TEXT: ADVENTURE 
  ANTHOLOGY
  
  Adventure Anthology
  W
  elcome to the lost land of Thule! This savage age is home to mighty beasts such as 
  the saber-tooth and woolly mammoth, bloody-handed barbarian reavers and sub-
  human beastmen, and elder horrors lurking among haunted valleys or forbidding mountains. 
  Only the strongest and most determined heroes dare to meet the challenges of Thule, but 
  fame and fortune await those ready to face death in a thousand gruesome forms and carve 
  their names into the annals of this doomed age. 
  This anthology brings together three savage adventures created for the Primeval Thule 5e 
  Kickstarter campaign. In this book you will find: 
  • Red Chains, by Steve Winter
  • Watchers of Meng, by Robert Schwalb
  • Secret of the Moon-Door, by Richard Baker
  • Plus 4 new monsters to support these Thulean adventures
  The Adventure Anthology provides the Gamemaster with an excellent cross-section of 
  Thulean experiences, ranging from a desperate quest in a city of slavers to a cursed treasure 
  in a jungle temple to a foul wizard consorting with extraterrene monsters. Adventure in a 
  savage age awaits you!
  
  ADVENTURE ANTHOLOGY
  Based on the Primeval Thule Campaign Setting by Richard 
  Baker, David Noonan, and Steve Schubert
  Primeval Thule Adventure Anthology is published by Sasquatch 
  Game Studio, LLC, under the Open Game License version 1.0a 
  Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Sasquatch Game Studio 
  LLC, the Sasquatch logo, and Primeval Thule are trademarks of 
  Sasquatch Game Studio, LLC. All characters and the distinctive 
  likenesses thereof are property of Sasquatch Game Studio LLC. This 
  material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of 
  America. © 2015 Sasquatch Game Studio, LLC.
  Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as 
  Product Identity as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, 
  and are not Open Content: All trademarks, proper names, dialogue, 
  plot, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress.
  Disclaimer: Sasquatch Game Studio is an independent game 
  publisher. This game is not licensed, endorsed by, or authorized by 
  any third party.
  Sasquatch Game Studio, LLC 
   
   
  Auburn, WA
  sasquatchgamestudio.com
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
  Red Chains .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 4
  The Watchers of Meng  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .18
  Watcher of Meng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
  Degenerate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
  Secret of the Moon-Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
  The Tcho-Tcho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
  
  2
  INTRODUCTION
  Welcome to the Primeval Thule Adventure An-
  thology! This book collects Red Chains and Watchers 
  of Meng, the two stretch goal adventures created for 
  the Primeval Thule 5e Kickstarter (July 2015), and 
  adds Secret of the Moon-Door, a bonus adventure we 
  added as our little way of saying thank you to our 
  excellent backers. After all, two adventures isn’t much 
  of a collection; three is a much better number.
  The adventures presented in this book illustrate 
  some of the iconic themes and storylines from this 
  savage and intense campaign setting. At its heart, 
  Primeval Thule is an homage to the pulp fantasy 
  and pulp horror stories of authors such as Robert E. 
  Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith. 
  In these pages you’ll encounter the cruel Slavers of 
  Marg, a jungle ruin home to subhuman degener-
  ates and a cursed gem, and the unholy alliance of 
  a Black Circle wizard and the terrible extraterrene 
  monsters known as moon-beasts. You’ll travel from 
  the streets of wicked cities to the depths of the 
  jungle and from ruined temples to alien worlds. 
  These are the types of stories that graced the pages 
  of magazines generations ago—and they can still 
  inspire great RPG adventures.
  Red Chains, by veteran designer Steve Winter, 
  presents the player characters with a unique chal-
  lenge: rescuing one specific captive from the vile 
  institution of slavery. The heroes must travel to the 
  dangerous city of Marg, home of the feared Crimson 
  Slavers, in order to buy back or set free a barbarian 
  prince before a fate worse than death befalls him. 
  Clever parties can get far by negotiating and follow-
  ing up on clues, but ultimately freedom must be won 
  at the point of a sword.
  Watchers of Meng, by the inimitable Rob Schwalb, 
  is a classic pulp adventure tale. The heroes find their 
  path leading to a forgotten ruin in the deepest, 
  darkest jungle of Thule, a place overrun by degenerate 
  savages. A rich prize lies hidden in the ruins, a great 
  jewel worth a king’s ransom, but it is protected by a 
  fearsome curse the heroes defy at their peril.
  Secret of the Moon-Door, by Primeval Thule 
  creator Richard Baker, begins with a mysterious 
  disappearance and reports of monsters terrorizing 
  an academy in one of Thule’s great cities. The heroes 
  soon discover that the missing sage was engaged in 
  researching tales of a legendary riddle in the temple 
  of a forgotten god—and a prize coveted by a wizard 
  of the Black Circle. The characters’ pursuit of the 
  kidnapped sage leads them through the Moon-Door 
  to confront their foe in a strange and distant realm.
  With the publication of the Adventure  Anthology, 
  we have now created nine adventures for the 
  Primeval Thule setting. These include the three 
  from the Campaign Setting book, three stretch-goal 
  adventures from our original Kickstarter for the 
  Pathfinder, 4e, and 13th Age editions of the setting 
  (we’ll convert those to 5e as soon as possible), and 
  three new stretch-goal adventures created for the 5e 
  version of the setting. In ascending order of character 
  level, these are: 
  • Tower of Black Flame (PTCS; characters of 
  level 1–2)
  • Cavern of Golden Tears (PTCS; level 2–4)
  • Red Chains (level 4–6)
  • Night of the Yellow Moon (level 4–6)
  • Watchers of Meng (level 5–8)
  • The Scent of Jasmine (PTCS; level 5–8)
  • Lost Tower of Viondor (level 7–9)
  • Secret of the Moon-Door (level 10–12)
  • Seraglio of the Mind (level 10–12)
  If you simply play them in order, you’ll have a fun 
  little Primeval Thule campaign that should keep 
  you busy for about five or six months and level up 
  your characters from 1 to 12 or so . . . but we hope 
  you’ll add a few adventures of your own devising 
  to the schedule. We’d encourage you to take a look 
  at the First Temple of Set, the Lost City of Tentak-
  ron, or Voor Darayn as interesting sites from the 
  Primeval Thule Campaign Setting ready to be 
  developed into full-on adventures, or perhaps take a 
  look at the campaign arcs described in Chapter 5 of 
  the book for inspiration. You’re the best judge of your 
  own players’ interests, and you know which corners of 
  the continent—or types of stories—they’re interested 
  in exploring.
  Adventure awaits you; travel light, go warily, and 
  keep your sword loose in the scabbard. You are about 
  to venture into the savage world of Thule!
  
  RED CHAINS
  by Steve Winter
  An adventure for characters of levels 4–6
  
  RED CHAINS
  An adventure for characters of levels 4–6
  CREDITS
  Design: Steve Winter
  Development: Richard Baker
  Cover Art: Lucas Durham
  Interior Illustrators: Liz Green, Lee Smith
  Cartography: Corey Macourek
  Art Direction: Richard Baker
  Graphic Design: Corey Macourek
  Production Specialist: Nissa McCormack
  
  Red Chains
  5
  T
  he vile practice of slavery casts a shadow 
  over all of Thule. In Red Chains, the char-
  acters must travel to the city of Marg, home 
  base of the Crimson Slavers who terrorize much of 
  the continent. Their quest is simple: Rescue the son 
  of an important chieftain from the clutches of Marg’s 
  slavers. But in their effort to free the young barbarian 
  from his captors, the heroes find the trail leading them 
  into a cruel, twisted realm of human bondage, under-
  ground cults, and dark rituals.
  Encounter Difficulty: Red Chains is intended for 
  4th- to 6th-level characters, but because it’s very light 
  on combat, it can easily be modified for characters 
  of any level. Only one battle in the adventure really 
  matters; any other fight characters get into can be 
  avoided—and probably should be.
  ADVENTURE 
  SUMMARY
  The player characters are hired by Evarr Hallborn, a 
  barbarian of noble blood, to rescue his son Leafstan 
  from the Crimson Slavers. Before leaving on this 
  mission, characters have an opportunity to talk to an 
  ex-slaver and learn crucial facts about the slave trade 
  and the city of Marg.
  Once in Marg, they discover that the job won’t be 
  as easy or as simple as just buying Leafstan back. He’s 
  already been bought and sold several times before the 
  characters pick up his trail. Instead of moving “up the 
  chain,” however, as similar slaves usually do, Leafstan 
  is moving down along a chain of increasingly grim 
  and disturbing owners into a world of death sport, 
  magical experimentation, and nightmare cults. The 
  trail also leads to followers of Asura who fight against 
  slavery and aid escaping slaves in their flight to free-
  dom. Earning their trust is as crucial to the rescue’s 
  success as finding Leafstan and stopping the cultists’ 
  horrid plan.
  IMPORTANT NPCS
  Red Chains is light on combat but heavy on roleplaying 
  and investigation. Characters will spend most of the 
  time speaking with, gaining the trust of, or squeezing 
  information from NPCs involved in the slave trade. 
  Some of them are despicable, some are valuable allies, 
  and a few are both.
  Baishum Judocus was a mercenary who joined the 
  Crimson Slavers, but eventually he grew to admire the 
  people they were preying on and repented his wicked 
  ways. He jumped ship during a raid, swam ashore, and 
  tried to teach the barbarians he found how to protect 
  themselves against the raiders. The clans accepted him 
  and gave him a home, and he’s lived among them for 
  20 years.
  Bearn Tuham is a seasoned warrior and raider who’s 
  seen more than his share of combat against slavers 
  and other enemies of the clan. He lost his right arm 
  battling lizardfolk a decade ago, but he still serves 
  Evarr Hallborn as a lieutenant and adviser.
  Evarr Hallborn is the hereditary leader of his clan. 
  He was a great warrior in his prime, and even now few 
  of his clansmen would face him one-on-one. He wears 
  a mantle made from griffin hide that’s the hereditary 
  symbol of rulership in the clan. His two eldest sons 
  both died (one in battle, one adventuring) before Evarr 
  was ready to hand over the reins of power. Leafstan is 
  his only surviving heir.
  Leafstan Hallborn is the son of Evarr Hallborn and 
  the only surviving heir to the griffin mantle. He’s 17, 
  passionate, strong, and impetuous, and he’ll become 
  an excellent clan chief if he lives long enough.
  Nafryr is an Atlantean slave trader. She bought 
  Leafstan from the slavers who captured him, then sold 
  him to Xauxo of Ren Sharr.
  Noble Freeman is an astrologer in Marg who earned 
  his freedom from slavery. He works with the follow-
  ers of Asura to help slaves escape, and he commands 
  a small army of urchins who can guide characters 
  stealthily almost anywhere in the city.
  Sister Uthlita runs a mortuary that disposes of the 
  corpses of slaves, but she’s also secretly a follower of 
  Asura who smuggles escaped slaves out of Marg.
  Tuhawi Dasaab is an owner of pit-fighting slaves 
  and a follower of Set. He bought Leafstan from Xauxo 
  of Ren Sharr and intends to sacrifice the young man to 
  the serpent god, after torturous alterations are made to 
  Leafstan’s body and mind.
  Xauxo of Ren Sharr is an owner and trainer of pit 
  fighters. He bought Leafstan from Nafryr, then sold 
  him to Tuhawi Dasaab. Although he’s completely 
  amoral, Xauxo will help the characters if their interfer-
  ence will harm his competitor.
  Yoodir is a homeless street preacher who rants 
  against the evils of slavery in Marg. He is the ultimate 
  key to finding Leafstan before it’s too late.
  BEGINNING THE 
  ADVENTURE
  The adventure begins wherever in Thule your cam-
  paign takes place. The Crimson Slavers focus their 
  raids against barbarians (there’s less risk of political 
  backlash or organized military resistance that way), 
  so starting in barbarian lands is preferable to starting 
  in a city. Whether characters start among the barbar-
  ian tribes or in a city, tailor the information below to 
  reflect their situation.
  The player characters are approached by Bearn 
  Tuham, who brings a message from his warlord, Evarr 
  Hallborn, a man of considerable influence and impor-
  tance among the Ammur tribes (substitute a different 
  barbarian tribe if it works better for your campaign). 
  Hallborn wants to see the PCs immediately to offer 
  them a job. Tuham explains that Evarr Hallborn is 
  a powerful leader in his clan, a good man to have on 
  
  Red Chains
  6
  your side or in your debt. He needs mercenaries from 
  outside the clan for an important task. Tuham wants 
  the characters to come with him immediately; time is 
  pressing.
  EVARR’S 
  LONGHOUSE
  The clan chief’s longhouse is a “palace” of barbaric 
  splendor. Most of it is one tremendous, timber-col-
  umned hall. Tables, benches, and numerous fire pits 
  are arrayed near the center of the hall. Cots and pallets 
  covered with warm furs are pushed near the walls for 
  sleeping. At the end of the hall opposite the single 
  entrance, an impressive, roughly-hewn chair stands 
  beneath the mounted head of a griffin. Seated on 
  that chair is a man wearing a mantle made from the 
  griffin’s pelt.
  Evarr Hallborn is a tall man and still impressively 
  powerful despite his gray hair and beard. He wastes no 
  time on pleasantries as the characters approach his seat.
  A dark mood hangs over the entire hall, but especially 
  on the man wearing the griffin mantle, whose chin rests 
  heavily on a tightly-clenched fist. You’re only halfway 
  across the hall when he speaks loudly without raising his 
  head. “My son has been captured by Crimson Slavers and 
  taken to Marg, and I need someone to bring him back—
  bold mercenaries not of my clan, who won’t be recog-
  nized as my warriors in that cursed city.
  “What you must do is simple: travel to Marg, pick up 
  my son’s trail, and buy him back. Don’t let anyone know 
  you’re working for me, or they’ll inflate the price. Just 
  make a quiet business transaction. That’s what these 
  jackals understand.
  “Once Leafstan is safely home, then our thoughts 
  of deep revenge can take form. For now, just bring him 
  home. Bring him back to me, and your honor and reward 
  will be great.” Then he dismisses you with a wave toward 
  Bearn Tuham and sinks again into somber meditation.
  Tuham draws the characters aside at that point and 
  gives them the specifics. The characters are offered 
  3 pounds of gold apiece (150 gp) as pay for the job. 
  (This amount can be adjusted up or down to match 
  the economy in your game.) One-fifth will be paid up 
  front, the rest when Leafstan is brought back. He must 
  be alive, or there will be no further payment! Tuham 
  emphasizes that besides the monetary reward, Evarr 
  Hallborn is a powerful and generous lord to his friends 
  and allies. In addition to their up-front payment, he 
  provides them with 20 Margish krakens (200 gp) 
  to purchase Leafstan’s freedom. They’re expected to 
  bring back a receipt and return whatever krakens are 
  left over!
  Leafstan is 17, blond, bearded (when he was taken), 
  and has a stylized griffin tattoo on his right forearm. 
  He was captured two weeks ago while hunting far 
  from home. One of his companions eluded the slavers 
  and followed them to their ship, where he heard them 
  saying their hold was full and they were sailing straight 
  to Marg to sell their catch. It took Leafstan’s friend 
  eleven days to make his way back to Evarr and report, 
  so the slavers now have a two-week head start. The ship 
  was named  Tarhun’s Fury.
  Bearn Tuham also recommends that before the char-
  acters depart for Marg, they meet with a man named 
  Baishum Judocus, who lives among the clan even 
  though he’s not kin. Judocus is wise in the ways of the 
  Crimson Slavers, and he might have useful advice for 
  the characters.
  THE EX-SLAVER
  Baishum Judocus is a Kalay human, clearly an outsider 
  among the tall, fair-haired barbarians. He is short, 
  swarthy, and has dark, darting eyes. His lodge is 
  indistinguishable from any other in the village from 
  the outside, but inside, the collection of exotic weapons 
  and other oddities on the walls and shelves makes it 
  obvious the resident has traveled widely across Thule. 
  Bearn Tuham introduces Judocus to the characters as 
  “someone who knows the evil business you’re about 
  to delve into.” Judocus explains unapologetically that 
  he sailed with the Crimson Slavers “when I was young 
  and didn’t know any better.”
  He hasn’t been to Marg for 20 years, so Judocus 
  can’t offer much specific advice about the city. He 
  advises characters that they should be able to get infor-
  mation about Tarhun’s Fury from the harbor master, 
  but Leafstan probably will already be sold by the time 
  characters arrive. They can track legal sales through the 
  Master of Accounts at the central market.
  Most importantly, if they run into trouble, they 
  must not place any trust in city bureaucrats or guild 
  officials. Instead, he offers this advice.
  “Your first friend in Marg is an astrologer who calls him-
  self Noble Freeman. He was a slave who bought his own 
  freedom. If he’s still alive, my name should get you in the 
  door and let you explain your needs.
  “If you find yourselves truly in desperate straits, you 
  must seek out the followers of Asura. They specialize in 
  helping escaped slaves and other fugitives reach free-
  dom. They can get you out of Marg even with the whole 
  city hunting you. If you need their help, go to the swamp-
  side mortuary and ask for ‘Clestain’. I can’t guarantee 
  that’ll still work, but it did 20 years ago.
  “Whatever you do, protect that information with your 
  life. Because they undermine slavery, the Asurans are 
  the most wanted criminals in Marg. The Crimson Council 
  would pay handsomely for their heads—or for yours, if 
  they suspected the knowledge of how to find the Asurans 
  was inside.”
  
  Red Chains
  7
  TRAVELING TO 
  MARG
  Unless characters start very near Marg, a ship is the 
  quickest way to reach the city. The barbarians have a 
  small coastal vessel taken in a raid that no one would 
  associate with them. If the characters can handle a 
  boat, they can borrow this one for the mission. If 
  not, members of Hallborn’s clan sail the characters to 
  Marg, drop them at the docks like any other passen-
  gers, and spend the next few days nervously pretending 
  to be merchants in search of cargo. You can create 
  encounters with pirates or monsters along the way, or 
  jump straight to Marg.
  ACT I: 
  CITY OF SLAVERS
  When the PCs arrive in Marg, read:
  Marg makes its presence known from many miles away. 
  The city stands at the marshy mouth of the Harj River, 
  hemmed in on three sides by the surrounding bayou. A 
  gray haze of smoke hangs over the city throughout the 
  day, giving way to a sullen red glow at night. A pyra-
  mid-like fortress towers over one end of the city, and the 
  spires of an elegant palace rise above the opposite end. 
  The harbor lies along the southern bank of the river.
  The Harj River crosses the northern edge of the 
  city before flowing into the western end of a long 
  inlet. The river mouth is marshy and pestilential, a 
  breeding ground for mosquitoes and other swarm-
  ing insects that literally darken the sky at the 
  height of their hatching seasons. Huge, slow-burn-
  ing pyres are continually stoked throughout the 
  city to create a pall of smoke that drives away the 
  clouds of voracious mosquitoes from the surround-
  ing swamp. Most of the city stands on slightly 
  elevated ground south of the river, with the hungry 
  bayou hemming it in on three sides and the river as 
  its lifeline to the sea.
  The smoky pyres burn year-round and create a 
  perpetual haze over the city; residents agree that 
  being choked and blinded by the smoke is preferable 
  to being devoured by the mosquitoes. The pyramid 
  fortress of the powerful Devrith clan and the spires 
  of the Freehold Palace can be seen from most points 
  in the city, making them twin lodestars for those 
  trying to get their bearings.
  Law and Order: Despite its well-deserved sinister 
  reputation, Marg is a civilized city with typical laws 
  against assault and murder. Characters who carve 
  a trail of corpses, injured witnesses, and collateral 
  damage through the city are likely to run afoul of 
  Marg’s authorities, which could lead to the charac-
  ters being enslaved themselves as punishment. Most 
  
  Red Chains
  8
  of Marg’s law enforcers are typical guards, but they 
  have tougher agents to call on when adventurers 
  cause trouble.
  • Standard patrol (1,600 XP): 1 veteran, 4 guards
  • Tough patrol (4,350 XP): 3 veterans, 3 guards
  • Riot squad (8,550 XP): 2 veterans, 1 priest, 
  10 thugs
  The characters’ first hours or days in Marg will be 
  spent visiting various locales and NPCs to gather in-
  formation in their effort to locate Leafstan. The most 
  likely encounters are described below, but it’s import-
  ant not to constrain the characters’ investigation at 
  this point. Using the background on Marg provided 
  here and in the Primeval Thule Campaign Setting 
  (page 91–92), let the characters go where they want 
  and talk to whoever they meet. If they drift off track, 
  use NPCs to gently steer them back toward locations 
  with useful leads (or transplant the leads to locations 
  the characters do visit).
  There are four strong leads the PCs can initially 
  pursue: looking for Tarhun’s Fury, locating Noble Free-
  man, heading straight for the slave market, or making 
  contact with the Asurans at the mortuary.
  TARHUN’S FURY
  Characters who begin their search for Leafstan by 
  looking for the ship that brought him to Marg discover 
  that Tarhun’s Fury isn’t in the harbor when they arrive. 
  They’ll need to check with the harbor master or ask 
  around the waterfront for more information.
  THE HARBOR MASTER
  The harbor master, a friendly but busy Atlantean man 
  named Marcan, confirms that Tarhun’s Fury offloaded 
  barbarian slaves two weeks ago, took on provisions, 
  and sailed out of the harbor again eight days ago. He 
  helpfully adds that she’s crewed largely by mercenaries, 
  so a few members of her crew might not have signed on 
  for this voyage. If any are around, they probably can 
  be found at some dockside hangout, but he has no idea 
  which one.
  FINDING THE CREW
  Searching riverfront winesinks and taprooms for the 
  crew of Tarhun’s Fury requires a successful Intelligence/
  Investigation or Charisma/Persuasion check (DC 15). 
  Each attempt takes one hour and costs 1d6 gp. When 
  the PCs succeed (or when they employ some other 
  method, such as the discreet use of divination magic) 
  
  CASUAL BRUTALITY
  Casual brutality is commonplace in Marg. Quick scenes can be used 
  to convey to characters some of the suffering inflicted by the Crimson 
  Slavers.
  • At the docks, characters see freshly-arrived slaves being unloaded 
  from raiding ships: chained, filthy, terrified, starved, being driven 
  toward holding corrals and warehouses under whips and cudgels.
  • In the streets, they see slaves being struck by their owners, laboring 
  with heavy burdens, or being publicly lashed or confined in stocks for 
  disobedience.
  • Heavy, unpleasant, or dangerous labor, such as unloading ship car-
  goes or mucking out livestock stalls, is done by slaves.
  • All but the poorest taverns and inns have one or two slaves to handle 
  menial labor.
  While cruelty is the norm, not every slave is beaten or mistreated. 
  Allowing characters to see an occasional exception to that treatment 
  underscores the unnecessary cruelty of most owners.
  Red Chains
  9
  they find a few of the ship’s crewmen in a taproom 
  called the Cracked Keel.
  The Cracked Keel is a typical waterfront dive populated 
  by out-of-work sailors, down-on-their-luck gamblers, 
  prostitutes, pickpockets, layabouts, and rough-looking 
  mercenaries. When you ask about Tarhun’s Fury, the 
  barkeep nods at three men slumped at a table in the 
  corner. Only one is conscious at the moment.  
  The conscious sailor is named Baltyr. He is not 
  antagonistic to a group of dangerous-looking charac-
  ters who outnumber him, but he won’t say anything 
  helpful unless he’s paid at least 5 gp or someone makes 
  a successful Charisma/Intimidation check (DC 15) 
  against him.
  What Baltyr can tell the characters is that the slavers 
  captured the man they describe (he refers to Leafstan 
  as “the barbarian prince”) on their final raiding stop. 
  They knew he was valuable, so they came straight to 
  Marg. Most of their other captives were fit for nothing 
  but labor and were sold at standard rates to brokers at 
  the city’s slave market, but “the prince” was sold to a 
  dealer named Nafryr who specializes in slaves with rare 
  qualities.
  Creatures (1,000 XP): If the characters throw their 
  weight around in the tavern—if they use Intimidation 
  on Baltyr in front of the other patrons, for example—
  they gain the enmity of a rough crowd. Baltyr’s fellow 
  sailors won’t leap into a battle against well-armed ad-
  venturers, but they’ll trail the characters through town 
  and either ambush them in a dark alleyway, or creep 
  into their sleeping rooms with knives and blackjacks in 
  the dead of night.
  • 5 thugs
  Development: Unless the characters do something 
  to prevent it, Baltyr leaves the Cracked Keel moments 
  after the party departs, and races through the streets 
  to reach Nafryr first. He informs her that strangers are 
  looking for “the barbarian prince” and collects a small 
  reward from Nafryr for the information. (What Nafyr 
  does with this information is explained under Nafyr in 
  Act II.)
  NOBLE FREEMAN
  The shop of Noble Freeman is identified by a stylized 
  astrolabe hanging above the door. Finding it requires 
  a successful Charisma/Persuasion check (DC 12) to 
  find someone who knows the location, followed by a 
  successful Wisdom/Survival check (DC 12) to actually 
  find the building in the maze of streets. Each check, 
  successful or not, uses up an hour. If characters want 
  to make individual checks, then they must split up; if 
  they stay together as a group, then one check is made 
  per hour for the group.
  Freeman is a Lomari human of forty-five, highly 
  educated, generally outgoing, but wary of armed 
  strangers. He’ll answer questions about Marg for free 
  or give an astronomical reading for 2 sp, but nothing 
  else unless characters mention Baishum Judocus. At 
  that, he locks the front door, draws the blinds, turns 
  to the characters and says, “How is my old friend 
  Baishum, and how can I be of service to you?”
  The ways Noble Freeman can be of service include:
  • He can give reliable directions to anyplace 
  in Marg.
  • He knows urchins and beggars who can lead the 
  characters almost anywhere in the city through 
  alleys, sewers, and other hidden paths. A “dark-
  ways guide” costs 5 sp each time one is used.
  • He knows two safehouses in the city where fugi-
  tives can find shelter from any manhunt. One on 
  the south side of town expects a payment of 4 gp 
  per night; one near the river expects a payment 
  of 10 gp per night. The characters are welcome to 
  sleep on the benches and rugs in his shop for free 
  if they’d like, but his shop is not a safehouse. All 
  freed slaves are perpetually suspected of aiding 
  escaped slaves, so his shop is routinely searched 
  when a runaway is being hunted.
  • He knows that dropping the name Clestain will 
  make the followers of Asura clam up instead of 
  gaining their trust. The correct code name is 
  “Edegast.”
  • He’s never heard of Leafstan and has no idea 
  where he might be, but Freeman can put people 
  on the young man’s trail. If characters go for this 
  option, NPCs track Leafstan’s progress to Tuhawi 
  Dasaab, then refuse to go any farther. This 
  information takes 1d3+1 days to collect, and the 
  characters must reimburse the NPCs 1d6 gp per 
  day in fees and bribes.
  
  Red Chains
  10
  Almost any other information the GM wants to 
  place in the characters’ hands can be delivered through 
  Noble Freeman. The astrologer has many gossipy cli-
  ents, including close relatives of Kaz Vurin and family 
  members of the Crimson Council (though none of the 
  councilors themselves), so he’s privy to all the news and 
  rumors circulating through every level of Marg.
  If told that Leafstan might be taken to the cata-
  combs of Qurothaq, Freeman is horrified and urges the 
  characters to arrange a rescue as quickly as possible.
  THE SLAVE 
  MARKET
  Marg’s slave market is not too different from other big, 
  urban markets the characters have been in, except that 
  the goods for sale are human beings.
  The slave market is a sprawling collection of colorful 
  tents, open-air stalls, and a few permanent structures 
  where slave buyers and sellers conduct business. Humans 
  in various stages of dress, cleanliness, and health shuffle 
  to and fro inside small corrals, but the fences alone 
  couldn’t contain someone who wanted to get out. Most 
  of the slaves are shackled at the wrists, ankles, or neck. 
  Guards armed with cudgels and whips patrol everywhere, 
  and they lash any slave who moves too slowly, bows too 
  shallowly, speaks too often, or stares too long at a free 
  man or woman.
  Each seller appears to have a specialty: slaves from the 
  north or from the south, slaves from the mountains or 
  from the coast, slaves for field work or for domestic work, 
  slaves freshly arrived or born into captivity.
  The carnival atmosphere of fluttering pennants and 
  friendly hawkers shouting their wares can’t overcome the 
  nightmarish background drone of groans, rattling chains, 
  and cracking whips. Drifting walls of smoke from nearby 
  pyres add a hellish accent to the scene.
  To the citizens of Marg, this is just business; buying 
  and selling people is how they feed their families. 
  Few of those involved in the trade feel any doubt over 
  whether what they do is ethical or whether the people 
  they subjugate are inferior, and they react angrily to 
  outsiders who raise such questions.
  Important Leads: Characters can learn a lot about 
  the slave trade in the market, but they can’t learn much 
  about Leafstan. Information that can be gleaned is 
  described below.
  The Master of Accounts, an obese Nimothan man 
  named Hosk, knows that Tarhun’s Fury unloaded a 
  cargo of barbarians two weeks ago. Most were bought 
  by the trader Loceth Aloudain to be resold for field 
  work; a discount dealer, Nyall the Short, took the old, 
  weak, and sick.
  Loceth Aloudain, a wizened old Atlantean, explains 
  that he already sold most of the shipment, but he still 
  has eight remaining from the lot. He’ll let characters 
  talk to them for 2 gp. The slaves recognize Leafstan 
  from a description and know that he was separated 
  from the group as soon as they arrived in Marg, but 
  none of them know what became of him. Aloudain 
  himself knows that Leafstan was sold to Nafryr 
  because he was at the sale, but he won’t mention this 
  knowledge until after the characters pay to question 
  slaves. Then he “suddenly remembers something 
  useful,” which he’ll share for another 3 gp.
  Nyall the Short is a cruel, brusque man who sells 
  slaves that are likely to die soon from disease, injury, or 
  old age, mainly for jobs with a high probability of kill-
  ing them even quicker. Neither he nor any of his slaves 
  from Tarhun’s Fury know anything about Leafstan.
  Other Leads: Characters asking around at random 
  can attempt Intelligence/Investigation or Charisma/
  Persuasion checks (DC 20). Each attempt takes one 
  hour. On a success, a character learns from a random 
  NPC that a slave matching Leafstan’s description was 
  bought by Nafryr, but she had him killed.
  Scores of Guards: The Margish expect trouble here 
  and are ready to quash any slave rising immediately. 
  Characters who start trouble here immediately face a 
  tough patrol (see Law and Order, above). Additional 
  patrols and riot squads arrive every round or two until 
  the troublemakers are overwhelmed—there are literally 
  hundreds of Margish guards in and around the market.
  THE SLAVE 
  MORTUARY
  This low, grim building stands along the southwest 
  edge of the city, very near the surrounding swamp. 
  Slaves die at an alarming rate, especially fresh arrivals 
  who are weak from a long sea voyage, possibly in-
  jured, and despondent over their fate. Their bodies are 
  brought to this mortuary to be carted far out into the 
  swamp, where they’ll be devoured by crocodiles, giant 
  leeches, ghouls, and worse things.
  Most of the workers at the mortuary are human 
  slaves, but the person in charge is a tall, world-weary 
  Nimothan woman named Uthlita Beelyr. The slaves 
  call her Sister Uthlita, but that’s just a tradition as 
  far as anyone knows. Sister Uthlita and certain of her 
  attendants are secretly followers of Asura; they aid 
  escaping slaves by guiding them through the swamp 
  to the secret Harbor of Asura, some miles up the Harj 
  River from Marg.
  Sister Uthlita knows nothing about Leafstan. If 
  characters come here looking for the body after asking 
  around the Slave Market or speaking to Nafryr (Act 
  II), Sister Uthlita confirms positively that she’s never 
  seen a corpse with a griffon tattoo on the arm, let alone 
  one in the last two weeks. She also points out that 
  mock executions of disobedient slaves aren’t unknown.
  If told that Leafstan is headed to the catacombs of 
  Qurothaq, Sister Uthlita urges the characters to rescue 
  him as quickly as possible.
  
  Red Chains
  11
  “Clestain” or “Edegast”: If characters come to the 
  mortuary and ask for Clestain, Sister Uthlita assumes 
  they’re informants to the Crimson Council; that code 
  word was compromised years ago. She remains polite 
  but tells them nothing. She’s never heard of Baishum 
  Judocus. 
  If they ask for Edegast instead, she knows they’re 
  friends of Noble Freeman who can be trusted. If 
  characters get into trouble—for example, if they rescue 
  Leafstan and have all the slavehunters in the city on 
  their trail—she can smuggle them out of Marg by 
  hiding them in a cartload of corpses, then guiding 
  them safely through the swamp. Noble Freeman’s 
  “darkways guides” know concealed routes to the mor-
  tuary from everywhere in the city except the Devrith 
  Ward and the Freehold Palace.
  ACT II: 
  ON THE TRAIL
  During their initial investigations, the characters 
  learn from the sailor Baltyr or the slave trader Loceth 
  Aloudain that the barbarian Leafstan was sold to a 
  high-end dealer in “exotics” named Nafryr. The PCs 
  may also believe that Leafstan is dead—but, if they 
  make an effort to verify the tale at the Slave Mortu-
  ary, Sister Uthlita informs them that she hasn’t seen 
  his corpse, which ought to point the party back to 
  Nafryr.
  Finding Nafryr: Nafryr is a well-known figure in 
  Marg. She is a wealthy “noblewoman” of Atlantean de-
  scent who runs her business from her home, a palatial 
  courtyard-house a few blocks from the slave market. 
  Her agents frequent the slave market, looking for 
  quality wares. Anyone at the Slave Market can direct 
  the PCs to Nafryr’s home (and so can Noble Freeman, 
  or most Margish citizens).
  What’s Next: Which scene you present next de-
  pends on whether the PCs interacted with Baltyr. If 
  the characters threatened Baltyr or used force against 
  him and did not prevent him from leaving the Cracked 
  Keel afterward, Nafryr sends a contingent of guards 
  guided by Baltyr to intercept the party. Run “Nafryr’s 
  Bruisers” next.
  Otherwise, go to “Nafryr’s Courtyard” next. (If the 
  PCs defeat Nafryr’s Bruisers and continue on their 
  way, they may actually run through both encounters.)
  NAFRYR’S BRUISERS
  If Baltyr alerts Nafryr that the characters are coming, 
  she arranges a special ambush for them. She has no 
  reason to expect they’ll be any politer to her than they 
  were to Baltyr, so she sends her guards to intercept the 
  characters before they reach her home, with Baltyr in 
  tow to identify the targets. 
  Spotting Baltyr: Make a Dexterity/Stealth check 
  for Baltyr (+1) and compare the result to the charac-
  ters’ passive Perception scores to determine whether 
  they spot him before he points them out to Nafryr’s 
  minions. PCs whose passive Perception score is 
  beaten by Baltyr’s Stealth result are surprised when 
  the attack comes. Everyone else sees the slave warriors 
  maneuvering into position to attack from all sides. 
  Creatures (2,250 XP): Baltyr hides at the edge of 
  the fight and takes one or two shots with his crossbow 
  if he can do so safely, then disappears into the crowd. 
  Use the street map provided for “The Ambush” in Act 
  III, or sketch a similar one of your own.
  • 1 veteran
  • 4 thugs
  • 1 bandit (Baltyr)
  If characters throw around explosive spells or cause 
  collateral damage, a standard patrol shows up mo-
  ments after the fight to investigate the ruckus. If Baltyr 
  is still alive, he steps from the crowd and vouches that 
  the characters only defended themselves against a sur-
  prise attack, which satisfies the patrol. Baltyr then tries 
  to extort 10 gp from the characters in exchange for 
  information about why they were attacked (“We must 
  have been overheard at the Cracked Keel, and Nafryr 
  sent these killers after you”).
  Nafryr’s slaves are wearing or carrying nothing that 
  connects them to her. If defeated and questioned, they 
  admit that their mistress sent them to deal with the 
  PCs after Baltyr came and warned Nafryr that the PCs 
  were on their way.
  NAFRYR’S 
  COURTYARD
  The house of the slave-dealer Nafryr stands in one of 
  Marg’s better neighborhoods. High walls and a sturdy 
  gate protect an inner courtyard with fine furnishings and 
  colorful canopies. Several house-slaves cater to an ele-
  gant Atlantean woman who reclines on a divan, dictating 
  to a scribe. Several guards keep watch nearby.
  Nafryr’s trade is built on slaves with rare skills or 
  with special qualities that lift them above the run-
  of-the-mill. She seldom sells in the common market; 
  her “goods” fetch higher prices when offered direct to 
  buyers with specific needs. These special qualities can 
  be anything: youth, gender, beauty, region of origin, 
  or rare talents such as an angelic singing voice, fluency 
  in exotic languages, or knowledge of magic. She is 
  protected at all times by a bodyguard comprised of 1 
  gladiator and 4 guards, who will gladly die to ensure 
  that her will is carried out.
  
  Red Chains
  12
  Nafryr is forthcoming to questions about Leafstan, 
  or at least appears so. She opens the conversation with 
  friendly conversation such as “What brings you to 
  Marg?” or “How was your journey?” and offers the 
  party wine (but see Treachery, below).
  “I was invited by the slavers to bid on this “prince” in a 
  private auction, where I bought him for eight Margish 
  krakens. That’s eight times the price of a healthy laborer, 
  but I was sure I could double the investment by training 
  him as a lady’s consort or as a noble’s bodyguard.
  “Unfortunately, some of these barbarians are intrac-
  table. Such was the case with this one; he strangled his 
  trainer. I had to have his throat cut as a demonstration 
  to my other property of the price of defiance. It was a 
  dreadful loss of cash and a waste of valuable flesh, but it’s 
  better this way in the long run.
  “Simply put, you’re too late. His body was dumped in 
  the swamp, and I doubt any trace of it remains. There’s 
  nothing more I can tell you of the creature.”
  Leafstan did kill one of Nafryr’s trainers, but she’s 
  lying about having his throat cut. The execution was 
  staged for the other slaves; Leafstan was drugged so 
  he would pass out as a trick knife was dragged across 
  his throat, spouting fake blood. After his “corpse” was 
  carted away, he was sold for 4 krakens to a man named 
  Xauxo of Ren Sharr, who manages gladiators.
  If characters ask whether they detect any signs that 
  Nafryr is lying, let them make Wisdom/Insight checks 
  (DC 14). Those who succeed are certain she’s a skillful 
  liar but can’t pin down any specific lie in her story. 
  Those who succeed by 5 or more suspect that Leafstan 
  is still alive.
  The Truth: If characters are rude, arrogant, or 
  accusatory toward Nafryr, she dismisses them with-
  out another thought. The slave who ushers them out 
  of Nafryr’s presence whispers to one character, “seek 
  Xauxo of Ren Sharr,” then slips away.
  If characters are respectful toward Nafryr, then 
  they’re greeted by one of her guards when they exit 
  her house.
  The guard bends down on one knee and bows deeply 
  to you, saying, “My mistress bids me deliver this.” In his 
  right hand, he extends a scroll. Hastily written on it is this 
  message:
  “Although you are strangers here, you respect our 
  ways, so we reciprocate in kind. The man you seek 
  may yet live (monetary losses must be minimized). 
  If so, Xauxo of Ren Sharr will know. You understand 
  why I could not tell you this in the presence of my 
  servants.”
  The note is unsigned.
  Anyone in Marg can give directions to the com-
  pound of Xauxo of Ren Sharr.
  Treachery: If Nafryr was warned by Baltyr, or if 
  any characters appear valuable (Strength 18 or better, 
  Charisma 15 or higher, unusual race, etc.), Nafryr de-
  cides to add the PCs to her stock of slaves. During the 
  conversation, the Atlantean asks the characters if they 
  would like wine. Two slaves step forward, one with a 
  pitcher of wine and one with a tray of goblets. All the 
  goblets are identical. Nafryr takes a goblet from the 
  same tray (last if the characters don’t hesitate, or first 
  if no one else is willing). The slave fills all the goblets 
  from the same pitcher.
  Neither the wine nor the goblet rims are poi-
  soned, but the stems of all the goblets are lightly 
  treated with a contact poison. Nafryr is wearing 
  elegant, elbow-length gloves that match her gown, 
  so she never touches the poison and is unaffected. 
  Characters who pick up a goblet with bare hands 
  must make successful Constitution saves (DC 13) 
  or fall unconscious; they wake up 1d6 hours later, 
  or when they take damage. (This is a good time for 
  the GM to roll the saving throws secretly, or to ask 
  the players to roll 1d20 each without telling them 
  why, to keep players guessing about what’s hap-
  pening.) The character who failed with the lowest 
  saving throw result falls unconscious 60 seconds 
  after picking up the goblet, and everyone else who 
  failed the saving throw drops a round later. 
  
  Red Chains
  13
  Creatures (4,200 XP): When Nafryr is threatened 
  or when the poison begins to take effect, Nafryr’s 
  guards attack to subdue the PCs. If Nafryr is not 
  attacked and nobody is affected by the poison, the 
  guards do not attack (they are uncertain what to do, 
  and let the moment pass).
  • 1 gladiator
  • 4 guards
  • 1 spy (Nafryr, armed with two daggers)
  If characters lose this fight, they awaken stripped 
  and chained together in a holding cell beneath Nafryr’s 
  estate. How they get out is up to them and the GM. 
  If characters win this fight, Nafryr gives them the 
  information they seek and admits she staged Leafstan’s 
  “death.”
  Treasure (1,000 XP): Nafryr keeps a locked 
  wooden coffer nearby, since she conducts business 
  from her courtyard. If the PCs get a chance to loot the 
  place, they find 160 Margish krakens (1,600 gp) in the 
  coffer, along with 8 small rubies worth 50 gp each.
  Development: There are no repercussions for killing 
  her slaves, but Nafryr is another matter. If she is killed, 
  the characters become wanted criminals in Marg. Any-
  time they move through Marg openly (without one of 
  Noble Freeman’s darkways guides), they must make a 
  group Dexterity/Stealth check (DC 10). If at least half 
  the character pass, they avoid contact with soldiers 
  looking for them. If the group check fails, the party 
  runs into a patrol with orders to take them, alive or 
  dead. Roll d6: on 1–4, it’s a standard patrol; on 5–6, 
  it’s a tough patrol.
  XAUXO OF REN 
  SHARR
  Slave pit fighting is popular in Marg. Fights to the 
  death aren’t common; trained fighters are too valuable 
  to throw away callously. Most bouts are fought until 
  one fighter can’t continue. A skilled fighting slave can 
  survive many bouts and gain fame, if not fortune. 
  Slaves who are useless, untrainable, or rebellious can 
  provide a few minutes of entertainment as they die or 
  they learn the value of obedience while being beaten 
  into pulp.
  Xauxo of Ren Sharr specializes in keeping the pits 
  filled with fighters and victims. He runs a training 
  facility on the east side of the city that houses eight 
  slave gladiators and twenty more fighters in training. 
  Two guards stand watch at his compound gate, and 
  turn away strangers. To get an audience with Xauxo, 
  either one character must make a successful Charisma/
  Persuasion check (DC 15, one attempt only) or the 
  guard at the gate must be paid 2d6 sp. Once inside, 
  characters are escorted to a well-appointed room where 
  Xauxo is watching young warriors go through their 
  training routine.
  Xauxo is a man of contrasts. He buys and sells 
  humans who he regularly consigns to a painful, bloody 
  death for his own profit, and he harbors no illusions or 
  self-deception about the evil that he perpetuates. But 
  he’s also an educated, philosophical man with some 
  empathy for the characters’ mission. He admits readily 
  to buying Leafstan from Nafryr.
  “A slave who overpowers and kills a trainer with his bare 
  hands has the makings of a great pit fighter. This Leafstan 
  of yours was difficult and contentious, but I was certain 
  I’d made a smart purchase.
  “But five days ago, I described my new trainee to 
  another owner, who suddenly became very interested. 
  He dropped by to watch the man training, and afterward 
  offered me an astounding sum for the slave. I might 
  have earned more from wagers over the lifetime of this 
  Leafstan, but you never know. Even the best of us have 
  off nights, and all it takes is one unlucky slice to end a 
  fighter’s career. Yesterday, I took the money and they 
  took the man.
  “I know your next question: who was the buyer? Nor-
  mally, I wouldn’t reveal that, but this man is a nasty com-
  petitor and, frankly, he . . . said things, as your man was 
  being taken away. They seemed trivial in the moment, 
  but they weigh on me. I suspect your Leafstan is headed 
  for the Qurothaq catacombs. If my gut is correct, his only 
  hope is for you to get him out of Marg instantly.
  “The buyer was Tuhawi Dasaab. Whatever you might 
  think of men like me, he’s worse. If you have any friends 
  in this city, or favors to call in, now is the time. Once your 
  friend descends into that pit, it would be better for every-
  one if he never emerges again. It will be too late for him 
  in every imaginable sense of those words.”
  If characters ask Xauxo about the Qurothaq cata-
  combs, he relates the following.
  “The Qurothaq clan specializes in providing slaves with 
  unique qualifications. Sometimes, that means attri-
  butes not countenanced by nature—attributes that can 
  be achieved only through the cruelest types of psychic 
  conditioning, or by cutting and rearranging the flesh, or 
  by abhorrent magic, attributes that make a human into 
  the perfect offering to some inhuman entity. Whatever 
  darkness the mind can imagine, the Qurothaqs can tailor 
  from once-human flesh.”
  Xauxo will continue talking to the characters, 
  answer their questions about his business and about 
  Marg, even give them a tour of his gladiator training 
  facility if they’d like one, but he reminds them that 
  time is running out for their friend. He can’t offer 
  them any more aid; Dasaab is too powerful for a man 
  like Xauxo to cross openly.
  
  AVOIDING CERTAIN DEATH
  This act may lead characters to two locations that they can’t defeat: 
  the estate of Tuhawi Dasaab and the Qurothaq catacombs. Despite the 
  obvious clues that these locations should be avoided, some players 
  might insist on bulldozing ahead with a plan that can only get their 
  characters enslaved, killed, or worse. If the players need encouragement 
  to reconsider tactics, drop a tough patrol or riot squad in the characters’ 
  path to shoo them away from certain doom. Alternatively, one of Noble 
  Freeman’s urchin guides could appear at an opportune moment with a 
  message calling the characters back to the astrology shop or providing 
  them with a missing clue (from Freeman’s own investigation) to put 
  them on the right path.
  Red Chains
  14
  ACT III: SMOKE 
  AND SORROW
  From the time characters learn that Leafstan is on his 
  way to the Qurothaq catacombs, they have 24 hours to 
  rescue him. After 24 hours, Leafstan disappears into the 
  catacombs and becomes so severely damaged that nothing 
  short of a wish will return him to normalcy and sanity.
  Qurothaq Catacombs: No one will talk to the 
  characters about the Qurothaq Catacombs. As soon 
  as the subject is raised, people shake their heads, say 
  “I don’t know anything about that” or “that’s none of 
  my business,” and then either hurry away or slam the 
  door in the characters’ faces. Only Noble Freeman 
  will discuss the place. He explains that many people 
  in Marg don’t even believe it exists; “you’ll wind up in 
  Qurothaq” is something to threaten naughty children 
  with. Most of those who do believe don’t know where 
  it is. He suspects the rough location but has no idea 
  how to get inside, and he’s happy not knowing. He 
  urges the characters to forget about rescuing Leafstan 
  from the catacombs and concentrate on preventing 
  him from getting that far.
  Tuhawi Dasaab: Characters can get informa-
  tion about Tuhawi Dasaab in the slave market with 
  a successful Charisma/Persuasion check (DC 10); 
  anywhere else in town, the DC is 15. They can get the 
  information automatically from Noble Freeman or 
  Sister Uthlita. No matter who they talk to, they get the 
  clear impression that people don’t like talking about 
  him. Even in complete privacy, people lower their 
  voices and glance over their shoulders while speaking 
  Dasaab’s name.
  Dasaab is an elf of a dissolute, degenerate bloodline. 
  He came to Marg decades ago with fabulous wealth 
  that he used to start a successful stable of pit fighters.
  • He only enters fighters into battles to the death, 
  and only for very high stakes.
  • His fighters are feared for their savagery.
  • It’s rumored that he engages in dark rituals and 
  that his fighters gain some of their inhuman feroc-
  ity by making sacrifices to Set.
  • His home and training facility are in a fortified 
  compound adjoining the Devrith ward. Thieves 
  occasionally try to break in; their bodies are nailed 
  to the gates as a warning to others. It’s commonly 
  whispered that the thieves’ guild forbids its mem-
  bers from making further attempts.
  DASAAB’S DOOR
  When the characters go to Tuhawi Dasaab’s com-
  pound, it should be obvious to them that a covert 
  incursion is a daunting prospect. 
  This fortress-like compound is surrounded by window-
  less walls twenty feet high. A single reinforced wood-
  en door stands in the outer wall. Above the door, the 
  rotting body of a thief with snakes crawling through its 
  ribcage is nailed to the wall. Passers-by shy away from 
  the building and avoid looking at it, although a crazed 
  beggar shouts and shakes his fist at the place from a short 
  distance away.
  If the characters knock at the gate, the corpse lifts 
  its head and begs them to leave for their own sakes, 
  and they realize that the thief is somehow still alive! 
  A madness save is certainly called for here (DC 13 for 
  unwholesome magic).
  Add whatever other details are necessary to make 
  players understand that any attempt to break in is 
  certain to cost them their lives (or worse), even if that 
  means the grounds are patrolled by cyclopes while 
  stone golems stand guard.
  The Beggar: Only a few dozen paces from Dasaab’s 
  compound stands Yoodir, a crazed follower of Asura. 
  When the characters take note of him, read:
  The beggar is a wild-eyed, emaciated man covered with 
  scars. He continually harangues the compound, although 
  people passing by pay him no heed. “I have seen your 
  monstrous handiwork, and eternal punishment shall be 
  your reward!” he shouts. “The judgment of Asura awaits 
  you! I have seen those cast into Qurothaq, and they 
  scream to me for vengeance! Your path is the path of 
  downfall! Your ways are the ways of Set! The tormenter 
  will fall and be trampled beneath the feet of the tor-
  mented! I have seen your blood dripping from a prince-
  ling’s blade!
  Yoodir is as unhinged as he appears. If characters 
  don’t approach him, he begins to harangue them 
  directly.
  “Only minutes ago, the slaves of Dasaab dragged another 
  to unimaginable doom! Will slayers such as yourselves 
  stand by while brave men are wracked and slaughtered to 
  feed the serpent?”
  
  Red Chains
  15
  If characters show any interest in what he has to say, 
  Yoodir grows momentarily calmer and more rational. 
  “The doomed one? A young barbarian from the northern 
  forests, fighting every step of the way. The hooded ones 
  dragged him forth not ten minutes past. They are taking 
  him to Qurothaq to ruin him, but if you hurry, you can stop 
  them. Deny the Great Serpent its prize! Make IT hunger! 
  Leave IT to starve and howl in darkness! This way, hurry, 
  hurry!” The madman clutches at your arms and tugs at you 
  to follow him, then races a few paces away, doubles back, 
  and races away again, like a dog trying to lead its master.
  If characters follow, Yoodir leads them on a frantic 
  chase through narrow streets before stopping suddenly 
  at the point where a dark alley opens up onto one of 
  the city’s larger thoroughfares. 
  THE AMBUSH
  This is the characters’ best and only chance to rescue 
  Leafstan before he disappears into the hellish cata-
  combs of Qurothaq. 
  The main street is 30 feet wide, lined with one- and 
  two-story buildings with flat roofs surrounded by low par-
  apets. Narrow alleys separate the buildings and connect to 
  the street at all angles. It’s a perfect spot for an ambush. 
  You see armed warriors and three hooded figures 
  escorting a manacled and bedraggled but defiant-looking 
  Leafstan up the street toward your position. A block be-
  hind this procession, an enclosed sedan chair carried by 
  four slaves follows; you can’t tell whether the two groups 
  are connected. Normal citizens still in the street are grab-
  bing their wares and scurrying to get out of the way.
  Characters have about half a minute before Leafstan 
  and his guards reach their position. That’s enough time 
  for characters to move into positions on both sides of 
  the street, to move out in front of or behind Dasaab’s 
  men, or to get inside or even atop nearby buildings via 
  outside stairs. They won’t be noticed if they move with 
  the crowd. Thirty seconds is not enough time to make 
  detailed plans; push the players to think and act quickly.
  The crates and clutter marked on the map consist 
  of typical trade goods, food storage, wares for sale, 
  and other bric-a-brac. These squares count as difficult 
  terrain and provide cover. Ladders are difficult terrain, 
  too, but characters fighting from the rooftops have 
  cover from enemies on the street below.
  Creatures (5,500 XP): The escort includes the 
  NPCs listed below. They’re moving in two tight 
  columns, as shown on the map. Note that the letters 
  on the map indicate the escort’s arrangement but not 
  necessarily its location; the procession is moving up the 
  street, and characters can let it advance as far as they 
  want before attacking. The hooded figures (cultists and 
  the cult fanatic) are representatives of the Qurothaqs; 
  they are indistinguishable from one another.
  • 1 Veteran
  • 1 cult Fanatic
  • 2 Cultists
  • 2 Berserkers
  • 1 Guard per PC
  • Leafstan (ally)
  Leafstan quickly recognizes the PCs as rescuers and 
  turns against his captors. He fights as a berserker, using 
  his manacles as a flail until something better becomes 
  available. He can’t dash while shackled, but his shack-
  les can be cut with a slashing weapon and a successful 
  Strength check (DC 15).
  Tuhawi Dasaab (2,300 XP): Dasaab rides in the 
  sedan chair about 50 yards behind Leafstan’s escorts. 
  His four slaves (commoners) set down the chair and re-
  treat as soon as fighting breaks out. The slaver casts fly 
  and mage armor before joining the battle, and reaches 
  the fight around Leafstan at the beginning of the 7th 
  round. Time his arrival for maximum drama, not nec-
  essarily for maximum danger to the characters.
  • Tuhawi Dasaab (mage)
  
  Red Chains
  16
  If characters stick around to fight Dasaab, they run 
  a high risk of being defeated. If no one thinks to grab 
  Leafstan and dash away into the alleys, Yoodir suggests 
  this (from the safety of the shadows).
  Treasure (1,000 XP): Dasaab carries a moneypouch 
  with 60 gp. He also wears a fine gold ring and a copper 
  ring set with emeralds, each worth 250 gp.
  THE ESCAPE
  With Leafstan in their possession, the characters have 
  four good options: they can head for Noble Free-
  man’s shop, for the Slave Mortuary, or for one of the 
  two safehouses IF they got directions from Freeman. 
  No other course leads to safety. If they flee into the 
  swamp, they’ll be overcome by monsters, lizard folk, 
  and ghouls. If they head for the river and steal a boat, 
  they’ll be chased by every slave ship at the docks. A 
  generous GM can allow characters a slim chance to 
  fight their way through if they choose one of these 
  options, but if more than a few escape alive, it’s only 
  through an excess of pity.
  Even if the characters kill Tuhawi Dasaab, plenty 
  of witnesses interpret the battle as another outrage by 
  followers of Asura. Before long, characters see plenty of 
  evidence that the whole city is mobilized against them. 
  To reach one of the safe havens, they must make group 
  Dexterity/Stealth checks (DC 10) to avoid the slavehu-
  nter patrols prowling the streets.
  • Freeman’s shop is closest (3 checks to reach safety).
  • Either safehouse are requires 4 checks to reach 
  safety.
  • The mortuary can be reached after 5 checks. 
  If a group skill check succeeds (half or more of 
  the characters, including Leafstan, make successful 
  Dexterity/Stealth checks), then the characters see a 
  group of slavehunters but aren’t noticed by them. They 
  can avoid that group by sitting tight while it passes or 
  by backtracking and taking a different street, or they 
  can choose to attack. If the group skill check fails, 
  the characters are spotted and attacked immediately. 
  Other tactics may work, such as an effort to disguise 
  the party as a Margish patrol (a group Charisma/
  Deception check), taking to the rooftops (a group 
  Strength/Athletics check), or the use of appropri-
  ate magic.
  The slavehunter groups are only easy or medium 
  encounters, but the characters cannot rest until they 
  reach safety. If they try to rest anytime after the fight 
  against Dasaab’s men, they’re discovered and attacked 
  by slavehunters before they complete the rest.
  For each group of slavehunters, select one of the 
  following randomly (or pick one you like). Include 
  Leafstan when counting characters.
  1) 2 guards per character (1,250 XP)
  2) 1 berserker and 3 guards (1,050 XP)
  3) 2 berserkers (675 XP)
  4) 1 bandit captain, plus 1 bandit per character 
  (1,150 XP)
  5) 6 thugs (1,200 XP)
  6) 1 veteran and 3 thugs (2,000 XP)
  FINAL SAFETY
  Once characters reach a safe haven, the adventure 
  is essentially over. From a safehouse or from Noble 
  Freeman’s shop, they are led by a darkways guide to 
  Sister Uthlita’s mortuary. From the mortuary, they are 
  smuggled into the swamp to the harbor of Asura, a 
  concealed riverside cavern where eventually they can 
  board a boat that will carry them downriver past Marg 
  and along the coast to Danagra or Garadu. From either 
  of those towns, the party can hire a ship to take them 
  back to Leafstan’s people.
  Evarr Hallborn is elated to see his son alive and safe. 
  If Tuhawi Dasaab was killed, Hallborn might let the 
  matter rest there. If Dasaab still lives, the characters 
  could be enlisted by Hallborn for another expedition 
  into Marg; this time, for revenge!
  
  THE WATCHERS OF MENG
  by Robert J. Schwalb
  An adventure for characters of levels 5–8
  
  THE WATCHERS OF MENG
  An adventure for characters of levels 5–8
  CREDITS
  Design: Robert J Schwalb
  Development: Stephen Schubert
  Cover Art: Klaus Pillon
  Interior Illustrators: Lucas Durham , Lee Moyer, Patricia Smith
  Cartography: Corey Macourek
  Art Direction: Richard Baker
  Graphic Design: Corey Macourek
  Production Specialist: Nissa McCormack
  
  MORAL QUALMS
  If you think the players will be uncomfortable helping a slaver 
  deliver her slaves, you can replace this concept entirely by just 
  having the players help Oola deliver 5,000 gp of rare gems to Cheir 
  instead. Remove all mention of slaves and instead have the charac-
  ters, with Oola, come across the ruins. The degenerates’ prisoners 
  are instead locals who have fallen into their hands.
  Watchers of Meng
  19
  F
  ew dare to brave the dangers posed by the 
  Jungle of Zaal. It is a tangled place crowded 
  with overgrowth, dangerous wildlife, and car-
  nivorous plants. Few that enter are ever seen again 
  and the ones who do survive its many perils emerge 
  with fevers and madness, their unhinged accounts 
  speaking of strange ruins infested with stranger 
  inhabitants, old magic, and terrifying monsters. As 
  deadly as this place can be, it offers up fantastic trea-
  sures, bits of strange magic whose purpose and func-
  tion puzzle the most scholarly of wizards. Gold coins 
  minted with strange visages on the faces and bizarre 
  weapons forged for creatures of inhuman anatomy 
  hint at the weird culture that once ruled here.
  Oola, Mistress of the Whip, knows full well how 
  dangerous Zaal can be and under any other circum-
  stance she would avoid it. Racking up gambling 
  debts greater than she can pay, she now has no 
  choice. Her debtors took her lover, Rien, and prom-
  ised to send her back to her one piece at a time until 
  she makes good on what she owes. After receiving 
  a severed finger as a warning that they were seri-
  ous, Oola decided to move her supply of slaves to a 
  buyer in Cheir, a city beyond the jungle to the west 
  from Ansumo. With no time to spare if she would 
  make the transaction and return to her home city, 
  she must lead the expedition through the tangled 
  expanse. Whether she and her cargo make it Cheir is 
  up to the player characters.
  Encounter difficulty: The Watchers of Meng is 
  intended for 5th- to 8th-level characters, but can be 
  modified by adjusting the number of creatures that 
  appear in each encounter. Opportunities exist for 
  the characters to circumvent or flee from some of the 
  more dangerous encounters, such as the potential 
  climactic encounter with the titular Watchers.
  BEGINNING THE 
  ADVENTURE
  The player characters may become involved in the 
  adventure in any way you like, but if you need some 
  suggestions, consider the following adventure hooks.
  Eye of Meng: The characters learn a priceless 
  jewel rests inside a pyramid at the center of the 
  jungle. The characters might encounter Oola along 
  the way or they might find her as a prisoner in the 
  Slave Pen once the party arrives. 
  Hired Swords: The player characters’ reputation 
  finds them approached by Oola to escort her and her 
  cargo through the jungles. She can offer the char-
  acters each 100 gp up front, another 100 gp when 
  they reach Cheir, and 200 gp more upon returning 
  to Ansumo. 
  Hunting Oola: The crime lord holding Rien pris-
  oner, a vile man named Kurtubal, believes Oola is 
  trying to slip town. He hires the characters to track 
  her down in the jungles and bring her back. He’ll 
  pay 1,000 gp if the characters bring her back alive or 
  half that much if they bring back her corpse, as he 
  would rather kill her himself. 
  To use this hook, you’ll need to make a few mod-
  ifications to how the adventure starts. You can start 
  with the characters finding Oola and confronting 
  her, in which case she may try to win the characters 
  to her cause. Or, you can have the characters follow 
  her expedition, catching up with her shortly after 
  her force is attacked and captured by the Meng 
  degenerates just outside the ruins of Meng.
  Lost: The characters travel through the jungle for 
  reasons of their own—lured by promises of treasure 
  or pursuing an objective related to a different ad-
  venture. The group becomes lost and stumbles into 
  Oola’s party after they’ve been attacked by a band 
  of degenerates. The best chance for both groups to 
  survive is to work together.
  OOLA, MISTRESS OF 
  THE WHIP
  Orphaned at a young age and raised in Ansumo by 
  herself, Oola (as a gladiator) clawed her way out 
  from the gutter to make a name for herself. She owes 
  her success to her willingness to do whatever it takes 
  to survive, whether that means stealing, murdering, 
  or trading in slaves. By twenty, she amassed a small 
  fortune running a brothel, and five years later she 
  had become the most prominent and powerful slaver 
  in town, having won a reputation for bloodthirst-
  iness after castrating her rival and leaving him to 
  bleed out on the streets in front of his home. Always 
  a risk-taker, Oola has a weakness for gambling and 
  though she wins as often as she loses, a string of bad 
  hands and unwise bets landed her in her current 
  troubles.
  Oola’s wealth is tied up in her slaves and she lacks 
  the coin to cover her debts. The crime lord refused 
  her offer to take the flesh she has for sale, demand-
  ing payment, 5,000 gp, in coin or gemstones. While 
  Oola worked to raise the funds, the crime lord took 
  her lover—a former prostitute named Rien—and 
  has been holding her prisoner. Oola may have a hard 
  
  Watchers of Meng
  20
  heart, but Rien means enough to her that she will go 
  to incredible lengths to free the young woman from 
  the crime lord’s clutches.
  The Mistress of the Whip, as she’s known 
  in Ansumo, is tall, muscled, with fine features 
  marred by a mass of scar tissue on her cheek and 
  neck. She keeps her black hair short and out her 
  bright blue eyes. She has enemies everywhere, so 
  she never goes about without armor or weapons. 
  She’s a skilled warrior and she is not above using 
  violence to settle disputes.
  Oola keeps the characters at arm’s length, speak-
  ing to them only to give them orders. She might 
  warm to other women, especially if they reveal they 
  come from difficult backgrounds or have suffered 
  hardships at the hands of men in power, but she 
  mocks anyone who shows weakness or cowardice. 
  The Expedition: Whether or not the player 
  characters work for Oola, the Mistress of the Whip 
  has the company of 6 guards who watch over 
  the 24 slaves (as commoners with no weapons) 
  chained together in a line. The guards work for pay. 
  If Oola dies, the guards quit and attempt to escape 
  the jungle. The slaves consist of human men and 
  women, of which nearly all are young adults that 
  hail from small settlements across the peninsula. 
  Develop these secondary characters as needed.
  THE JUNGLE OF 
  ZAAL
  West of the Quosa River where it passes through 
  the Quosa Vale, the Jungle of Zaal is a tangle that 
  covers an area of hilly terrain about 100 miles by 50 
  miles. Thin-trunked trees stand side-by-side, their 
  leaves forming a think canopy that dims sunlight 
  to shadows on the jungle floor. Narrow paths weave 
  through the trees, sometimes blocked by brambles 
  and overgrowth, others clear, trampled by wart-
  hogs and other woodland animals that live here. 
  Monkeys, exotic birds, countless varieties of insects 
  fill the air with a raucous noise. 
  The jungle has not fully reclaimed the land from 
  the lost civilizations that once thrived here. Statues, 
  bound in vines, stand as they did a thousand years 
  ago. Cracked paver stones, the foundations of old, 
  stone buildings, and the occasional arch carved to 
  depict impossible and strange creatures can be found 
  throughout Zaal. Although the people who raised 
  these monuments are long gone, they hint at an 
  advanced culture of exceptional skill and learning.
  EXPLORING ZAAL
  Oola’s route through the jungle winds for nearly 60 
  miles before it emerges from the jungle a few miles 
  north of Cheir. Though she drives a fast pace, her 
  party of chained slaves and guards can only manage 
  a maximum of 10 miles each day. If the PCs are 
  with Oola’s group, they can speed the journey by 
  making a Wisdom/Survival check each day (DC 15) 
  to cover more ground and find shortcuts that re-
  duces the remaining distance by 5 additional miles. 
  PCs tracking Oola have an easy time of it, as the 
  slaves and guards leave a noticeable trail for those 
  that know where to look.
  Once within the jungle, the thick jungle growth 
  limits clear sight to 30 feet. Beyond 30 feet but 
  within 60 feet, characters treat the terrain as lightly 
  obscured. Beyond 60 feet, characters treat the ter-
  rain as heavily obscured.
  PERILS
  While traveling through the jungle, the characters 
  are at risk of encountering some of the more danger-
  ous wildlife. Once every four hours the characters 
  travel, roll a d20. On an 18 or higher, the characters 
  run into something potentially dangerous. Use the 
  Jungle of Zaal Encounters table to determine what 
  the characters encounter.
  
  Watchers of Meng
  21
  Jungle of Zaal Encounters
  d6 + d8 Encounter
  2
  1 guardian naga protecting a ruined temple.
  3
  1 very territorial abominable sloth*. 
  4
  1d3 serpentman Nessk champions* with 1d6 
  serpentman temple guards*, hunting for slaves 
  and trophies.
  5
  2d6 giant wasps
  6
  4d10 baboons
  7
  The head of an enormous statue broken and 
  lying on its side. Vines cover all of it but its open 
  mouth.
  8
  1 giant ape. The ape does not attack female 
  members of the party and may fight to protect 
  them from harm.
  9
  1d6 + 6 giant spiders
  10
  1d3 giant vipers* 
  11
  3d6 beastman hunters* with 1d4 trained apes. 
  Kurtubal the crime lord (see “Hunting Oola”) 
  hired these savages to bring Oola back. The 
  beastmen are hostile and regard the characters 
  as a threat, even if the characters mention they 
  work for Kurtubal as well. 
  12
  1d3 wereboars
  13
  1 green hag with 1d2 minotaurs. The green hag 
  has a lair, hidden deep in the jungle. She’s neutral 
  to the characters. If they can make her friendly, 
  which happens if the characters give her a gift 
  of 200 gp or more, she reveals that she spotted 
  Oola’s party and can direct them there.
  14
  1d4 shambling mounds
  *These foes appear in the Primeval Thule Campaign 
  Setting
  ENCOUNTERS
  In addition to the random encounters, travelers 
  may also encounter any of the following. You can 
  introduce these encounters at any time, in any 
  order. You can also skip one or all of them.
  Degenerates (2,400 XP): At some point during 
  the characters’ journey through the jungle, a band 
  of Meng degenerates attack. If the characters 
  travel without Oola, the degenerates have already 
  attacked her party and taken her slaves prisoner. 
  This band of 6 degenerates (new monster, see 
  appendix) chased Oola when she and her guards 
  ran and have just captured her. If the characters 
  rescue her, she tells the characters her situation 
  and implores them to help recover her merchan-
  dise from the monsters, offering a reward as 
  described under “Hired Swords.”
  If the characters travel with Oola, a large force 
  of 15 degenerates ambushes them in the forest. 
  Each round on initiative count 1, reduce the 
  number of degenerates and slaves by 1d4. The 
  degenerates carry off the slaves. In addition, on 
  initiative count 10, roll a d6. On an odd number, 
  one of Oola’s guards dies. On an even number, 
  1d3 degenerates die instead. The degenerates 
  break off the attack once the number of slaves 
  drops to 0. If Oola survives the fight, she urges 
  the characters to help her recover her goods.
  Stone Heads: About a mile outside of Meng, 
  the characters spot several enormous stone heads 
  rising from the jungle floor. Each head, 10 feet 
  wide and 15 feet tall, depicts a monstrous visage 
  with large tusks jutting up from its jaw, a single 
  horn extending out from the center of its forehead 
  over a large eye. Characters benefiting from a 
  detect magic spell that inspect the heads see they 
  emit a faint aura of transmutation magic. An in-
  animate head has AC 17 and 27 hp with a damage 
  threshold of 10.
  Mad Refugee: At some point after the degener-
  ates attack Oola’s party, the characters encounter 
  a slave who escaped the degenerates’ clutches. The 
  slave, who is named Gungus, is a middle-aged 
  man with a slave brand burned into his cheek. 
  He sports numerous wounds all over his naked 
  body. He’s terrified and makes no sense unless 
  calmed, which can be achieved with a success-
  ful Charisma/Persuasion check (DC 15). When 
  he settles down, he can tell the characters what 
  happened to him and his fellow slaves, who owns 
  them, where they were headed, and the fact that 
  the degenerates are sacrificing their prisoners to 
  a shadowy demon that haunts the place and then 
  devour the corpse. The slave tells the characters 
  where the other prisoners are being held, but will 
  not accompany them unless forced or convinced 
  with a successful Charisma/Intimidation check 
  (DC 20). If instructed or guided by the slave, the 
  characters can reach the ruins of Meng in 1d4 
  hours, during which time they have no chance of 
  facing a random encounter.
  THE RUINS OF 
  MENG
  Eons ago, interdimensional travelers came to these 
  lands to establish a foothold against their ancient 
  foes, the serpent people, founding a great city. 
  From it, they waged war against their hated enemy, 
  using strange technology and weird magic. While 
  formidable, they ultimately failed and their grand 
  city was reduced to the ruins that still cover the 
  1-square-mile clearing at the center of the jungle. 
  Although the heights of their civilization lay far in 
  the past, their descendants remain, and hunt
  
  Watchers of Meng
  22
  You emerge from the jungle into a clearing, about a mile 
  across, littered with broken buildings, odd statues, and a 
  pyramid standing at the center. All along the edges of the 
  place, you see enormous stone heads, each 10 feet wide 
  and 15 feet tall, depicting monstrous visages. The heads 
  stand about 1,000 feet apart and form a ring along the 
  clearing’s perimeter. Between the stone heads, you see 
  several bloody human heads mounted on black wooden 
  poles driven into the ground in clusters, as if to warn off 
  trespassers.
  The jungle sounds have grown quiet around you, let-
  ting you hear faint sobs and piercing shrieks coming from 
  somewhere in the ruins before you.
  The ruins spread across the clearing from the 
  forest edge. Characters are safe as long as they 
  remain in the jungle; the degenerates are preoccu-
  pied with feeding on the living. Entering the ruins, 
  however, risks the characters attracted attention 
  from the warped inhabitants. Every 10 minutes or so 
  the characters spend in the vicinity, roll a d6. On an 
  odd number, something finds them. Roll or choose 
  an encounter from the following table. 
  Ruins of Meng Encounters
  d6
  Encounter
  1
  1 degenerate (see appendix) picking through 
  the rubble for rats.
  2
  1d6 swarms of rats come boiling out from a 
  collapsed building. 
  3
  1d6 degenerates (see appendix) heading to or 
  coming from the jungle.
  4
  1d4 phase spiders hunting for things to kill.
  5
  1 opportunistic wyvern swooping down to 
  snatch prey.
  6
  2d6 degenerates (see appendix) swarming to 
  tear apart the intruders.
  Exploring Ruined Buildings: The adventure 
  assumes the ruins surrounding the pyramid serve as 
  lairs for the degenerates, rats, and other things. Most, 
  if not all, contain broken pottery, bones, scraps of 
  rotting flesh, and other detritus. Each location the 
  characters explore has a 10% chance to house 1d6 – 
  2 degenerates (minimum 0). You can trade out these 
  creatures with others of your choosing. 
  
  Watchers of Meng
  23
  Characters searching the ruins and getting a 
  success on an Intelligence/Investigation check (DC 
  15) find 3d6 gp worth of coins in various denomina-
  tions. Once the characters find six such stashes, they 
  find no more coins in the ruins.
  A. WATCHERS
  The stone heads standing at the clearing’s edge are 
  similar to the stone heads the characters may have 
  encountered en route as described above and they 
  have the same statistics. The heads remain inanimate 
  unless the player characters take the Eye of Meng 
  from within the pyramid (see location C), at which 
  point the magic infusing the heads causes them to 
  animate to become Watchers of Meng (see the end 
  of the adventure for statistics). These statues have 
  been buried in the ground so that only their heads 
  are visible. It takes 1 minute for a Watcher to pull 
  itself free, at which point, it moves toward the crea-
  ture holding the Eye and attacks it.
  B. THE SLAVE PEN
  A large wooden pen at the base of the pyramid (see 
  below) holds whomever the degenerates capture long 
  enough for them to sacrifice and eat their prisoners. 
  The ground inside the pen is a stew of mud and 
  effluvia sprinkled with the bones of other prisoners 
  that succumbed to disease or their injuries before 
  they could be killed. If the degenerates attacked and 
  made off with any members of Oola’s party, they are 
  here, reduced by as much as half their numbers. 
  Each time a creature complete a long rest in the 
  pen, it must get a success on a DC 15 Constitution 
  saving throw or become infected with whatever vile 
  plague you like.
  Ropes secure the gate to the pen and can be cut 
  free or untied after about a minute spent working 
  with them. 
  Creatures (2,400 XP): At any time, 1d6 + 3 
  degenerates loiter around the pen, taunting the 
  inhabitants. From time to time they reach in and 
  drag out one of the prisoners for a bit of sport, which 
  culminates in the freaks tearing their victim apart 
  and feeding on the remains. 
  • 1d6 + 3 degenerates
  The degenerates are easy to surprise, distracted 
  as they are by their prisoners. Characters can make 
  Dexterity/Stealth rolls to sneak up on them with 
  tactical advantage. However, during combat, roll a 
  d6 each round on initiative count 0. On a 6, another 
  degenerate joins the fight. 
  Prisoners: Any prisoners freed during the combat 
  flee by the safest means available. At least one 
  should, foolishly, climb up the side of the pyramid 
  and duck into the opening. If Oola is with the char-
  acters, she sees this and decides that she must fetch 
  this slave. After all, she’s already lost several slaves so 
  far and she cannot afford to lose any more.
  More Foes: Once all the degenerates here are slain, 
  a new batch of 1d6 + 3 arrive 1d20 minutes later to 
  eat the corpses of their fellows and take their place. 
  Finally, if the characters rescue the prisoners and 
  leave the ruins, a group of 3d6 degenerates pick up 
  their trail and give chase. You can use chase rules if 
  the PCs are inclined to evade pursuit, or you say that 
  the creatures catch up to the party at some point in 
  the jungles, foreshadowing the event by describing 
  sounds of hoots and cries from the pursuers. 
  C. PYRAMID
  An enormous stepped pyramid commands the 
  center of the clearing. The pyramid is 200 feet tall 
  and each side at the base is 250 feet long. Including 
  the base, the pyramid has ten steps. Each step in-
  creases the height by 20 feet, but reduces the length 
  on each side by 25 feet until the length drops to 50 
  feet, at the eighth step. The side length of the ninth 
  step is 25 feet and of the tenth step is 5 feet, which 
  serves as a sacrificial altar. 
  
  Watchers of Meng
  24
  A 10-foot-wide staircase climbs up the center of 
  three of the pyramid’s sides until it reaches the top 
  of the eighth step, where it ends. The rest of the 
  pyramid’s exterior is decorated with skulls, macabre 
  scenes of ritual sacrifice, fornication with horrid 
  monsters, and other obscene activities. Blood still 
  collects in the cracks and crevices, hinting at the 
  numbers of sacrifices performed here.
  An opening appears about halfway up the south-
  ern side of the pyramid. This dark cavity leads to 
  a steep ramp that descends to location 1, which is 
  described below.
  The altar crowning the pyramid displays deep 
  gouges in the stone, left by the blades used by the 
  priests before they slid into their present state inside 
  the pyramid. The altar radiates a field of vile energy 
  that makes creatures within 10 feet of it feel queasy. 
  Undead within the area regain 1d6 hit points at the 
  end of each of their turns and make attack rolls with 
  advantage.
  UNDER THE 
  PYRAMID
  A small complex of rooms and passages spreads out 
  underneath the pyramid and can be accessed only 
  via the ramp described above. Unless described 
  otherwise, locations are dark and the floors are 
  smooth and free of debris. Ceilings in passages are 
  just 5 feet high and climb to 10 feet in rooms. While 
  in a passage, a medium-sized character has tactical 
  disadvantage when attacking with a non-light slash-
  ing or bludgeoning weapon. Finally, hieroglyphics 
  cover the walls and ceilings, depicting scenes of col-
  orful humanoids battling serpentpeople, what look 
  to be flying ships, stars, monsters, and more. While 
  the images prove confusing and complex, characters 
  studying them deduce that they tell the story of the 
  pyramids’ builders as described under the Ruins of 
  Meng, above.
  The following locations correspond to those 
  shown on the Under the Pyramid map.
  1. PIT CHAMBER
  The shaft descends until it ends in a large square chamber 
  with four wide pillars supporting the ceiling overhead. A 
  deep pit from which soft green light emanates stands at 
  the room’s center. A horrific odor of rotting meat wafts 
  up from the hole.
  The pit descends 100 feet to room 11. The wall 
  is cracked and features some handholds, requiring 
  a successful Strength/Athletics check (DC 15) to 
  climb without ropes or other climbing equipment.
  2. TOMBS OF THE 
  PRIESTS
  Nine upright sarcophagi fill this room, standing in three 
  rows of three. Each lid bears the likeness of its occupant, 
  appearing almost human, but weirdly distorted, with too 
  long limbs, malformed heads, or weird additions such 
  as extra eyes, mouths, tentacles, and digits. Dust hangs 
  in curtains throughout and movement through the area 
  causes the room to fill the air with dust. 
  The dust in the air restricts vision to just 10 feet, 
  even if the PCs have a light source. The sarcophagi 
  have been sealed shut with lead. It takes about 10 
  minutes of work to chip away enough led to open 
  the heavy doors, which itself requires a successful 
  Strength/Athletics check (DC 15). 
  Creatures (4,200 XP): All but three sarcophagi 
  contain the withered remains of long-dead priests, 
  dressed in rotting robes and porcelain masks. The 
  final three each contain one mummy. You can 
  decide which ones contain the mummies. Releas-
  ing one causes the other two to awaken and begin 
  pounding on their doors from within. Roll initia-
  tive for the other two mummies. One breaks free on 
  its initiative during the second round and the other 
  breaks free on its initiative during the fourth round. 
  The mummies fight until destroyed.
  • 3 mummies
  Treasure (750 XP): Each mummy wears a golden 
  signet ring worth 200 gp.
  3. NORTH PASSAGE
  A narrow tunnel extends north until it ends at a stone 
  door bearing a relief carving of a winged, demonic crea-
  ture, its mouth filled with twisted fangs. 
  Two traps protect this passage. 
  Gas Trap (750 XP): The southern trap trig-
  gers when a Small or larger creature steps on a 
  pressure plate. A searching character can find 
  the pressure plate with a successful Intelligence/
  Investigate check (DC 20) or may automatically 
  trigger it by tapping the floor with a pole or similar 
  object. Once found, a character can use thieves’ 
  tools to disarm it with a successful DC 20 Intelli-
  gence check.
  There’s a 10% chance for each creature that 
  moves down this passage to step on the plate. 
  Once triggered, hidden nozzles in the walls release 
  plumes of poisonous gas that spread through the 
  passage and out into room 1. Each creature in the 
  area must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving 
  
  Watchers of Meng
  25
  throw or take 2d10 poison damage and become 
  poisoned for 1 minute. At the end of each poisoned 
  creature’s turns, it must repeat the saving throw, 
  taking 1d6 extra damage on a failure. Three suc-
  cessful saving throws ends the poisoned condition.
  Blade Trap (750 XP): The floor beyond 5 feet 
  from the door to room 5 but within 15 feet of it 
  features twenty finger-sized holes bored through 
  the stone. Dust and dirt have filled these holes, 
  making them hard to spot. Searching characters 
  spot the holes with a successful Intelligence/Inves-
  tigate check (DC 15), while characters might notice 
  the indentations with a successful Wisdom/Percep-
  tion check (DC 20). Once found, a character can 
  use thieves’ tools to disarm it with a successful DC 
  20 Intelligence check.
  The trap triggers when a Small or larger creature 
  moves to within 5 feet of the door, which causes 
  rusty iron blades to shoot up through the holes to 
  impale anyone standing on that 10 foot section. 
  Creatures on the area must make Dexterity saving 
  throws (DC 15). A creature takes 4d10 piercing 
  damage on a failure, or instead moves to the near-
  est open space to the trapped area on a success.
  Secret Door: The secret door on the east wall 
  can be found by searching characters if they look 
  in the exact spot or get a success on an Intelli-
  gence/Investigation check (DC 20). The door 
  opens by putting 5 pounds of pressure or more on 
  its surface.
  4. VAULTS
  The door opens onto a cramped chamber filled with 
  shelves laden with clay pots.
  The three doors on the western wall of the north 
  passage each open into a small vault. There are 50 
  + 2d20 pots in each vault, and each pot has a lid 
  sealed with black wax. Breaking the seals and lift-
  ing the lids reveals the pots contain the preserved 
  and still-wet organs taken from the mummified 
  priests in room 1. They produce a horrific stench, 
  so that any breathing creature within 10 feet of 
  an open pot must make a Constitution saving 
  throw (DC 10). A creature becomes poisoned for 
  1 minute on a failed save, or becomes immune 
  to the odor until it completes a rest on a success. 
  Extend the duration by 1 minute for each failed 
  saving throw.
  Treasure (1,000 XP): One pot, the sixth 
  opened, contains a heap of 1d12 gems, each worth 
  100 gp. A second pot, the ninth opened, contains a 
  key to room 5.
  5. FALSE TREASURE 
  VAULT
  The relief-carved door to this room is locked. A 
  character can break it down with a successful DC 25 
  Strength check or picked with thieves’ tools with a 
  successful DC 20 Dexterity check. 
  Nearly every surface of the chamber beyond the re-
  lief-carved door is covered in shining gold coins, jewels, 
  fantastical treasures, and more. 
  All is not as it seems. All told, there appear to be 
  10,000 gp on the floor, 666 gems worth 10 gp each, 
  and an assortment of 33 disturbing art objects worth 
  50 gp each to buyers. The art objects include prosthetic 
  limbs, mechanical objects whose function has been 
  largely forgotten, and paintings of bizarre landscapes. 
  All the objects contained in this room are real for as 
  long as they remain here, but if removed from the 
  chamber, they turn to foul-smelling slime. Characters 
  inspecting the objects using magic, such as the detect 
  magic spell, discover an aura of transmutation magic. 
  Treasure (1,500 XP): While most of the treasure 
  behaves in this way, the magic fails to transform 
  10% of what’s carried out from the room. Thus, a 
  character hauling 500 gp from the room would dis-
  cover 50 gp survived being liberated from the vault. 
  If the PCs liberate the entire treasure room (and 
  clean it), then 1,000 gp, 660 gp of gems, and three 
  art objects can be obtained.
  6. CRYPT OF THE 
  MAKER
  A large sarcophagus rests on the floor in the center of this 
  chamber. The walls, ceiling, and floor have been painted 
  to look like a starry night. In the center of the east wall 
  is an opening, around which has been painted roiling 
  flames that continue down the tunnel until it turns to 
  the south.
  The sarcophagus holds the remains of the Maker, 
  the leader of those visitors who build Meng. The 
  maker is long dead, but inside the sarcophagus, 
  which requires a successful DC 20 Strength check 
  to open, the characters find the Maker’s ghastly 
  remains clutching a cube of force in its skeletal hands.
  Fiery Trap (750 XP): The tunnel extending east 
  from this room bears a magical trap. An invisible 
  glyph has been painted above the opening to the 
  tunnel and can be spotted only by creatures that 
  can see invisible things or that can perceive mag-
  ical auras—the glyph emits an aura of evocation. 
  The glyph counts as a 5th-level spell effect for the 
  purpose of ending it with magic.
  
  Watchers of Meng
  26
  When a creature enters the passage from either 
  end, the passage fills with fire 1 minute later. The 
  flames burst out from either end in a 10-foot-long 
  cone-shaped area. Creatures in the fire must make 
  Dexterity saving throws (DC 15). A creature takes 
  6d10 damage on a failed save, or just half the 
  damage on a successful one. Once triggered, the trap 
  automatically resets. 
  7. TOMB GUARDIANS
  Twenty-five withered corpses adorned in rotting leather 
  stand side-by-side in this chamber. 
  The corpses, while inanimate make moving 
  through this room difficult terrain. Characters 
  searching the room may find the secret door on the 
  north wall with a successful Intelligence/Investiga-
  tion check (DC 25).
  Treasure: The corpses have little of value, the 
  armor rotten and weapons corroded beyond use, 
  but the fifth corpse inspected carries +2 scimitar in 
  a scabbard slung on its back. The weapon is made 
  from scrimshawed bone, the carvings depicting nude 
  men and women in great suffering.
  8. EAST PASSAGE
  The paintings decorating the walls and ceiling of the east 
  passage depict human-like faces that look as though 
  pressed against glass. 
  Two traps protect this corridor as shown on 
  the map.
  Amber Trap (750 XP): The trap at the western 
  end of the passage is an invisible symbol inscribed 
  on the floor that can only be spotted by creatures 
  that can see invisible things or that can perceive 
  magical auras—the glyph emits an aura of abjura-
  tion. The symbol counts as a 5th-level spell effect for 
  the purpose of ending it with magic.
  Each creature that moves across this area has 
  a 20% chance of stepping onto the symbol and 
  triggering the trap. When this happens, purple mist 
  surrounds the triggering creature, who must make 
  a DC 15 Strength saving throw. The mist dissipates 
  with no effect on a successful save, or hardens into 
  an amber-colored shell that covers the creature com-
  pletely on a failure. A creature encased in the amber 
  is petrified. It takes 1 hour of work using mason’s 
  tools (or similar tools or items) to end the condition 
  and free the character. 
  Once triggered, this trap resets the next day.
  Polymorph Trap (750 XP): The trap at the pas-
  sage’s eastern end is an invisible symbol inscribed on 
  the floor that can only be spotted by creatures that 
  can see invisible things or that can perceive magical 
  auras—the glyph emits an aura of transmutation. 
  The symbol counts as a 5th-level spell effect for the 
  purpose of ending it with magic.
  Each creature that moves across this area has a 
  20% chance of stepping onto the symbol and trig-
  gering the trap. When this happens, the triggering 
  creature must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving 
  throw or transform into a scorpion for 1 hour. The 
  effect otherwise functions as the polymorph spell. 
  Once triggered, this trap resets the next day.
  9. FAMILY CRYPT
  Racks cover the room’s walls from floor to ceiling. Each 
  rack is 5 feet wide and has four shelves on which rests a 
  linen-wrapped corpse. The room reeks of cardamom and 
  cinnamon. 
  This room is safe for the characters to rest. 
  10. SLAVE CRYPT
  A lowered portcullis bars access to this gruesome cham-
  ber. Through its bars, you can see a mound of bones 
  heaped into a pile that brushes against the ceiling. Claw 
  marks on the walls suggest the people were alive when 
  interred here. 
  A creature can lift the portcullis with a successful 
  Strength check (DC 20).
  Creatures (1,850 XP): A curse binds shreds of the 
  slaves’ souls to the bones. Should a creature enter this 
  room, the bones assemble themselves into skeletons 
  that attack the intruders.
  • 13 skeletons
  11. EYE OF MENG
  Below the pyramid and likely accessed via the pit 
  in room 1 is a vault containing the jewel of power 
  known as the Eye of Meng. 
  A fist-sized emerald rests in a bronze cradle held in the 
  mouth of an enormous coiled serpent carved from stone. 
  Eight wide columns support the ceiling overhead. Each col-
  umn is made from hundreds of animated stone faces whose 
  expressions show pain, fury, ecstasy, grief, and more. 
  What appears to be leather scraps litter the floor, though 
  inspection reveals they are pieces of flayed skin—swatches 
  with hairs, ears, tongues, and other, obscene parts. All these 
  pieces jump and twitch, as if somehow still alive. 
  
  Watchers of Meng
  27
  Creature (7,200 XP): The stone serpent holding 
  the cradle is a behir that has been held in stasis for 
  nearly a thousand years. The stony surface is simply 
  dust on its scaly body. Should a character relieve he 
  cradle of the jewel, the stasis ends and the behir rises 
  up to attack the intruders. It fights until it has been 
  reduced to half its hit points, at which point, it scur-
  ries up through the shaft in the ceiling and attempts 
  to exit from the complex.
  • 1 behir
  Treasure (2,500 XP): The giant emerald in 
  the cradle is called the Eye of Meng and is worth 
  5,000 gp on its own, but it also possesses magical 
  power. Removing the jewel from the complex causes 
  the Watchers of Meng to animate and attack the 
  characters. 
  Eye of Meng: A faint light shines inside this fist-
  sized emerald that’s worth 5,000 gp. The gem has 
  magical power, counting as a unique magic item. 
  It measures its power in charges, of which it has 10 
  and replenishes expended charges once each day 
  at dawn.
  A character holding the Eye may use an action 
  to cast the light spell without expending a charge. 
  Alternatively, the character may use an action to 
  expend 1 or more charges to cast any of the follow-
  ing spells from it: aid (2 charge), augury (2 charges), 
  daylight (3 charges), or flame strike (5 charges).
  A character may also use an action to expend any 
  number of charges. For each charge expended, the 
  character regains 1d4 hit points.
  Each time a character possessing the jewel com-
  pletes a long rest, he or she must make a DC 20 
  Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the character’s 
  alignment shifts one step toward chaotic evil, start-
  ing on the good-neutral-evil axis first. Changes to 
  alignment are permanent, but ridding herself of the 
  jewel and being targeted by a remove curse spell cast 
  using a 6th-level spell slot can restore the character’s 
  alignment.
  ESCAPE
  If the characters emerge from the ruins in possession 
  of the Eye of Meng, when they reach the perimeter 
  of Watchers (the giant stone heads about a mile 
  from the ruins) they witness one of the Watchers 
  pull itself out of the ground and begin to march 
  toward them.
  Creatures (7,800 XP): The Watcher moves 
  toward the bearer of the Eye of Meng, attacking any 
  who stand in its way. As they defeat the first of the 
  Watchers, a second Watcher enters the fray. The PCs 
  can fight the watchers, or flee into the jungle. There 
  are twelve total Watchers, and they move very slowly 
  through the jungle, so the PCs can outrun them 
  easily once they disengage from combat. However, 
  as soon as one Watcher is destroyed, the next begins 
  its pursuit.
  • 2 Watchers of Meng (see appendix)
  THE END
  The adventure ends when the characters escape the 
  ruins. You can play through what happens after, 
  expanding the adventure to include additional 
  challenges, or you can just narrate the conclusion. If 
  Oola survives, she likely doesn’t have enough slaves 
  to pay her debts, so unless the characters offer to 
  help her, she disappears, leaving her lover to her fate 
  and plotting vengeance against the crime lord who 
  killed her. 
  The characters might also escape with the Eye of 
  Meng. If so, the watchers remain animated and they 
  pursue the thief to the ends of the earth. Such foes 
  show up at inopportune times, likely causing trouble 
  for the characters, since the watchers are unsubtle 
  and violent in their need to reclaim the stone. Of 
  course, if they sell the jewel, the watchers become 
  the buyer’s problem, who will likely be none too 
  pleased if he or she survives.
  
  Watchers of Meng
  28
  APPENDIX
  WATCHER OF 
  MENG
  Giant heads stand on the ground throughout the 
  Jungle of Zaal, each boasting a monstrous visage. 
  Few know who fashioned these statues or for what 
  purpose, but it’s clear with a glance that they belong 
  to a culture strange and alien. Each tusked head 
  sports a long horn emerging from the center of its 
  brow above a single, bulging eye. When awakened, 
  the buried body works to free itself from the dirt. 
  After a few moments, the monstrosity pulls free, 
  standing some 30 feet tall.
  WATCHER OF MENG  
  CR 8
  N Gargantuan construct  
  XP 3,900
  Senses blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., average Per-
  ception 9
  Languages —
  BASE STATS
  AC 17 (natural armor)
  hp 165 (10d20 + 60) 
  Speed 20 ft.
  ABILITY SCORES
  Str 22 (+6), Dex 8 (–1), Con 22 (+6)
  Int 6 (–2), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 4 (–3)
  TRAITS
  Damage Immunities poison
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, 
  paralyzed, poisoned
  Bound Guardian A watcher of Meng, and other creatures 
  like it, are bound to protect an item of magical power. 
  Provided the item remains in the place where it’s 
  secured, the watcher of Meng is an object with AC 17 
  and 27 hp with a damage threshold of 10. If the item is 
  removed from its resting place, the watcher of Meng 
  becomes a creature until the item is returned or the 
  watcher is destroyed.
  COMBAT ACTIONS
  Multiattack The watcher makes two fist attacks.
  Fist (melee weapon) Attack: +9 to hit, reach 20 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 3d8 + 6 bludgeoning damage.
  Shout The watcher of Meng emits a thunderous noise 
  into a 30-foot cone. Each creature in the area must 
  make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 6d8 + 
  6 thunder damage and becoming deafened for 1 hour 
  on a failure, or just half as much damage on a suc-
  cess. Once the watcher uses this action, it must wait 1 
  minute before it can use it again.
  DEGENERATE
  These wretched and terrible creatures might have 
  once been something like humans, but they have 
  been driven mad and have no shred of humanity 
  remaining. Now they exist only to feed, preferably 
  upon the flesh of other humans. They are drawn 
  to places like the ruins of Meng, and can gather in 
  great numbers. They are not subtle attackers, but 
  will take advantage of an opportunity to carry off a 
  captive to feast upon later.
  DEGENERATE  
  CR 1 
  CE Medium humanoid 
  XP 200
  Senses darkvision 60 ft.; average Perception 10
  Languages Kalay 
  BASE STATS
  AC 12 
  hp 22 (5d8) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
  ABILITY SCORES
  Str 13 (+1), Dex 14 (+2), Con 11 (+0)
  Int 7 (–2), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 8 (–1)
  TRAITS
  Immune charmed, frightened
  COMBAT ACTIONS
  Multiattack The degenerate attacks with its claws twice. 
  If both claw attacks hit, it can use feed as a bonus 
  action, gaining tactical advantage on the attack.
  Claws (melee weapon) Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 1d4+1 slashing damage.
  Feed (melee weapon) Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 1d6+2 piercing damage, the degenerate 
  regains 1d6 hit points, and attacks against the target 
  have tactical advantage until the end of the degener-
  ate’s next turn.
  
  An adventure for characters of levels 10-12
  SECRET OF THE MOON-DOOR
  by Richard Baker
  
  SECRET OF THE MOON-DOOR
  An adventure for characters of Levels 10–12
  CREDITS
  Design: Richard Baker
  Development: David Noonan
  Cover Art: Lucas Durham
  Interior Illustrators: Jason Engle, Micah Epstein, and Klaus Pillon
  Cartography: Corey Macourek
  Art Direction: Richard Baker
  Graphic Design: Corey Macourek
  Production Specialist: Nissa McCormack
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  31
  T
  he gods of Thule are ancient and myste-
  rious. Over the centuries new gods have 
  arisen, and old ones have fallen into ob-
  scurity or been abandoned altogether. One of these 
  forgotten gods is Selene, the goddess of the moon. 
  A thousand years ago her shrines dotted the city-
  states and holy places of the primeval continent, 
  but over the course of generations her worship died 
  out, and her temples fell into ruin.
  One such ruin is the Temple of the Moon-Door, 
  located on the southern shores of Lake Haal. 
  Behind its horned altar stands a great stone door 
  carved in the likeness of the crescent moon and 
  decorated with mysterious sigils. Even though the 
  temple has long been abandoned, explorers and 
  treasure-seekers occasionally visit the place with 
  some idea of opening the “Moon-Door” and un-
  covering the legendary treasure said to be hidden 
  behind it.
  No one has managed to open the Moon-Door yet, 
  but that is soon to change. The wizard Dhargo Maath, 
  a member of Thran’s Black Circle, made contact with 
  the vile creatures known as moon-beasts. From them 
  he learned the secret of the Moon-Door. To win the 
  moon-beasts’ allegiance, Dhargo Maath must recover 
  the Moon-Door’s mystic key. As for what use the 
  monsters intend to make of the temple’s ancient door-
  way, the Black Circle wizard could care less.
  Adversaries and Treasure: Secret of the Moon-Door 
  is intended for a party of four 10th- to 12th-level 
  characters. The monsters and villains featured in this 
  adventure can be found in either the core rulebooks 
  or the 5e Primeval Thule Campaign Setting. If your 
  party is smaller or made up of lower-level characters, 
  you may need to adjust some of the combat en-
  counters to be less lethal by reducing the number of 
  monsters involved or providing the PCs with op-
  portunities to use stealth or clever play to bypass the 
  more dangerous encounters.
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  32
  ADVENTURE 
  SUMMARY
  The adventure begins when the heroes learn that 
  the famous sage and seer Ghilean has disappeared 
  under mysterious circumstances. She was apparently 
  abducted from her library in the heart of Katagia by 
  monstrous assailants. Upon investigation, the heroes 
  learn that Ghilean had recently come into posses-
  sion of a strange key of white metal. A curio dealer 
  named Turjak Bom—secretly an agent of the Black 
  Circle wizard Dhargo Maath—came to see Ghilean 
  soon after she obtained the key, offering her a king’s 
  ransom, but Ghilean refused. The next night, mon-
  strous creatures appeared, ransacked the library, and 
  then carried off Ghilean to parts unknown. 
  In Part I, when the PCs look more closely into 
  Ghilean’s studies and her scattered notes, they 
  learn that she was specifically interested in a jungle 
  ruin known as the Temple of the Moon-Door. The 
  temple is known for a mysterious portal or vault 
  that no one has ever managed to open, and it’s clear 
  that Ghilean suspected that her newly acquired key 
  might be able to unlock the Moon-Door. The PCs 
  also learn that Dhargo Maath is not yet finished 
  with the library; when the PCs investigate, the wiz-
  ard’s servants attack. 
  Armed with the key that unlocks the legendary 
  Moon-Door and the knowledge that someone is very 
  interested in the place, the PCs’ next step is to try to 
  beat the villains to the temple. Part II of the adven-
  ture takes place in the Temple of the Moon-Door. 
  Naturally, it’s a monster-infested ruin. Fighting their 
  way to the Moon-Door, the PCs learn its true secret: 
  It doesn’t lead to a vault filled with treasure. Instead, 
  it’s a mystic doorway that leads to the Moon, and 
  Dhargo Maath is ahead of them.
  In Part III, the heroes venture through the door 
  to rescue Ghilean and deprive Dhargo Maath of his 
  prize. The Moon to which the door leads is not the 
  barren, airless Moon of the later Earth. This is the 
  Moon of a dream-Earth, a parallel world, and it 
  is a strange but not lifeless place. The Moon-Door 
  leads to a forbidding island in one of the lunar seas, 
  the Isle of Screams. Here the PCs confront Dhargo 
  Maath and his moon-beast allies.
  BACKGROUND
  As a sage of great erudition, Ghilean was well 
  acquainted with descriptions of the Temple of 
  the Moon-Door and speculations about what the 
  ancient priests of Selene hid behind the portal. A 
  month ago, a freeblade wandered into Katagia and 
  sold a strange key to a merchant named Jangar. 
  No one recalls the freeblade’s name; he was a 
  down-on-his-luck mercenary who found the key in a 
  jungle tomb (in fact the burial site of the last of the 
  temple’s high priests, although the mercenary had 
  no idea whose tomb he was plundering). 
  Jangar brought the key to Ghilean to find out 
  what it was. Ghilean recognized it as the “Moongold 
  Key” mentioned in some of her old tomes about the 
  Moon-Door and paid Jangar richly for it. Unfor-
  tunately, not all of Ghilean’s apprentices were loyal 
  to her. One of them, a young man named Plooth, 
  had been bribed long ago to report any interest-
  ing developments to a Black Circle agent. Plooth 
  reported Ghilean’s acquisition, and news swiftly 
  reached Dhargo Maath. Maath quickly arranged for 
  his agents to buy the key. Ghilean, however, did not 
  wish to sell it.
  Because the sage was not inclined to be reasonable, 
  Dhargo Maath decided to remove her. He chose to 
  use summoned monsters (a pair of moon-beasts) to 
  do his dirty work, hoping to disguise his involve-
  ment. The moon-beasts seized Ghilean and terrorized 
  the scholars of the library, but they missed the key. 
  Dhargo Maath still wants the key—if nothing 
  else, he wants to make sure no one else can make use 
  of it. However, with Ghilean in his hands and his 
  own magic, he can open the doorway without it. As 
  the adventure begins, he is on his way to the Temple 
  of the Moon-Door, leaving his agents to tidy up 
  loose ends in Katagia.
  BEGINNING THE 
  ADVENTURE
  Noble goals such as foiling the Black Circle or 
  saving people from a moon-beast invasion may not 
  be sufficient to engage a party of mercenaries unless 
  those events impact them directly. Find an adven-
  ture hook that works best for your players from the 
  suggestions below.
  Old Friend in Trouble: If any of the PCs has 
  a relationship with a sage, astrologer, or educated 
  patron who helped in earlier adventures, then 
  replace Ghilean in this adventure with the PCs’ old 
  friend. You can shift Act I of the adventure to any 
  library or sage’s tower in Thule without affecting 
  the story. The PCs become involved when they hear 
  that their old friend disappeared under mysterious 
  circumstances.
  Offer of Employment: Ghilean realizes that she’ll 
  need hardened adventurers to explore the Moon-
  Door. She sends a message to the most well-known 
  PC explaining that she wants to mount an expe-
  dition to a mysterious ruin, promising the equiva-
  lent of a small treasure hoard as payment (roughly 
  10,000 gp). When the PCs arrive to take her up on 
  the offer, they find her missing.
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  33
  Find Our Sage: Monsters tearing up libraries and 
  a prominent sage abducted from the heart of the city 
  certainly gain the attention of Katagia’s ruler. The 
  PCs are hired by Lord Protector Denoch Saursane 
  to find out what happened to Ghilean and to get 
  her back if possible. The pay is equivalent to a small 
  treasure hoard for the characters’ level (roughly 
  10,000 gp).
  ACT I: 
  THE LYKEION
  The adventure begins at the scene of Ghilean’s 
  disappearance: the Lykeion, a renowned academy 
  in Katagia’s Temple Ward. The Lykeion is home to 
  seven “masters”—sages and philosophers of note—
  and sixteen “aspirants,” students who live on the 
  grounds. Another thirty or so “novices” live in the 
  city nearby, spending most of their days in studies 
  at the Lykeion but returning home each evening. 
  Most of these novices are young, high-born men and 
  women whose families were able to secure appoint-
  ments for them to study here.
  If you prefer to begin this adventure in Quodeth, 
  then use Onther Tower (PTCS, page 188) instead of 
  the Lykeion. If you choose to set this adventure in a 
  different city, simply add the Lykeion (or an insti-
  tution like it) to Ikath, Orech, or Lomar. Scholarly 
  institutions are rare in Thule, but most of the larger 
  cities boast one or two.
  The Lykeion, home to the sage Ghilean and the foremost 
  academy in Katagia, stands in a park-like enclosure in the 
  middle of the city. It is a grand stone building of three 
  stories with a golden dome, surrounded by paths winding 
  through well-trimmed myrtle trees and elegant statuary. 
  Five bored-looking Katagian soldiers guard the front door.
  In addition to the front door, the Lykeion has five 
  more ground-level doors, plus numerous windows 
  in its upper floors. Two more guards patrol the 
  grounds, keeping an eye on the other entrances (and 
  likely noticing if the PCs try to avoid the guards at 
  the front door).
  The Guards: The squad standing watch consists 
  of 4 guards and 1 veteran, a noble-born Atlantean 
  officer named Veox. The city watch posted them 
  here to reassure the nervous scholars of the Lykeion. 
  Privately they scoff at the idea of monsters carrying 
  off people, and they believe that Ghilean was prob-
  ably just murdered by a rival. They can confirm that 
  no one suspicious has entered or left the building 
  since the afternoon after Ghilean’s disappearance 
  (several days ago). 
  The guards do not impede the PCs unless the 
  PCs behave in an extremely suspicious manner. If 
  the PCs inform Veox that they’re here looking for 
  Ghilean, he’s reasonably helpful:
  “Ghilean, you say? Well, that’s the mystery of the hour, it 
  seems—good luck with that. I’ll take you to Master Hes-
  toth. He can tell you more than I can.”
  Veox personally leads the PCs to meet Hestoth. 
  Continue with The Master’s Welcome, below.
  Building Layout: Exact details of the floor plan 
  aren’t important, but players interested in thor-
  oughly searching the Lykeion may visit some or all 
  of these locations:
  Cellar Level: Kitchen, servant quarters, store-
  rooms, alchemical laboratory, workrooms.
  Ground Floor: Entry hall (also serves as a debate 
  hall), refectory, museum hall (mostly natural history 
  with interesting animal remains), classroom-like 
  lecture halls.
  Second Floor: Library, workrooms, aspirant quarters.
  Third Floor: Restricted library (for valuable or 
  dangerous tomes), Masters’ Hall (a small debate hall 
  and council room), masters’ chambers.
  Roof: Observatory, pigeon coop (for messenger birds).
  THE MASTERS’ 
  WELCOME
  Characters asking about Ghilean or looking for 
  someone who can tell them what happened are 
  quickly directed to Master Hestoth. With Ghil-
  ean missing, he is the most senior of the Lykeion’s 
  masters. He meets the party in the Masters’ Hall, a 
  private council room.
  You enter a council chamber on the Lykeion’s third floor, 
  where three scholars wait for you: a stoop-shouldered 
  Atlantean scholar with a long white beard, a venerable 
  Kalayan woman in green robes, and a dwarf who wears 
  a leather apron that serves as a toolbelt over her brown 
  robes. The white-bearded scholar speaks first. “Wel-
  come, friends. I am Hestoth, Master of Collections. This is 
  Nimira, Master of Philosophy, and Thurannifer, Master of 
  Laboratories. I understand you’re here about Ghilean. We 
  are very glad to see you.”
  Hestoth does most of the talking. As Master of 
  Collections, he’s responsible for the Lykeion’s various 
  curios and artifacts. He tends to ramble and get 
  distracted; Nimira, the Kalayan woman in green, 
  keeps him on track and finishes sentences for him by 
  getting to the point. Thurannifer the dwarf is taci-
  turn and adds little, but she’s friendly enough when 
  asked a direct question.
  
  DIVINING GHILEAN
  The PCs may attempt to use divination magic to locate Ghilean. Their success depends on which spell they use to locate her. Ghilean is 
  currently alive on the Isle of Screams, which is on a dream-dimension Moon. It’s on a different plane. She is under the slave-stupor of 
  the moon-beasts and can’t muster the volition to think a coherent thought.
  Locate creature and locate object fail because the range is too short. Scrying fails because she’s on a different plane. A sending is likely 
  to reach her, but she can’t form a coherent reply. The sending does reveal that Ghilean is alive but very distant, and she manages to 
  mumble, “Help me, please...they took me through the moon-door...help.”
  Commune, contact other plane, and divination can also reveal the truth about Ghilean’s condition. Depending on the questions the 
  caster asks, the responses suggest that she is a captive of moon-beasts, she is on the Moon, she is in danger, and the best way to get to 
  her is to find the Moon-Door and go through it.
  The masters of the Lykeion are sages and philosophers, not high-level spellcasters. They may suggest that the PCs perform divina-
  tion magic, but they lack the ability to do it themselves.
  THE MOON-DOOR
  34
  When prompted, Master Hestoth gets to 
  the story:
  “The attack was three nights ago, two hours after sunset. 
  Ghilean was alone in the restricted library, just down the 
  hall there. Her research has been keeping her up late 
  for weeks now. Several people in nearby rooms heard a 
  sudden commotion—glass breaking, furniture falling over, 
  heavy thumps and footfalls, and Ghilean screaming in 
  fright and calling for help. Plooth, one of Ghilean’s stu-
  dents, was the first to reach the room. He said he saw two 
  huge, terrible monsters holding Ghilean between them; 
  the creatures and Ghilean all turned to mist and flowed 
  away out the window.”
  Master Hestoth is anxious to aid the PCs’ inves-
  tigation—Ghilean is a close friend of his, and he is 
  beside himself with worry over her fate. He can lead 
  the party to any spot they wish to investigate in the 
  Lykeion, including the restricted library, Ghilean’s 
  personal quarters, or even the personal quarters of 
  other masters. He can also arrange for the PCs to 
  speak to anyone they want (including Plooth).
  Some specific questions and answers Master Hes-
  toth might provide at this time include:
  What kind of monsters took Ghilean? “I don’t know. 
  Plooth had the best look at them; perhaps he could 
  describe them in more detail.”
  You’re all masters of something. What was Ghilean 
  master of? “Histories. She knows more about the 
  Thule of yesteryear than most know about the Thule 
  of today.”
  Did Ghilean have any enemies? “Not that I know 
  of. She was well regarded by all here.”
  What was Ghilean working on? “A month or so 
  back she became very interested in lore pertaining 
  to temples dedicated to the goddess Selene. We can 
  show you some of the texts she was studying if you 
  think that might help.”
  Wait…the goddess Selene? “An ancient folk-religion 
  that died out centuries ago. Selene was associated 
  with the moon, I believe, and eventually her priests 
  merged with those of Ishtar. Ghilean could tell you 
  more—if she were here...”
  Did anything out of the ordinary happen recently? 
  “Not that I can think of—no, wait, there was some-
  thing. A dealer in curios came to see her a couple of 
  weeks ago and wanted to buy some old relic or an-
  other in her possession, but she didn’t wish to sell it. 
  She didn’t seem alarmed, but she did mention it to 
  me. What was his name...Turjak Bom, that was it.”
  What old relic? “She didn’t say, but Plooth might 
  know. He is an aspirant to the Lykeion—and Ghil-
  ean’s leading student.”
  Development: If the players don’t know what to 
  do next, Hestoth suggests that they might begin 
  by looking at the scene of the attack or perhaps 
  interviewing the aspirant Plooth, one of Ghilean’s 
  students. 
  THE SCENE 
  OF THE CRIME
  The restricted library is where the scholars of the 
  Lykeion store books and scrolls that shouldn’t be left 
  in the academy’s general library. Master Hestoth, 
  Plooth, or Veox can confirm that Ghilean spent 
  most of her time here over the last month (although 
  in Veox’s case, he is simply summarizing the results 
  of his own inquiries since Ghilean’s disappearance).
  Signs of a struggle are clear in this small library. A heavy 
  table lies overturned on its side, a big bookshelf lies 
  where it toppled over with dozens of tomes and scrolls 
  scattered about, and the frame of one of the large win-
  dows is broken, although a heavy canvas cover has been 
  nailed up over the opening. 
  The Lykeion masters have held off on tidying up 
  until they’re certain they have found every clue pos-
  sible, though they begin to clean up after the PCs 
  view the damage. Important finds here include:
  The Door: Sturdy and undamaged, though it creaks 
  loudly when opened. The Lykeion masters are certain 
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  35
  the monsters did not come in this way, because they 
  didn’t hear the door creak until after the commotion 
  started. On the floor inside the library near the door 
  is a rolled-up map of the Lake Haal region. (Plooth 
  dropped it in terror when he saw the moon-beasts.) 
  The Window: The broken window looks out over 
  a 30-foot sheer drop. It would be a difficult climb. 
  Debris from the window lies inside the library room, 
  suggesting that the window was broken from the 
  outside. The window frame is quite large (8 feet tall 
  and 5 feet wide). With a successful Intelligence/
  Investigation check (DC 15), a PC studying the 
  window notes claw scrapes on the framework con-
  sistent with something about the size of a large bear 
  forcing its way inside.
  Tomes and Texts: After a careful look at the 
  books on the floor and the toppled bookshelf, a PC 
  can sort the books into those that were probably 
  sitting out on the table and those that were shelved 
  (DC 15 Intelligence/Investigation check). Studying 
  the tomes to determine what Ghilean was specif-
  ically researching requires 1 hour, and the ability 
  to read High Atlantean, Dhari, and Kalayan helps. 
  Make a Intelligence/History or Intelligence/Reli-
  gion check with a +5 bonus for sorting the books 
  first and a +2 bonus for literacy in each of the three 
  languages. The character examining the tomes learns 
  the following:
  • Result of 10+: Ghilean was gathering lore per-
  taining to something called “the Moon-Door,” a 
  mysterious barrier in a ruined temple of Selene.
  • Result of 15+: All of the above, plus the Temple 
  of the Moon-Door lies near the village of 
  Ayanari on the southwest shore of Lake Haal.
  • Result of 20+: The above, plus the Moon-Door is 
  supposed to be impossible to open, but there is 
  a key: a strange rod of white metal, about a foot 
  in length, said to be made of “moongold.”
  • Result of 25+: The above, plus the texts hint at 
  some kind of “chamber of power” behind the 
  Moon-Door.
  On a failed check, the book’s esoteric writings 
  stymie the character, who can spend another hour 
  and make another attempt.
  Magic: No magic auras linger in the room. (At 
  your discretion, some of the tomes in this room might 
  be arcane spellbooks or even spell scrolls; the Lykeion 
  scholars may agree to let the PCs make use of them.)
  The Moongold Key: No key is in evidence here 
  (Ghilean kept it in her own room). If the PCs ask 
  Master Hestoth about the key mentioned in the text, 
  Hestoth remembers that the key was the old relic 
  that Turjak Bom asked Ghilean about. If the PCs 
  ask Plooth about the key, he tries to lie about it (see 
  The Eyewitness, below).
  THE EYEWITNESS
  When the PCs indicate that they want to speak to 
  anyone who witnessed the attack or to someone 
  who worked closely with Ghilean, Master Hestoth 
  sends a student to fetch Plooth, an aspirant (senior 
  student) who studied under Ghilean.
  The student proves to be a young man of about twen-
  ty-five years, tall and gangly with tangled dark hair. He 
  wears the robes of a Mithran acolyte, and he seems 
  badly rattled—he is pale and his eyes dart nervously from 
  side to side. “I am Plooth,” he says. “Mistress Ghilean 
  was my mentor. Tell me that you can do something to 
  help her!”
  Plooth has good reason to be nervous, although 
  the PCs might not know that when they begin their 
  interview. Turjak Bom pays Plooth to inform him of 
  any interesting finds at the Lykeion. When Ghilean 
  obtained the Moongold Key from Jangar, Plooth 
  reported it to Turjak Bom. He suspects that Turjak 
  Bom had something to do with the abduction.
  If asked about the attack or the monsters he saw, 
  Plooth relates the following:
  “Late in the evening, Mistress Ghilean sent me down 
  to the main library to fetch a map for her. It took me 
  some time to find it. As I returned, I heard a terrible 
  commotion from the room where she was working. I 
  ran ahead and threw open the door, only to see her 
  caught between two huge, pallid monstrosities. Each of 
  them had her by an arm. They looked like big, faceless 
  toads, with tentacles squirming where their faces should 
  be...I shudder to recall it! I stood petrified in terror for a 
  moment, then the monsters and Mistress Ghilean turned 
  to white mist. The mist streamed out the window and 
  vanished into the night.”
  Plooth knows quite a lot more, if the PCs question 
  him further. He knows that Ghilean was looking 
  for information on the Temple of the Moon-Door 
  and that the recent acquisition of the Moongold 
  Key from the merchant Jangar spurred her interest. 
  He avoids any mention of Turjak Bom, although he 
  suspects that Turjak Bom was somehow behind the 
  moon-beast attack.
  The Map: If asked about the map he was re-
  trieving, Plooth stammers and says, “It was an old 
  map—of the Lake Haal region.” PCs can find the 
  map on the floor of the restricted library (if they 
  haven’t already).
  Plooth’s Lies: Plooth denies any knowledge of 
  Turjak Bom and claims not to know where the key 
  is now, but he is not a good liar. A character skepti-
  cal of his story may attempt a Wisdom/Insight check 
  (DC 10) to discern that Plooth is hiding something.  
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  36
  The Moongold Key: After the moon-beast attack, 
  Plooth went to Ghilean’s room and removed the 
  key (he’d seen where Ghilean was keeping it). The 
  Moongold Key is now hidden in a trunk beneath 
  Plooth’s bed in his quarters on the Lykeion’s second 
  floor. Plooth knows that Turjak Bom wants the key 
  and he hopes to sell it to the “curio dealer” later.
  Creature (450 xp): If threatened with punish-
  ment or exposure, Plooth does his best to flee the 
  scene and seek Turjak Bom’s protection.
  • Plooth (priest)
  GHILEAN’S 
  QUARTERS
  Master Hestoth does not object if the PCs decide to 
  make a thorough search of Ghilean’s quarters. The 
  sage’s room contains many interesting mementos 
  and minor valuables—a collection of knick-knacks 
  and curiosities from all over Thule. Most are not 
  relevant to her disappearance. However, thorough 
  and attentive characters may turn up one clue on a 
  successful Intelligence/Investigation check (DC 10):
  Among the clutter and curiosities decorating Ghilean’s 
  rooms, you find something out of place: an old case 
  made of black, lacquered wood. It’s lying on the floor 
  near the sage’s desk. The interior is filled with beeswax 
  so old it’s as hard as stone. The wax holds a large, key-
  shaped depression about a foot long.
  Plooth slipped into Ghilean’s room shortly after 
  the attack and took the key, but he was so rattled 
  that he neglected to put the case back in its place. 
  If the PCs show the case to Master Hestoth, he can 
  confirm that it held a strange key of silver-white 
  metal that Ghilean recently acquired. A charac-
  ter studying the case itself can determine that the 
  craftsmanship appears to be Dhari (human), several 
  centuries old, with a successful Intelligence/History 
  check (DC 20).
  THE WIZARD’S 
  MINIONS 
  While Dhargo Maath has Ghilean, he realizes that 
  the Moongold Key is not yet accounted for. After 
  a careful interrogation of the captive scholar, he di-
  vines the location of the key (and Plooth’s role in the 
  affair) and dispatches more monsters to the academy 
  to get it from the student. Maath’s minions arrive 
  while the PCs are conducting their investigation.
  Run this encounter at any time while the PCs are 
  searching the Lykeion or studying Ghilean’s books. 
  At your option, you can run this encounter when the 
  PCs are interrogating Plooth, interrupting the conver-
  sation with the sudden arrival of Maath’s monsters.
  A sudden crash echoes through the halls of the Lykeion, 
  followed by cries of alarm and the angry roar of some 
  great beast. “Monsters! They’re back!” someone screams 
  in the distance. It sounds like the commotion is coming 
  from the student quarters on the second floor.
  Creatures (5,400 xp): Two winged apes swoop 
  down to the second-floor balcony outside the 
  quarters reserved for the aspirant and break into the 
  building in search of Plooth. The winged apes have 
  only two commands—slay Plooth and get his key. 
  However, they are free to slaughter anyone unfortu-
  nate enough to cross their path, and they do so with 
  savage glee.
  • 2 winged apes (PTCS page 242)
  Development: If the PCs have so far missed 
  Plooth’s involvement or don’t realize they should 
  be looking for the key, they discover Plooth among 
  the dead, torn limb from limb by the apes before 
  they reached the scene. The Moongold Key is lying 
  beneath a cabinet just out of his reach (he was trying 
  to hide it when the winged apes caught him).
  
  ENTER THE BLACK CIRCLE
  Depending on the adventures the PCs have had in Thule so far, they 
  may or may not be familiar with the Black Circle, wizards who rule the 
  city of Thran. They’re described in Chapter 4 of the Primeval Thule 
  Campaign Setting, but almost everyone in Thule whispers of them as 
  powerful, sinister figures who lord over Thran from an immense, black 
  orb that hovers over the city.
  Dhargo Maath isn’t the most powerful wizard in the Black Circle, but 
  he’s among the most ambitious, and he has more than his fair share of 
  rivals. That’s why he avoids Thran in favor of his new domicile on the 
  Moon (described in Part III).
  THE MOON-DOOR
  37
  TURJAK BOM
  If the PCs decide to follow up on Ghilean’s myste-
  rious visitor from a couple of weeks past, they find 
  that no one at the Lykeion knows Turjak Bom or 
  where to find him. However, a few hours of asking 
  around in the city districts outside the Lykeion (or 
  the right divination spell) proves more useful—
  Turjak Bom resides in one of the city’s mercantile 
  districts, dealing in curios and collectibles out of 
  his home.
  The home of Turjak Bom is located on a high hillside in 
  Katagia’s market district. It is a fine stone courtyard-style 
  house on a corner; the door is closed, and the few exte-
  rior windows are shuttered.
  It’s easy to scale the outer wall, cross the roof, 
  and drop into the courtyard. However, Turjak 
  Bom’s guards assume that anyone sneaking into 
  the house is an assassin or robber, so they attack 
  immediately. If the PCs approach the house openly 
  and just knock at the door, read:
  A servant answers the door, and shows you in. A 
  well-maintained garden lies in the middle of the house; 
  two guards keep watch by a door leading into a sitting 
  room just off the garden. “Please, wait here,” the servant 
  tells you. “I shall fetch Prince Bom.”
  Turjak Bom is a short, burly man of 40 years, 
  with mixed Kalay and Dhari heritage. He is 
  secretly an agent of the Black Circle, a skilled assas-
  sin and spy who passes himself off as a moderately 
  prosperous merchant. (Prosperous enough to get 
  his servants to call him “prince,” at any rate.) He 
  attempts to maintain this guise and deflect the 
  PCs’ questions, while subtly questioning them 
  about why they’re here. He openly admits that he 
  visited Ghilean and attempted to buy “the white 
  key,” since he trades in such things. He denies 
  knowledge of any attack on the sage (his Cha-
  risma/Deception check is a 15).
  Creatures (10,500 xp): When Turjak Bom 
  determines that the PCs know too much, he gives 
  the command to attack. His two legionaries are 
  well-trained and need only one sharp look from 
  him to make their move. Allow the PCs to make 
  Wisdom/Insight checks (DC 15); those who fail 
  are surprised for the first round of the fight. Tur-
  jak’s lover and mystic advisor, a Lomari woman 
  named Deema, is elsewhere in the house. She 
  appears and joins the fray at the end of the first 
  round. 
  • Turjak Bom, Black Circle Agent (PTCS 
  page 226)
  • 2 legionaries (PTCS page 79)
  • Deema (cult fanatic)
  Treasure (2,400 xp): Turjak Bom runs a pros-
  perous business, and he receives secret funds from 
  Thran to use in the Black Circle’s interests. A search 
  of the house reveals two chests containing a total of 
  4,400 sp and 1,700 gp. In addition, there are two art 
  objects worth 750 gp in value (a copper statuette and 
  an ornamental mask), and four more worth 250 gp 
  each (a bracelet worn by Deema, a small tapestry, a 
  ceremonial scepter, and a collection of scrimshaws).  
  Development: A desk in Bom’s study contains 
  a locked drawer (DC 10 Dexterity check to open 
  with lockpicks, or easily forced). Inside is a stack of 
  reports and letters. These make it clear that Turjak 
  Bom works for a wizard of Thran by the name of 
  Dhargo Maath, and that Bom is an agent of the 
  Black Circle. Bom learned of Ghilean’s acquisition 
  of the Moongold Key from her student Plooth, and 
  later reported to Maath his failure to buy the key. 
  He requested permission to assassinate her and take 
  it, but Maath informed him that “he would take 
  care of it” and that Bom was to do nothing more 
  that might put Ghilean on her guard.
  The most recent communication from 
  Maath reads:
  Our allies failed to find the key when they car-
  ried off the sage. My divinations suggest your friend 
  Plooth may have it. I am sending new assets to rectify 
  that oversight. They will bring the key to your house. 
  Unfortunately I cannot have them simply bring me 
  the key, so you must do so once you have it in your 
  possession. Send a report when you know your travel 
  arrangements—I will meet you at the Moon-Door.
  The drawer also contains a map of the Lake Haal 
  region (similar to the Lykeion’s map). It has the tem-
  ple’s location marked with a handwritten “X.”  
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  38
  PART II: 
  TEMPLE OF THE 
  MOON-DOOR
  The mystery of Ghilean’s disappearance from the 
  Lykeion points at one obvious lead: the Temple of 
  the Moon-Door. Unfortunately, it is quite a long 
  way from the heart of Katagia. The temple stands 
  about ten miles southeast of the village of Ayanari 
  on the Katagia-Thran track. 
  The Journey: As the crow flies, Ayanari is about 
  300 miles from Katagia; for characters who choose 
  to follow the established track, it’s closer to 400 
  miles. A party on foot can make the trek in about 
  three weeks; a mounted party can do it in two 
  weeks. (If the PCs are anxious about reaching the 
  temple swiftly, magical means will be required.)
  Feel free to complicate a long overland journey 
  with “random” encounters along the way—no 
  track in Thule is truly safe, after all. A band of 
  serpentmen, a Thulean cyclops, or a small herd of 
  angry mammoths on the plains of Nar would be 
  appropriate.
  Arrival: When the PCs reach the area, they find 
  that the Temple of the Moon-Door is a well-known 
  local landmark.
  A few miles south of the village of Ayanari, a disused track 
  splits off from the main trail, leading toward the shore of 
  Lake Haal. A short march brings you to a forest-covered 
  hillside overlooking the lakeshore. The ancient temple 
  stands at the top of the hill, surrounded by trees that must 
  be centuries old. The winding causeway climbing up to its 
  entrance is cracked and broken by roots, and vines cover 
  the once-elegant marble dome. The building seems most-
  ly intact, although heaps of rubble and dark fissures in the 
  walls show its age.  
  Vines partially choke many of the old windows 
  in the building, but missing stones in the walls 
  and holes in the roof admit light from outside. The 
  illumination inside depends on the time of day. 
  The floors are carpeted with plaster debris, leaf 
  mold, and tumbled masonry that has fallen from 
  overhead.
  1. THE PORTICO
  The front of the temple is a portico about 100 feet wide 
  and 15 feet deep. Four large columns spaced evenly 
  across the front of the building are decorated with carv-
  ings that depict the Moon in its four phases. A once-im-
  pressive double entrance leads to the temple interior; one 
  doorway is merely a heap of rubble, while a broken stone 
  door lies on the ground in the other doorway.
  No particular force destroyed the front door—it 
  was ruined by the simple passage of time. If the PCs 
  make a lot of noise out here, they may alert the can-
  nibals in area 2, who will hide and  observe the PCs.
  2. HALL OF STATUES
  The temple’s entrance leads to a large foyer that spans 
  the width of the building. Two stone doors at either end 
  of the foyer lead east into the temple interior. Four large 
  statues stand along the curving eastern wall between the 
  doors, depicting a tall, beautiful woman in robes. Each 
  statue shows her in a different pose and profession—a 
  wise healer, a caring mother, an amorous lover, and a 
  huntress armed with a bow. Dead leaves and dirt cover 
  the floor.
  The statues depict Selene, the moon goddess, in 
  four of her aspects. A character studying the statues 
  identifies them with a successful Intelligence/Reli-
  gion check (DC 15).
  Creatures (300 xp): Two Tcho-Tcho cannibals 
  (sentries from the band encamped in area 6) are 
  lurking in the shadows of the statues, keeping watch. 
  If the PCs made a lot of noise in area 1, the Tcho-
  Tcho are well-hidden (DC 20 Wisdom/Perception 
  check to spot them). Otherwise, the DC is 16.
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  39
  The Tcho-Tcho intend to observe the party for a 
  few rounds, then slip away to the south (area 5) to 
  warn their fellows in area 6. If they need a distrac-
  tion, one tosses a pebble toward the northern corner: 
  Let the players see you roll a die, and tell them, “You 
  hear a clatter of stone near the door to the north.” 
  Any character reacting to the noise doesn’t notice 
  the Tcho-Tcho slipping out, but any other character 
  with an average Perception score of 16 or better sees 
  them make a break for it. If the cannibals manage 
  to get away, they warn the Tcho-Tcho in area 6 to 
  prepare an ambush for the PCs.
  If spotted, the Tcho-Tcho flee immediately.
  • 2 Tcho-Tcho cannibals (see appendix)
  3. SERPENT’S DEN
  It looks like this chamber might once have been a robing 
  room or sacristy, but this part of the temple is heavily 
  damaged. A large portion of the northern wall has col-
  lapsed, leaving a ten-foot wide fissure in the side of the 
  building. Another doorway leading into a dark chamber 
  to the south has also collapsed. Stone doors at the east 
  and west end of this room remain intact. A heavy, musky 
  odor hangs in the air.
  This room has become the lair of a giant viper, 
  which found the fissure in the wall leading outside 
  and took a liking to the dark, cool den. The Tcho-
  Tcho found out the hard way that the viper laired 
  here, and they now avoid this room.
  Creature (2,300 xp): The viper is curled up, 
  dozing among the debris and leaf-mold near the 
  eastern doorway, and is a little hard to see (DC 12 
  Wisdom/Perception check). Characters who wish to 
  pass through this room without rousing the creature 
  can attempt to do so with Dexterity/Stealth checks 
  (DC 12).
  • Giant viper (PTCS page 221)
  4. PRIESTS’ 
  QUARTERS
  Dank and dark, this chamber is filled with mildew-cov-
  ered furniture and debris from a partially collapsed 
  ceiling. Puddles of standing water indicate several spots 
  where the roof leaks. Among the ruined furnishings are 
  a sagging bed frame, a damaged armoire, a collapsed 
  bookshelf, and a debris-covered table.
  This room once served as the personal chambers of 
  the temple’s intendants. It’s been picked over by pre-
  vious explorers, but they missed something—a secret 
  compartment in the wall. A successful Intelligence/
  Investigation check (DC 10) reveals the old cache.
  Treasure (2,400 xp): An ebony coffer in the 
  hidden compartment contains 260 pp, seven fine 
  black pearls worth 500 gp each, a potion of vitality, 
  and an arrow of slaying extraterrenes (substitute a 
  crossbow bolt or sling bullet if you prefer).
  5. THE FONT 
  CHAMBER
  A large font of white stone, about six feet in diameter, 
  stands in the middle of the eastern end of this chamber. 
  It appears to be full of clear water. Peeling murals along 
  the walls show priests performing ceremonial ablutions 
  under moonlight. Stone doors lead north and west from 
  this room, but a doorway to the east is badly dam-
  aged—a  path through the rubble opens up into a larger 
  room beyond.
  As the murals suggest, this room was used for 
  ceremonial purification before participating in rites in 
  the main chapel (area 6 to the east). The basin water is 
  pure and wholesome, renewed by an ancient blessing.
  The Font: Any good-aligned character who 
  washes his or her hands or face in the basin receives 
  the benefit of an aid spell (no character can benefit 
  more than once per 24 hours from the effect).
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  40
  6. SHRINE OF THE 
  SILVER LADY
  This large semicircular chamber lies beneath what was 
  once a magnificent dome, although partial collapses 
  now show glimpses of sky overhead. Tall windows high 
  above the floor in the dome’s eastern side look down 
  on a twenty-foot-wide mosaic of silver and black tile 
  depicting a crescent moon, and four large pillars support 
  the dome overhead.
  To the west, a low dais about twenty feet wide leads up 
  to an altar-stone of white marble. Behind the altar, a huge 
  stone disk stands in the middle of the western wall of the 
  chamber. It appears to be covered in strange carvings.
  Characters who studied Ghilean’s notes in the 
  Lykeion instantly recognize the Moon-Door (the stone 
  disk standing against the western wall). When the PCs 
  take a closer look, read the description for area 7.
  The shrine was formerly one of the foremost tem-
  ples of Selene in all of Thule. For centuries pilgrims 
  journeyed here from distant cities, until the worship 
  of Selene died out and none but a few forgotten 
  priests remained to tend her holy places. The win-
  dows in the eastern part of the dome align with the 
  rising Moon at various times of the year, serving as a 
  lunar calendar of sorts. (Any character with the Seer 
  narrative notices this automatically; others must 
  study the mosaic and succeed on a DC 15 Intelli-
  gence/Religion check to make the connection.)
  Anything valuable in this chamber was long since 
  looted, except for the altar block itself—a fine slab of 
  marble weighing more than 5,000 pounds.
  Creatures (7,500 xp or 9,600 xp): Dhargo 
  Maath arranged for some unsavory allies to guard 
  the shrine until he concludes his dealings with the 
  moon-beasts. A dozen Tcho-Tcho tribesmen—de-
  generate subhumans devoted to the Great Old 
  Ones—keep watch here, ready to waylay intruders.
  If the PCs did not notice the Tcho-Tcho scouts in 
  area 2, there are two additional cannibals here. The 
  Tcho-Tcho are all hidden, ready to spring an ambush. 
  They conceal themselves behind the altar and among 
  the rubble piles in the corners of the room, apply 
  poison to their weapons, and strike as soon as two 
  characters are in the room. Any PC whose passive 
  Perception is 15 or better is not surprised. The Tcho-
  Tcho also have time to ready an ambush if the party 
  makes a lot of noise in areas 3 or 5.
  • 2 Tcho-Tcho lamas (see appendix)
  • 8 or 10 Tcho-Tcho cannibals (see appendix)
  If the PCs found the Tcho-Tcho in area 2 or find 
  a way to reach this room without making much 
  noise, it’s a fair fight—the cannibals can’t ambush 
  the party.
  Development: The Tcho-Tcho are extremely sullen 
  and would almost rather die than spill information 
  to outsiders. However, if the PCs succeed in ques-
  tioning the surviving Tcho-Tcho, they learn that this 
  group of Tcho-Tcho hail from a village a day’s march 
  away. They agreed to help Dhargo Maath and serve 
  as the Moon-Door’s guardians in exchange for his 
  help in recovering some long-lost idol, which now 
  resides in a place of honor in their squalid village. 
  The Tcho-Tcho know that the Moon-Door is a 
  magical portal and that it leads “to a place of the 
  Great Old Ones,” but they do not know how to 
  open it and they have not been to the other side. 
  They can confirm that Dhargo Maath and a small 
  number of Thranish soldiers have been coming 
  and going from the temple for months, and that a 
  prisoner matching Ghilean’s description was dragged 
  through the Moon-Door a couple of weeks ago. 
  7. THE MOON-
  DOOR
  When characters examine the stone disk at the 
  western end of the chamber more closely, read the 
  following:
  The disk with the carvings is a single piece of pale stone, 
  housed in a strange archway. The design on the disk 
  appears to be a complicated chart showing the move-
  ments of the Moon in the sky. About six feet above the 
  floor there is a large keyhole in the disk, which otherwise 
  appears to be solid stone.
  Opening the Moon-Door: The portal can be 
  opened simply by inserting the Moongold Key. 
  Other methods require careful examination and 
  access to the right sort of magic. A character who 
  studies the disk’s carvings can attempt an Intel-
  ligence/Arcana or Intelligence/Religion check 
  (DC 20) to devise an alternate method. These 
  include:
  • A passwall or stone shape spell cast upon the 
  Moon-Door activates it for 1 hour instead of 
  creating its normal effect. 
  • The sigils covering the door provide enough 
  information to make the Moon-Door’s far end 
  the target of a teleportation circle spell.
  When the portal opens, read the following:
  The stone disk begins to glow with a pearly light, and 
  one by one, bright gleams of silver shine from the sigils. 
  Within the span of ten or fifteen heartbeats, the white 
  radiance from the disk fills the chapel. Then the stone, still 
  glowing, seems to become insubstantial. You cannot see 
  through the misty stone—but suddenly a huge, monstrous 
  form bursts out of the mist!  
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  41
  In the door’s ghostly state, a character can walk 
  right into the Moon-Door. This instantly transports 
  him or her to area 1 on the Isle of Screams (see 
  Part III). However, the Isle’s denizens know about 
  the potential of the Moon-Door and keep a sentry 
  posted by its lunar terminus. 
  Creatures (8,550 xp): A moon-beast and its 
  bodyguard (a lanky, pinkish-purple moon-thing 
  equivalent to a troll) are warned by the silvery glow 
  that the portal is about to open. Dhargo Maath 
  has informed the creature that no friends should be 
  expected to journey through the Moon-Door, so 
  the moon-beast decides to investigate for itself. The 
  moon-beast and the PCs are equally surprised, so 
  roll initiative normally.
  • Moon-beast (PTCS page 245)
  • Guardian creature (troll)
  Using the Moon-Door: A character that moves 
  into the Moon-Door while it is insubstantial is 
  transported to the other side. If the portal is acti-
  vated by the Moongold Key, it remains open for 
  1 minute after the key is removed. It can be opened 
  from either side by means of the right spell or 
  the key.
  PART III: THE ISLE 
  OF SCREAMS
  The Moon to which the Moon-Door leads is not the 
  airless, lifeless rock one might expect. Instead it’s 
  the Moon of an alternate Earth in a sort of dream- 
  dimension. It is weird, dangerous, and alien—but 
  it’s a place where humans can survive. The air is cold 
  and quite rarefied; it’s roughly similar to an altitude 
  of 15,000 feet on Earth. Nights are bitterly cold, but 
  during the long lunar day the temperature rises to 
  a level comfortable for a lightly dressed human and 
  remains there until night falls.
  The specific locale linked to the Earth through 
  the Moon-Door is a place called the Isle of Screams. 
  Once it was home to a mystic Selenite oracle, but 
  after that place fell into ruin, moon-beasts took it 
  over and built a horrible laboratory in the island’s in-
  terior. The terrible shrieks of the laboratory’s subjects 
  (humans who fell into the moon-beasts’ clutches) 
  can be heard miles away through the clear, cool air.
  Dhargo Maath figured out how to open the 
  Moon-Door using his spells, but his moon-beast 
  allies want the Moongold Key so that they can use it 
  whenever they want. Maath intends to trade the key 
  for their future cooperation.
  Environment: Due to the light gravity, PCs can 
  lift twice the normal amount of weight and jump 
  twice the normal distance. The thin air is equivalent 
  to high altitude.
  1. THE MOON-DOOR
  When a PC traverses the Moon-Door from the 
  Temple, read the text below:
  Stepping through the misty silver doorway, you find your-
  self standing on a stone terrace beneath a dark, starry sky, 
  even though the sun is low on the horizon. The Moon-
  Door looks the same from this side—a misty barrier in the 
  shape of a great stone disk.
  The terrace stands in a clearing about a hundred yards 
  across. Ahead of you there is a field of scarlet grass lead-
  ing up to a low bluff, which looks out over a strange, dark 
  sea. To your right stands an old ruined chapel of white 
  stone, which looks out over the sea. The air is thin and 
  cool, and you feel oddly light on your feet.
  On all other sides of the clearing a bizarre purple jungle 
  presses in close, although you can make out two distinct 
  trails leading away from the clearing—one by the ruined 
  chapel, the other behind you to your left.
  Characters who still haven’t figured out where 
  they are might recognize the moon-beasts’ home 
  with a successful Intelligence/Arcana check (DC 
  20). A few obscure tomes, such as those Ghilean was 
  studying, provide enough of a description to identify 
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  42
  the place; the DC is only 10 for a PC who read those 
  books in Part I.
  2. RUINED CHAPEL
  This small building is a surprisingly familiar sight in such 
  a strange place. It’s an ordinary temple much like you 
  would see almost anywhere in Thule. In fact, it looks like 
  the Temple of the Moon-Door near Lake Haal, with sim-
  ilar architecture and design motifs. It seems that it was 
  abandoned long ago—a large statue of a beautiful robed 
  woman lies broken in several pieces on the floor inside 
  the temple, next to an empty pedestal. 
  The statue depicts Selene, the goddess of the 
  Moon. A character can identify the idol with a 
  successful Intelligence/Religion check (DC 15). 
  The statue was pulled down off its pedestal by 
  the moon-beasts when they took over the island. 
  A lingering blessing of Selene makes extraterrene 
  creatures uncomfortable near the chapel, so this can 
  serve as a safe place to rest if the PCs need to.
  3. LUNAR SEA
  The sea ringing the isle is oddly dark and viscous, more 
  like a thick wine than water. It has a rich, almost musty 
  smell. The waves are quite small, and there is no debris or 
  tidal range on the shore.
  The water is fresh and drinkable, if a little strange 
  to taste. No other land is in sight; characters who 
  decide to sail off in search of new lands to explore 
  can find them after a voyage of a hundred miles or 
  so. What they find there is outside the scope of this 
  adventure!
  4. LUNAR JUNGLE
  The jungle is like nothing you’ve ever seen in Thule. Most 
  of the vegetation is a vibrant purple in color, with bizarre-
  ly thin trunks and a profusion of feathery leaves. A sweet, 
  heady aroma spills from huge, pale blossoms that sway 
  softly with no breeze.
  The jungle is dangerous. Characters who stray 
  from the paths or clearings find that the jungle im-
  pedes movement, and is treated as difficult terrain. 
  Anything more than 10 feet away from a character is 
  lightly obscured by the foliage, and anything more 
  than 30 feet away is heavily obscured.
  Hazard: Each time a character moves 10 feet or 
  more through the jungle, roll a d10. On a roll of 1, 
  the character stumbles into a patch of brown mold. 
  On a 2, the character stumbles into a patch of yellow 
  mold. A character trained in Nature or Survival 
  notices the danger and can avoid the mold if his or 
  her passive Perception score is 15 or better.
  Once a character has encountered both varieties 
  of mold, he or she knows what to look for and can 
  avoid this hazard in the future.
  5. THE QUAY
  The jungle path leads downhill to a strange harbor on 
  the dark sea. Several stone piers jut out into the water, 
  although no vessels are present now. A group of large, 
  bulbous buildings that look like giant examples of puffball 
  fungi stands near the waterfront; strange, round door-
  ways lead into each one.
  The moon-beasts are notorious for their gluttony 
  and avarice, sending their more warlike slaves out 
  as corsairs against other lunar civilizations. The Isle 
  of Screams serves as a base for this piracy, although 
  none of the moon-beasts’ corsairs are present when 
  the PCs visit. 
  The Doorways: The doors are made of living 
  fungal tissue as strong as hardwood; they dilate open 
  at a touch from a living creature’s hand (or tentacle, 
  as the case may be).
  The Buildings: The three large buildings located 
  near the quay are warehouses where stolen goods 
  are stored until they can be shipped back to moon-
  beast cities. The small building at the west end 
  of the harbor is the moon-beast equivalent of a 
  harbormaster’s office, and it features a number of 
  strange wooden tablets covered in weird, dot-like 
  indentations (moon-beast cargo manifests and 
  inventories).
  Creatures (10,500 xp): A small crew of lunar 
  creatures long enslaved by the moon-beasts toil in 
  the warehouses, rearranging the cargo stored here. 
  The lunar creatures are pallid, bestial humanoids  
  equivalent to quaggoths; they are fiercely loyal to 
  their masters and attack any intruders that appear 
  in the area. Their overseer is a moon-beast, keep-
  ing watch over this area from the small solitary 
  building. Any commotion (such as a pitched fight) 
  in the warehouse brings the moon-beast out to 
  investigate; it shows up at the end of the second 
  round of combat. Likewise, a fight against the 
  moon-beast brings the quaggoths hurrying to 
  defend their master.
  • Moon-beast (PTCS page 245)
  • 3 quaggoths
  Treasure (2,400 xp): Most of the cargo stored 
  here is bulky and not very valuable—for exam-
  ple, fungal timber cut from lunar forests, barrels 
  of pitch, iron ingots, and sacks of gray, oily grain. 
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  43
  However, a group of three iron chests in the moon-
  beast’s lair hold treasure recently dropped off here 
  by moon-beast corsairs: 4,000 sp, 7,200 gp, and 
  900 pp, along with a small leather sack containing 
  nine yellow sapphires worth 1,000 gp each.  
  6. MOON-BEAST 
  SLAVE STOCKADE
  A large clearing in the center of the island contains a 
  strange-looking stronghold of some kind: a group of bul-
  bous, dome-like buildings huddled together like a patch 
  of puffball fungi. Jungle paths lead away from this clearing 
  to the north, south, and west. Strange, round doorways 
  lead into each building. From somewhere inside comes 
  a horrible, thin piping sound, along with the tortured 
  groans and baying of some large beast.
  This area is the center of the moon-beast’s activi-
  ties on the isle, and it’s the reason why this place is 
  known as the Isle of Screams. The three southern 
  domes of the structure serve as the moon-beast 
  equivalents of a barracks, shrine, and mess hall. 
  The doorways leading into the domes (and the 
  doors between the domes) are the same as those de-
  scribed in area 5—living fungal tissue that dilates 
  open at a touch.
  Barracks: Humanoids from Thule might not 
  recognize this room for what it is, because there are 
  no bunks. Instead, this chamber (the largest of the 
  southern group) is filled with two dozen “resting 
  pools”—shallow pools of foul water surrounded 
  by nest-like walls of slick, gray stone, perfect for a 
  moon-beast to wallow in.
  Shrine: This small chamber, the smallest of the 
  southern group, features a foul idol depicting an eye-
  less, faceless three-legged thing—a depiction of the 
  Great Old One Nyarlathotep (a successful DC 20 
  Intelligence/Arcana or Religion check identifies 
  the idol). 
  Mess Hall: The chamber with the doorway facing 
  east is the moon-beast mess hall. It consists of 
  larders stocked with dismembered bodies preserved 
  in a strange pickling jelly—some human, some from 
  lunar beasts no human has ever seen.
  Creatures (11,700 xp): The facilities here could 
  easily support a couple of dozen moon-beasts, but 
  at the moment the Isle hosts nothing more than a 
  skeleton crew. Two moon-beasts are resting in the 
  barracks area, although they quickly rouse them-
  selves to investigate any commotion in the other 
  portions of this complex. They attack any intrud-
  ers they find, hoping to capture useful slaves—or 
  tasty meals.
  • 2 moon-beasts (PTCS page 245)
  7. THE PIT
  This large dome is clearly the origin of the strange piping 
  music and bestial howls you heard from outside. The floor 
  is hollowed out into a huge, shallow pit filled with oddly 
  shaped stone tables and bizarre machines of sinister 
  purpose. A huge, pallid moon-beast squats on the floor 
  of the pit, clumsily playing a pipe-like instrument in its 
  paws. A blue, winged beast with scales, feelers, and a 
  long stinger is chained to a table next to the moon-beast. 
  It writhes and hisses in misery.
  This portion of the moon-beast base is given over 
  to the monsters’ favorite pastime: torturing things 
  that fall into their power. The floor of the pit is 
  about 10 feet below the rim, which forms a 10-foot 
  wide path just inside the wall of the dome. The stone 
  tables are fitted with shackles that can be adjusted 
  to fit creatures of a variety of sizes and body forms; 
  the strange machines are the moon-beasts’ fiendish 
  torture implements.
  Creatures (9,300 xp): The creature being tor-
  tured by the moon-beast is the lunar equivalent of 
  a wyvern. It is more brightly colored and insect-like 
  in appearance than a terrestrial example, but it’s 
  otherwise the same. When the moon-beast becomes 
  aware of the presence of intruders, it uses an action 
  to yank a lever that releases the wyvern from its 
  bonds. Instead of attacking its tormentor as one 
  might expect, the creature springs at the nearest 
  intruder in sight.
  • Moon-beast (PTCS page 245)
  • Wyvern
  Development: If any PCs fall into the moon-
  beasts’ clutches elsewhere on the isle, the moon-
  beasts bring them to this room and chain them up 
  in preparation for hideous torture. 
  8. HOUSE OF 
  DHARGO MAATH
  At the northern end of the isle, the jungle gives way 
  to a clearing of scarlet grass. Here stands a stone villa 
  at the cliff-edge, overlooking the dark sea. Close by, a 
  small tower stands at the very point of the headland. The 
  villa and the tower are well-maintained, with manicured 
  gardens and freshly painted shutters and doors. They 
  appear to be examples of typical Thulean architecture, 
  similar to the houses of the wealthy in places such as 
  Ikath or Thran.
  After striking his bargain with the moon-beasts, 
  the wizard Dhargo Maath had his servants repair 
  and refurbish an ancient Selenite retreat to serve 
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  44
  as his own secure hideout and sanctum sancto-
  rum—a wise precaution, given the bitter rivalries 
  dividing the Black Circle. Here Maath is far out 
  of the reach of his enemies back home, and he can 
  indulge his scholarly interests in the bizarre flora and 
  fauna to be found on the Moon.
  The Manor: Maath’s home is comfortable, not 
  luxurious; ferrying rich furnishings through the 
  Moon-Door is tedious and difficult, especially with-
  out the Moongold Key. There is a bedchamber with 
  a rather plain bed, a dining room with a fine table 
  and only two chairs (salvaged from the old Sele-
  nite ruins here), a kitchen stocked with rich viands 
  and preserves (Maath is a gourmand and dines 
  well when he is here), and several guest rooms (all 
  empty). When the PCs arrive, Maath is engaged in 
  research in his tower, a humble structure separated 
  from the manor itself by a fifty-foot path.
  The Tower: The tower consists of three stories: 
  a laboratory on the ground floor, a conjury on the 
  second floor, and an observatory on the third floor. 
  The third floor is the only floor with windows. 
  When the PCs enter the tower, add:
  This appears to be a wizard’s workroom. Alchemical ap-
  paratuses are arranged on worktables by the wall; scrolls 
  and texts are scattered about in disorder, along with jars 
  of strange reagents and odd keepsakes. In one corner, an 
  upright, coffin-like chamber of glass holds the uncon-
  scious body of a human woman in scholar’s robes, about 
  60 years of age. A flight of steps leads up to a conjury 
  above, guarded by a fierce-looking minotaur.
  The woman in the glass chamber is Ghilean. She 
  is currently suffering from the slave-stupor caused 
  by the touch of a moon-beast, and the magic of 
  Maath’s glass chamber keeps her in that state until 
  she is removed. If questioned, she remembers little 
  of her ordeal after the moon-beasts attacked her in 
  the Lykeion.    
  Creatures (13,650 xp): A minotaur stands watch 
  in the laboratory. The creature is fanatically loyal 
  to Dhargo Maath, roaring a warning the instant it 
  detects a threat. Dhargo Maath himself is upstairs in 
  the conjury, making preparations for a scrying rite.
  • Black Circle wizard (PTCS page 227)
  • Minotaur
  If combat appears inevitable, Maath begins by 
  casting visions of madness. If things appear to be 
  going poorly, he attempts to escape by climbing to 
  the observatory and slipping out the window, in-
  tending to make his way to the Moon-Door or seek 
  the aid of his moon-beast allies.
  Roleplaying Maath: While Maath greets any 
  would-be assassins with every spell at his command, 
  he is not unwilling to negotiate if the PCs. If warned 
  by his minotaur, Maath descends halfway down the 
  stairs and demands, “Who are you, and what are 
  you doing here?” He wants to know how the PCs 
  found him and determine whether they are a threat 
  that must be neutralized.
  Maath is confident and unapologetic; he feels 
  little remorse at reports of deaths or damage at the 
  Lykeion. Above all, he is pragmatic and efficient, 
  which means that he is perfectly willing to pay the 
  PCs to make them go away. Specifically, Maath is 
  willing to trade Ghilean in exchange for the Moon-
  gold Key; he figures that once he delivers the key 
  to his moon-beast allies, his position will be secure 
  enough that Ghilean’s knowledge will no longer 
  pose a threat to him.
  Treasure (2,400 xp): Dhargo Maath does not 
  bother to keep much in the way of conventional 
  wealth in his lunar refuge. A sturdy wooden coffer 
  in the manor’s bedroom contains 800 gp and 
  220 pp, plus six assorted gemstones worth 100 gp 
  each. He carries a potion of invisibility and a potion 
  of healing on his person, and the curios in Maath’s 
  library include two rare magic items of your choice. 
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  45
  CONCLUSION
  Rescuing Ghilean from the Isle of Screams solves 
  the mystery of her disappearance from the Lykeion 
  and completes the PCs’ initial mission. Whether 
  the PCs go on to defeat Dhargo Maath (and per-
  haps destroy the Moon-Door) is up to them. If the 
  PCs rescue Ghilean but leave Dhargo Maath free 
  to make use of his moon-beast allies, the wizard 
  soon makes use of that relationship to climb the 
  ranks of the Black Circle and concoct even more 
  threatening plots.
  For her own part, Ghilean is deeply grateful to 
  the PCs for rescuing her. As soon as she comes out 
  of the stupor affecting her, she urges the characters 
  to destroy or block the Moon-Door in order to 
  prevent the moon-beasts from traveling to the Earth 
  by that means. She also provides the PCs with a 
  scroll, tome, or map pointing them toward a future 
  adventure to express her gratitude.  
  APPENDIX
  THE TCHO-TCHO
  Hateful and depraved, the Tcho-Tcho are a race 
  of near-humans given over to the worship of dark, 
  prehuman deities. They are zealous servants of the 
  Great Old Ones, and unlike the more alien beings 
  that also worship the primordial gods that ruled 
  over the Earth, they are just human enough to carry 
  out missions for their masters among the more 
  civilized peoples of Thule without attracting undue 
  attention. Most Thuleans believe the Tcho-Tcho to 
  be nothing more than a clannish, unfriendly tribal 
  people with peculiar religious traditions.
  The Tcho-Tcho are short, wiry, and hirsute, 
  with long arms, wide mouths, and surprising 
  strength for their slight statures. Most other 
  people find the Tcho-Tcho to be unpleasant at 
  best. In turn, Tcho-Tcho hate other peoples, espe-
  cially true humans.
  The Primeval Thule Gamemaster’s Companion 
  describes the Tcho-Tcho in greater detail.
  TCHO-TCHO CANNIBAL  
   
  CR 1/2 
  CE Small humanoid (human) 
  XP 100
  Senses average Perception 13
  Languages Dhari, Tcho-Tcho 
  BASE STATS
  AC 15 (leather)
  hp 22 (4d6+8) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
  ABILITY SCORES
  Str 13 (+1), Dex 16 (+3), Con 15 (+2)
  Int 10 (+0), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 8 (–1)
  TRAITS
  Skills Perception +3, Stealth +6, Survival +3
  Hateful Tcho-Tcho gain tactical advantage on saves 
  against being charmed. Deception and Persuasion 
  checks against Tcho-Tcho are made with tactical 
  disadvantage.
  Poison Use The cannibal can use an action to apply 
  poison to a weapon. The poison remains potent for 1 
  minute. Any creature hit by a weapon coated in Tcho-
  Tcho poison must make a Con save (DC 10) or take 
  1d6 poison damage and be poisoned for 1 minute. The 
  creature may make a new save at the end of its turn 
  each round to end the effect, but if it misses 3 saves, it 
  falls unconscious for 1d4 hours.
  Sneak Attack The cannibal deals an extra 1d6 damage 
  when it hits a target and has tactical advantage on the 
  attack roll or when the target is threatened by an ally of 
  the Tcho-Tcho.
  Equipment leather armor, short bow, bronze handaxe, 
  3 doses of Tcho-Tcho poison.
  COMBAT ACTIONS
  Handaxe (melee weapon) Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft. 
  or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+1 slashing 
  damage.
  Shortbow (ranged weapon) Attack: +5 to hit, range 
  80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+3 piercing damage.
  TCHO-TCHO LAMA  
   
  CR 4 
  CE Small humanoid (human) 
  XP 1,100
  Senses average Perception 16
  Languages Dhari, Mi-Go, Tcho-Tcho 
  BASE STATS
  AC 16 (none)
  hp 49 (9d6+18) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
  ABILITY SCORES
  Str 11 (+0), Dex 14 (+2), Con 15 (+2)
  Int 12 (+1), Wis 19 (+4), Cha 12 (+1)
  TRAITS
  Saves Dex +4, Int +3, Wis +6, Cha +3
  Skills Medicine +6, Perception +6, Religion +3, Stealth +4 
  Hateful Tcho-Tcho gain tactical advantage on saves 
  against being charmed. Deception and Persuasion 
  checks against Tcho-Tcho are made with tactical 
  disadvantage.
  Spells The lama is a 7th-level caster. Its spellcasting abil-
  ity is Wisdom (save DC 14, +6 attack).
  At Will: guidance, ray of frost, resistance
  1st level (4): bless, command, protection from good
  2nd level (3): cure wounds, hold person, pass without 
  trace
  3rd level (3): animate dead, bestow curse
  4th level (2): blight, summon nightgaunt*
  * see Primeval Thule Campaign Setting, Chapter 7
  Equipment robes, fetish stick 
  COMBAT ACTIONS
  Multiattack The lama attacks twice with its open hand 
  technique.
  Open Hand (melee weapon) Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+2 bludgeoning damage. If the 
  lama hits a creature twice in the same round with open 
  hand attacks, the creature must make a Con save (DC 
  14) or be stunned until the end of the lama’s next turn.
  Fetish Stick (ranged spell) Attack: +6 to hit, range 30 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: 2d6+4 psychic damage, and the 
  target must make a Cha save (DC 14) or be frightened 
  until the end of the lama’s next turn.
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  46
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  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0a © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  System Reference Document © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; 
  Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on 
  material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook © 2009, Paizo 
  Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by 
  Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.
  The Book of Experimental Might © 2008, Monte J. Cook. All 
  rights reserved.
  Tome of Horrors © 2002, Necromancer Games, Inc.; Authors: 
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  Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, 
  Monte Cook, and Skip Williams. 
  Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2 © 2010, Paizo 
  Publishing, LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Adam 
  Daigle, Graeme Davis, Crystal Frasier, Joshua J. Frost, Tim 
  Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, James Jacobs, Steve Kenson, Hal 
  MacLean, Martin Mason, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, 
  Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Owen K.C. 
  Stephens, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor,
  and Greg A. Vaughan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, 
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  Trent (“the Venomous Pao”), Trent Foster, Salvatore Macri 
  (“Skathros”), Scott Wylie Roberts (“Myrystyr”), Sean Stone 
  (“Stonegiant”), Sean Wills (“Geordie Racer”), Cameron DuBeers, 
  Matt Hoover (“Random”), Mike Davison, Russell Cone (“Grim”), 
  Mudguard, Old Crawler, Michael Shorten (“Chgowiz”), Mark 
  Ahmed, Scott Casper (“Scottenkainen”), The Lizard of Oz, James 
  Malizsewski, Michael Kotschi, J.D. Jarvis, John Turcotte, Guy 
  Fullerton, Michael Coté, Thomas Clark, Tanner Adams, and Matt 
  Finch (“Mythmere”).
  Cyclopean Deeps: Volume 1 © 2014 Matthew J. Finch, Frog God 
  Games LLC.
  Fifth Edition Foes © 2014, Frog God Games, LLC.
  Primeval Thule Campaign Setting © 2015, Sasquatch Game 
  Studio LLC.
  
  THE MOON-DOOR
  47
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Sasquatch/Primeval Thule - Adventure Anthology.pdf