribe of degenerate toad-men. The haunted, trap-
  laden catacombs sit below the caves, an ancient 
  legacy of Xilonoc, and though the characters are 
  of noble purpose they may find that the dangerous 
  denizens of that submerged dungeon care little for 
  their reasons.
  The shadow cord leads to a crack in the wall in the 
  deepest part of the catacombs where the characters 
  must enter in order to seal it.
  Tranquil Sapphire Lake
  Sapphire Lake is located a day and a half east of 
  Kraden’s Hill along with a well-used trail that skirts 
  along the northern edge of the Great Jungle. The 
  cord of shadow, misty and insubstantial but visible 
  nonetheless, snakes its way due east, following the 
  trail (more by accident than design).
  Read or paraphrase the following the following as the 
  characters approach Sapphire Lake.
  The shadowy cord, wispy and nearly transparent in 
  the daytime, winds its way along the well-trodden 
  path east of Kraden’s Hill. You follow it for a day 
  and a half, mindful of traps and dangers, but so far 
  it has been an uneventful journey. At noon on the 
  second day you crest a small hill and gaze upon a 
  shocking sight. The tranquil, blue waters of Sapphire 
  Lake stretch out before you, fed by a mountain 
  stream, but the waters seem dull and grayer the 
  longer you look. The shadow cord snakes up to the 
  water’s edge and then moves up to join a massive, 
  roiling cloud of darkness that hovers over Sapphire 
  Lake. The cloud is fed by a strong line of thick 
  shadow smoke rising from the center of the lake 
  itself. A friendly shout from a short distance away 
  catches your attention where you see a well-built 
  farmer walking towards you.
  The man approaching is Leopold Einhorn from the 
  nearest homestead. He saw the characters following 
  the shadow cord earlier and decided to meet up with 
  them to see what was happening. He is friendly and 
  open, and says that the shadowy mass over Sapphire 
  Lake appeared only about two days ago. Leopold 
  
  11
  swears it’s gotten bigger every day though.
  If asked, Leopold can attest to the existence of caves 
  beneath Sapphire Lake, though he doesn’t know 
  anyone who’s gone into them recently. Two years 
  ago a group of treasure hunters came to the area 
  and went in the lake, but Leopold doesn’t recall if 
  they made it out or not.
  Almost as an afterthought, Leopold reaches into his 
  pockets and hands the characters a grimy talisman. 
  He says that it was found by one of his daughters 
  around the lake about a year ago, and though he’s 
  had some people in Kraden’s Hill look at it no one 
  has figured out what its design means. He wants 
  the characters to take it for good luck and is quite 
  insistent upon it. The talisman is the size of a man’s 
  hand, bronze, and depicts a stylized face on one 
  side and is smooth and blank on the other. Using this 
  talisman is the easiest way past the guardians in area 
  10 of the catacombs. Leopold would be very upset if 
  the characters did not take the gift and leaves it on 
  the ground for them before leaving in disgust if they 
  refuse his gift.
  The shadowy mass is getting bigger, but the 
  characters have a few days before it strikes again. 
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: Penalty for Dillydallying
  If the players hem and haw about what to do, it’s 
  certainly reasonable to threaten the Einhorn 
  Homestead as a means of motivation. Perhaps a swarm 
  of loathsome bat shadows peel off from the main 
  cloud over the lake and descend on the area, or 
  perhaps a shadow pool appears and spews forth a 
  hulking shadow mound. Whatever motivates them to 
  action!
  Going for a Swim
  Sapphire Lake is cool and relatively clear, fed by 
  mountain springs. The tangle of shadowy smoke 
  that seems to feed the swirling cloud descends to 
  the bottom of the lake at a depth of 80 feet. There 
  it snakes through an underwater tunnel, twisting and 
  turning, for another 100 feet before it finally comes up 
  in a small cave (area 1 below).
  Characters are likely going to need to be able to 
  breathe underwater in order to access the submerged 
  caves following the shadow cord. If they have no 
  means of doing so, they can travel back to Kraden’s 
  Hill and purchase a scroll of water breathing from an 
  
  12
  arcane merchant for 300 gp.
  Submerged Caves
  The underwater tunnel breaks into an air-filled cavern 
  system below Sapphire Lake. The upper caves are 
  roughhewn, wet, and currently occupied by a tribe 
  of degenerate toad-men. They’ve lived in the caves 
  for a number of years, never daring to head out for 
  fear of missing their opportunity to release Ibholtheg 
  from its prison. With the shadow cord snaking its way 
  through their caves, the toad-men are ecstatic and 
  are preparing to launch an assault on the catacombs 
  below.
  General Features
   
  Walls: The walls of the submerged caves are 
  roughly carved stone, weathered smooth by centuries 
  of erosion.
   
  Air: 
  The 
  air 
  is 
  thick 
  and 
  humid, 
  with 
  moisture 
  beading 
  on 
  every 
  surface 
  and a damp musty smell filling the caves. 
   
   
  Floors: Because of the humidity and the 
  lake above, the floors of the caves are slippery and 
  considered difficult terrain. Anyone moving more 
  than their movement speed in a round must make DC 
  12 Dexterity saving throws or fall prone. The toad-men 
  are immune to this effect.
   
  Sounds: Constant dripping echoes throughout 
  the submerged caves, but the cries of the exuberant 
  toad-men and their pets rise loudly everywhere.
   
  Ceiling: Unless otherwise noted the ceiling in 
  the submerged caves is 10 feet high.
  1. 
  Entrance
  The underwater tunnel below Sapphire Lake snakes 
  around for quite a ways before finally turning 
  upwards and ending in a pool of water in a cave 
  where you finally break free and breathe musty 
  air. The shadowy cord hugs the wall and follows a 
  rough cavernous passage that leads further in.
  The degenerate toad-men do not use this entrance 
  or exit very much (they have secret ways in through 
  other tunnels that lead out into the jungle). Characters 
  emerging from the pool can hear the sound of 
  exultant croaking from further in.
  2. 
  Albino Cave Fish Pools
  The tunnel exits into a large cavern with a rough 
  pillar dominating the center. Shallow caves set 
  within the east and west walls hold pools of water 
  in which swim a number of large albino fish. The 
  pools don’t appear to be big enough for the fish to 
  spawn naturally. The shadow cord wisps gently to 
  the north where it follows a tunnel leading further 
  on.
  The degenerate toad-men enjoy the taste of albino 
  cave fish and keep them in these pools to spawn 
  during certain times of the year. As the characters 
  enter a group of 6 degenerate toad-men enter the 
  cave from the north, croaking and talking to each 
  other in their foul language, each carrying a crude 
  basket. They were sent by the chief to fetch more 
  albino cave fish to feast upon.
  Tactics: If the characters think quickly enough they 
  can hide before the toad-men notice them. If that is 
  the case, the toad-men gather up albino cave fish for 
  a minute, wading into the pools directly and tossing 
  their catches into the baskets, before laughing and 
  running back to area 4.
  If confronted by enemies, one of the toad-men flees 
  to area 4 to warn the rest of the tribe while the others 
  attempt to hold back the characters.
  3. 
  Spawning Pits
  A horrible smell rises from this dead-end cave. 
  Shallow pits are dug into the rock floor, each filled 
  with squirming tadpoles in murky scum. Angry 
  croaks rise up from the shadowy corners as large 
  toads leap out!
  The toad-man tribe spawns their giant toads in 
  this small cave (or at least at the beginning of the 
  spawning period). It is guarded by 5 giant toads that 
  leap out to attack intruders.
  Tactics: The giant toads attack until dead to defend 
  the tadpoles.
  4. 
  Chapel of the Toad-Men
  While following the shadow cord, you come upon 
  a great cavern, the ceiling stretching up 30 feet 
  above you. Choruses of croaks and shrieks fill the 
  air as you see a large number of the savage toad-
  men dancing and cavorting around a central 
  platform. There a crude idol has been seated, 
  made of porous green stone, very much unlike the 
  rest of the caves around you. It has been carved to 
  resemble a squatting frog about 10 feet high, but it 
  has rough bat wings folded over its shoulders and 
  a large crocodilian mouth. Two larger toad-men 
  stand in front of the idol, raising their webbed hands 
  and leaping into the air with frenzied abandon. The 
  shadow cord winds several times around the green 
  idol before continuing further into the cave to the 
  northwest.
  It is a time of great celebration for the toad-men. They 
  view the shadow cord and the mass of squirming 
  shadows above Sapphire Lake as a herald of 
  
  13
  Ibholtheg’s imminent return and they are celebrating 
  non-stop. The cave holds 10 degenerate toad-men 
  and 2 toad-man shamans.
  Sneaking past the gathered tribe in this room should 
  prove difficult if not outright impossible. The shamans 
  have a good vantage point on top of the platform 
  in front of the idol, and if they see anyone sneaking 
  around they croak loudly and point to get the 
  attention of the gathered horde.
  Tactics: Any intruders within their sacred chapel are 
  seen as affront to Ibholtheg itself and will be met with 
  instant hostility. The toad-men launch themselves into 
  combat with reckless abandon, fighting with spears to 
  drive off the characters while the shamans use spells 
  from the idol’s platform in the center of the cave.
  If combat breaks out, Slubgup the Mighty – chieftain 
  of this tribe – comes out of his room in area 6 along 
  with a group of 4 elite toad-men. Slubgup was resting 
  in his chamber, but sees now that Ibholtheg has sent 
  surface dwellers to test the toad-men’s loyalty. He 
  spurs his people on to greater attacks, joining in with 
  feverish delight.
  Treasure: Several fetishes have been thrown on the 
  ground in front of the idol in reverence. One of these 
  is a sprig of berries that detect as magical. The berries 
  have the same effect as a potion of invulnerability for 
  one person who eats them.
  5. 
  Sleeping Caverns
  This large cave is where the toad-men sleep and 
  rest. At any given time there are 8 degenerate toad-
  men here, relaxing or sleeping. They spring to attack 
  anyone who enters the cave that isn’t a toad-man 
  but they do not bother with any sounds of combat in 
  other areas of the cave (they assume it’s part of the 
  celebrating).
  6. 
  Chieftain’s Lair
  The home of Slubgup the Mighty, chieftain of the 
  degenerate toad-man tribe, this cave holds a pool 
  of warm scummy water that the chief relaxes in when 
  not ruling or participating in rituals with the shamans. 
  There are 4 elite toad-men Slubgup keeps near him as 
  bodyguards at all times.
  Treasure: Slubgup and the toad-men killed a party 
  of treasure seekers that came into the caves several 
  years ago. He took their stuff and hid it in a waterproof 
  sack, which sits in the scummy pool in this chamber. 
  The sack contains three ruby gemstones each worth 
  150 gp, a headband of intellect, three arrows +1, and 
  a cap of water breathing.
  7. 
  Shaman Lair
  The cavernous passage ends in three 15 foot 
  long narrow alcoves. At the end of each alcove 
  squats a crude idol, similar to the one in the main 
  chamber but only representing a single aspect of 
  the monstrous creature – a toad in alcove, a bat in 
  another, and a crocodile in the third. They are all 
  carved of the same green porous stone.
  The shamans of the toad-men keep this chamber and 
  worship at the three aspects of Ibholtheg. There are 2 
  toad-man shamans in this area at any given time (the 
  other two are in area 4).
  Tactics: The shamans here croak and squawk at 
  intruders, cursing them for befouling Ibholtheg’s 
  mighty presence, before launching spells at the 
  characters. The shamans fight until dead.
  8. 
  Sacred Pool of the Squamous Toad
  Following the shadow cord deeper into the caves 
  leads you to a broad area. A pool of green, 
  scummy liquid of indeterminate depth dominates 
  the slick floor, but squatting in the center is a group 
  of horrendous toad-like monsters. They spread their 
  bat wings and let out a horrible ear-piercing croak!
  This pool is sacred to the toad-men and it is where 
  the tribe has called down 3 cipactli, favored servants 
  of Ibholtheg in ages long past. The cipactli leap to 
  attack any non-toad-man that enters the area.
  Tactics: The cipactli are straightforward combatants, 
  but use their devastating croak ability to stun 
  opponents before moving in to finish them off with 
  claws and jaws.
  9. 
  Sealed Entrance to the Catacombs
  The shadow cord moves through a long passage 
  before coming into a cave similar to the others 
  that you’ve been through. However, on the floor of 
  this one is a round metal seal roughly 10 feet wide. 
  Images are carved on its surface in rings resembling 
  the animals of the jungle around the center, which 
  features a blazing sun. The shadowy trail you’ve 
  been following seeps through the edges of the 
  sealed portal.
  The priests and jaguar knights of Xilonoc sealed 
  the entrance to the catacombs below to keep 
  Ibholtheg’s foul servants from breaching it and finding 
  a way to release the loathsome creature. They did not 
  anticipate that the Squamous Toad would find a way 
  to break the seal on its prison itself, which has allowed 
  the shadowy tendril of Ibholtheg’s power to leak into 
  
  14
  the Prime Plane.
  The toad-men have not yet found a way to open 
  the seal to enter the lower catacombs. It is warded 
  against being opened by any amphibious creature, 
  so if the characters attempt they can open it without 
  issue (unless they are amphibious like a toad-man 
  or cipactli). The portal lid twists open and reveals a 
  small landing 10 feet down into darkness, which has 
  a narrow winding staircase descending even further.
  Catacombs of Mazatl
  The powerful figures of ancient Xilonoc, led by the 
  archpriestess Mazatl, created the catacombs after 
  sealing Ibholtheg away in the Prison of Black Gulfs as a 
  means of deterring the loathsome creature’s followers 
  from finding a way to release it into the Prime Plane 
  once again. She placed both undead guardians and 
  traps in the corridors. Some areas in the catacombs 
  have collapsed as a result of earthquakes and other 
  natural phenomena, allowing natural monsters to 
  move in as well.
  General Features
   
  Walls and floors: Unlike the above caverns, the 
  walls and floors in the catacombs are cut stone and 
  clearly manufactured by intelligent hands. Untouched 
  for thousands of years, the walls bear striking colored 
  murals depicting hundreds upon hundreds of people 
  in elaborate headdresses and armor moving towards 
  area 18.
   
  Air: The air is stale and stagnant.
   
  Ceiling: Unless otherwise noted the ceiling in 
  the submerged caves is 10 feet high.
   
  Light: There is no natural light in the catacombs.
   
  Shadow cord: The shadow cord is not visible in the 
  Catacombs of Mazatl until the characters reach area 15. 
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: Xilonoc Culture
  The Xilonoc empire is based on the Aztec culture 
  of Earth, so play up the similarities as the players 
  investigate the catacombs in this section of the 
  adventure. Whatever details you can add to make the 
  culture come alive in the minds of your players is 
  going to go a long way towards them enjoying and 
  remembering the moments in your game.
  10. 
  Guardians of Xilonoc
  The hallway beyond the spiral staircase ends after 
  about 40 feet in a chamber. The east and west walls 
  hold deep alcoves, two on each side, and within 
  each you see a sarcophagus standing upright. The 
  lid of each sarcophagus is carved to resemble a 
  man or woman in the prime of their life, decorated 
  with feathers, with bronzed skin and closed eyes. 
  On the south wall opposite the entrance a strange 
  mural is painted depicting a huge stylized face. 
  A groan of stone against stone echoes out as the 
  dust of centuries is disturbed – the lids are opening!
  The four sarcophagi each hold a guardian of the 
  catacombs sworn to defend it against any intrusion. 
  The 4 mummies lurch out of their resting places 
  two rounds after the characters enter, intent upon 
  destroying the intruders.
  The talisman given to the characters by Leopold 
  Einhorn when they arrived at Sapphire Lake matches 
  the engravings on the wall mural. If none of the 
  players think of it, have them make DC 15 Intelligence 
  checks to recall this information. If anyone presents 
  the talisman, the mummies stop in their tracks 
  as if waiting. As long as the talisman is held up in 
  view of the mummies the creatures do not attack. 
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: Missing Talisman
  It’s entirely possible that the players may have 
  insisted Leopold Einhorn keep the talisman rather 
  than taking the gift. The stubborn man would have 
  left it there too, so it’s possible it’s just sitting on 
  the ground on the shore of the lake. As long as it’s 
  still there it’s still possible for the characters to 
  go up and get it – sometimes they should just take 
  gifts offered to them!
  Bringing the talisman to the mural on the wall triggers 
  the opening on the secret door. The stylized face on 
  the wall swings open revealing the passage beyond.
  Tactics: The mummies fight until the intruders are 
  destroyed, using simple and brutish tactics. They focus 
  attacks on spellcasters; clerics first and then wizards.
  Treasure: These mummies were not buried with their 
  possessions so the sarcophagi are empty.
  11. 
  Wisdom of Quetzal
  This square chamber contains intricate murals 
  painted along the walls depicting the deeds and 
  life of a priest in an ancient epoch. The priest 
  depicted in the mural is represented by a life-sized 
  statue, where he is holding a book in one hand and 
  a curved sickle in the other, staring down at you 
  with judging, cold, stony eyes. A golden circlet rests 
  on the statue’s head.
  
  15
  This room is dedicated to the life and times of Quetzal, 
  a powerful priest devoted to the jungle gods. He is one 
  of the five powers of Xilonoc who built the catacombs.
  The circlet on the statue’s head is required to bypass 
  the Eyes of Mazatl in area 15. It is trapped, however, 
  and anyone that removes it without deactivating 
  the trap triggers a powerful lightning bolt (cast as a 
  6th-level spell for 11d6 damage) that blasts through 
  the perpetrator and out to 60 feet (DC 14 Dexterity 
  saving throw for half damage). Deactivating the trap 
  is as simple as closing one’s eyes while removing the 
  circlet, a fact that examination of the mural shows 
  (the circlet being placed on the head of the priest 
  with his eyes closed).
  Treasure: The circlet radiates strong magic but it is not 
  a magical item. It is one of four items needed to enter 
  area 16 and dissolves if removed from the catacombs.
  12. 
  Strength of Tenoch
  A square chamber sits at the end of the hall, its walls 
  decorated from floor to ceiling with intricate murals. 
  The murals depict the life of a strong warrior with 
  muscled bronze skin in various stages of his life – as 
  a young boy throwing a ball through a hoop, as a 
  young man fighting in the jungle against shadows, 
  and as a brave warrior defeating monsters in 
  mountains. The man himself stands in life-like stone 
  statue, his countenance grave and the studded 
  club in his hands raised to strike. A belt of golden 
  discs encircles his waist.
  Tenoch was one of the mightiest warriors of Xilonoc 
  and was instrumental in driving the forces of Ibholtheg 
  back while his companions and the jungle gods 
  imprisoned it in the Black Gulfs.
  The belt around the statue’s waist is required to 
  bypass the Eyes of Mazatl in area 15. It is trapped, 
  however, and anyone that removes the belt without 
  deactivating it first triggers a powerful flesh to stone 
  spell (save DC 14). Deactivating the trap requires 
  removing the belt with bandaged hands, which 
  can be seen in the mural (a priest places the belt on 
  Tenoch while his hands are bandaged).
  Treasure: The belt radiates strong magic but it is not 
  a magical item. It is one of the four items needed 
  to enter area 16 and dissolves if removed from the 
  catacombs.
  13. 
  Mind of Zuma
  A chittering sound fills the air as you gaze upon this 
  once square room. The southwestern corner has 
  completely collapsed, ruining much of the intricate 
  murals that decorate the walls. The murals show a 
  thin bald man studying books and learning the arts 
  of sorcery from various teachers, including what 
  appears to be a tattooed elf, a rainbow serpent 
  with feathered wings, and a well-dressed bipedal 
  panther-man. A statue depicting the bald man lies 
  on the floor, a victim of the same cave-in, and as 
  you look around, a nest of large centipedes stirs 
  from around the rubble.
  Zuma was a sorcerer of Xilonoc, a powerful being 
  who was instrumental in summoning the jungle gods 
  to the aid of the five companions when they faced 
  Ibholtheg. Over the centuries, the earth has shifted 
  enough to cause a partial collapse of the ceiling, 
  attracting a number of creatures. There are 6 swarms 
  of centipedes that nest in around the rubble, and 
  any attempt to search the area for the required relic 
  disturbs them to the point of combat.
  Tactics: The centipede swarms spread out, trying to 
  engulf everyone in the room as quickly as possible. 
  They live as absolute masters of their domain and do 
  not back down.
  Treasure: Searching the rubble after the swarms are 
  defeated turns up a golden ring on the finger of the 
  statue. The ring depicts a feathered serpent and is one 
  of the four items needed to bypass the Eyes of Mazatl 
  in area 15. It radiates magic but it is not a magical 
  item. Whatever trap was on the ring dissipated when 
  the statue collapsed.
  14. 
  Speed of Yaretzi
  At the end of this hallway sits another square 
  chamber, though in far worse shape than any of 
  the others. The northeastern corner has collapsed 
  entirely and much of the walls have fallen into 
  ruin, though you can still see evidence of intricate 
  colored murals in the rubble. Amidst the debris 
  you can make out the hand of a statue and other 
  broken features.
  This chamber was built to honor Yaretzi, a thief and 
  commoner with a knack for being in the wrong place 
  at the wrong time. He went with the companions to 
  face Ibholtheg by mistake, but he assisted nonetheless 
  in defeating the Squamous Toad and is thus enshrined 
  here.
  Searching the rubble requires a DC 14 Wisdom 
  (Perception) check to find the treasure item to 
  appease the Eyes of Mazatl (a golden armband). 
  
  16
  Unlike the ruined statue in area 13, however, this one 
  still has its trap intact. The character that finds the 
  armband triggers the blade barrier spell to fill the room 
  with spinning, slashing blades (save DC 14). The spell 
  only lasts 1 round. Disabling the magical trap requires 
  dispelling the spell.
  Treasure: The golden armband radiates strong magic 
  but is not a magical item. It is one of the four items 
  needed to enter area 16 and dissolves if taken out of 
  the catacombs.
  15. 
  Eyes of Mazatl
  The hallway ends abruptly at a dead end, but 
  it is decorated with a life-sized mural of a human 
  woman dressed in regal garments. You recognize 
  her face as the original representation of the stylized 
  one at the beginning of the catacombs. She is 
  painted on the wall with her hands outstretched 
  and palms out as if waiting for something. Curiously, 
  four golden items stand out amongst her garments 
  – a circlet upon her head, an armband on the left 
  arm, a ring on the right hand, and a belt of golden 
  discs around her waist.
  In order to bypass the image of Mazatl, the princess 
  who led the humans of Xilonoc against the insane 
  forces of Ibholtheg, a character must stand in the 
  exact same pose as her adorned with the four golden 
  items from the statues in the other rooms (circlet in 
  area 11, belt in area 12, ring in area 13, and armband 
  in area 14).
  Once done, the image of Mazatl quickly bathes the 
  room in radiance, and when the characters blink they 
  find that the wall is gone, revealing the Gate to the 
  Black Gulfs (area 16) beyond.
  16. 
  Gate of the Black Gulfs
  A large chamber stretches out before you, diamond 
  shaped from your perspective, though the walls 
  and ceilings are hazy through thick tendrils of black 
  shadows that slip lazily through the air. The tendrils 
  writhe and twist before your eyes as if possessed of 
  a living intelligence and you sense movement in 
  the room as well. All of the shadow cords seem to 
  be oozing out of the wall opposite you.
  This room contains the gate that Mazatl and her 
  companions sealed to prevent Ibholtheg from being 
  released from the Prison of Black Gulfs. The Squamous 
  Toad is currently exerting all of its influence to widen 
  the crack that was created, which is why the shadow 
  tendrils are stronger in here. There are also 3 cipactli 
  in the room that move to intercept the characters as 
  soon as they enter the room.
  The shadowy tendrils make movement difficult as they 
  wrap around bodies and arms. On initiative count 20 
  (losing ties) the shadow tendrils attempt to ensnare 
  up to 4 targets that are in the room. The targets 
  must make DC 14 Dexterity saving throws to avoid 
  becoming restrained. Restrained characters can take 
  an action to try and break free, requiring a DC 14 
  Strength saving throw as the shadow cords become 
  slimy black tentacles around their bodies.
  Tactics: The cipactli focus their attacks on restrained 
  characters first, targeting them with all of their melee 
  strikes. There is no retreat for the loathsome creatures.
  The Crack Between Worlds
  Once the cipactli have been defeated in the Gate of 
  the Black Gulfs, the shadow tendrils lose their potency 
  and no longer restrain opponents. Characters can 
  examine the crack in the wall, which is 6 feet long, 
  3 feet wide, and jagged; as if a horrible claw tore it 
  open. Blackness and shadows ooze from the wall like 
  blood from a festering wound, but anyone that looks 
  at the mass sees an unusually thick cord in the center 
  of the tangled mass.
  There is no way to seal the crack from this side of the 
  Prison of Black Gulfs – it must be repaired from within. 
  Anyone that grips the thick black cord in the center 
  and then touches the inside of the crack is instantly 
  sucked inside, a transportation that looks like the 
  character is transformed into a shadow and then 
  pulled through the crack.
  Once all the characters have gone through you can 
  continue with the next part of the module. There isn’t 
  any other way accessible to the characters to enter 
  the Prison of Black Gulfs.
  PART THREE: PRISON OF BLACK GULFS
  The Prison of Black Gulfs is a location on another plane of 
  existence that holds the essence and form of Ibholtheg, 
  the Squamous Toad, imprisoned there centuries ago 
  by the jungle gods and the combined might of the 
  greatest heroes of Xilonoc. They did not create the 
  prison, however – they simply availed themselves of its 
  services as an inescapable location. Other beings of 
  power and stature have been banished to the Black 
  Gulfs and its exact size and nature are largely unknown. 
  
  17
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: Planar Lore
  If a character has specialized knowledge in planar 
  lore, allow them appropriate checks to recall basic 
  information regarding the Prison of Black Gulfs (it’s 
  an extraplanar prison, been around for a long time, 
  might be a demiplane or a sealed section of Carceri). 
  Sages versed in the ways of the multiverse would 
  likely have heard of the place.
  Having traveled to the Black Gulfs via the crack 
  between worlds, the characters meet an ancient 
  spectral jaguar knight, wounded and dying, who can 
  help guide them on their journey. They must travel 
  through the prison to the Realm of the Squamous 
  Toad, the abode of Ibholtheg, and obtain a piece 
  of the loathsome god’s essence in order to seal the 
  crack, thus preventing the terrible power’s return to 
  the Prime Plane.
  The Prison of Black Gulfs Overview
  The Prison of Black Gulfs is composed of realms 
  where the powerful wills of imprisoned creatures 
  have reshaped matter to suit their purposes. Some 
  extraplanar force keeps the realms from mingling with 
  one another though there are no active guards or 
  defenses anywhere in the prison.
  Between the realms are limitless gulfs of black 
  shadows, swirling in a never-ending primordial soup 
  of blackness. Great stone blocks, some a mile wide 
  and others much smaller, tumble and move slowly 
  about the shadows. These are the shattered remnants 
  of previous realms, for while no prisoner has escaped 
  the Black Gulfs many die or fade away, leaving their 
  realms to crumble and be washed away like sand 
  castles on a beach.
  The shadowy mass that makes up the bulk of the Black 
  Gulfs creates a sort of buoyancy that keeps the great 
  stone blocks and platforms afloat. Anyone falling into 
  the Black Gulfs plummets to begin with but then feels 
  the shadows tug and pull at their form, lifting them and 
  cushioning them. Movement after 100 feet beyond a 
  gray platform becomes more like swimming through 
  pudding, though the shadows leave no residue or 
  marks behind.
  This strange effect impacts ranged attacks after 100 
  feet as well, which simply lose momentum and are 
  swallowed up by the shadows after such a distance. 
  Spells that function as ranged attacks (such as a 
  fireball or magic missile) lose their potency as well and 
  only deal half their normal damage if they travel 100 
  or more feet.
  What terrors lurk in the Black Gulfs for the too curious? 
  Let your imagination go wild, but the characters 
  should be cautioned against such foolhardy actions!
  The Black Gulfs
  The journey through the crack is disorienting and 
  deposits the characters in an unfamiliar, alien land. 
  Luckily, they do not find themselves alone, as an 
  ancient jaguar knight named Teyatli is there to offer 
  guidance as to what must be done.
  Read or paraphrase the following after the characters 
  enter the crack between worlds.
  The world fades before your eyes, dissolving into 
  misty shadows, and then you get the sensation 
  of becoming insubstantial yourself! Your eyes 
  become clouded and all sense of rightness goes 
  out as you feel yourself being pulled through 
  immeasurable lengths of time and distance. Colors, 
  some completely foreign to you and others more 
  familiar, pass and flash in a kaleidoscopic rainbow 
  of random patterns but there is nothing solid about 
  you, and you realize nothing solid of you! Then, 
  with a lurch, everything comes back together in 
  an instant – your body and possessions materialize 
  in physical form once again and solid ground sits 
  below your feet. But you are not where you were. 
  You stand upon a massive gray platform, like stone, 
  the edges of which drop off into swirling miasmas 
  of unending blackness. The platform is rough with 
  large edifices protruding at strange angles, and 
  you get the sense that you and the platform are not 
  anchored to anything solid, that you are floating 
  through that abyss of yawning shadows.
  The characters have entered the Prison of Black Gulfs. 
  Allow them a few moments to take in their scene and 
  figure out where they are before moving on.
  The Ancient Caretaker
  After a few moments, the characters see a spectral 
  figure approaching from behind one of the nearby 
  edifices on their platform. It is a man, tall and muscular, 
  but hunched slightly and leaning heavily on a ghostly 
  spear. A cloak made of a jaguar skin, complete with 
  the jaguar’s head serving as a hood, sits on the man’s 
  back. This is Teyatli, a jaguar knight from Xilonoc sworn 
  to keep Ibholtheg in the Prison of Black Gulfs for all 
  eternity and the only defense the world had from the 
  Squamous Toad’s evil – until the characters arrived.
  Teyatli speaks in a thick accent, but over the centuries 
  he has learned to speak Common from studying the 
  other imprisoned creatures in the Black Gulfs. He 
  introduces himself to the characters with no malice 
  in his voice and welcomes them to the Prison of Black 
  Gulfs. He knows they came through the split created 
  by Ibholtheg and assumes they are here to help stop 
  it.
  The ancient jaguar knight has the following information 
  to relate to the characters.
  
  18
  •	
  He is one of the noble warriors of Xilonoc, a 
  jaguar knight, charged with protecting the 
  kingdom from all harm wherever it may lie. 
  Ibholtheg’s loathsome presence in the jungle 
  was a threat to everyone.
  •	
  He accompanied the princess Mazatl and 
  her four companions Tenoch, Yaretzi, Quetzal, 
  and Zuma to banish Ibholtheg with the aid 
  of the jungle gods. They were successful, 
  but Teyatli fell in battle sacrificing himself. As 
  a reward the jungle gods charged him with 
  keeping Ibholtheg from escaping the prison.
  •	
  Something happened recently (time has no 
  meaning to Teyatli) and Ibholtheg was able to 
  shift, stretching out his squamous tentacles to 
  pierce the wall between worlds.
  •	
  The resulting crack allowed the Squamous 
  Toad to seep into the Prime Plane, and 
  somehow it wounded Teyatli at the same 
  time, preventing him from taking measurable 
  action.
  •	
  In order to seal the crack and prevent Ibholtheg 
  from returning, Teyatli needs the characters to 
  travel to the Realm of the Squamous Toad and 
  retrieve a piece of Ibholtheg’s prime essence.
  •	
  Teyatli needs a piece of the prime essence 
  found in the Eye Pools in order to seal the 
  crack. The Eye Pools are the eyes of the realm, 
  which Teyatli promises will make sense once 
  they arrive there. He only needs about a jug’s 
  worth and offers a nearby ceramic jug as a 
  suitable vessel. 
  •	
  Once they have it, Ibholtheg will know of their 
  intent, so it’s best the characters move quickly 
  after getting it.
  Teyatli explains the basic nature of the Prison of Black 
  Gulfs as well if the characters did not know it already, 
  but urges them to hurry. Every moment that passes 
  Ibholtheg grows stronger and the crack widens, and 
  soon he fears it will collapse entirely.
  Navigating the Black Gulfs
  Teyatli points out the way to the Realm of the 
  Squamous Toad, made easy by the linking lengths of 
  shadowy tendrils formed between gray blocks. The 
  tendrils are 5 feet wide and thick enough to support 
  the weight of all the characters – Teyatli explains that 
  the tendrils are a sort of conduit back to Ibholtheg’s 
  realm.
  The journey between the blocks is tedious and broken 
  up only by the occasional crashing of a distant gray 
  fragment into another. Occasionally the howling 
  shadow winds of the Black Gulfs rise up in protest to 
  some unknown activity but largely the characters 
  feel alone and isolated in the prison. There are two 
  NPC Profile: Teyatli, Wounded Jaguar Knight of 
  Xilonoc
  A proud and noble warrior, Teyatli distinguished 
  himself as a cunning strategist in the many wars 
  Xilonoc waged with neighboring kingdoms 
  and monsters. The princess Mazatl recognized 
  the man’s bravery, courage, and honesty, and 
  raised him up to the ranks of the jaguar knights 
  – a holy order sworn with the defense of Xilonoc 
  from within and without.
  Teyatli 
  accompanied 
  Mazatl 
  and 
  her 
  companions on their quest to imprison Ibholtheg, 
  but he fell in the final battle protecting the 
  princess from harm. The jungle gods saw the 
  sacrifice and chose Teyatli to serve as the 
  immortal gatekeeper to the Squamous Toad’s 
  realm in the Prison of Black Gulfs. Proud beyond 
  measure to be chosen, Teyatli served faithfully 
  for centuries – until the rupture happened and 
  Ibholtheg was able to pierce the wall between 
  worlds. In doing so, Teyatli was wounded horribly 
  and knows that he doesn’t have much time left.
  
  19
  encounters in the Black Gulfs before the characters 
  reach the Realm of the Squamous Toad.
  Like Flies to Honey
  After two hours of traveling the characters are spotted 
  by sentient creatures of the Black Gulfs, the remnants 
  of people who died in the shadows over the countless 
  centuries. A pack of 4 wraiths attack the characters 
  while they prepare to move along another length of 
  shadow tendrils. The wraiths hiss “Life” as they move 
  forward, clawing and attacking the characters.
  Tactics: The wraiths are drawn to the characters’ 
  life essences and won’t stop until either they or the 
  party are dead. They relentlessly pursue if their targets 
  attempt to flee.
  The Voice of the Many
  The Black Gulfs is a sprawling realm that has become 
  the prison home of a number of creatures. Ibholtheg 
  is one, but there are others, and one of them has 
  noticed the characters as they travel through the 
  shadowy place. This creature is the Voice of the Many, 
  a mimic-like being that has grown sentient and quite 
  insane.
  A short time after dealing with the wraiths, the 
  characters cross onto a block that is not unoccupied. 
  At the far end of the block rests what appears to 
  be a normal treasure chest except for the obvious 
  monstrous teeth where the lid meets the box. The 
  Voice of the Many has no visible eyes but it can see 
  within normal vision range, and unless the party takes 
  extraordinary action to hide themselves the creature 
  sees them.
  The Voice shouts out a greeting in a foreign 
  language, and it cycles through a number of random 
  and unintelligible tongues before finally settling on 
  Common. It doesn’t want to hurt the characters, 
  and tries to engage them in conversation, though 
  its speech patterns and thoughts collide seemingly 
  at random with one another. The Voice wants to 
  learn as much as possible about the characters, and 
  through disjointed sentences the creature imparts the 
  following bits of information to them.
  •	
  The Realm of the Squamous Toad is “that 
  way” (it points with several pseudopods at 
  once in different directions). The shadow trail 
  continues in only one direction, which is not 
  the way the Voice points.
  •	
  Winged shadows flap in the shadows of 
  the shadowy shadow under the shadowed 
  shadowy shadow’s shadow. Watch out for 
  them!
  
  20
  •	
  The herald of the Squamous Toad sees all, but 
  it knows nothing. It knows that it doesn’t like 
  fire, but that it loves to dance, and the Voice 
  knows that too. But the Voice isn’t going to tell 
  the characters that, the herald wouldn’t like 
  that.
  The key piece of information to be gained from the 
  Voice is the weakness of the Squamous Herald, which 
  confronts the party when they return to Teyatli with 
  their collected shadow essence to seal the crack 
  between worlds. Feel free to sprinkle more random 
  thoughts and nonsense to keep the characters on 
  their toes.
  The Voice is a coward, however, and if attacked at 
  all with spells or weapons it flees. Fighting or defeating 
  the insane creature should not be the goal, so if the 
  party is set upon killing it the Voice leaps out into the 
  gray twilight of the Black Gulfs and disappears.
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: Fun with Voices
  The Voice of the Many is just a fun NPC meant to drive 
  home the strange nature of the Black Gulfs to the 
  players. Use it as much as you want, but it’s best not 
  to have the mimic overstay its welcome. Alternately, 
  the players could try to convince it to come with 
  them – it’s not going to help in combat because of its 
  cowardly nature but it could prove an entertaining 
  traveling companion!
  Realm of the Squamous Toad
  After 4 hours of traveling through the Black Gulfs, the 
  characters arrive at the Realm of the Squamous Toad. 
  Read or paraphrase the following.
  It’s only been a few hours, but you feel as though 
  time is somehow distorted in this place of monolithic 
  gray blocks floating in a sea of immeasurable 
  black shadows. You step off the tendril bridge 
  connecting two of the blocks and are startled to 
  see a tremendous sight before you that you didn’t 
  see a moment ago. A titanic gray stone statue 
  floats a short distance away made in the form of a 
  squatting toad, with a pair of loathsome bat wings 
  hung over its shoulders. The face is a mass of long 
  tentacles which each taper off to a crocodile-like 
  snout. The two eyes are filled with a roiling, liquid-
  like mass of black ooze. You note that the tendril 
  bridges you’ve been following leads directly to this 
  titanic statue’s base.
  Ibholtheg’s will created the Realm of the Squamous 
  Toad in its own loathsome image. Teyatli specifically 
  requested a sample of the essence from the Eye 
  Pools – the roiling black sludge in the eye sockets of 
  the statue. In order to retrieve it, the characters must 
  either climb or fly up the length of the statue.
  The Eye Pools are located 1,000 feet up from the base 
  of the statue (the statue itself is about 1,200 feet tall).
  Climbing the Statue
  Characters who decide to climb the statue find the 
  gray stone an ideal climbing surface. Getting to 
  the Eye Pools requires 3 successful DC 12 Strength 
  (Athletics) checks. If the climber accumulates 3 
  failures, they don’t fall but instead draw the attention 
  of a group of 2 loathsome bat shadows that wing out 
  from around the statue.
  Flying
  Characters with the ability to fly can take the safer and 
  more direct route but they are spotted automatically 
  by 2 loathsome bat shadows from the other side of 
  the statue.
  NPC Profile: The Voice of the Many, Insane Mimic
  The Voice of the Many (or simply the Voice as it 
  refers to itself) is a strange creature imprisoned 
  in the Black Gulfs by some powerful wizard 
  in a far-off land. Did it have sentience then? 
  Was it imprisoned on purpose or by accident? 
  The Voice doesn’t know, it only knows that it’s 
  been in the Black Gulfs for a long, long time. Or 
  maybe only a short time. For the Voice, time is 
  an abstract concept that doesn’t mean much.
  The Voice of the Many is so-named because 
  of its ability to shift voices and dialects at 
  random. Its speech patterns would suggest 
  multiple personalities, and maybe that’s what’s 
  happening in real time. But these personalities 
  carry no memory of previous conversations, 
  making each one a spontaneous creation of the 
  moment before it slips back into the bubbling 
  cauldron that is its brain.
  Due to its adhesive slime, it can move about 
  the gray stones from top to bottom without any 
  issue, and its alien physiology is apparently of 
  no interest to the other denizens of the Black 
  Gulfs. It is curious and wants to learn more 
  about the goings on of the characters, though 
  its schizophrenic speech and untrustworthy 
  memory make it a troubling companion.
  
  21
  Retrieving the Essence from the Eye Pool
  The roiling black sludge that fills the eye sockets of 
  the statue defies the normal laws of gravity – the Eye 
  Pools rest vertically within the cavity! While seemingly 
  dangerous, the essence is simply cold to the touch 
  and does no immediate damage (drinking or eating 
  it, however, requires a DC 18 Constitution save to 
  avoid death in an excruciating form as tentacles burst 
  from the body).
  The jug provided by Teyatli serves as a fine vessel and 
  filling it requires no check. As soon as the jug is filled, 
  however, a titanic croaking screech bellows out from 
  the statue. The entire statue trembles as an untold 
  number of things move from within it.
  Shadow Chase
  Once the characters get to the stone platform where 
  they first witnessed the Realm of the Squamous Toad, 
  read or paraphrase the following.
  Another croaking shriek fills the air, terrible and 
  unwholesome to behold. You look back at the 
  statue and see cracks form along its surface 
  and black sludge ooze from the resulting fissures 
  like blood from a wound. Dozens of winged bat 
  shadows form out of the sludge, dripping with their 
  primordial parentage, howling and screeching 
  to match the croak. They wing around in great 
  clusters and begin moving inexorably towards your 
  position!
  The characters must now flee from the pursuers. It is 
  best to run this as a cinematic chase rather than a 
  round-by-round movement chase due to the nature 
  of the Black Gulfs. The characters as a group must 
  accumulate more than 10 successes on their Dexterity 
  (Stealth) rolls than the Wisdom (Perception) checks of 
  their pursuers.
  At the end of each chase round the characters 
  make their DC 10 Dexterity (Stealth) checks and the 
  loathsome bat shadows make their DC 13 Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks (roll a number of times equal 
  to the characters). And then roll for a random 
  chase complication for the characters on the table 
  below. The results might take away successes from 
  the characters if they fail a group check or impose 
  
  22
  disadvantage for specific characters that suffer 
  damage.
  The key is to keep the chase moving and tense.
  1d12
  Chase Complications
  1
  The shadow tendril bridge is narrower than 
  expected! Make a group DC 10 Dexterity 
  (Acrobatics) check or lose 2 successes.
  2
  A piece of the gray stone breaks apart as 
  you step onto it from the tendril! Make a 
  group DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check 
  or lose 1 success.
  3
  The stone platform is littered with broken 
  debris. The characters suffer disadvantage 
  on their Dexterity (Stealth) rolls this round.
  4
  A pair of stone blocks collides in the air 
  above, raining down debris! Everyone must 
  make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw to 
  avoid 2d6 bludgeoning damage. Anyone 
  that suffers damage suffers disadvantage 
  on their Dexterity (Stealth) check.
  5
  A powerful wind blows across this stone 
  platform. Make a group DC 10 Strength 
  saving throw or lose 2 successes.
  6
  A deafening croaking bellow rises out from 
  the Realm of the Squamous Toad. Make a 
  group DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or lose 
  1 success from being staggered by the 
  sound.
  7
  A massive black shadow falls over the 
  stone block, obscuring vision. Make a 
  group DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) or lose 
  2 successes.
  8
  Something unwholesome moves in the 
  shadows a short distance away and stares 
  with multicolored eyes. Make a group 
  DC 10 Intelligence saving throw to avoid 
  catching the thing’s gaze and losing 1 
  success.
  9
  The stone rumbles as something collides 
  with it from below! Make a group DC 10 
  Dexterity (Athletics) check to avoid losing 
  2 successes.
  10
  A wraith moves from around a corner and 
  attacks! It swipes at a random character, 
  and if it hits the target suffers disadvantage 
  on their Dexterity (Stealth) check.
  11-12
  No complication.
   
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: Visual Representation
  To really hammer home the intensity of the chase you 
  can use something visual to represent the successes 
  each side accumulates. Poker chips, glass beads, or 
  anything smaller and colorful would work very well 
  and really help to illustrate when they succeed and 
  when they fail.
  If the loathsome bat shadows ever reach the same 
  number or more success as the characters a group of 
  the monsters have caught up to them. The shadows 
  don’t make any checks that round but each character 
  is targeted with an attack from one of the creature. 
  Anyone that suffers damage suffers disadvantage on 
  their Dexterity (Stealth) check for that chase round.
  Once the characters have 10 or more successes than 
  their pursuers they managed to shake the chase, 
  but if they take a short rest the creatures find them 
  and the chase begins anew! It would be best for the 
  characters to simply move as quickly as possible to 
  Teyatli and the crack with the jug.
  Sealing the Prison
  Once the characters arrive at the crack, Teyatli takes 
  the jug in his hands and rushes over to complete 
  the ritual, ordering the characters to go through 
  before he begins. At that moment, a screech lets 
  out as a dark shadow falls over the platform. One of 
  Ibholtheg’s servants, the Squamous Herald, appears, 
  having tracked the characters on their flight through 
  the Black Gulfs. This monstrous foe is of the same alien 
  mind as Ibholtheg and it seeks only to stop Teyatli from 
  sealing the crack.
  If the characters simply leave the Prison of Black Gulfs 
  as Teyatli insists, the Squamous Herald defeat the 
  wounded jaguar knight and the seal is not completed. 
  If this happens, the monstrous creature pushes through 
  the crack into the Prime Plane and must be defeated 
  by the characters there. Once defeated, the crack 
  reduces in size but does not disappear. On the other 
  side Teyatli is simply unconscious so he can be revived 
  if the characters go back.
  If the characters stay and protect Teyatli, he is grateful 
  for the assistance and gets to work on the ritual with 
  the Squamous Herald is dealt with. It takes the jaguar 
  knight five rounds to complete the work, at the end of 
  which he shouts for the characters to move through 
  the crack before he places the final seal on it.
  In this case, the last thing the characters see is the 
  grateful face of Teyatli the jaguar knight, fully restored 
  now that the crack is repaired. A faint “thank you” 
  echoes in their ears as the world dissolves into shadow 
  and they are transported back to the Prime Plane.
  
  23
  Return to the Prime Plane
  Once the characters pass through the crack, they 
  are assaulted by similar sensations as when they 
  entered the Prison of Black Gulfs. Assuming they did 
  not abandon Teyatli to the loathsome bat shadows, 
  after they pass through the crack they turn around to 
  see the wound on the wall fade from view after only 
  a few moments.
  The crack between worlds is sealed and Ibholtheg 
  once again rages in impotent fury in the Prison of Black 
  Gulfs. The shadow tendril and mass of shadows over 
  Sapphire Lake dissipate immediately and the sense of 
  dread that had settled over Kraden’s Hill is dispelled.
  If the characters helped Teyatli, he offers one more 
  boon to them as a parting gift - access to the locked 
  treasure vault in the catacombs. The ground in the 
  chamber rumbles and a portion of the west wall slides 
  away, revealing a hidden treasure chamber. The 
  ghostly image of Teyatli the jaguar knight appears 
  and bows before the characters before gesturing 
  towards the chamber and disappearing. Inside, the 
  characters find the following items: 2000 gold coins, 
  4000 copper coins, ten moonstones worth 100 gold 
  each, five amethysts worths 250 gold each, and an 
  emerald worth 1000 gold. The coins are all minted 
  with the symbol of Xilonoc.
  Any surviving toad-men in the upper caves become 
  disoriented with the sudden loss of communication 
  with their loathsome deity. The characters find that 
  the caves have been abandoned by the survivors 
  whom have slunk back into the jungle to nurse their 
  wounds.
  While the characters needed to gather the relics in 
  the Catacombs of Mazatl the wards and protections 
  placed there still hold (and doubly so if the characters 
  return the relics to the statues).
  EPILOGUE
  The return trip to Kraden’s Hill is uneventful and 
  peaceful. The shadows are dispelled and the people 
  the characters pass seem genuinely excited over the 
  turn of events. Sheriff Lomen greets the characters at 
  the gates personally and thanks them for stepping into 
  leadership roles – she offers her badge to any of them 
  that want it that shows a zeal for lawful behavior.
  The merchants of Grimden House throw a town-wide 
  celebration in honor of the characters return and the 
  dwarves of Clan Ironstar urge them to tell their stories.
  
  TG3 Monster and NPC Information
  Swarm of poisonous centipedes: Medium Swarm of Tiny Beasts; AC 14; HP 36; 
  Spd 30 ft., swim 30 ft.; blindsight 10 ft., passive Perception 10; DR bludgeoning, 
  piercing, slashing; CI charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, prone, 
  restrained, stunned; Str 8 (-1), Dex 18 (+4), Con 11 (+0), Int 1 (-5), Wis 10 (+0), 
  Cha 3 (-4); AL unaligned; Challenge 2 (450 XP)
   
  Swarm: The swarm can occupy another creature’s space and 
  vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough 
  for a Tiny centipede. The swarm can’t regain hit points or gain temporary hit 
  points.
   
  Melee Attack – Bites: +6 to hit (reach 0 ft., one creature), 7 (2d6) 
  piercing damage or 3 (1d6) piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit 
  points or fewer. The target must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw, 
  taking 14 (4d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much on a 
  successful one.
  The swarm of poisonous centipedes native to the Great 
  Jungle are a rare site, as they usually stay in the thickest 
  of overgrown areas. They feast on rotting things but when 
  startled are capable of quickly moving over foes much 
  larger than them to overwhelm and eventually devour.
  Cipactli: Large Aberration; AC 14; HP 68; Spd 30 ft.; DR acid, cold, fire, 
  lightning, thunder; Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11; Str 16 (+3), Dex 
  12 (+1), Con 16 (+3), Int 6 (-2), Wis 6 (-2, Perception +1), Cha 7 (-2); AL CE; 
  Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
   
  Magic Resistance: The cipactli has advantage on saving throws 
  against spells and other magical effects.
   
  Pounce: If the cipactli moves at least 10 feet straight toward and 
  creature and then hits with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must 
  succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target 
  is prone, the cipactli can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.
   
  Regeneration: The cipactli regains 10 hit points at the start of its 
  turn if it has at least 1 hit point.
   
  Multiattack: The cipactli makes three attacks: one with its bite and 
  two with its claws.
   
  Melee Attack – Bite: +6 to hit (reach 5 ft., one creature), 12 (2d8+3) 
  piercing damage.
   
  Melee Attack – Claws: +6 to hit (reach 5 ft., one creature), 7 
  (1d8+3) slashing damage.
  When the kingdom of Xilonoc stood in the Great Jungle, 
  offerings were made to the favored servants of Ibholtheg 
  the Squamous Toad – cipactli. These deep jungle 
  monsters have the head and scales of a crocodile and 
  the hind quarters of a toad, and are able to heal from 
  most wounds. They are intelligent enough to understand 
  speech but are only able to croak out a few phrases.
  Loathsome bat shadow: Large Aberration; AC 13; HP 59; Spd 10 ft., fly 60 
  ft.; DV radiant; DR acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder, bludgeoning/piercing/
  slashing from nonmagic; DI necrotic, poison; CI exhaustion, frightened, 
  grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained; blindsight 60 ft., 
  passive Perception 11; Str 15 (+2), Dex 20 (+5), Con 17 (+3), Int 2 (-4), Wis 12 
  (+1), Cha 6 (-2); AL CE; Challenge 3 (700 XP)
   
  Echolocation: The bat can’t use its blindsight while deafened.
   
  Keen Hearing: The bat has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) 
  checks that rely on hearing.
   
  Multiattack: The loathsome bat shadow makes three attacks: one 
  with its bite and two with its claws.
   
  Melee Attack – Bite: +7 to hit (reach 5 ft., one creature), 7 (1d6+4) 
  piercing damage and 5 (1d10) necrotic damage. Additionally, the target 
  must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or have its Strength score 
  reduced by 1d4. The target dies if this reduces its Strength to 0. Otherwise, 
  the reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest.
   
  Melee Attack – Claw: +7 to hit (reach 5 ft., one creature), 6 (1d4+4) 
  slashing damage and 5 (1d10) necrotic damage).
  Servants of Ibholtheg, a loathsome bat shadow appears 
  as a large black bat, with a near ten-foot wingspan. The 
  creature’s face ends in a mass of writhing tentacles, 
  and when it bites the tentacles lash out to draw out the 
  physical strength of the victim. The bat shadow’s hind 
  legs end in sharp claws it uses to rend flesh from the 
  bones of its target. The unearthly shriek let out by the 
  monstrous beast is akin to no normal bat and resembles 
  more of a wailing screech.
  Hulking shadow mound: Large Aberration; AC 15; HP 136; Spd 20 ft.; DV 
  radiant; DR acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder, bludgeoning/piercing/slashing 
  from nonmagic; DI necrotic, poison; CI exhaustion, frightened, grappled, 
  paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained; blindsight 60 ft., passive 
  Perception 10; Str 18 (+4), Dex 8 (-1, Stealth +6), Con 16 (+3), Int 5 (-3), Wis 10 
  (+0), Cha 5 (-3); AL CE; Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
   
  Multiattack: The hulking shadow mound makes two slam attacks. 
  If both attacks hit a Medium or smaller target, the target is grappled (escape 
  DC 14) and the hulking shadow mound uses its Engulf on it.
   
  Melee Attack – Slam: +7 to hit (reach 5 ft., one creature), 13 
  (2d8+4) bludgeoning damage.
   
  Engulf: The hulking shadow mound engulfs a Medium or smaller 
  creature grappled by it. The engulfed target is blinded, restrained, and 
  unable to breathe, and must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw 
  at the start of each of the mound’s turns or take 13 (2d8+4) bludgeoning 
  damage. In addition, the engulfed target’s Strength score is reduced by 
  1d6 at the beginning of the mound’s turn. The target dies if this reduces its 
  Strength to 0. Otherwise, the reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or 
  long rest. If the mound moves, the engulfed target moves with it. The mound 
  can have only one creature engulfed at a time.
  The hulking shadow mounds that serve Ibholtheg as 
  shock troopers appear as great piles of ropy black 
  tentacles. Wisps of shadow dance around its form and 
  it appears to have no eyes, though it can see without 
  any problem with its unearthly vision. The creature moves 
  slowly along the ground, leaving a trail of viscous gray 
  slime in its wake, and it is capable of striking foes with 
  suddenly created appendages from its bulk. Victims 
  entangled by those tendrils are often engulfed wholly 
  by the hulking shadow mound, where it feeds on the 
  physical strength of the devoured.
  NPC Profile: Kufika, First Daughter of the Akanni
  Kufika is the eldest daughter of the chief of the 
  Akanni tribe, a powerful shadow orc warrior 
  who sees peace as the best course of action 
  with the settlers of Kraden’s Hill. Kufika agrees 
  with her father and has been the ambassador 
  for the shadow orcs in the frontier town for well 
  over a year – the merchants of Grimden House 
  and Clan Ironstar along with Sheriff Lomen all 
  appreciate her insight into local traditions and 
  customs, and her knowledge of the surrounding 
  jungle tribes is second to none.
  As a shadow orc warrior of her tribe, Kufika is 
  strongly built, with taut ebony muscles and a 
  lean figure. She keeps her black hair pulled back 
  in a ponytail most of the time, though for the 
  Festival of the Night Bird she has it hung loose 
  (along with the rest of the tribe). Her skill with 
  a scimitar is well-recognized but it is her talent 
  for diplomacy and negotiation that keeps the 
  Akanni tribe well-liked in Kraden’s Hill.
  
  Degenerate toad-man: Medium Humanoid (Toad-Man); AC 16; HP 18; Spd 20 
  ft., swim 40 ft.; passive Perception 10; Str 14 (+2), Dex 14 (+2, Stealth +5), Con 
  14 (+2), Int 7 (-2), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 7 (-2); AL NE; Challenge ½ (100 XP)
   
  Amphibious: The toad-man can breathe air and water.
   
  Speak with Frogs and Toads: The toad-man can communicate 
  simple concepts to frogs and toads.
   
  Jungle Camouflage: The toad-man has advantage on Dexterity 
  (Stealth) checks made to hide in jungle terrain.
   
  Standing Leap: The toad-man’s long ump is up to 20 feet and its 
  high jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.
   
  Multiattack: The toad-man makes two melee attacks: one with its 
  bite and one with its spear.
   
  Melee Attack – Bite: +4 to hit (reach 5 ft., one creature), 4 (1d4+2) 
  bludgeoning damage.
   
  Melee Attack or Ranged Attack – Spear: +4 to hit (reach 5 ft. or 
  20/60 ft., one creature), 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage.
  Once, these foul creatures held a place of honor in the 
  Great Jungle and commanded great respect. Now, the 
  degenerate toad-men live in squalor in crude mud huts 
  on the banks of jungle rivers, cowering in fear from the 
  stronger shadow orcs and cannibals that have come to 
  dominate the area. The croaking language of the toad-
  men is a very crude dialect of lizard-man so that people 
  that speak that language can often pick up the words 
  of a toad-man.
  Giant toad: Large Beast; AC 11; HP 39; Spd 20 ft., swim 40 ft.; darkvision 30 ft., 
  passive Perception 10; Str 15 (+2), Dex 13 (+1), Con 13 (+1), Int 2 (-4), Wis 10 
  (+0), Cha 3 (-4); AL unaligned; Challenge 1 (200 XP)
   
  Amphibious: The toad can breathe air and water.
   
  Standing Leap: The toad’s long jump is up to 20 feet and its high 
  jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.
   
  Melee Attack – Bite: +4 to hit (reach 5 ft., one creature), 7 (1d10+2) 
  piercing damage plus 5 (1d10) poison damage, and the target is grappled 
  (escape DC 13). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained and the toad 
  can’t bite another target.
   
  Swallow: The toad makes one bite attack against a Medium or 
  smaller target it is grappling. If the attack hits, the target is swallowed, and 
  the grapple ends. The swallowed target is blinded and restrained, it has total 
  cover against attacks and other effects outside the toad, and it takes 10 
  (3d6) acid damage at the start of each of the toad’s turns. The toad can 
  have only one target swallowed at a time.
   
  If the toad dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it 
  and can escape from the corpse using 5 feet of movement, exiting prone.
  Among the toad-men, giant toads are revered as 
  sacred beasts. These monstrous denizens of the Great 
  Jungle are large enough to swallow a man whole and 
  the toad-men feed them sacrifices on a regular basis to 
  keep them well-fed.
  Wraith: Medium Undead; AC 13; HP 67; Spd 0 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover); DR acid, 
  cold, fire, lightning, thunder, bludgeoning/piercing/slashing from nonmagical 
  nonsilver; DI necrotic, poison; CI charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, 
  petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained; Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12; 
  Str 6 (-2), Dex 16 (+3), Con 16 (+3), Int 12 (+1), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 15 (+2); AL NE; 
  Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
   
  Incorporeal Movement: The wraith can move through other 
  creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force 
  damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
   
  Sunlight Sensitivity: While in sunlight, the wraith has disadvantage 
  on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
   
  Melee Attack – Life Drain: +6 to hit (reach 5 ft., one creature), 21 
  (4d8+3) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution 
  saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the 
  damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The 
  target dies and returns as a specter if this effect reduces its hit point maximum 
  to 0.
  In the Black Gulfs, victims that give in to the despair 
  inherent on the plane are eventually transformed into 
  wraiths – twisted, evil, shadowy apparitions of their 
  former selves. These undead monsters seek only fresh life 
  to drain in order to fuel their own nightmarish existence.
  Toad-man shaman: Medium Humanoid (Toad-Man); AC 16; HP 37; Spd 20 ft., 
  swim 40 ft.; passive Perception 10; Str 14 (+2), Dex 14 (+2, Stealth +4), Con 14 
  (+2), Int 7 (-2), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 7 (-2); AL NE; Challenge 2 (450 XP)
   
  Amphibious: The toad-man can breathe air and water.
   
  Speak with Frogs and Toads: The toad-man can communicate 
  simple concepts to frogs and toads.
   
  Jungle Camouflage: The toad-man has advantage on Dexterity 
  (Stealth) checks made to hide in jungle terrain.
   
  Standing Leap: The toad-man’s long ump is up to 20 feet and its 
  high jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.
   
  Spellcasting: The toad-man shaman is a 4th-level spellcaster. Its 
  spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). 
  The shaman has the following cleric spells prepared:
  Cantrips (at will): light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy
  1st level (4 slots): guiding bolt, inflict wounds, shield of faith
  2nd level (3 slots): blindness/deafness, hold person
   
  Melee Attack or Ranged Attack – Spear: +4 to hit (reach 5 ft. or 
  20/60 ft., one creature), 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage.
  The most blessed of the toad-men are the ones born with 
  wings, who become toad-man shamans. They worship 
  at foul altars and are smarter than their degenerate 
  kin, though they are prideful to a fault. They call upon 
  the power of Ibholtheg to smite their enemies but are 
  not above flapping away to safety when a fight turns 
  against them.
  NPC Profile: Teyatli, Wounded Jaguar Knight of 
  Xilonoc
  A proud and noble warrior, Teyatli distinguished 
  himself as a cunning strategist in the many wars 
  Xilonoc waged with neighboring kingdoms 
  and monsters. The princess Mazatl recognized 
  the man’s bravery, courage, and honesty, and 
  raised him up to the ranks of the jaguar knights 
  – a holy order sworn with the defense of Xilonoc 
  from within and without.
  Teyatli 
  accompanied 
  Mazatl 
  and 
  her 
  companions on their quest to imprison Ibholtheg, 
  but he fell in the final battle protecting the 
  princess from harm. The jungle gods saw the 
  sacrifice and chose Teyatli to serve as the 
  immortal gatekeeper to the Squamous Toad’s 
  realm in the Prison of Black Gulfs. Proud beyond 
  measure to be chosen, Teyatli served faithfully 
  for centuries – until the rupture happened and 
  Ibholtheg was able to pierce the wall between 
  worlds. In doing so, Teyatli was wounded horribly 
  and knows that he doesn’t have much time left.
  
  Slubgup the Mighty: Medium Humanoid (Toad-Man); AC 16; HP 112; Spd 20 
  ft., swim 40 ft.; passive Perception 10; Str 18 (+4, Athletics +10), Dex 15 (+2, 
  save +5, Stealth +5), Con 16 (+3, save +6), Int 10 (+0), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 15 (+2, 
  Intimidation +5); AL NE; Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
   
  Amphibious: The toad-man can breathe air and water.
   
  Brave: Slubgup has advantage on saving throws against being 
  frightened.
   
  Brute: Slubgup deals one extra die of its damage when he hits with 
  it.
   
  Speak with Frogs and Toads: The toad-man can communicate 
  simple concepts to frogs and toads.
   
  Jungle Camouflage: The toad-man has advantage on Dexterity 
  (Stealth) checks made to hide in jungle terrain.
   
  Standing Leap: The toad-man’s long ump is up to 20 feet and its 
  high jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.
   
  Multiattack: Slubgup makes three melee attacks.
   
  Melee Attack or Ranged Attack – Spear: +7 to hit (reach 5 ft. 
  or 20/60 ft., one creature), 11 (2d6+4) piercing damage for ranged or 13 
  (2d8+4) piercing damage for melee.
   
  Parry: As a reaction, Slubgup adds 3 to its AC against one melee 
  attack that would hit it. To do so, Slubgup must see the attacker and be 
  wielding a melee weapon.
  The toad-men tribe dwelling in the caves beneath 
  Sapphire Lake are led by Slubgup the Mighty, a toad-
  man of massive girth and great strength. He has led the 
  tribe for many years, but despite his impressive size he is 
  a coward, which is why the toad-men have not struck 
  out against the people of Kraden’s Hill yet. Even with the 
  crack in the Black Gulfs and Ibholtheg’s imminent return, 
  Slubgup has placated his bloodthirsty tribe with promises 
  of future slaughter in exchange for extreme patience.
  Elite toad-man: Medium Humanoid (Toad-Man); AC 18; HP 52; Spd 20 ft., 
  swim 40 ft.; passive Perception 10; Str 16 (+3), Dex 14 (+2, Stealth +5), Con 14 
  (+2, save +4), Int 7 (-2), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 7 (-2); AL NE; Challenge 3 (700 XP)
   
  Amphibious: The toad-man can breathe air and water.
   
  Brave: The elite toad-man has advantage on saving throws 
  against being frightened.
   
  Speak with Frogs and Toads: The toad-man can communicate 
  simple concepts to frogs and toads.
   
  Jungle Camouflage: The toad-man has advantage on Dexterity 
  (Stealth) checks made to hide in jungle terrain.
   
  Standing Leap: The toad-man’s long ump is up to 20 feet and its 
  high jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.
   
  Multiattack: The elite toad-man makes two melee attacks.
   
  Melee Attack – Greatsword: +5 to hit (reach 5 ft., one creature), 10 
  (2d6+3) slashing damage.
   
  Melee Attack or Ranged Attack – Spear: +4 to hit (reach 5 ft. or 
  20/60 ft., one creature), 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage.
   
  Parry: As a reaction, the elite toad-man adds 2 to its AC against 
  one melee attack that would hit it. To do so, the elite toad-man must see the 
  attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.
  Slubgup earned his position as leader of the toad-man 
  tribe below Sapphire Lake mainly because of his innate 
  talent at picking out the best warriors and training them 
  to be loyal and strong. The result are elite toad-men, 
  fanatically loyal to Slubgup and armed with large swords 
  stolen from jungle crypts and the people of Kraden’s Hill.
  Mummy: Medium Undead; AC 11; HP 58; Spd 20 ft.; DV fire; DR bludgeoning/
  piercing/slashing from nonmagic; DI necrotic, poison; CI charmed, 
  exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned; Str 16 (+3), Dex 8 (-1), Con 15 
  (+2), Int 6 (-2), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 12 (+1); AL LN; Challenge 3 (700 XP)
   
  Multiattack: The mummy can use its Dreadful Glare and makes 
  one attack with its rotting fist.
   
  Melee Attack – Rotting Fist: +5 to hit (reach 5 ft., one creature); 10 
  (2d6+3) bludgeoning damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. If the target 
  is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be 
  cursed with mummy rot. The cursed target can’t regain hit points, and its hit 
  point maximum decreases by 10 (3d6) for every 24 hours that elapse. If the 
  curse reduces the target’s hit point maximum to 0, the target dies, and its 
  body turns to dust. The curse lasts until removed by the remove curse spell or 
  other magic.
   
  Dreadful Glare: The mummy targets one creature it can see within 
  60 feet of it. If the target can see the mummy, it must succeed on a DC 11 
  Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened until the end 
  of the mummy’s next turn. If the target fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it 
  is also paralyzed for the same duration. A target that succeeds on the saving 
  throw is immune to the Dreadful Glare of all mummies for the next 24 hours.
  The practice of mummification was common in Xilonoc, 
  and priests and other leaders often enchanted loyal 
  guards as mummies to live forever guarding a sacred 
  site. These mummies are usually dressed in ornate garbs, 
  insect-ridden from the years and virtually worthless, but 
  they remain as dedicated to their protective tasks as 
  ever.
  NPC Profile: The Voice of the Many, Insane Mimic
  The Voice of the Many (or simply the Voice as it 
  refers to itself) is a strange creature imprisoned 
  in the Black Gulfs by some powerful wizard 
  in a far-off land. Did it have sentience then? 
  Was it imprisoned on purpose or by accident? 
  The Voice doesn’t know, it only knows that it’s 
  been in the Black Gulfs for a long, long time. Or 
  maybe only a short time. For the Voice, time is 
  an abstract concept that doesn’t mean much.
  The Voice of the Many is so-named because 
  of its ability to shift voices and dialects at 
  random. Its speech patterns would suggest 
  multiple personalities, and maybe that’s what’s 
  happening in real time. But these personalities 
  carry no memory of previous conversations, 
  making each one a spontaneous creation of the 
  moment before it slips back into the bubbling 
  cauldron that is its brain.
  Due to its adhesive slime, it can move about 
  the gray stones from top to bottom without any 
  issue, and its alien physiology is apparently of 
  no interest to the other denizens of the Black 
  Gulfs. It is curious and wants to learn more 
  about the goings on of the characters, though 
  its schizophrenic speech and untrustworthy 
  memory make it a troubling companion.
  
  Squamous Herald: Huge Fiend; AC 19; HP 85; Spd 30 ft., fly 40 ft.; DR cold, 
  fire, lightning, bludgeoning/piercing/ slashing from nonmagic; DI poison; CI 
  poisoned; darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12; Str 18 (+4), Dex 14 (+2, 
  save +6), Con 18 (+4), Int 13 (+1, save +5), Wis 15 (+2, save +6), Cha 15 (+2, 
  save +6); AL CE; Challenge 7 (2,900)
   
  Magic Resistance: The Squamous Herald has advantage on 
  saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
   
  Multiatack: The Squamous Herald makes two attacks, one with its 
  claws and one with its stinger.
   
  Noxious Aura: Any creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of the 
  Squamous Herald suffers 5 (1d10) poison damage.
   
  Melee Attack – Claw: +8 to hit (reach 5 ft., one creature), 11 
  (2d6+4) slashing damage and 10 (3d6) poison damage.
   
  Melee Attack – Stinger: +8 to hit (reach 10 ft., one creature), 15 
  (2d10+4) piercing damage and 14 (4d6) poison damage.
   
  Noxious Breath (recharge 5-6): The Squamous Herald can release 
  a noxious cloud of poisonous gas in a 30-foot radius around itself as an 
  action. Living creatures that start their turn inside the area suffer 21 (8d6) 
  poison damage, or half that with a successful DC 15 Constitution saving 
  throw. Unless dispersed, the noxious cloud remains in place until the start of 
  the Squamous Herald’s next turn.
  Ibholtheg commands a number of powerful servants, 
  and one of them is the Squamous Herald. This creature 
  resembles a large serpent with heavily plated armor-like 
  skin covering its twisting bulk. It can slither on the ground 
  or fly through the air on its great bat-like wings. The 
  Squamous herald’s massive crocodilian head is capable 
  of delivering powerful bites, and its long tail ends in a 
  stinger holding lethal poison. It does not speak Common 
  but does hiss and croak in an alien tongue it shares with 
  Ibholtheg and its kin.
  
  Kraden’s Hill
  
  Submerged Caves
  One Square = 5 feet
  1.
  2.
  3.
  4.
  5.
  6.
  7.
  8.
  9.
  
  Catacombs of Mazatl
  One Square = 5 feet
  10.
  11.
  12.
  13.
  14.
  15.
  15.
  16.
  
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  This release of Fantasy Renaissance Adventure 
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  SHADOW OUT OF SAPPHIRE LAKE
  Fantasy Renaissance Adventure Module TG3
  For use with the 5th Edition of the First Fantasy RPG
  An Adventure for Character Levels 4-6 
   
  Written by “Weird Dave” Coulson
  MeMories of the toad God #3
  Tranquil Sapphire Lake, located a short distance from the 
  outpost of Kraden’s Hill, has long been a source of freshwater 
  for the frontier community. Rumors of dark things in the depths 
  of the lake are surely exaggerated! One night, however, trans-
  forms the site into a horror beyond nightmares as the people 
  face the … SHADOW OUT OF SAPPHIRE LAKE!
  a fantasy renaissance adventure Module brouGht to you by your friends 
  at cut to the chase GaMes!
  www.cuttothechaseGaMes.coM 
  cut to the chase GaMes llc 
  Proud coMPany of st. Paul, Mn
  $12.00
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Cut to the Chase/TG3 Shadow Out of Sapphire Lake.pdf