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  A  GAMEMASTERY   ADVENTURE PATH
  Fortress
  Stone Giants
  rise of the runelords
  By Wolfgang Baur
  of 
  the 
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  Fortress
  ADVENTURE PATH � PART 4 of 6
  Rise of the Runelords:
   
  Stone Giants
  of 
  the 
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  •
  “Fortress of the Stone Giants” is a Pathfinder Adventure Path scenario designed for four 10th-level characters. By the end of this adventure, characters should reach 12th level. This adventure is compliant with the Open 
  Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the world’s most popular fantasy roleplaying game. The OGL can be found on page 94 of this product.
  Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper 
  names (characters, deities, artifacts, places, etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, language, concepts, incidents, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress.
  Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the contents of this Paizo Publishing game product are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a 
  Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Game License and the d20 
  System License, please visit wizards.com/d20.
  Paizo Publishing, LLC
  2700 Richards Road, Suite 201
  Bellevue, WA 98005
  paizo.com
  Pathfinder © 2007, Paizo Publishing, LLC
  Paizo Publishing and the golem logo are registered trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC. Pathfinder, Adventure Path, Pathfinder Chronicles, and GameMastery are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC.
  All Rights Reserved. Printed in China
  TM
  Credits
  Editor-in-Chief • James Jacobs
  Art Director • Sarah E. Robinson
  Associate Editor • F. Wesley Schneider
  Assistant Editor • James L. Sutter
  Editorial Assistance • Mike McArtor, 
  Christopher Self, Jeremy Walker
  Graphic Design Assistance • Drew Pocza
  Managing Art Director • James Davis
  Production Manager • Jeff Alvarez
  Brand Manager • Jason Bulmahn
  Marketing Director • Joshua J. Frost
  Publisher • Erik Mona
  Cover Artist
  Wayne Reynolds
  Cartographer
  Rob Lazzaretti
  Contributing Artists
  Kevin Crossley, Cole Eastburn, John Gravato, Andrew Hou
  Kyle Hunter, Imaginary Friends, JZConcepts, Ben Wootten, Kevin Yan
  Contributing Authors
  Wolfgang Baur, Mike McArtor, Greg A. Vaughan
  Playtesters
  Edward Albert, Greg A. Vaughan, Kevin Haley, Joe Lessert, Lisa Lessert
  Paizo CEO • Lisa Stevens
  Corporate Accountant • Dave Erickson
  Staff Accountant • Christopher Self
  Technical Director • Vic Wertz
  Vice President of Operations •  Jeff Alvarez
  Special Thanks
  The Paizo Customer Service and Warehouse Teams
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  table of Contents
  • 
  Foreword	
  4
  • 
  Fortress	of	the	Stone	Giants	
  6
  	
  by	Wolfgang	Baur	
  	
  (with	Appendix	by	Greg	A.	Vaughan)
  • 
  Born	of	Stone	
  52
  	
  by	Wolfgang	Baur
  • 
  Dragons	of	Golarion	
  60
  	
  by	Mike	McArtor
  • 
  Pathfinder’s	Journal	
  72	
  by	Mike	McArtor
  • 
  Bestiary	
  78	
  	
  by	Wolfgang	Baur
  • 
  Pregenerated	Characters	
  92
  • 
  Preview	
  94
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  4
  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  Made of Hit Points
  W
  olfgang Baur’s been busy these days. I suspect he’s always been 
  busy, but lately it’s been worse—between writing adventures 
  for numerous companies, he’s been writing adventures for 
  and developing the ingenious Open Design project (wolfgangbaur.
  com/opendesign), in which paying patrons act as sponsors and even 
  get to help shape the plot and design of his published adventures. 
  And let’s not forget launching a brand new gaming magazine, Kobold 
  Quarterly, either. I knew I wanted Wolfgang to write one of the 
  adventures for Rise of the Runelords when we first started plotting 
  out the campaign, but I was worried that he’d just be too busy to be 
  able to say yes.
   
  Fortunately, I seem to have an ability to offer him adventures 
  he can’t say no to. Even back when we were plotting out Savage 
  Tide, Wolfgang was busy—he wasn’t sure if he’d have time to 
  write one of the adventures for that campaign either, but when 
  Erik Mona and I told him, “You’d get to stat up Iggwilv, and write 
  encounters where the PCs are quite likely to get into fights 
  with demon lords,” his fate was sealed. Likewise with Rise of 
  the Runelords. When I approached him for an installment of 
  Pathfinder’s first Adventure Path, he seemed hesitant. But when 
  I told him, “The adventure I have in mind for you is something 
  along the lines of a spiritual sequel to the classic Against the Giants 
  adventures, but with stone giants,” his schedule suddenly opened 
  right up. Wolfgang, as it turns out, has a fondness for giants.
   
  And that fondness shows, not only in this Pathfinder’s adventure, 
  “Fortress of the Stone Giants,” but in the giant-themed monsters 
  Wolfgang designed for us and in the ecology-style exploration of 
  the stone giant way of life he couldn’t resist writing. I, for one, 
  am quite grateful for it—Wolfgang’s long been one of my favorite 
  game designers, and even though I’m sitting here in the big chair 
  at Pathfinder, I don’t mind admitting that working with Wolfgang 
  kind of makes me geek out a little. I mean, this guy was helping to 
  design Planescape and Al-Qadim and running magazines and giving 
  tieflings their names while I was back in college working at a movie 
  theater with vague dreams of someday, maybe, working for TSR or 
  Wizards of the Coast. (As destiny would have it, I sort of ended up 
  working for both of them.)
   
  So it’s with a great deal of pride that I present to you “Fortress of 
  the Stone Giants.” Wolfgang’s turned what are arguably the least-
  interesting of the six classic races of giants into something new and 
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  f o R e w o R d
  5
  exciting, but at the same time, the dungeons under Jorgenfist have 
  a decidedly old-school feel to them. In fact, for those out there who 
  aren’t running Rise of the Runelords, I suspect that “Fortress of the 
  Stone Giants” would fit quite well into that old trilogy of G1–G3, 
  maybe somewhere between Chief Nosnra of the hill giant steading 
  and Jarl Grugnir of the glacial rift?
  AgAinst the giAnts
  I suspect that most gamers my age have memories of those 
  old adventures Against the Giants. I’ve never played through 
  them as a player, but I’ve run them as a GM more times 
  than I can remember. In particular, I 
  remember one Saturday afternoon  
  how a friend and I decided to play these 
  adventures as a one-player versus the 
  giants campaign. He opted to play 
  a human fighter—a bold choice 
  in those days, since human 
  fighters were probably the 
  most “boring” of them 
  all. As it turned out, Karg 
  Skullsplitter was anything 
  but boring. He was made 
  out of hit points, and 
  although he dressed like 
  Conan, he was actually 
  really smart. He put on airs 
  about being dumb to lull his 
  enemies into thinking he was 
  little more than a thug, then 
  ended up using all sorts of 
  insane tactics and brilliant 
  plans to get things done. 
  And he did it with a 
  huge axe. 
   
  Of course, not all of Karg’s 
  plans hinged on brilliant tactics. 
  Even today, two decades later, I 
  can remember him standing in the 
  doorway to area 1A of the Hall of 
  the Fire Giant King, holding off 
  wave after wave of fire giants, 
  hell hounds, ettins, gnolls, and 
  even a chimera. He had to use 
  a heal spell out of his ring of spell 
  storing, but he pretty much 
  carved his way through all 
  of the giants on level one 
  by standing in that doorway 
  and bellowing out challenges to goad the giants into attacking 
  him. Sometimes, being made out of hit points means you don’t 
  have to outthink the enemy.
   
  Naturally, not every player in those games fared so well. One in 
  particular, a halfling druid named Darryn, had this amusing (to me, 
  at least) knack for being savaged by dragons. His player was fond of 
  picking on the other players for getting killed while bragging about 
  his own invincibility, so I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one amused 
  that evening when he was mauled near to death by the white dragons 
  in area 2A of the glacial rift. (Helpful Tip: Just because white dragons 
  are the weakest of the dragons doesn’t mean they’re easy to kill!) And 
  that was just the warm-up for Darryn—a few weeks later, he stumbled 
  into the clutches of a certain red dragon named Brazzemal in area 
  7 of the lowest level of the Hall of the Fire Giant King. That time, the 
  carnage did end up killing him. The resulting temper tantrum made 
  me feel a little guilty. But only for a few seconds.
   
  I hope, the peril and danger awaiting in “Fortress of the Stone 
  Giants” will inspire new stories like these, tales of impressive 
  bravery and survival against all odds as well as tales of tragic and 
  painful (sometimes well-deserved) death. If anything particularly 
  memorable occurs in your game, head on over to our 
  messageboards at paizo.com/paizo/messageboards 
  and post them up! I’d love to hear about them.
  Ye liveliest Awfulness
  One more thing before moving on to this volume’s 
  adventure. I’ve mentioned before my fondness for H. P. Lovecraft and 
  his mythos of insane and malignant Great Old Ones, and in this volume, 
  the world of Golarion gets its first real taste of the Cthulhu Mythos. 
  Special thanks goes out not only to Frank Belknap Long for inventing 
  the hounds of Tindalos in the first place, back in 1929, but also to the 
  good people of Chaosium, publishers of the well-loved Call of Cthulhu 
  Roleplaying Game (itself one of the longest-lived continually-in-print 
  RPGs ever; chaosium.com). Any self-respecting gamer looking 
  for more inspiration on the hounds of Tindalos (or cosmic 
  horror of any flavor) should certainly check out the huge 
  line of books and adventures that have been produced 
  for Call of Cthulhu for more. The actual game stats for 
  the hounds as they appear here are pretty different 
  than those from the Call of Cthulhu version, of 
  course, but flavor transcends rules.
   
  We’ll be returning to Lovecraft 
  country later on in Rise of the 
  Runelords, 
  and 
  eventually 
  Lovecraft fans should be seeing 
  some familiar names over in the 
  GameMastery adventures as well, 
  but as I explain in more detail on page 
  49, don’t expect Golarion to fall too completely into 
  the clutches of the Great Old Ones. A little Lovecraft goes a long 
  way, after all.
  James Jacobs
  Editor-in-Chief
  james.jacobs@paizo.com
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  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  6
  Fortress   Stone Giants
  Rise of the RuneloRds: ChapteR fouR
  of 
  the
  The stone giants of the Storval Plateau have traditionally been a stabilizing 
  element among their kind, a voice of moderation and temperance among 
  brutish thugs like hill giants, ogres, and ettins. Where these lesser races might 
  go to war for the slightest of reasons, the stone giants preach caution and 
  patience. Yet now, one of their own has fallen from the path of tradition. Lord 
  Mokmurian has become the pawn of Runelord Karzoug, and now that one 
  stone giant has swayed his people to war, Varisia might never be the same.
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  f o R t R e s s  o f  t h e  s to n e  g i a n t s
  7
  adventuRe BackgRound
  In stone giant society, those born with an innate magical ability 
  are often marked. Although these markings border on deformities, 
  the stone giant gifted with sorcererous power can expect a role 
  of honor and power in his tribe. The disadvantage of unsightly 
  crystalline growths on the skin or a diminished physical stature are 
  outweighed by the increase in social status and respect.
   
  When the stone giant Mokmurian was born, his parents were 
  thus pleased with his diminutive stature. Mokmurian grew slowly, 
  and as he became a young adult he stood barely more than ten feet 
  tall. His parents and kin waited anxiously for him to develop the 
  magical powers his deformity promised, yet Mokmurian had a 
  secret he dared not reveal. He knew he had no burgeoning inborn 
  magical ability. He knew he was nothing more than an unsightly 
  runt. And he knew that when he reached full adulthood without 
  developing the gifts of the elders or sorcerous talent he would be 
  shamed and likely exiled.
   
  So Mokmurian fell to study, secretly poring over the texts 
  of spellbooks taken from adventurers or taboo magical writings 
  preserved in stone from the days of Thassilon. It took him years, but 
  eventually the self-taught wizard mastered the art of magic. Casting 
  spells as a wizard but hiding his need to study, he successfully posed 
  as a sorcerer to his tribe for nearly three decades. It wasn’t until he 
  took a wife that his charade collapsed, for when she discovered his 
  hidden spellbooks, she confronted Mokmurian in rage and shame. 
  In desperation, he killed her with his magic, but before he could 
  conceal his crime, his tribe’s elders found out. They burnt his books, 
  censured him as a traitor, and exiled him into the wild.
   
  Humiliated, enraged, and alone, Mokmurian wandered the 
  Storval Plateau. Forced to conserve his prepared spells for 
  emergencies and harried constantly by stone giant hunters 
  and scouts, Mokmurian decided to seek solace in one of his 
  people’s taboo lands—the Vale of the Black Tower. This ancient 
  Thassilonian ruin held memories of his people’s slavery, and the 
  giants avoided it as a result. Mokmurian found the place to be 
  strangely soothing, and when he discovered not only a network of 
  caves below the site, but an ancient library of Thassilonian lore, 
  he knew he had finally found home.
   
  Mokmurian spent several years more studying the magic of 
  the library, organizing its holdings, and translating the ancient 
  texts. All the while, as he grew more powerful, the seething seed 
  of humiliation festered. His need to return to his tribe and show 
  them just how powerful he became entangled with a growing 
  sense of entitlement to all of Varisia. He had learned that most, 
  if not all, of the land’s mighty monuments had been built by his 
  enslaved ancestors, yet now, much of the land was infested with 
  humanity—insects who cared little for the land’s history and 
  who treated his ancestors’ stony triumphs as curiosities at best 
  or foundations for their cities at worst.
   
  In his studies, Mokmurian learned also of the runelords and 
  their mighty cities. Most of these cities were gone, sunk under 
  the seas or all but destroyed by the catastrophe that laid low 
  Thassilon so long ago. Yet rumors persisted that one of these 
  ancient cities had survived through the ages—Xin-Shalast, the 
  city of greed. Mokmurian grew obsessed with it. If he’d found 
  such power and secrets in this one remote Thassilonian ruin, how 
  much treasure and lore might await him in a lost city? Mokmurian 
  devoted the next ten years of his life to the search for Xin-Shalast, 
  and when he finally discovered the site of the ancient city, he was 
  not disappointed.
   
  Yet Xin-Shalast was not abandoned. Where once dwelt the 
  armies and artisans of Runelord Karzoug now lived monsters—
  cruel and bickering factions of lamias, flights of dragons, 
  degenerate tribes of skulking humanoids, pockets of immortal 
  devils bound to ancient ruins, and even bands of bitter cloud 
  giants. Relying on his now considerable wizardly power, 
  Mokmurian made the dangerous journey to the spires of Xin-
  Shalast, high on the face of the mountain called Mhar Massif. 
  Following upon fragments and legends he’d gleaned from his 
  studies, he made his way to Runelord Karzoug’s tomb. Hoping to 
  find the greatest treasures and magic of Xin-Shalast, Mokmurian 
  opened the ancient tomb, and in so doing, sealed his own fate.
   
  Karzoug was unable to fully awaken simply due to one ambitious 
  giant’s tinkering—the runelord’s release from hibernation 
  required much more elaborate and complex magical rituals. 
  Originally, these rituals were to be performed by Karzoug’s 
  surviving apprentices and minions, yet the fall of Thassilon left 
  none to undertake these tasks. In Mokmurian, Karzoug had his 
  first window to reality in 10,000 years, and the slumbering wizard 
  struck with fierce and desperate power. Mokmurian felt Karzoug 
  enter his mind and soul, and his fate from that point on was no 
  longer his own—his one driving goal became Karzoug’s revival.
   
  Now the runelord’s puppet, Mokmurian found himself in 
  command of even more power as the lamias of Xin-Shalast pledged 
  their loyalty to him. With this army, Mokmurian descended from 
  the city back onto the Storval Plateau and to the Vale of the Black 
  Tower. He and his lamias claimed the tunnels below as their lair, 
  fortifying the land above, and calling it Jorgenfist. Over the course 
  of several years, Mokmurian united the stone giants of the plateau 
  under his banner. His rallying call of taking back the lands of the 
  ancestors and claiming the stolen treasures of Thassilon found 
  fertile soil in the minds of these tribes’ young soldiers, and those 
  elders who opposed Mokmurian’s near-heretical call were too 
  slow and mired in tradition to react quickly enough to stem his 
  recruitment. Before they realized the scope of what he was doing, 
  their tribes had abandoned their traditions for the siren call of 
  glory and riches.
   
  Today, Mokmurian has gathered hundreds of giants to his 
  side in Jorgenfist—giants ready and eager to take back the 
  treasures of Thassilon for themselves, yet unknowingly little 
  more than components for Karzoug’s return. For all of these 
  new recruits have been branded with the Sihedron Rune, and 
  even if they fall in combat in the coming war, their souls will 
  be put to the runelord’s use.
  adventure summary
  The adventure begins with the party caught in the middle of 
  a hasty defense of the town of Sandpoint; the PCs must help 
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  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
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  0
  150
  feet
  Sandpoint
  N
  Northgate
  Tanner's 
  Bridge
  The 
  Mill 
  Pond
  Sandpoint 
  Cathedral
  Sandpoint 
  Theater
  The Hagfish
  Sandpoint 
  Mercantile 
  League
  Fatman's 
  Feedbag
  Two Knight 
  Brewery
  Scarnetti 
  Manor
  0
  150
  feet
  Sandpoint
  N
  Northgate
  Tanner's 
  Bridge
  The 
  Mill 
  Pond
  Sandpoint 
  Cathedral
  Sandpoint 
  Theater
  The Hagfish
  Sandpoint 
  Mercantile 
  League
  Fatman's 
  Feedbag
  Two Knight 
  Brewery
  Scarnetti 
  Manor
  The Old
  Light
  The Old
  Light
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  9
  turn aside a raid by a warband of stone giants. The PCs’ help 
  in Sandpoint’s defense determines how many of Sandpoint’s 
  citizens are kidnapped, how much of the city is razed, and what 
  their goals are for the rest of the adventure. 
   
  After the PCs repulse the giants, they learn that this was just a 
  scouting party. The full army is still marshalling in the mountains 
  of the Storval Plateau, where one encampment has become a 
  rallying point against humanity. It is to here, the fortress of 
  Jorgenfist, that the giants return with their captives. If the PCs 
  can strike at the commanders of this fortress of stone giants they 
  can save Varisia from invasion.
   
  The PCs must undertake an arduous journey into the wilderness 
  to reach Jorgenfist-controlled lands on the Storval Plateau. Once 
  there, they discover that the giants are readying the tribes for a 
  massive attack on the human-dominated lands to the south. Only 
  by defeating Mokmurian, the eldritch leader of these giants, can 
  they disrupt these plans.
   
  At the end, the PCs defeat Mokmurian and discover that he is 
  Karzoug’s agent. Worse, by killing as many greedy giants as the 
  PCs did in this adventure, they have unwittingly provided Karzoug 
  with the last batch of souls he needs to complete his awakening. 
  There is still time to stop him, as even a mighty runelord cannot 
  fully regain his powers immediately after sleeping for thousands 
  of years. Before Karzoug can rise again, the PCs must take steps 
  to defeat him and destroy his runewell, the source of the arcane 
  energies that have sustained him for millennia. 
   
  Fortunately, by defeating Mokmurian and gaining access to 
  the ancient Thassilonian library deep under the fortress, the 
  PCs also learn the only way to destroy Karzoug’s runewell: it must 
  be shattered from within by weapons etched and enhanced by 
  magic that opposes the arcane power of greed using something 
  called a runeforge.
   
  The PCs should be 10th level when they begin “Fortress of the 
  Stone Giants,” and they should gain enough experience to reach 
  11th level by the time they’re ready to delve into the dungeons 
  below the fortress.
  PaRt one:  
  stones oveR sandPoint
  As this adventure begins, rumors of increased giant activity in the 
  lowlands of Varisia are on everyone’s tongue. The stories speak of 
  remote villages attacked by hill giants mounted on trumpeting 
  elephants, of platoons of ogres raiding remote farms and eating 
  everyone, and of bands of stone giants pressing ever southward 
  through the Malgorian Mountains, Churlwood, and even down along 
  the Lost Coast. None of the larger towns along the Lampblack River 
  or Ember Lake have reported attacks from giants, but the growing 
  number of sightings at the fringes of civilization are enough to cause 
  Magnimar’s standing army to take notice. Patrols have increased 
  along the Lost Coast Road, the Dry Way, and the Lampblack Trail. 
  Signs of giants are there—immense footprints, houses crushed to 
  splinters, and second hand tales of sightings by hermits and hunters. 
  Yet so far, the giants have not engaged in a full-on attack.
   
  That changes soon enough.
   
  These giants have avoided large confrontations for a purpose—
  they’re on preliminary scouting missions in Varisia to gauge the 
  lay of the land, not to take prisoners and raze towns. In all, there 
  are less than a dozen scouting parties of giants active in western 
  Varisia, spread from the Chavali River to the north and along the 
  Malgorian Mountains to the east. Charged with determining the 
  basic defensive capacities of Varisia’s settlements as well as with 
  seeking out allies among the lowland ogres and goblinoids, the 
  scouting parties purposefully avoid encounters with patrols. 
  Perhaps the most successful patrols are those comprised 
  primarily of stone giants—their skill at hiding among rocky 
  terrain allows them to use the Malgorian Mountains and the 
  Fogscar Mountains as blinds to move deeply into Varisia without 
  being seen. Lord Mokmurian hopes to gather much intelligence 
  about the region before he marches his armies down from the 
  Storval Plateau and into Varisia, and he has expressly forbidden 
  most of the scouting parties from interacting in any major way 
  with the natives in hopes of minimizing chances that the people 
  of Varisia catch wind of what’s in store for them. Yet one scouting 
  party in particular is poised to break that silence.
   
  Sandpoint has a special place in Karzoug’s (and thus 
  Mokmurian’s) plans, for thousands of years ago, one of Karzoug’s 
  greatest spies was stationed there at a structure known as a 
  Hellfire Flume, where he served as a double agent in Runelord 
  Alaznist’s army. This spy was a man named Xaliasa, and in life 
  one of Karzoug’s closest confidants. Yet as Thassilon’s rule 
  waned, the pressure of Xaliasa’s mission drove him mad and, in 
  the end, this madness betrayed Karzoug. The runelord did not 
  divulge to Mokmurian details beyond hints that Xaliasa had 
  something to do with a place called “Runeforge.” Karzoug did 
  make clear that Mokmurian should reduce the site to nothing 
  more than dust and ashes.
   
  Yet first, Mokmurian needed to determine which of the 
  Hellfire Flume ruins was the right one. After much research, 
  Mokmurian narrowed the possibilities down to four different 
  sites along the Lost Coast. He ordered the leader of one of the 
  raiding parties, a giant named Teraktinus, to gather stones from 
  the hearts of these four ruins, one of which happens to be the 
  Old Light of Sandpoint. Once these four stones are secured, 
  Mokmurian hopes to have a stone giant eldar named Conna use 
  stone tell on them, and in so doing  determine which ruin marks 
  Xaliasa’s grave so that, when his army marches, he can take 
  special care in destroying this particular site for his master.
   
  Of course, Teraktinus doesn’t intend to simply rob Sandpoint 
  of one simple stone block—he’s already whipped his giants into 
  a frenzy of greed with promises of wealth awaiting plunder on 
  the morning.
  Return to sandpoint
  If the PCs have already returned to their hometown of Sandpoint 
  before this adventure begins, you can proceed immediately with 
  the raid on Sandpoint. It’s possible, though, that the PCs are 
  elsewhere when you’re ready to begin this adventure, especially 
  if they decided to become the caretakers of Fort Rannick at the 
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  conclusion of “The Hook Mountain Massacre.” In this case, you 
  should arrange to have them return to Sandpoint so they are in 
  town when Teraktinus comes calling. Listed below are two ways 
  you can lure the PCs back to town.
  •	 Shalelu	 Andosana,	 Sandpoint’s	 unofficial	 hinterlands	
  guardian, finds evidence of giant activity in the region. She 
  contacts her closest friend among the PCs, using a scroll of 
  animal messenger if necessary, and asks the group to return to 
  Sandpoint—she’s got a hunch that trouble of a much larger 
  variety than goblins is brewing.
  •	 If	you’ve	extended	the	timeline	of	your	campaign	and	a	year	
  has passed since “Burnt Offerings,” the PCs could be invited 
  back to town to take part in Sandpoint’s newest festival: 
  Goblin Day. A celebration of the defeat of the Thistletop 
  goblins, Goblin Day centers around a parade in which 
  children dressed as goblins march up Festival Street and 
  High Street to gather in the northern square out in front of 
  the cathedral. Mayor Deverin wants the PCs to attend so they 
  can regale Sandpoint with tales of their adventures over the 
  previous year.
  sandpoint today
  Before you begin “Fortress of the Stone Giants,” give the PCs some 
  time to visit Sandpoint if they’ve been away for a time. This is a 
  great moment to let the PCs feel like heroes—while the citizens 
  of Sandpoint have gone on with their lives, the PCs have broken 
  up cults of murderers, defeated a clan of deadly ogres, explored 
  Thassilonian ruins, and tangled with legendary monsters from the 
  deep. They’ve become legends to the folk of Sandpoint—but that 
  doesn’t mean that everyone in town is friendly to them. Feel free 
  to have old rivalries and feuds with locals like Ven Vinder or the 
  Scarnettis flare up during this visit.
  March of the Giants
  The stone giant Teraktinus and his allies spend their days hiding in 
  the plentiful tors and rock outcroppings that dot the Lost Coast, 
  moving further south each night. When the patrol finally nears 
  Sandpoint, though, Teraktinus prepares to raid the town. They 
  will launch their assault on Sandpoint at dawn, so the humans can 
  behold their fury and glory in perfect clarity.
   
  Mokmurian has remained in contact with Teraktinus via daily 
  sending spells, and when he learns that the giants have arrived 
  at Sandpoint, sends his red dragon ally Longtooth out to aid 
  Teraktinus. Longtooth reaches Teraktinus’s camp the night 
  before the raid on Sandpoint is scheduled to begin.
   
  On the morning of the raid, any PC who is out and about at sunrise 
  can make a DC 30 Spot check—success indicates that he spots several 
  humanoid silhouettes standing atop the nearest tors of Ravenroost, 
  lit by the rising sun. The size of these shapes should leave little doubt 
  to any PCs who spot them—the giants are here!
   
  Once the sun rises, the giants move quickly down from 
  Ravenroost and approach Sandpoint, using the woods and the 
  cliffs along the Turandarok River to mask their approach. If the 
  PCs don’t spot the giants on the tors, no one else in town does 
  either, and the raid begins as outlined below. If the PCs do notice 
  the giants, they have about ten minutes to prepare. Depending on 
  the nature of these preparations, they might be able to prevent 
  even more citizens of Sandpoint from being taken.
  the Raid Begins
  If the PCs are caught unprepared for the attack on Sandpoint, they 
  first notice the giants’ proximity when a thunderous crack of stone 
  against stone rings through the air—one of the more exuberant 
  giants throwing a boulder at Sandpoint’s north wall. As Sandpoint 
  wakes and discovers itself under attack, screams and cries of terror 
  mingle with the growing howls and roars of the attacking giants. 
  By the time anyone makes it to the cathedral and rings the bells in 
  warning, the raid is fully underway.
   
  The attacking warband consists of 12 stone giants, three dire 
  bears, Longtooth, and Teraktinus. If Teraktinus were a better 
  tactician, or if the giants worked together in this raid, they’d 
  likely be unstoppable. Fortunately for Sandpoint and the PCs, the 
  impulsive young giants split along tribal lines, falling into small 
  groups that assault the town with little attempt at coordinating 
  the timing of their efforts with one another. Since the giants 
  approach initially from the northeast, the first events of the raid 
  occur there, while additional attacks begin to appear further south 
  soon thereafter.
   
  Each of these incursions on Sandpoint are detailed on the 
  following pages. The first assault occurs at the northern wall—
  the giants there take several rounds to taunt and harass the guards 
  frantically trying to defend the wall. You can assume that when 
  the PCs arrive at that location, that’s Round 1 of the raid. Each 
  new development during the raid occurs at a set round some time 
  later.	If	the	PCs	are	fast	and	efficient,	they	should	be	able	to	keep	
  up with each new development and handle them as they occur. If 
  they end up getting distracted or take too long at one event, they 
  could find that two or three more have begun and might have to 
  pick and choose which threat to answer and which to allow to 
  run its course. Repercussions of any raid events the PCs don’t 
  respond to properly are summarized in the development section 
  for each event.
   
  During any of these battles, the PCs might wish to recruit the 
  aid of some of Sandpoint’s guards. Unfortunately, these brave 
  souls are ill-prepared to face foes as deadly as giants. A few of 
  Sandpoint’s locals actually have class levels—if the PCs have 
  befriended any of them (such as Sheriff Hemlock, Father Zantus, 
  Shalelu Andosana, or Ameiko Kaijitsu), they might come to the 
  PCs’ aid. Since there’s no way to really predict who these NPCs 
  might be in your campaign (or indeed, who’s even still alive), this 
  adventure assumes that the PCs receive no real aid from the town 
  of Sandpoint in the following encounters.
  Round 1: the northgate siege (el 11)
  Three giants dressed in thick pelts heft huge rocks pulled from 
  the ground. Periodically, one hurls a rock against Sandpoint’s 
  northern gate. The iron-reinforced oak timbers splinter and 
  crack as the stones hit it, but so far, the gate holds.
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  Creatures: Although Teraktinus warned these three young 
  giants to wait for Longtooth’s initial flight over Sandpoint to 
  launch their attack, the giants were too excited about the raid, 
  and once the youngest of the three saw a human moving around 
  on the wall, he tossed a rock. Although they’ve revealed their 
  presence now, the three giants wait until they see Longtooth’s 
  opening strafe of the town before they make any real attempt to 
  take the wall.
   
  When the PCs arrive, the giants are about 200 feet up the 
  road from the gate, calling out taunts and jeers in broken 
  Common to the terrified guards who cower behind the wall 
  and frantically move wagons into place to help barricade and 
  reinforce the gate.
  Stone Giants (3) 
  CR 8
  hp 119 each (MM 124)
  TacTics
  During Combat as soon as the Pcs bring any sort of significant force 
  against these three giants, their taunts end immediately and they 
  move forward to fight. 
  Morale as soon as one of the three giants is slain, the survivors panic 
  and flee back to their base camp in the Ravenroost tors.
   
  Development: This encounter is, in a way, intended to be a 
  distraction. Fighting the giants here does little to help the city 
  itself, since the giants, if left to their own devices, waste a lot 
  of time demolishing the gate and walls. By the time the raid is 
  over, they’ve only barely begun to raid the town and are forced to 
  retreat before taking any prisoners or doing much more damage 
  than destroying the wall itself. The PCs can break off combat 
  with this group or ignore them entirely without much impact on 
  the rest of town.
  Round 3: Chaos at tanner’s Bridge (el 12)
  The east side of the town is poorly arranged for defense, with no 
  city wall to speak of and only the languid flow of the Turandarok 
  River to slow attackers. The river itself is only 10 feet deep here, 
  shallow enough for stone giants and dire bears to wade through 
  just south of the northernmost bridge into town.
   
  Creatures: When the giants to the north start throwing 
  boulders, a pair of stone giants using the trees in the swamp 
  on the north side of the Mill Pond as cover emerge onto the 
  road at the east side of Tanner’s Bridge, assuming that they just 
  couldn’t see Longtooth’s initial flight over Sandpoint due to the 
  intervening rise of the rivers’ northern bank. Unless someone 
  opposes them, this group storms over Tanner’s Bridge, driving 
  their trained dire bears before them, and set to gathering 
  prisoners at once.
  Stone Giants (2) 
  CR 8
  hp 119 each (MM 124)
  Dire Bears (3) 
  CR 7
  hp 105 each (MM 63)
   
  Development: This group of giants and bears has orders 
  to rove down River Street and prevent anyone from escaping 
  town to the east. At the same time, they do what they can to rob 
  riverfront businesses and catch several locals as prisoners. Each 
  giant carries a large leather bag, in which he can carry up to three 
  human-sized prisoners slung over his back (in which case at least 
  one of the prisoners should be a named NPC like Das Korvut 
  or Larz Rovanky; see Pathfinder #1). Defeating the giants before 
  Round 25 prevents these prisoners from being taken and allows 
  bucket brigades to form and help contain the spread of fires.
  Round 8: dragonfire inferno (el 10)
  Creature: Longtooth doesn’t follow the giants on foot as they 
  approach Sandpoint; his greater speed in the air affords him the 
  luxury of waiting for the visual signal of the giants being in place 
  to swoop down to attack. His keen eyesight allows him to see the 
  premature assault on the northern gate, and he launches into the 
  air at once—it takes him 8 rounds to reach Sandpoint.
   
  Once he arrives in town, Longtooth gleefully swoops 
  and flaps over Sandpoint. This is his first real attack on a 
  human settlement, and he spends as much time roaring and 
  periodically landing on the roofs of sturdy buildings to glower 
  and menace as he does actually breathing fire or gulping up 
  fleeing citizens. On Round 8 of the raid, he swoops in from 
  the north and breathes fire on the Sandpoint Garrison—the 
  building is mostly stone, so it weathers the attack better than 
  Longtooth’s targets in the succeeding rounds.
   
  The dragon wheels and circles, swooping in to breathe fire on 
  a new building once every 4 rounds. The list of his targets during 
  the rest of the raid are as follows:
   
  Round 12—Sandpoint Cathedral: While the northern 
  wings of the cathedral catch fire quickly, the southern section 
  is relatively fireproof. Longtooth alights on the roof of the 
  cathedral for 2 rounds to roar and mock the town before taking 
  to the air again.
   
  Round 16—Sandpoint Theater: The bright colors of this 
  building prove too tempting a target; once Longtooth breathes 
  on it, the building catches fire quickly. Cyrdak Drokkus uses 
  his bardic music to aid attempts to quell the fire, but without 
  assistance, the theater is doomed.
   
  Round 20—The Hagfish: Longtooth lands on the beach 
  just west of the Hagfish and lights both it and the nearby docks 
  (and a ship, the Wistful Widow) on fire, then spends the next 
  three rounds catching and eating people trying to escape from 
  the burning buildings.
   
  Round 24—Salmon Street: Longtooth strafes southern 
  Sandpoint, setting fire to the Sandpoint Mercantile League, Fatman’s 
  Feedbag, and all of the buildings surrounding Shark Alley.
   
  Once a wooden building is on fire, chances of it burning to 
  the ground are strong. The citizens of Sandpoint can organize 
  bucket brigades that can contain the fire, but they can do little 
  to save the buildings the dragon targets directly with his breath 
  weapon. Saving a building from burning down requires PC 
  intervention in the form of magic. Quench	is	the	most	efficient	
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  way of stopping a fire. Gust of wind can extinguish a fire if 
  applied within a round of the dragon’s initial breath weapon 
  attack. Pyrotechnics can convert a fire to harmless smoke and 
  light if cast on a burning building within 4 rounds of the fire 
  starting—each 4 rounds (or fraction thereof) the fire continues 
  to burn requires an additional pyrotechnics spell. Cone of cold or 
  sleet storm can extinguish any fire, provided the spell’s area of 
  effect can encompass the entire building. Additional spells and 
  effects might work, subject to GM approval.
   
  Of course, the best way to prevent Longtooth from lighting 
  these devastating fires is to kill him or drive him off. His flight 
  gives him superior mobility, but at several points during the raid 
  he lands on the ground to eat a few victims—these are excellent 
  times for PCs who lack the ability to fly to attack the dragon. 
  Longtooth is proud and arrogant, and if a PC can taunt him 
  effectively (with a successful Intimidate check or a DC 30 Bluff 
  check) or attract his attention with an attack that deals more 
  than 20 points of damage with a single shot, he swoops down to 
  breathe fire on the PC and then fight in melee.
  Longtooth 
  CR 10
  Male juvenile red dragon
  cE Large dragon (fire)
  Init +4; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., keen senses, low-
  light vision; Listen +21, spot +21
  DEfEnsE
  AC 28, touch 9, flat-footed 28
  (+4 armor, +15 natural, –1 size)
  hp 168 (16d12+64)
  Fort +14, Ref +10, Will +12
  Immune fire, paralysis, sleep
  Weakness vulnerable to cold
  OffEnsE
  Spd 40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)
  Melee bite +26 (2d6+10) and
  2 claws +24 (1d8+5) and
  2 wings +23 (1d6+5) and
  tail slap +23 (1d8+14)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with bite)
  Special Attacks breath weapon (40 ft. cone, 8d10 fire damage, Reflex 
  Dc 22 half)
  Spell-Like Abilities (cL 4th)
  4/day—locate object
  Spells Known (cL 3rd)
  1st (6/day)—mage armor, ray of enfeeblement, true strike
  0 (6/day)—arcane mark, detect magic, flare (Dc 12), mage hand, 
  open/close
  TacTics
  Before Combat Longtooth casts mage armor before the raid begins.
  During Combat Though Longtooth has not yet acquired the frightful 
  presence aura of a grown dragon, he’s still plenty terrifying for any 
  commoner or non-heroic citizen of the city. if forced into melee, 
  Longtooth is fond of using true strike followed by a full Power attack 
  to maximize damage against a single foe. He uses ray of enfeeblement 
  against foes who seem able to hit him particularly hard.
  Morale Longtooth abandons the raid and flees back to Jorgenfist to lick 
  his wounds in area A5 if reduced to less than 50 hit points.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 29, Dex 10, Con 19, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 14
  Base Atk +16; Grp +29
  Feats Hover, improved initiative, Multiattack, Power attack, Weapon 
  focus (bite), Weapon focus (claw)
  Skills appraise +21, Bluff +21, concentration +21, intimidate +23, 
  Jump +32, Listen +21, search +21, spot +21
  Languages common, Draconic, Giant
  Other Gear amulet of mighty fists +1
   
  Treasure: Longtooth carries some of his treasure with him at 
  all times; he finds it reassuring to feel wealth against his scales. 
  This includes a gold-and-amber ring worth 500 gp, his obsidian +1 
  amulet of mighty fists, and an enormous silver armband worth 2,500 
  gp. The rest of his treasure is kept safe in his high mountain cave 
  (area A5), near the Jorgenfist fortress.
   
  Development: If the party kills or drives away Longtooth, 
  Sandpoint avoids a serious fire that burns half the town, which 
  would leave much of the population without shelter and its dock 
  district in ruins. Instead, the city suffers only a few burnt-out 
  houses, all quickly extinguished by quick-acting citizens and 
  bucket brigades from the river and harbor.
  Round 9: Mill pond (el 12)
  Three giants with huge tree-trunk clubs reach through second-
  story windows and pull citizens out of their homes, knocking 
  some over the head and shackling others together with leg 
  irons. “More prisoners!” they yell. “Bring us your fat, greedy 
  merchants, and we will spare your miserable lives! Fail, and you’ll 
  burn in dragon fire!” 
   
  Creatures: Teraktinus himself (along with his two favorite 
  stone giant henchmen) approaches Sandpoint from the east, 
  emerging from the woods to take up a position just at the southern 
  end of the Mill Pond on the eastern bank of the river. Teraktinus 
  had his two allies haul armloads of throwing stones down from 
  the tors, and as they deposit the deadly missiles on the ground, 
  Teraktinus bellows out his challenge, then he and his two allies 
  begin bombarding Sandpoint with their boulders.
  Teraktinus 
  CR 10
  Male stone giant ranger 2
  cE Large giant (earth)
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Listen +9, spot +8
  DEfEnsE
  AC 29, touch 12, flat-footed 27
  (+6 armor, +1 deflection, +2 Dexterity, +11 natural, –1 size)
  hp 168 (16d8+96)
  Fort +18, Ref +9, Will +6
  OffEnsE
  Spd 40 ft.
  Melee +1 dwarf bane heavy pick +21/+16/+11 
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  (1d8+11/19–20/×4) and
  +1 pick +21 (1d6+6/19–20/×4)
  Ranged rock +13/+8/+3 (2d8+15)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Special Attacks favored enemy 
  (dwarf +2)
  TacTics
  During Combat Teraktinus leaves the 
  bombardment of sandpoint to his 
  allies, and wastes no time in carrying 
  out his own mission. He makes his way 
  through sandpoint toward the Old 
  Light—if no one stands in his way, 
  he reaches the ruins on round 20, 
  spends five rounds digging through 
  the ruins for a good-sized stone for 
  Mokmurian, then sounds the call 
  for retreat with his war horn. if 
  anyone gets in his way, he proves 
  quite creative at finding things to 
  throw at his enemies—chimneys, 
  pieces of buildings, and wagons work 
  as well as thrown rocks in a pinch. in any event, foes 
  brave enough to stand in his way insult him enough that he abandons 
  his mission long enough to try to kill them. if faced with particularly 
  powerful foes, he uses his war horn to summon aid (Longtooth if the 
  dragon’s still available; or the closest group of giants otherwise).  
  Morale Teraktinus fights to the death.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 30, Dex 14, Con 23, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 14
  Base Atk +12; Grp +26
  Feats improved critical (heavy pick, light pick), Power attack, 
  Quick Draw, Track, Two-Weapon fighting, Weapon focus (heavy 
  pick, light pick)
  Skills Hide –2 (+6 in rocky terrain), Listen +9, spot +8, survival +12
  Languages common, Dwarven, Giant
  SQ rock catching, wild empathy +4
  Gear +2 hide shirt, +1 dwarf bane heavy pick, +1 light pick, ring of 
  protection +1, war horn 
  Stone Giants (2) 
  CR 8
  hp 119 each (MM 124)
   
  Development: The stony bombardment damages several 
  buildings—each round the bombardment continues, 1d3 citizens 
  are slain from collateral damage. Each of the giants can make off 
  with up to three human-sized prisoners in their bags if they are 
  able to raid the town unopposed.
  Round 12: Beer or death (el 10)
  Two giants shout threats at Two Knight Brewery, their voices 
  booming and insistent. “If you don’t give us all the beer, we’ll 
  smash you flat!” shouts one of them. Another throws a stone at 
  the building. “Beer or death! Your choice!”
   
  Creatures: These two stone giants are late to the raid after they 
  stopped to chase a farmer heading into town. When they 
  arrive, they approach from the southern Lost Coast 
  Road. Seeing the raid in full swing, they barrel 
  across the bridge but are immediately distracted 
  again—this time by the delicious smell of beer 
  wafting out of Two Knight Brewery.
   
  Their voices, booming and insistent, carry 
  well over the chaos of the raid. As one shouts,  the other 
  rips up from the ground the “Welcome to Sandpoint” 
  sign and hurls it at the brewery.
  Stone Giants (2) 
  CR 8
  hp 119 each (MM 124)
  Development: These giants 
  waste all their time at the brewery, 
  and if the PCs ignore them, the 
  building is destroyed. On round 
  25, the giants catch Gaven 
  Deverin and, recognizing his 
  holy symbol of Abadar as one of 
  the signs they’ve been told to look for when 
  harvesting greedy prisoners, gleefully stuff him into a barrel and flee 
  back to Jorgenfist.
  Round 16: looting scarnetti Manor (el 11)
  On this round and each succeeding round, have all of the PCs who 
  are outside and have a view of Schooner Gulch Bluff make DC 25 
  Spot checks. With a success, a character notices smoke rising 
  from what can only be Scarnetti Manor.
   
  Creatures: Three stone giants have swung wide so as to 
  approach Sandpoint from the south—the approach resulted in 
  their late arrival, but should allow them relative freedom in 
  looting the manor houses and capturing nobles. Two of the giants 
  pull a large wagon between them that they intend on filling with 
  prisoners and loot, and while they actually arrive at Scarnetti 
  Manor on Round 10 of the raid, the smoke rising from a tipped-
  over wood stove that starts a fire doesn’t alert characters in town 
  to the attack until Round 16, at the earliest.
  Stone Giants (3) 
  CR 8
  hp 119 each (MM 124)
   
  Treasure: These giants have already loaded a lot of treasure 
  into their wagon, including four woven silk tapestries worth 
  1,200 gp each; three chests of silver- and gold-inlaid tableware 
  worth 1,000 gp in all; barrels of wine, brandy, and olive oil 
  worth a total of 1,400 gp; and a teakwood desk inlaid with silver 
  and gold worth 600 gp. Unfortunately, all of this belongs to 
  the Scarnetti family. Even if the Scarnettis have become the 
  PCs’ enemies, they’ll gratefully reward the PCs if the party can 
  prevent these giants from kidnapping the entire family, paying 
  a reward of 1,000 gp.
  Teraktinus
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  If the PCs bother to search the teakwood desk and make a DC 
  30 Search check, they find a hidden compartment that contains 
  several letters addressed to Titus Scarnetti from local crime 
  lord Jubrayl Vhiski that reveal not only the fact that Titus hired 
  Jubrayl to burn down several grain mills in the region (therefore 
  ensuring that Scarnetti’s own mill in town would gain more 
  business), but that Jubrayl has reversed the attack and is now 
  blackmailing the Scarnetti family for regular payments, lest he 
  reveal to Sheriff Hemlock that Scarnetti paid one of his boys 
  to light those fires. If the PCs present this evidence to Sheriff 
  Hemlock and Mayor Deverin, the Scarnetti family is all but 
  ruined and the grateful town of Sandpoint scrapes up a reward 
  of 2,000 gp for the PCs for the resolution to the troubling arsons. 
  Alternatively, the Scarnettis themselves would pay up to 3,000 
  gp to the PCs to keep them quiet if the PCs come to them first 
  with this evidence.
   
  Development: If the party defeats the warband raiding 
  the nobles’ homes, they save the Scarnetti family from  
  being carried off and stop the looting of the manor house. Such an 
  event might be the only thing to patch up any long-standing feuds 
  the PCs might have with the surly and cantankerous nobles.
  Round 25: Retreat!
  From the giants’ point of view, the raid is a success if they manage 
  to continue for 25 rounds. At this point, Teraktinus blows his 
  horn to signal the retreat. The surviving giants flee back into 
  the tors and, over the next several days, make their way back to 
  Jorgenfist with their prisoners and treasure. The PCs might be 
  able to track them down and defeat them before the giants can 
  return, of course.
   
  The raid fails if the giants are all slain or if their morale is 
  shaken enough that they rout. Not every giant needs to be slain 
  to force a rout. In fact, as soon as any two of the following three 
  conditions are met, the remaining giants drop everything and 
  flee back into the tors, abandoning the raid entirely.
  •		 Teraktinus	is	slain.
  •		 Longtooth	is	slain	or	forced	to	flee	back	to	Jorgenfist.
  •		 At	least	eight	giants	and	dire	bears	(in	any	combination)	
  are slain.
  the prisoner
  Once the raid is over, the question on everyone’s mind is, 
  “Why did the giants attack Sandpoint?” Answers can come 
  most easily from a captured giant—perhaps one reduced to 
  negative hit points who stabilized before bleeding to death, 
  or maybe one the PCs charmed, incapacitated, or otherwise 
  defeated without killing. A lone, captured stone giant with only 
  a few hit points left quickly loses much of his stoic pride—the 
  shame at having been defeated by humans coupled with the 
  pain of his wounds makes him quick to talk. Prisoners remain 
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  belligerent and insulting unless their attitudes are compelled 
  into a friendlier nature.
   
  If the PCs capture one or more stone giants, they might learn 
  some information from their prisoners. Intimidate won’t work 
  here, as the stone giants’ natural arrogance makes them believe 
  that all smaller creatures are to be pitied and despised (see “Born 
  of Stone” on page 52). A clever story and a DC 25 Bluff check gets 
  a giant to say more than it intended, and a DC 30 Diplomacy 
  check wins over a giant completely. If a giant can’t be convinced 
  to talk, read the following text.
  The injured giant squints, frowns, and then chuckles to itself. 
  “Defeated by nosy little humans,” it says. “never thought this 
  would happen to the Plateau People. Well, i won’t tell you 
  everything, but i will tell you this: My lord is mighty Mokmurian, 
  one of the dark giants of old come again. His magic, the things he 
  has made… He has convinced the tribes that they will rule all the 
  lowlands again, down to the sea. He has mastered the ancient arts. 
   
  “He will certainly kill you all, run rough over your tiny homes 
  with the army he has called. The fortunate few will become his 
  slaves. You beat us today, but you won’t beat us when there are a 
  hundred or a thousand of the true people marching together. Lord 
  Mokmurian will make it happen. He’s almost as smooth a talker as 
  you are, little one.” He scratches his nose. “Teraktinus—he was 
  the leader of our scouting party. He convinced us that you’d be 
  easy pickings and we’d all get rich. He obviously underestimated 
  you, and he paid for his mistake. i’ve no interest in paying for that 
  mistake as well—grant me safe passage out of your lands, and i’ll 
  tell you everything you wish to know.”
   
  The PCs doubtless have plenty of questions for the prisoner—
  likely questions (and the prisoner’s answers) are given below.
   
  Who is Mokmurian? “I already told you—he’s our lord and 
  leader. He promised us glory and riches, and although our raid on 
  your town didn’t go so well, that’s because Teraktinus was a fool. 
  When Lord Mokmurian marches down from the Storval Plateau, 
  he will take from you everything.”
   
  What is Mokmurian? “I have only heard him speak from afar, 
  and  have only heard from others of the power of his magic. He 
  is the rarest of us all, a child of the stones who has mastered the 
  magic of the Ancient Lords. They say he can turn the living into 
  immobile stone and can turn his own flesh into granite armor. 
  I’ve even heard he can cause the very stones of the world to reject 
  those who stand upon them and cast them into the sky. And I’m 
  sure he can do much more than that.”
   
  Who are these Ancient Lords? “They are gone now, but our 
  elders tell us they once ruled over our ancestors, enslaved them, 
  forced them to build the monuments that grace Varisia even today. 
  Many of my brothers believe that Mokmurian is one of these 
  Ancient Lords risen from the past to rebuild his empire.”
   
  How many giants does Mokmurian command? “He has at 
  least seven tribes of my brothers under his command, with each 
  tribe numbering in the dozens. The number of lesser kin he’s 
  conscripted—ogres, hill giants, ettins, trolls—is not insignificant 
  either. He also enjoys the support of several lamias—degenerate 
  followers of the Mother of Monsters, those!”
   
  When is he going to attack Varisia? “I am not sure. He sent 
  several scouting parties, of which my band was but one, into 
  the lowlands to gather intelligence. He does this to prepare 
  for his coming attack. His fury will come soon. Perhaps even 
  by month’s end.”
   
  Where is he based? “Mokmurian has claimed a place taboo 
  to my people: the Valley of the Black Tower in the Iron Peaks. 
  He calls his fortress Jorgenfist, after the name of the fortress 
  that guards the entrance to the afterlife. Our elders found the 
  name blasphemous, but Mokmurian is powerful enough not to 
  fear blasphemy.”
   
  Where is Jorgenfist? “Jorgenfist lies within the Valley of 
  the Black Tower in the center of the Iron Peaks. It overlooks the 
  waters of the Muschkal River, but can also be approached by 
  heading due east from the Storval Stairs.”
   
  Why was your leader trying to steal a piece of the Old 
  Light? “I can’t say. He mentioned having a special mission 
  from Lord Mokmurian, but didn’t tell me what it was. Didn’t 
  tell any of us. My people’s elders have ways of prying secrets 
  from the stones—perhaps that stone knew something that Lord 
  Mokmurian needed to learn?”
  alternate intelligence
  The PCs can learn much of what they need to know about 
  Mokmurian, his army, and the location of his fortress from a 
  captured stone giant. If they didn’t manage to take any of the 
  raiders prisoner, though, they’ll need to discover much of that 
  information in another way. Spells like commune, divination, and 
  contact other plane can certainly aid in this regard—skew your 
  answers to these spells so you can provide bits and pieces of the 
  information given above out to the PCs. Alternatively, if any of 
  Teraktinus’s giants escaped, they could return to Sandpoint to 
  try a second raid, or maybe even hole up on Devil’s Platter or in 
  Mosswood and begin making regular raids into the farmlands. 
  The PCs might then be called upon to defeat these giants, and 
  one of them might well fall to his knees and beg for his life 
  in trade for telling the PCs what he knows about Mokmurian  
  and his plans.
  PaRt two:  
  JouRney to JoRgenfist
  The stone giant fortress of Jorgenfist is located in the middle 
  of the Iron Peaks, almost in the center of the entire region 
  that encompasses Varisia and the Storval Plateau. By now, the 
  PCs might have access to some exotic methods of travel—let 
  them plan their journey to Jorgenfist however they wish. This 
  adventure assumes they make the journey on foot (or perhaps 
  on horseback) from Sandpoint, up the Lost Coast Road, over to 
  Ember Lake, then up to Galduria, Wolf’s Ear, Ravenmoor, and 
  finally the Storval Stairs. Once they reach the top of the stairs, 
  they can head directly east into the Iron Peaks and the Valley of 
  the Black Tower. Up through Ravenmoor, this journey travels 
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  along roads and tracks and trails, but beyond Ravenmoor it’s 
  open country. The journey is about 320 miles long—230 along 
  roads, 60 along open grasslands, and 30 through broken hills 
  and low mountains. At a speed of 30 feet, the journey takes just 
  over 15 days.
   
  During the journey, consult Pathfinder #3’s gazetteer of Varisia 
  for notes on the regions the PCs travel through and for a large list 
  of wandering monsters you can use to liven up the journey. The 
  rest of this part gives several optional encounters you can run as 
  you see fit—each of these encounters is presented in rough detail 
  only, so you can customize details and maps to your campaign.
  signs of Giants
  As the PCs head toward the Storval Plateau, mention things 
  that foreshadow the giants they’ll be fighting soon. The 
  scouting parties that have plagued the Varisian lowlands over 
  the past several weeks have left their mark everywhere—some 
  examples follow.
  •		 The	PCs	come	across	an	enormous	campsite.	At	the	center,	
  a campfire made of tree trunks in a ring of boulders sits, 
  the mostly eaten carcass of a roasted 14-foot-long aurochs 
  in the ashes.
  •		 Although	the	scouting	parties	avoided	direct	confrontations	
  with settlements, they did attack many caravans and lone 
  hunters they encountered along the road. These battle sites 
  should bespeak a terrible fury, littered with shattered stones 
  and pulped bodies left for the scavengers after every bit of 
  valuable loot had been stripped away.
  •		 Stopping	in	any	town	along	the	way,	the	PCs	can	hear	all	
  manner of horror stories. Every third person seems to have 
  either sighted a giant in the last few days or knows someone 
  who has, and of these, at least half can tell stories of a 
  friend or acquaintance who’s gone missing. In almost every 
  case, the missing folks are merchants, soldiers, hunters, or 
  travelers, and fears are they’ve been caught and killed by 
  the giants.
  •		 Although	 the	 giants	 are	 strong,	 there	 are	 monsters	 like	
  wyverns, manticores, and flame drakes that can cause even 
  these enormous creatures problems. The PCs could come 
  across a cairn of stones under which the body of a slain 
  stone giant has been laid to rest.
  ogre Cattle Rustlers (el 11)
  Although most of the scouting parties are well on their way back 
  to Jorgenfist by the time the PCs begin their own journey, a few 
  deserters have struck out into the lowlands to make their own 
  fortunes. One such group of deserters is a band of four ogre 
  barbarians who snuck away from their scouting party a month 
  ago. They spent a few weeks hiding out, and now that they’re sure 
  the giants have returned to Jorgenfist, they have emerged from 
  hiding to begin raiding on small outlying farms. The PCs could 
  hear about these ogre cattle rustlers while passing through a town 
  like Galduria, or perhaps they have the good fortune of stumbling 
  across the latest ranch to attract the ogres’ attention, and the 
  PCs see them grabbing up livestock for supper. They could even 
  encounter the four ogres after such a raid, in which case a DC 15 
  Listen check is enough for the party to notice the sound of the 
  approaching ogres and their panicked, mooing catch. Once the 
  ogres notice the PCs, they put down their captured cows and 
  loot, take up their weapons, and attack.
  Ogre Cattle Rustlers (4) 
   
  CR 7 
  Male ogre barbarian 4
  hp 79 each (MM 199)
  TacTics
  During Combat The ogre scouts wade into battle without much 
  care for anything except getting to melee as quickly as they 
  can. Once in the thick of it, they rage and go all out to destroy 
  one opponent at a time; they gang up on the same foe, using 
  flanking bonuses and not splitting attacks unless they must for 
  space reasons.
  Morale if two ogres are defeated, the others panic and flee in different 
  directions into the wilderness, eventually heading back to Jorgenfist 
  to rejoin Mokmurian’s armies. canny Pcs can follow an ogre fleeing 
  in this manner right into the Valley of the Black Tower.
   
  Treasure: The ogres have accumulated a few bits of treasure 
  from their raid apart from the cattle: a chest filled with 6,000 sp 
  and three barrels of fine brandy worth 400 gp each (each weighs 
  300 pounds).
   
  Development: If any of the scouts escape to Jorgenfist, their 
  reports of the PCs eventually reach Mokmurian’s ears, and the 
  keen-witted giant realizes that heroes are probably coming for 
  him. For two weeks after this encounter (starting 1d6 days after 
  the ogres flee), all of the Iron Peak patrols and guards at Jorgenfist 
  are both forewarned and exceptionally diligent, gaining a +4 
  circumstance bonus on Spot checks made to notice intruders.
  the storval stairs (el 12)
  The Storval Rise is one of the most unique and infamous landmarks 
  in Varisia; the change in terrain from the fertile lowlands to the 
  rugged stony scrublands of the plateau above marks the lands 
  of giants with an unmistakable boundary. The rise itself often 
  reaches dizzying heights of 1,000 feet or more, but at the location 
  known as the Storval Stairs, the cliffs are only 400 feet high, and 
  feature an ancient Thassilonian monument once used by armies 
  of enslaved giants for easy foot travel between the lowlands and 
  the plateau.
   
  The Storval Stairs (pictured on page 12 of the Rise of the 
  Runelords Player’s Guide) rise in two-foot steps, and are flanked on 
  either side by immense statues of Runelord Karzoug (although 
  the southern statue has finally begun to crumble and erode) and 
  walls of ancient towers, buildings, and dwellings. Until recently, 
  harpies and trolls dwelt in the area, but Mokmurian intends to 
  use the stairs as a convenient invasion point, marching his army 
  down into Varisia when he is ready. To prepare for this time, he 
  sent one tribe of stone giants here to “clean it out.” The place 
  is now all but abandoned, with four stone giants remaining as 
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  sentinels to keep the harpies, trolls, and other undesirables from 
  returning and complicating Mokmurian’s plans for the stairs.
   
  Walking up the stairs takes 2 squares of movement per square 
  for Medium or smaller creatures.
   
  Creatures: The four stone giants who stand guard here have 
  moved into one of the buildings at the top of the stairs. One of 
  the four watches from a post atop the shoulder of the northern 
  statue of Karzoug at all times—if he spots anyone approaching 
  the stairs, he alerts his kin by throwing a boulder onto the roof 
  of their building. All four giants then arrange themselves at 
  the top of the stairs, where large piles of throwing boulders 
  have been stacked.
   
  If the PCs attempt to climb the stairs, the giants abandon rock 
  throwing in favor of a controlled landslide—they can kick and 
  push and drop boulders down the stairs at an alarming rate. Any 
  characters climbing the stairs must make a DC 15 Reflex save each 
  round or take 3d6 points of damage from the tumbling stones.
  Stone Giants (4) 
  CR 8
  hp 119 each (MM 124)
  TacTics
  During Combat all four giants abandon their landslide attack as 
  soon as any Pc manages to engage them in melee. The giants do 
  their best to prevent any Pc from fleeing into the plateau itself.
  Morale although brave and loyal, if three giants are slain, the fourth tries 
  to escape back to Jorgenfist to report to Mokmurian—repercussions 
  are the same in this event as for the Development section for the 
  Ogre cattle Rustlers, above.
   
  Treasure: The giants have gathered a fairly respectable stash 
  of treasure for themselves, mostly taken from the harpies and 
  trolls they defeated over the past month. They keep this treasure 
  in a mound in the back of their temporary home, and one giant is 
  always on guard there except when they’re defending the stairs. 
  The treasure consists of 3,306 sp, a carved mammoth bone 
  statuette of a much smaller mammoth worth 700 gp, an eye patch 
  with mock eye of black star sapphire and moonstone worth 900 
  gp, a mithral anklet worth 1,000 gp, and a jeweled gold crown 
  worth 4,000 gp. 
   
  A DC 25 bardic knowledge or Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 
  check reveals that the crown is in fact the Lost Crown of the 
  Pallgreves clan, one of the oldest noble families of Janderhoff. 
  The dwarves would gladly pay 10,000 gp for its return.
  iron peak patrols (el 11)
  Once the PCs enter the Iron Peaks, the chances of encountering 
  hunting parties of stone giants increase dramatically—these 
  giants are charged with catching game to feed Mokmurian’s 
  growing army. A hunting party consists of two stone giants 
  and three trained dire bears used to track prey. It’s unusual 
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  to encounter groups of humanoids in the Iron Peaks, and the 
  giants aren’t stupid—they quickly come to the conclusion that 
  the PCs are “heroes” come to confront Mokmurian and his army, 
  especially when the PCs don’t immediately die in the first round 
  of combat. The giants order the bears to fight the PCs and then 
  try to flee back to Jorgenfist to alert Mokmurian on the second 
  round of combat when this becomes clear.
  Stone Giants (2) 
  CR 8
  hp 119 each (MM 124)
  Dire Bears (3) 
  CR 7
  hp 105 each (MM 63)
  PaRt thRee: into the valley 
  of the Black toweR
  Known for ages as the Valley of the Black Tower, so named for 
  the ominous spiked edifice that stood as a lone sentinel over the 
  valley’s riverside boundary, this region has long been viewed as 
  taboo by the stone giant tribes that dwell in and around the Iron 
  Peaks. Their tales speak of how the magic of the Ancient Lords still 
  functions within the Black Tower, and how one of their minions 
  still “lives” beyond death inside. Mokmurian was not deterred 
  by these rumors, and he came to the valley not long after he was 
  exiled. Here he discovered that the stories were true—an ancient 
  mummy from Thassilon dwelt below the Black Tower, and had even 
  become the patron of a small flock of particularly devout harpies. 
  Mokmurian used his magic to impress the harpies and his silver 
  tongue to forge a tenuous alliance with them, enough that they 
  allowed him to explore the caves below the tower’s foundation. 
  Therein, Mokmurian discovered an ancient library, and its stores 
  of knowledge set him along the path to Xin-Shalast.
   
  When the giant wizard returned from his journey, now bound 
  to Runelord Karzoug, the harpies and their undead master could 
  sense the presence of the Thassilonian ruler within him and their 
  tenuous alliance became more solid. They even helped Mokmurian 
  build a fortress around the cave entrance and incorporated the 
  Black Tower into the surrounding wall. Mokmurian’s army came 
  to populate the fortress soon thereafter—he houses his favored 
  troops in the buildings within its walls and has directed other 
  tribes to set up camps in the valley beyond as they arrive.
   
  The Valley of the Black Tower is relatively small and Jorgenfist 
  dominates the view within. A map of the valley itself is presented 
  on page 20—when the PCs first arrive, read or paraphrase the 
  following as they take in the view for the first time.
  The mountains give way here to a wide valley perched on the upper 
  edge of a cliff overlooking the Muschkal River. at the western edge of 
  the valley entrance a lone watchtower stands upon a low hill, but this 
  structure is overshadowed by the larger one that looms in the valley 
  proper. Here stands a ring-shaped stone wall, fifty feet in height and 
  surrounding several buildings, the most impressive of which is a looming 
  black tower with blade-like crenellations that overlooks the river gorge. 
  Within the ring, a one-hundred-fifty-foot-tall stone spire rises, surrounded 
  by three low buildings. apart from the black tower, five smaller towers 
  are built into the fortress wall—one of these towers is wider than the 
  others and seems to be the only gateway into the courtyard within. 
   
  Yet the fortress is not the only sign of life here, for surrounding it are 
  seven large camps of towering tents, yurts, and stone shelters. smoke rises 
  from campfires and the sound of grating laughter and the clash of weapon 
  training fills the air, competing with the periodic trumpeting of large and 
  angry-sounding animals from somewhere within the fortress itself.
   
  Stone giants are not normally warlike, mostly due to the 
  calming and stable influence of the wise and patient elders who 
  traditionally shape their societies. The giants Mokmurian has 
  called to his side, however, are young and impetuous warriors. 
  In many cases, he gained their favor through force by publicly 
  challenging elders to open duels and then, one by one, striking 
  them down with his potent magic. In other cases, displays and 
  promises of wealth (Karzoug made sure Mokmurian was loaded 
  up with plenty of treasure from Xin-Shalast before sending 
  him back to the Storval Plateau to build an army) were all 
  that was needed to lure the younger generation away from 
  tradition. Today, the seven tribes encamped around Jorgenfist 
  follow Mokmurian’s commands. Deprived of the stabilizing 
  influence of their elders, and with little but fear and awe to 
  lead them, these giants have grown cruel and violent. Only one 
  elder remains in the region: Conna the Wise, once Mokmurian’s 
  tribal mother and, ironically, the only elder who didn’t support 
  the call to exile him once his lack of true sorcerous skill was 
  found out. Forced into servitude after Mokmurian slew her 
  husband, Conna rarely leaves Jorgenfist these days. She quietly 
  hopes for someone to rise up against Mokmurian so she can try 
  to return her wayward children to their traditional ways and 
  keep them from what she believes is a suicidal and reckless plan 
  to wage war upon Varisia.
   
  Mokmurian has other methods to control his tribe, though. 
  He has branded each member with the Sihedron Rune. Although 
  the giants believe this to be Mokmurian’s personal rune and wear 
  it proudly to display their allegiance to him, in fact, the rune 
  completes the ritual of binding—when any of these stone giants 
  dies, any elements of greed in his soul are siphoned directly 
  into Karzoug’s runewell high in Xin-Shalast. Mokmurian also 
  counts among his allies numerous other powerful creatures, 
  including Longtooth, the red dragon; several lamias (of which 
  only two priests of Lamashtu remain in the region); troll thugs; 
  and the ancient horrors whose servitude he has mastered 
  through research in the library deep under the Valley of the 
  Black Tower. His most compelling method, though, is via an 
  ancient magic item he discovered in the library—the Runeslave 
  Cauldron. With this ancient Thassilonian artifact, once used to 
  punish workers and ensure loyalty, Mokmurian has a powerful 
  tool to handle any giant he discovers harboring doubts about 
  the coming war. The cauldron unmakes giants placed inside it, 
  then returns them to life as creatures called runeslaves—near-
  mindless minions to the ancient magic of Thassilon, and a very 
  effective deterrent to other giants who might harbor thoughts 
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  Minderhal’s
  Anvil
  Wyvern
                      Mountains
  Malgorian
  Mountains
  T
  h
  e
   Iro
  n
   
  Pe
  aks
  C
  urcha
  i
  n
   
  H
  ills
  C
  h
  a
  v
  a
  l
  i 
  Ri
  v
  e
  r
  T
  h
  e
   
  S
  t
  o
  rval 
  D
  e
  e
  p
  L
  a
  k
  e
   
  S
  yr
  a
  ntul
  a
  120 miles
  N
  Jorgenfist
  Jorgenfist
  of rebellion against their new and cruel lord (see page 90). With 
  these tactics, Mokmurian has turned his giants further and 
  further toward evil—and all his resources will soon be directed 
  toward the utter destruction of Varisia.
  a1. Watchpost (el 11)
  Despite being only two stories, this stone watchtower’s proportions are 
  immense—scaled for humans it could contain up to five floors, but the 
  sixteen-foot-tall door at the tower’s base indicates that the beings that 
  use it are anything but human.
   
  Creatures: This watchpost is run by a taiga giant named 
  Cinderma. Exiled from her tribe several years ago after she 
  tortured and murdered a group of dwarves who sought to forge 
  an alliance with her tribe, Cinderma wandered the Storval 
  Plateau before hearing rumors of an army gathering in the 
  Iron Peaks. She presented herself and her skills to Mokmurian, 
  and he accepted her readily enough, assigning her to this 
  watchtower after the previous tenant was slain in an attempt 
  to capture a young blue dragon for sacrifice to Karzoug.
   
  Although she employs a pair of ettins, Cinderma prefers to 
  keep the day shift to herself, watching over the path leading 
  out of mountain valley from the roof of this tower. If she sees 
  intruders coming, she calls out a warning to the sleeping ettins 
  below, who quickly wake and throw wet wood and greenery 
  onto a watch fire that burns just outside the entrance to the 
  tower, sending up a plume of smoke to warn the fortress of 
  visitors, either friendly or hostile. In the evening, Cinderma 
  turns over the task to her ettins and spends her time carousing 
  in one of the camps to the east, retiring to this tower late in the 
  night to catch a few hours of rest.
   
  Most of the visitors arriving lately are friendly, as more 
  tribes join Mokmurian’s cause over the coming days and weeks, 
  so smoke alone won’t create a sense of alarm at the fortress. If 
  no friendly visitors arrive shortly after nightfall, however, her 
  absence is noted and a patrol of two adult stone giants is sent to 
  investigate. If the patrol finds evidence of a fight, the fortress 
  goes on alert for two weeks, or until the PCs are caught.
   
  If this or any other circumstance alerts the majority of 
  Jorgenfist’s forces to the presence of intruders, wandering pairs 
  of stone giants begin to actively scout the area looking for the PCs. 
  The GM should place these roaming guards wherever he deems 
  appropriate. In addition, several creatures in the fortress might 
  change their locations or tactics, as noted in their descriptions.
  Cinderma 
  CR 10
  female taiga giant
  cE Huge giant
  hp 133 (see page 84)
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  Detail of Watchtower 
   
  Jorgenfist Fortress 
   
  To Storval  
  Plateau 
   
  Path to  
  Muschkal  
  Lake 
   
  0 
  400 
  feet 
  A2d
  A2c
  A2b
  A2e
  A2f
  A2g
  A6
  A7
  A22
  A12
  A10
  A9
  A11
  A13
  A8
  A4
  A3
  A5 
  A1
  Detail of Watchtower 
   
  Jorgenfist Fortress 
   
  To Storval  
  Plateau 
   
  Path to  
  Muschkal  
  Lake 
   
  0 
  400 
  feet 
  A2d
  A2c
  A2b
  A2e
  A2f
  A2g
  A6
  A1
  A7
  A2a
  A12
  A10
  A9
  A11
  A13
  A8
  A4
  A3
  A5 
  Ettins (2) 
  CR 6
  hp 65 each (MM 106)
  a2. the Jorgenfist army
  Jorgenfist is not nearly large enough to house the multiple 
  tribes of giants who have answered Mokmurian’s call for war. 
  Instead, these giants are scattered in seven camps placed 
  around the fortress, each corresponding to one of the major 
  giant tribes who have thrown in their lot with Mokmurian. 
  The sheer number of giants within each of these camps should 
  put off any thought of a direct and open assault on Jorgenfist—
  fortunately for the PCs, Mokmurian has forbidden any of these 
  giants from entering the stone ring that comprises Jorgenfist’s 
  walls, for fear that if they knew the true nature of his plans, 
  allies, and dealings they would desert his army. If the PCs can 
  make it through these camps and into the fortress itself, they 
  have little to worry about from these giants.
   
  Nevertheless, should the number of giants and their 
  leaders become important, they are summarized below. 
  Many of the stone giant groups have a single leader, having 
  broken from their people’s traditions of rulership. Note that 
  only the leaders of these tribes have had any direct contact 
  with Mokmurian, so few of these giants have any reliable 
  information about what lies within Jorgenfist’s walls. They 
  all bear the Sihedron Rune either between their shoulders or 
  at the small of their backs, branded there during the ritual of 
  empowerment by one of the two lamia priests (known to most 
  of the giants out here as the Lion Sisters) when they joined 
  Mokmurian’s armies.
   
  A2a. Black Fist: This tribe consists of 32 hill giants led by a 
  beady-eyed chieftain named Doach (CE male hill giant fighter 2). 
  These hill giants are completely loyal to Mokmurian and hope that 
  the wealth and power they’ll gain during the war will allow them 
  to return to their ancestral lands on the shores of Lake Skotha and 
  wrest control of a prime site from an established clan.
   
  A2b. Red Shield and Nightshade: These two allied ogre 
  clans have banded together to form one tribe led under Papa 
  Beshk (CE male ogre barbarian 4). Much of their time is spent 
  bickering and fighting among themselves—Mokmurian has 
  been forced to send his own giants into this camp no less than 
  five	times	to	officiate	disputes	and	keep	fighting	to	a	minimum.	
  In all, 46 ogres can be found here.
   
  A2c. Maidens of Minderhal: This tribe of 11 stone giants 
  is unusual for its composition. Entirely female, this tribe has 
  a reputation for being among the cruelest and most excessive 
  in its vile ways. Many other giants have tried to woo members 
  of the Maidens only to be rebuffed (at best) or mutilated (at 
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  worst). This group is led by an exceptionally tall woman named 
  Halvara (LE female stone giant cleric of Minderhal 5).
   
  A2d. Jormunsir: Led by a one-eyed grizzled old giant named 
  Vlorian (NE male stone giant ranger 3), the Jormunsir number 
  20 stone giants strong. Their secret hope is to use the wealth 
  and power gained from conquering Varisia to claim the lands 
  surrounding Minderhal’s Anvil as their own.
   
  A2e. Valissgander: This tribe of stone giants numbers 18 
  strong—their leader is a loud and abusive thug named Zinderall 
  (CE male stone giant fighter 1), whose followers are days away 
  from implementing a swift and brutal coup. They plan on feeding 
  their chieftain to Longtooth, but haven’t yet decided on who 
  among them will replace him—the only thing that’s currently 
  keeping Zinderall alive, unknown to him.
   
  A2f. Crannoch: The 22 stone giants of the Crannoch tribe are 
  the	most	efficient	hunters	in	the	region—as	a	result,	this	camp	is	
  usually empty save for a few giants while the rest are out hunting. A 
  dozen dire bears round out this tribe’s inhabitants—they are led by a 
  giant of few words named Oriandian (CN stone giant ranger 4). The 
  Crannochs joined Mokmurian’s army due to a great dissatisfaction 
  with their traditional ways, many having already turned to the 
  worship of Uragra, a fierce god of savagery (see page 57).
   
  A2g. Kavarvatti: This was the tribe that once counted 
  Mokmurian as its own. Until his return, the Kavarvattis were 
  led by two elders, a couple named Vandarrec and Conna. When 
  Mokmurian returned from Xin-Shalast, he challenged his tribe 
  father Vandarrec to battle and defeated (but did not yet kill) 
  him. He seized control of the tribe and led them here, then 
  brought the broken-spirited Vandarrec and Conna down to the 
  Shrine of the Ancestors in area B6, where he murdered the old 
  giant before his wife’s shocked eyes. Conna knew it would be 
  foolish to openly oppose Mokmurian at the time, both because 
  he had wrested control of the tribe and because his own powers 
  far exceeded hers, so she swallowed her rage and pride and 
  pledged her service to him, secretly vowing to do what she 
  could to engineer a revenge.
   
  Mokmurian ceded the day-to-day rule of the Kavarvatti tribe to 
  Barl Breakbones, a giant who soon became Mokmurian’s wizardly 
  apprentice. After Barl’s defeat at Hook Mountain, rulership 
  of the Kavarvattis fell to one of Barl’s bodyguards, a hulking 
  brute named Drogart (CE male stone giant fighter 3). Drogart 
  recently discovered Barl’s fate (see Pathfinder #3), and while he’s 
  disappointed that his tribe won’t be augmented by the Kreeg 
  ogres, the unexpected windfall of becoming chieftain has gone a 
  long way toward soothing his spirits. Barl was a cruel chieftain, but 
  Drogart might be worse—what he lacks in Barl’s magical power, 
  Drogart more than makes up for in brute sadism. He often has his 
  giants scouring the Storval Plateau for Shoanti to torment.
  a3. Caverns of the night Wyverns (el 10)
  a musky smell lingers near the entrance to this cave—a thick, almost 
  reptilian stink. The sound of something slithering inside, like scales over 
  stone, gives further indication that the dark depths are inhabited.
   
  This cavern overlooks the Muschkal River at a height of fifty 
  feet, and has long been home to a nest of nocturnal wyverns. 
  Known as night wyverns, these creatures are stronger and 
  hardier than their diurnal kin, and their dark blue scales mark 
  them as creatures of the night. Mokmurian has secured the aid 
  of these three wyverns for his imminent attack, but for now 
  the wyverns are content to leave the giants living in the valley 
  above alone.
  Night Wyvern (3) 
  CR 7
  nocturnal elite wyvern (MM 259, Advanced Bestiary 190)
  n Large dragon
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision, scent; Listen +16, 
  spot +12 (+8 in bright light)
  DEfEnsE
  AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 17
  (+2 Dex, +8 natural, –1 size)
  hp 73 (7d12+28)
  Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +7
  Immune paralysis, sleep
  Weaknesses light sensitivity
  OffEnsE
  Spd 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (poor)
  Melee sting +12 (1d6+4 plus poison) and
  bite +11 (3d8+3) and
  2 wings +10 (1d8+3) and
  2 talons +10 (2d6+3)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
  Special Attacks improved grab, poison (Dc 17, 2d6 con/2d6 con)
  TacTics
  During Combat The wyverns fight as a group, one distracting and flanking 
  a foe while the others use improved Grab to grapple and sting. 
  Morale a night wyvern flees into the mountains if reduced to less than 
  15 hit points.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 22, Dex 15, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 6
  Base Atk +7; Grp +17
  Feats flyby attack, improved natural attack (bite), Multiattack, 
  Weapon focus (bite)
  Skills Hide +12, Listen +16, Move silently +16, spot +12 (+8 in 
  bright light)
  Languages Draconic
  sPEciaL aBiLiTiEs
  Light Sensitivity (Ex) night wyverns are dazzled when operating in an 
  area of continual bright light (such as sunlight or that created by a 
  daylight spell).
   
  Treasure: The wyverns have a fire opal that fascinates them 
  endlessly—they’ve placed the sparkling gemstone atop a low 
  mound of sand in the center of their cave, where they can watch 
  it as the sun rises and they drift off to sleep. The fire opal is 
  worth only 200 gp, a paltry sum compared to the value of the 
  rest of their treasure that lies heaped, almost forgotten, in the 
  southwest spur cave. Buried under a collection of favorite skulls, 
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  horse and elk thighbones, and well-gnawed bits of hide is a chest 
  containing 1,435 gp and 2,987 sp. Behind the chest lies an ancient 
  magical staff the wyverns found in a Thassilonian ruin. It is a staff 
  of heaven and earth with only seven charges remaining.
  a4. deathweb Cave (el 9)
  This cave crawls. countless bloated, many-legged insects trample one 
  another as they carpet the floor and climb the walls, creating a susurrus 
  of a million clicking bug legs. The deepest part of the caves seems to be 
  unnaturally thick with darkness and fallen webs.
   
  This cave’s entrance is 250 feet above the narrow beach 
  below. The insects covering the floor are disgusting but mostly 
  harmless, attracted to the cool darkness and the bodies left by 
  the deathwebs that lair deeper in. The innermost reach of the 
  caves is thick with webs spun by the undead denizens of the 
  cave. As long as these webs remain, it’s a DC 40 Search check to 
  notice the secret door in the cave’s northern wall. If the webs are 
  cleared, this drops to a DC 30 Search check. The tunnel beyond 
  leads on a winding route into a mazelike system of narrow tunnels 
  infested with redcaps. One route through this maze leads into 
  the caves below Jorgenfist—see area B7b for more details.
   
  Creature: This cave was the nest of several giant funnel web 
  spiders years ago, but Mokmurian used them to test out a vile 
  ritual he learned from several books 
  on necromancy in the Library 
  of Thassilon (see area C7), turning them into undead monsters 
  called deathwebs.
  Deathwebs (3) 
  CR 6
  hp 78 (see page 79)
  TacTics
  During Combat The deathwebs attack all creatures save for 
  Mokmurian who dare to enter this cave, but they wait for a few 
  rounds for intruders to make their way into the cave before they 
  strike. if visiting creatures do not enter the cave, the deathwebs 
  use their web ability to capture living things up to 50 feet away.
   
  Treasure: Although the deathwebs don’t collect treasure 
  deliberately, over the years many foolish adventurers have come 
  into their clutches (as have a few young night wyverns and giants). 
  As a result, the cave is cluttered with old webs, withered skins, 
  and old bones, along with a dozen longswords (one of them a 
  Large +1 longsword), a +2 halberd, three Large warhammers, a set 
  of full plate armor, and a druid’s staff with a spellstaff spell still in 
  effect on it (the staff contains a rusting grasp at CL 12th).
  a5. longtooth’s Cave (el 0 or 10)
  This cave entrance is almost impossible to reach except from 
  the air: the entrance is 450 feet up the side of a near-vertical 
  mountain face. Shattered skeletons of dozens of animals, 
  wyverns, and even a few rocs litter the ground far below the 
  cave entrance. Within, the cave is a simple affair, 200 feet 
  deep and 50 feet wide. The final 50 feet of depth are strewn 
  with thousands and thousands of coins (mostly copper). 
  Footing here is treacherous, as the coins slip and slide 
  underfoot for Medium or smaller creatures. Moving through 
  this terrain requires a DC 10 Balance check—if the check fails 
  by 5 or more, the creature falls prone. Creatures walking on 
  the coins are considered flat-footed unless they have 5 or more 
  ranks in Balance. If they take damage while balancing, they 
  must make a DC 10 Balance check to remain standing.
   
  Creature: This cave belongs to one of Mokmurian’s 
  deadliest allies, the red dragon Longtooth. Mokmurian met 
  and battled the dragon on his journey back from Xin-Shalast, 
  but rather than slay the dragon after their fight (even though 
  Longtooth killed a half-dozen of the lamias that were traveling 
  with him), Mokmurian offered Longtooth a job. In return for his 
  life, Longtooth agreed to serve Mokmurian as a hero in his army. 
  The prospect intrigued the young dragon, and now, years after his 
  initial defeat, he and Mokmurian have become grudging friends. 
  Longtooth has been instrumental in the capture of dozens of 
  younger dragons over those years—dragons that Mokmurian 
  sacrificed to Karzoug—as few creatures on Golarion yield 
  greedier souls than dragons.
   
  If Longtooth survived the raid on Sandpoint and managed to 
  make it back to this cave, he is bitter and foul-tempered about his 
  failure and nurses a grudge against the PCs. When he sought out 
  aid from Mokmurian, the stone giant was enraged that Longtooth 
  fled the battle and forbade his lamias from providing the dragon 
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  To the Pit 
  and Caverns
  River Caves 
   
  One square = 5 feet 
  S 
   N 
  A4 
  A3 
  To the Pit 
  and Caverns
  River Caves 
   
  One square = 5 feet 
  S 
   N 
  A4 
  A3 
  with any healing. Sullen and cantankerous, Longtooth retreated 
  to this cave to recover naturally, and does not come to the aid of 
  Jorgenfist if the alarm is raised. Memories of his initial defeat at 
  Mokmurian’s hands have returned to his thoughts, and although 
  he has gathered much treasure for himself since joining the giant, 
  he’s seen how much more Mokmurian has claimed for himself 
  over the years. Longtooth has grown discontented with his role as 
  Mokmurian’s minion, and this latest development has pushed him 
  over the edge.
   
  If the PCs confront the bitter dragon in his lair, Longtooth 
  recognizes them at once but does not attack. He’s not eager to try 
  his luck against the PCs again so soon after they’ve defeated him, 
  and he instead offers them a truce. He’ll tell them everything 
  he knows about Jorgenfist and Mokmurian, if in return the PCs 
  promise to leave him alone and grant him a share of any treasure 
  they take out of Jorgenfist. His initial attitude toward the PCs is 
  unfriendly, but if they can make him helpful he’ll even volunteer 
  his aid in fighting against the stone giants (although in this case 
  he demands two shares of the treasure).
   
  Longtooth knows quite a bit about Mokmurian. Feel free to 
  tailor what he knows to your group—if they’re doing well so far, 
  you might only want to reveal to the PCs a rough estimate of the 
  creatures dwelling in Jorgenfist and the caverns below. If they’re 
  having some trouble, you might want to have Longtooth sketch 
  out a map of the cavern level for them. Longtooth has never been 
  STaff of Heaven and earTH
  Aura strong transmutation; CL 9th
  Slot —; Price 53,000 gp
  DEscRiPTiOn
  Topped by a swirling cloudy stone and wrapped with black iron 
  filigree, this staff allows use of the following spells:
  • Air walk (2 charges)
  • Control winds (2 charges)
  • Gust of wind (1 charge)
  • Spike stones (2 charges)
  • Stone shape (1 charges)
  cOnsTRucTiOn
  Requirements craft staff, air walk, control winds, gust of wind, 
  spike stones, stone shape; Cost 26,500 gp, 2,120 XP
  into the library level below the caverns, but he does suspect that 
  a deeper level exists.
  Longtooth 
  CR 10
  hp 168 (see page 12)
   
  Treasure: Although a carpet of coins covers the innermost 
  section of Longtooth’s cave, most of these coins are copper pieces. 
  In all, the coins consist of 360,055 cp, 23,145 sp, 3,403 gp, and 23 pp. 
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  In addition, the collection of treasure includes several gemstones: 
  a water opal worth 1,000 gp, a rich blue diamond worth 1,600 gp, 
  and a black opal worth 8,000 gp are Longtooth’s favorites, though 
  there are 53 additional gems worth a total of 3,500 gp. A fine linen 
  tapestry depicting monks sparring in a courtyard is rolled up and 
  leans against the wall—this tapestry weighs 50 pounds but is worth 
  600 gp. Finally, a set of solid silver idols sits on a ledge on the 
  innermost wall. These idols are each worth 600 gp—one depicts 
  a wyvern with a human rider, one a human warrior trampling a 
  demon underfoot, one a centaur dressed in plate mail armor, and 
  one a leaping fish with a wide mouth filled with teeth. A sixth idol 
  is in fact made of platinum. It depicts Runelord Karzoug, and is 
  worth 5,000 gp.
  a6. Jorgenfist Walls (el 8 per tower)
  The walls surrounding the fortress are made of enormous blocks 
  of stone sealed together via countless stone shape spells. They 
  are 30 feet wide at the base and not entirely vertical; they slope 
  inward slightly and become about 15 feet wide on the battlements, 
  which are 50 feet high. Having poor handholds, the walls require 
  a DC 30 Climb check to ascend. 
   
  The four towers are 45 feet square and 70 feet tall, with at least 
  one wide rock-throwing slot on each side. The tops are conical, and 
  the interiors have stairs going from ground level (which is dark and 
  used for storage) to a single interior floor 40 feet up.
   
  Creatures: A single stone giant watches the approach to 
  Jorgenfist from each of the rooms atop the four towers. Each has a 
  stack of 50 rocks at hand to throw at approaching enemies.
  Stone Giants (1 per tower) 
  CR 8
  hp 119 each (MM 124)
  a7. the stone Gate (el 10)
  The fortress has a solid stone gate—two doors that tower 15 feet 
  high and 7 feet wide apiece. It fits neatly into the wall between 
  two	of	the	70-foot-high	towers,	and	looks	very	difficult	to	open.	
  The gate requires a DC 22 Strength check to push open as long 
  as the stone bar inside is not lowered in place. If the bar is 
  lowered	it	becomes	much	more	difficult	to	open.	Knock cast at 
  caster	level	10th	is	sufficient	to	open	the	gate	if	it	is	barred.
  Stone Gate
  Hardness 15; hp 300; Break Dc 50 with stone bar in place
   
  Creatures: The guardians of this gate are a trio of unusual 
  harpies—students of the Black Monk (see area A8). These harpies 
  were living in nests atop the Black Tower when Mokmurian first 
  visited, and they were intrigued enough by the giant to agree 
  to an alliance. They forbade him from entering the Black Tower 
  itself, but had no cares about him exploring the caves below.
   
  These harpies are students of the ancient undead monk 
  that dwells within the Black Tower. After thousands of years 
  of solitude, even the undead can grow lonely and ache for 
  companionship—when six harpies entered the tower nearly two 
  decades ago, the Black Monk only killed three before offering 
  the surviving three the opportunity to train as its pupils. Seeing 
  this as a way to escape the mummy’s wrath, the harpies agreed, 
  but soon found that the ancients’ lore suited them well. Today, 
  the harpies see themselves as the guardians of the Black Tower, 
  the lair of their undead master. It was the Black Monk’s decision 
  to allow Mokmurian to use the site as a base for reasons the 
  harpies don’t care to know.
   
  In daylight or at night, the dread mummy’s harpies keep the 
  bargain they made with the giants; they sing softly, with just 
  a 75-foot range, and the giants leave them be in exchange for 
  their help in guarding the gate from intrusions. The harpies 
  draw creatures away from the fortress, over the cliffs. Though 
  the giants sometimes hear snatches of the song, they are largely 
  immune to it (though ogres and young giants do sometimes fall 
  from the cliffs in suspicious accidents…). 
  Harpy Monk (3) 
  CR 7
  female harpy monk 6
  LE Medium monstrous humanoid
  Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +13, spot +3
  DEfEnsE
  AC 20, touch 19, flat-footed 17
  (+2 deflection, +3 Dexterity, +1 monk, +1 natural, +3 Wisdom)
  hp 84 (13d8+26)
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  Fort +9, Ref +13, Will +13; +2 against enchantment
  Defensive Abilities evasion, slow fall 30 ft.; Immune 
  nonmagical disease
  OffEnsE
  Spd 40 ft., fly 80 ft. (average)
  Melee unarmed strike +14/+9/+4 (1d8+3) and
  2 claws +9 (1d3+1) or
  flurry of blows unarmed strike +13/+13/+8/+3 (1d8+3) and
  2 claws +8 (1d3+1)
  Special Attacks captivating song (Dc 17), stunning fist 7/day 
  (Dc 17)
  TacTics
  During Combat These harpies are fond of using their captivating 
  song to attract prey, flying out over the river and tricking victims 
  into walking off the edge of the cliff. Those who avoid the fall are 
  subjected to flyby attacks—the harpies use these attacks to disarm 
  foes and stun them. They enter melee only when they can all gang up 
  on a single foe at a time.
  Morale The harpies flee into the mountains if they are reduced to 
  20 hit points or less.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 16, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 16, Cha 14
  Base Atk +11; Grp +14
  Feats ability focus (captivating song), Deflect arrows, Dodge, flyby 
  attack, Hover, improved Disarm, Mobility, stunning fist
  Skills Bluff +11, Listen +13, Perform (song) +9
  Languages common, Giant, Thassilonian
  SQ ki strike (magic)
  Gear ring of protection +2
  a8. the Black tower (el 11)
  This tower is not like the others that comprise the fort—its architectural 
  style is far more intricate and ancient in appearance, bearing similarities 
  to many of the other ancient monuments that dot the Varisian landscape. 
  Made of black stone and decorated with gargoyles, the tower’s walls 
  are streaked with thick lichens and moss. it soars twice as high as the 
  other towers, its facade effectively dominating the view.
   
  The Black Tower is part of an ancient building from Thassilon’s 
  time, once known as the Therassic Monastery. The tower 
  itself served as a bell tower and lookout location for an order 
  of evil monks devoted to the worship of the Peacock Spirit, a 
  mysterious faith whose rituals were kept secret from all but the 
  initiated. The tower’s gargoyles depict saints and demons of the 
  Thassilonian pantheon, though they are so weathered that they 
  are unrecognizable today save as vaguely demonic forms.
   
  The Black Tower has one entrance, a large stone door that 
  swings open easily at a touch. The tower interior seems much 
  colder than it should be, even so high in the mountains. The 
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  stone walls and floor glitter with a thin coat of frost, 
  making movement in the largely empty chamber 
  treacherous—it’s a DC 12 Balance check to walk on the 
  icy floor.
   
  A DC 20 Search reveals that a trap door is set in the 
  floor in the middle of the room, its face coated with ice 
  as well, but like the entrance doors, the trap door swings 
  open easily with the slightest tug to reveal a 5-foot-wide 
  circular shaft that drops into the darkness below. This 
  shaft is 50 feet deep, and opens into a barren circular 
  chamber with a domed, 20-foot-high ceiling. The floor 
  here is icy as well, and the air cold enough to qualify as 
  severe cold (see DMG 302).
   
  Creature: The single denizen of this chamber is an 
  ancient Thassilonian monk, wrapped tightly and preserved 
  as an undead guardian by his order in the final days of the 
  empire. Over the next ten thousand years, the Black Monk 
  (as he took to calling himself as his undead flesh darkened) 
  remained here, guarding the monastery grounds. As time 
  consumed the complex, the Black Tower eventually became 
  the only part of the building to survive above ground, 
  protected by the same preservative magic that enhanced 
  all of Thassilon’s great monuments. Ironically, the Black 
  Monk was not an initiate authorized to enter the library 
  that the Therassic Monastery was built to protect, and for 
  the past several thousand years his charge has dwindled to 
  this tiny room, more than a metaphor for his constricting 
  mind and personality.
   
  The Black Monk is tightly bound in linens—having 
  perfected an ancient secret of mental flight, his legs are 
  no longer needed. Although he was not high enough in 
  rank to peruse the library’s lore, his brothers did grant 
  him the great honor of protecting 18 sacred scrolls from 
  the library. These scrolls are kept in a large iron scroll tube 
  the monk never releases his grip on.
   
  The Black Monk is quite insane after all this time, 
  and any character who makes a successful DC 29 Listen 
  check can hear him speaking in Thassilonian, muttering, 
  “The green light! The green light! The green light!” over 
  and over again. His eyes burn green, and he sees only 
  the pain and rage of his order’s disbanding and decay. 
  Once or twice a century, the Black Monk experiences 
  periods of lucidity—it was during one of these that he 
  took the harpies under his tutelage, and when he felt his 
  insanity creeping back, he ordered them out of his lair 
  and forbade them to ever return. Now, he views any who 
  dare enter his tomb as thieves searching for the scrolls 
  he so fervently guards.
  The Black Monk 
  CR 11
  Male dread mummy human monk 8 (Advanced Bestiary 86)
  LE Medium undead (augmented humanoid)
  Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +15, spot +15
  Aura gaze of despair
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  DEfEnsE
  AC 29, touch 21, flat-footed 25
  (+2 deflection, +4 Dexterity, +1 monk, +8 natural, +4 Wisdom)
  hp 52 (8d12)
  Fort +6, Ref +10, Will +10 (+2 against enchantment)
  Defensive Abilities evasion, resistant to blows, slow fall 
  40 ft., turn resistance +4; DR 5/—; Immune undead 
  traits; Resist cold 10
  Weaknesses vulnerable to fire
  OffEnsE
  Spd 5 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect)
  Melee unarmed strike +17/+12 (1d10+10 plus 
  mummy rot) or
  flurry of blows +16/+16/+11 (1d10+10 plus mummy rot)
  Special Attacks breath of death, command 
  undead, create spawn, stunning fist 8/day 
  (Dc 18)
  Spell-Like Abilities (caster level 8th)
  at will—animal messenger, calm animals (Dc 14), 
  heat metal, summon swarm
  2/day—commune with nature, control winds, 
  dominate animal (Dc 16), insect plague
  1/day—control weather, creeping doom, earthquake, 
  sunbeam (Dc 20)
  TacTics
  During Combat The Black Monk enjoys using improved 
  Trip to knock foes surrounding him down, then uses the 
  benefits of combat Reflexes to make attacks of 
  opportunity against foes to trip them again when 
  they try to stand. He uses his spell-like abilities 
  against foes who can remain out of reach of his melee 
  attacks, or who prove too canny to trip, but never uses 
  earthquake for fear of damaging the Black Tower itself.
  Morale The Black Monk fights to the death.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 30, Dex 18, Con —, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 16
  Base Atk +6; Grp +15
  Feats ability focus (breath of death), combat casting, 
  combat Reflexes, improved initiative, improved Trip, 
  stunning fist, Weapon focus (unarmed strike)
  Skills concentration +11, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Listen 
  +15, spot +15, Tumble +15
  Languages Thassilonian
  SQ flight, ki strike (magic), wholeness of body (16 hp/day)
  Gear belt of giant strength +4, ring of protection +2
  sPEciaL aBiLiTiEs
  Breath of Death (Su) Once every 1d4 rounds, the Black Monk can 
  exhale a 30-foot cone of tomb gas, ice, and dust. Each living 
  creature in this area must make a Dc 20 fortitude save or gain 1d4 
  negative levels. a creature killed by this effect rises as a zombie 
  under the Black Monk’s control in 1d4 rounds. The save Dc is 
  charisma-based.
  Command Undead (Su) as a free action, the Black Monk can 
  automatically command all undead within 30 feet, except those with 
  more character levels or higher charisma scores.
  Create Spawn (Su) a creature killed by the Black Monk’s mummy 
  rot ability turns to dust. One week later, as long as the Black Monk 
  still exists, the dust reforms next to the Black Monk as a new dread 
  mummy. a dread mummy created in this manner is under the 
  command  of the Black Monk and remains so until either it or 
  its creator is destroyed.
  Flight (Su) The black monk’s flight speed is similar to that granted 
  by the fly spell, but it cannot be dispelled.
  Gaze of Despair (Su) any creature within 100 feet 
  of a dread mummy that meets its gaze must make 
  a Dc 18 fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d4 
  rounds. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. The 
  save Dc is charisma-based.
  Mummy Rot (Su) a creature hit by the Black 
  Monk’s unarmed strike must make a Dc 18 
  fortitude save or contract mummy rot. This disease 
  has an incubation period of 1 minute, and deals 
  1d6 points of constitution damage and 1d6 points of 
  charisma damage with each failed save. a character 
  attempting to cast a healing spell on a creature 
  afflicted with mummy rot must make a Dc 20 caster 
  level check, or the spell has no effect on that creature. 
  in order to eliminate mummy rot, the curse must first be 
  removed with a break enchantment or remove curse (Dc 
  20 caster level check for either). Thereafter, no caster 
  level check is necessary to cast healing spells on the victim, 
  and the disease can be cured just like any normal disease 
  can. a creature killed by mummy rot turns to dust unless 
  both remove disease and raise dead are cast on the remains 
  within 6 rounds.
  Resistant to Blows (Ex) The Black Monk takes only half damage 
  from melee and ranged weapons, natural weapons, and falls. 
  apply this reduction before applying damage reduction.
  Treasure: The scrolls the Black Monk guards are an 
  incredible treasure—not even the monk himself knows what 
  the tube contains. The scroll tube is made of adamantine and is 
  cleverly locked by a series of interconnected spinning discs that 
  function almost like a combination lock. With five successful DC 40 
  Open Lock checks in a row, this lock can be picked. Alternatively, a 
  character who can read Thassilonian (or who can keep track of the 
  dozens of runes with a DC 30 Decipher Script check) can use the 
  runes on the scroll case to puzzle out the combination with five 
  successful DC 20 Intelligence checks in a row. Or, of course, the 
  tube can be forced open (hardness 20, hp 60), but doing so destroys 
  the fragile scrolls inside (they can be repaired with no less than 100 
  mending spells or 10 make whole spells in this case). A knock unlocks 
  two of the locks, so it’ll take three castings of this spell to open the 
  tube. The scroll tube is worth 1,200 gp.
   
  The scrolls kept inside were known as the  Emerald Codex of the 
  Therassic Order, a compilation of spells and enlightened rituals 
  related to the worship of the Peacock Spirit, a once-powerful faith 
  of the Thassilonian Empire. The codex consists of 18 large scrolls 
  The
  Black
  Monk
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  prepared on wyvern hide—they must be handled with extreme care 
  to avoid fragmentation. All 18 scrolls are written in Thassilonian. 
  The first nine scrolls describe certain curses (all particularly gory 
  and painful variants of bestow curse—actual game effects remain 
  unchanged). Each of the next eight contain one divine spell each: 
  greater restoration, heroes’ feast, order’s wrath, scrying, slay living, unholy 
  blight, regenerate, and symbol of stunning (all at caster level 15th).
   
  The final scroll, written in Thassilonian, describes the 
  entrance to the library (area C7) and even gives the password 
  required to bypass the shining child bound to the entrance.
  a9. pit
  A quarry-style pit at the center of the fort serves as the primary 
  entrance into the underground portions of the stone giants’ 
  fortress. The walls of the pit have numerous other cave entrances, 
  most of which open into small storage caves but a few of which 
  provide access to larger caves or the underground areas beyond. 
  Characters who descend without stealth into the pit quickly 
  attract the attention of the bears in area B1 and the stone giant 
  champion in area B3.
   
  The pit itself is 60 feet deep. The ramp that runs along its 
  inner wall descends only halfway into this pit before reaching 
  area B2. The pit floor is a tangle of bones and broken bodies, a 
  combination of humanoid, giant, and even four dragon corpses 
  (three blues and a red, all Large). Flocks of crows, buzzards, and 
  other scavenging birds swarm over the bodies, picking at the 
  flesh until only bones remain. An investigation of the uneaten 
  carcasses reveals that they all have the Sihedron Rune carved 
  crudely on their torsos in the case of the humanoids and dragons, 
  or branded on the small of the back in the case of giants. These 
  bodies are all that remain of those Mokmurian and his lamia 
  priests have sacrificed to Karzoug’s runewell. These sacrifices 
  draw large crowds to the pit edge, and comprise the only instance 
  in which giants other than those favored by Mokmurian are 
  allowed inside the fortress walls.
  a10. the spire (el 10)
  White streaks cover the sides of this stone spire and the surrounding 
  ground, thick as paint. among these immense bird droppings are 
  splintered elk bones and scraps of hide. The spire rises to a needle point 
  one hundred and fifty feet above, but at a height of fifty feet an opening 
  in the northern face allows access to a round chamber within which has 
  been built an enormous nest.
   
  Creatures: The tall central spike monolith of the castle is not 
  the most important structure, but at 150 feet high, it towers over 
  the walls and watchtowers. The spike is an ancient Thassilonian 
  watchpost that has become the preferred nesting site for two partly 
  tamed rocs. They nest in the 25-foot-diameter chamber halfway up 
  the spire’s height. The rocs serve the stone giants as messengers, 
  mounts, and guardians, but they are still violent and ill-tempered. 
   
  During daylight hours, they are likely to spot intruders 
  approaching the castle. At night, they sleep in their nest, but 
  squawk at the sound of intruders or combat on the spike, waking 
  the entire fortress.
   
  The two rocs do not attack giants, but if they spot any Medium 
  or smaller humanoids (or any animals of Large size or smaller) they 
  shriek and launch out of the spire nest to swoop down and attack, 
  likely alerting the surrounding areas to the intrusion as well.
  Rocs (2) 
  CR 8
  hp 119 each (MM 124)
  TacTics
  During Combat The rocs prefer to attack creatures on the ground with 
  snatch flyby attacks, staying well out of reach of melee. With their 
  80 foot flying movement, they can certainly make it work.
  Morale if one roc is killed, the other immediately retreats to its 
  nest, regardless of its current hit points. if confronted there, it 
  fights to the death.
  a11. the Mammoth stables (el 13)
  The air in this building is close, warm, and thick with the smells of manure. 
  a ten-foot-wide path leads down the middle of the building, flanked on 
  either side by huge stables, eight in all.
   
  Creatures: This stable is used to house several mammoths, 
  mounts used by stone giant cavalry. Only five of the stables are 
  currently occupied—the keepers of this stable are currently 
  out on the Storval Plateau attempting to catch and break three 
  more mammoths for the coming war, and won’t return for 
  several weeks.
   
  A DC 20 Handle Animal check is enough to keep the 
  mammoths from trumpeting a warning and bringing giants to 
  investigate within 1d4+1 rounds. If the mammoths are attacked, 
  they fight back with an unexpected rage, crashing out of their 
  pens with ease.
  Mammoths (5) 
  CR 8
  Primitive elephant (MM 272, Advanced Bestiary 200)
  n Huge animal
  Init +0; Senses low-light vision, scent; Listen +10, spot +10
  DEfEnsE
  AC 17, touch 8, flat-footed 17
  (+9 natural, –2 size)
  hp 129 (11d8+80)
  Fort +16, Ref +7, Will +6
  OffEnsE
  Spd 40 ft.
  Melee gore +18 (3d8+18) or
  slam +18 (3d6+12) and
  2 stamps +13 (2d6+6)
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Special Attacks trample 2d8+18 (Dc 27)
  TacTics
  During Combat The mammoths fight separately, trumpeting 
  and bull rushing any character they catch in their tusks in the 
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  direction of the stable exit or, if the fight proceeds into the 
  courtyards, into the pit (area A9). The mammoths trample as a 
  group if the party succeeds in killing one of them.
  Morale The mammoths fight to the death.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 34, Dex 10, Con 25, Int 1, Wis 13, Cha 5
  Base Atk +8; Grp +26
  Feats alertness, Endurance, Great fortitude, improved natural attack 
  (gore, slam), iron Will, Toughness, Track
  Skills Hide –4, Listen +10, Move silently +4, spot +10 , survival +5
   
  Treasure: The mammoths have no treasure, though their tack 
  and harness is worth 300 gp per set.
  a12. the feasting hall (el 10)
  This huge hall is well stocked with smoked meat, bread, casks of ale, 
  and long benches and tables built for giants. it’s hard to see in the hall’s 
  dim light; the only illumination comes in through the doors and through 
  smoke holes in the ceiling.
   
  Creature: This hall is filled with supplies for the coming war, 
  stocked over the past several months by hunters and gatherers and 
  guarded by one of Mokmurian’s favorite pets, a grizzled dire bear 
  who stands nearly 14 feet tall at the shoulder. Named Embers, the 
  bear knows that anyone shorter than eight feet in height has no 
  business in here, and he roars a challenge to any such intruders 
  a second before he lumbers to the attack. If Jorgenfist isn’t on 
  alert already, the bear’s roars certainly do the trick and rouse the 
  giants to defend the fortress.
  Embers 
  CR 10
  Male advanced dire bear (MM 63)
  n Huge animal
  Init +0; Senses low-light vision, scent; Listen +13, spot +14
  DEfEnsE
  AC 18, touch 8, flat-footed 18
  (+10 natural, –2 size)
  hp 189 (18d8+108)
  Fort +17, Ref +11, Will +12
  OffEnsE
  Spd 40 ft.
  Melee 2 claws +27 (2d6+15) and
  bite +21 (2d8+7)
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Special Attacks improved grab
  TacTics
  During Combat Embers uses improved Grab to grab and crush a small 
  foe if he can. if no small foes are available, he uses Power attack and 
  cleave to make the most of his attacks.
  Morale Embers fights to the death.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 40, Dex 11, Con 23, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
  Base Atk +13; Grp +36
  Feats alertness, cleave, Endurance, improved natural attack (claw), 
  Power attack, Run, Weapon focus (claw)
  Skills Listen +13, spot +14 
   
  Treasure: Embers has no treasure, but his pelt is worth a great 
  deal, even marked with cuts and scars (but not if burnt or destroyed 
  by acid). If the hide is treated carefully with a DC 25 Survival check 
  or a DC 12 Craft (leather), it is worth 1,200 gp.
  a13. the Bear’s hall (el 10)
  The inside of this stone building is very dark; there are no windows, 
  and just one smoke hole far above. The space is not quite square; 
  the far wall curves to match the outer walls of the fortress. inside, 
  hundreds of bear skulls are neatly arranged on large shelves, as well as 
  a golden bear pelt, a black bear pelt, and even a white bear pelt. The 
  hall seems deserted.
   
  In older days, the stone giants and ogres of the Storval plateau 
  worshiped bear totems, and their berserkers and shamans found 
  strength in the physical example of the dire bear. While the 
  tribes still keep bears as watch animals and hunting companions, 
  since the coming of Lamashtu’s missionaries they are no longer 
  worshiped. Mokmurian initially had this hall built and decorated 
  to satisfy tribal traditions, but his army now openly worships 
  Lamashtu or has lost interest in matters of faith entirely.
   
  Since the loss of interest, Mokmurian has used this building 
  as guest quarters to house giants whose allegiance and tribes 
  he is courting. For hill giants, ogres, and even most stone giant 
  tribes, Mokmurian doesn’t bother with this stage—he simply 
  enters the camp, demonstrates his power by killing the tribe’s 
  elders or most powerful champions, then takes their warriors 
  and malcontents away to join his army. For the more dangerous 
  giant tribes—notably frost giants—Mokmurian has opted for 
  more diplomatic tactics.
   
  Creature: A frost giant emissary from the Lands of the 
  Linnorm Kings to the north has been staying in this building 
  for the last week, after securing an allegiance with Mokmurian. 
  His tribe, 30 strong, is on the march south and is scheduled to 
  arrive at Jorgenfist in several weeks—the arrival of these  frost 
  giants will signal the time for the attack on Varisia. Until then, 
  Isvig Fjordersen, the frost giant emissary, has passed the time 
  waiting here, sullen and cranky in the too-warm-for-him weather 
  and uninterested in mingling with the other giants of the area. 
  Isvig does not join in the defense of the fortress, but if intruders 
  dare enter this room he attacks at once, grateful for something 
  to take out his impatience on.
  Isvig Fjordersen 
  CR 10
  Male frost giant (MM 122)
  hp 129
   
  Treasure: Isvig keeps his personal stores of treasure in a 
  large hide sack at the foot of his sleeping furs. This includes 998 
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  gp, 1,082 sp, three brown-green garnets worth 100 gp each, a 
  platinum ewer worth 700 gp, and a solid mithral idol of a rearing 
  bear worth 500 gp.
  PaRt fouR:  
  undeR JoRgenfist
  The caves under Jorgenfist might look natural 
  to the untrained eye, but they are in fact all 
  that remains of the upper subterranean level 
  once hidden under the Therassic Monastery—
  only one chamber on this level still bears a passing 
  resemblance to its original shape (area B11). A DC 
  30 Knowledge (architecture and engineering) check 
  is enough to note the somewhat artificial nature of 
  these caverns.
   
  The air in these caves is a bit warmer than that 
  outside, but numerous tiny ventilation tunnels keep the 
  caves from growing too stale. Most of the stone giants 
  Mokmurian recruited from his old tribe live 
  on the surface in area A2g—these caves are 
  used primarily for workshops, worship, and 
  barracks for commanders in his army.
   
  The caves themselves have high 
  ceilings, averaging 20 feet in height in 
  the tunnels, while in caverns they generally 
  arch up to heights of 40 feet. The walls, floor, and 
  ceiling are rough and laced with furrows and air vents, but 
  despite their almost wrinkled look remain quite strong—
  stone giants are particular about their lairs, and there’s little 
  chance of cave-ins within these halls.
   
  Although Mokmurian has forbidden most of the rank-and-
  file giants of his army (including those from his old tribe) 
  entrance into these caves, he did select four loyal stone giants 
  as guardians. These Pit Guardians report to Galenmir, the 
  general of Mokmurian’s army. When Jorgenfist is not on alert, 
  these giants can generally be found relaxing in the great hall 
  in area B4 during the day or sleeping in their barracks in area 
  B10 at night. When the caves are on alert, though, these giants 
  lie in wait in area B2, ready to defend the caves from invaders 
  or to respond to sounds of combat elsewhere in the complex.
  B1. Cave of the dire Bears (el 10)
  The floor of this cavern is a bone-strewn mess. What appear to be three 
  dens of bones, bits of cloth and leather, and swaths of matted fur line 
  the walls to the east. The air in here is thick with the scent of animal dung 
  and spoiled meat.
   
  Creatures: Three dire bears live in this cave. Trained, in 
  theory, to guard the entrance, the bears actually spend much 
  of their time sleeping. If the alarm is raised, a giant makes 
  sure to rouse the bears—otherwise the sleeping animals take 
  a –10 penalty on Listen checks to hear intruders passing by the 
  entrance of their cave.
  Dire Bears (3) 
  CR 7
  hp 105 each (MM 63)
  TacTics
  During Combat The dire bears fight to defend the 
  entrance to the caverns and nothing else. They use 
  their claws at first and might try to bull rush a 
  foe off the ramp if position allows it. if the Pcs 
  retreat out of the caves to the surface above, 
  the bears let them escape.
   Development: If a fight here spills out 
  onto the ramp in area A9, Galenmir emerges 
  from his lair in area B3 onto the pit floor of 
  area A9 to hurl boulders at anyone in sight 
  on the ramp above.
  B2. the elders’ entryway  
  (el 12)
  The ramp descends halfway into the pit before ending 
  here at a cave entrance that leads underground. 
  a smoldering brazier sits in an alcove just to the 
  right of the entrance.
   Creatures: If the fortress is on alert, the 
  caverns’ four stone giant Pit Guardians are 
  stationed here, two in the western tunnel and two 
  to the north. Otherwise, this entrance might at first seem empty, 
  when in fact the stone giant elder Conna waits to intercept the PCs 
  here, hidden in the side cave near the brazier.
   
  Conna is an old, angular giant. She wears heavy bearskins 
  over her shoulders, and a spear rests by her side. When she 
  spots the PCs, she steps out of hiding and holds out her hands 
  to them, palms up.
   
  Conna is observant, and since she bowed before Mokmurian, 
  she’s made sure to speak only when spoken to and to take care 
  of	Mokmurian’s	infrequent	demands	with	swift	efficiency.	As	
  a result, Mokmurian has grown used to her presence, and lax in 
  what he says when she is in earshot. She’s doubtless heard about 
  the raid on Sandpoint by now, and if the PCs are known to be 
  approaching Jorgenfist, awaits their arrival with anticipation.
   
  When she sees the PCs, she furtively attempts to contact them, 
  speaking first in Giant, then in Common. If the PCs attack her, 
  she sighs heavily and fights defensively until she can escape out 
  of the Pit to reconsider her options. If the PCs agree to hear what 
  she has to say, she’s quick and to the point.
  “i don’t have much time, but know that if you are here to slay Mokmurian, 
  i am your ally. come with me to a place we can speak in peace, for i would 
  aid you in your quarrel here—without my assistance you might find only 
  your graves below Jorgenfist.”
   
  If the PCs accompany her, she leads them to area B6 to 
  finish her conversation with them in the presence of her 
  ghostly husband.
  Conna
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  To Library  
  Level 
   
  The Pit and  
  Caverns 
   
  One square = 10 feet 
  N 
  S
  B6 
  B2 
  B11 
  B12 
  B4 
  B5a
  B5b 
  B7a 
  B7b 
  B8 
  B3 
  A9 
  B9 
  B10 
  B14 
  B13 
  B1
  To the Small  
  Tunnels 
  To Library  
  Level 
   
  The Pit and  
  Caverns 
   
  One square = 10 feet 
  N 
  S
  B6 
  B2 
  B11 
  B12 
  B4 
  B5a
  B5b 
  B7a 
  B7b 
  B8 
  B3 
  A9 
  B9 
  B10 
  B14 
  B13 
  B1
   
  To the Small  
  Tunnels 
  Conna the Wise 
  CR 12
  female stone giant elder sorcerer 6 (MM 124)
  n Large giant (earth)
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Listen +4,  
  spot +21
  DEfEnsE
  AC 29, touch 14, flat-footed 27
  (+4 armor, +2 deflection, +2 Dexterity, +11 natural)
  hp 178 (14d8+6d4+100)
  Fort +16, Ref +10, Will +13
  Resist acid 10
  OffEnsE
  Spd 40 ft.
  Melee +1 shortspear +20/+15/+10 (1d8+7)
  Ranged rock +14 (2d8+10)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Spell-Like Abilities (cL 10th)
  1/day—stone shape, stone tell, transmute rock to mud or transmute 
  mud to rock (Dc 19)
  Spells Known (cL 6th; +14 ranged touch)
  3rd (4/day)—fly
  2nd (6/day)—blink, scorching ray
  1st (7/day)—charm person (Dc 16), mage armor, obscuring mist, 
  shocking grasp
  0 (6/day)—dancing lights, daze (Dc 15), flare (Dc 15), ghost sound 
  (Dc 15), light, mending, prestidigitation
  TacTics
  Before Combat conna casts mage armor twice a day, so it’s always in 
  effect during her waking hours.
  During Combat conna’s main tactic is to stall. she uses combat 
  Expertise to increase her ac to 34 with a bonus from Dodge 
  when she can. if she has time to prepare, she casts fly and blink 
  on herself.
  Morale conna doesn’t want to fight the Pcs. Her tactics focus on 
  escape so she can recover in hiding and plan a new method of 
  contacting the Pcs so she can again try to plead her case and recruit 
  them in her plans against Mokmurian.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 24, Dex 14, Con 20, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 19
  Base Atk +13; Grp +24
  Feats alertness (as long as Gutfinder is in arm’s reach), combat 
  Expertise, combat Reflexes, Dodge, Extend spell, iron Will, 
  Lightning Reflexes, Mobility
  Skills climb +24, concentration +17, Hide +15 (+23 in rocky terrain), 
  Jump +28, Knowledge (arcana) +8, spellcraft +10, spot +21
  Languages common, Giant, Draconic
  SQ familiar (bat named Gutfinder), rock catching
  Combat Gear potion of barkskin +4; Other Gear +1 shortspear, 
  ring of minor acid resistance, ring of protection +2, cloak of 
  Charisma +2
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  Pit Guardians (4) 
  CR 8
  stone giants
  hp 119 each (MM 124)
  B3. the General’s lair (el 12)
  This cavern opens out to the east onto the bony tangle of the pit floor; a 
  hanging dire bear fur over this exit is open but can be pulled shut to cut 
  out the draft. The rest of the walls in this cavern are lined with hanging 
  furs as well, including the floor—they’re piled particularly high in a 
  mattress to the south.
   
  The hanging furs conceal an exit to the west that leads deeper 
  into the tunnels (marked “S”). Noticing this exit from inside the 
  room requires a DC 15 Search check.
   
  Creature: The cavern is the home of Galenmir, Mokmurian’s 
  general and second in command of his army. One of the oldest 
  giants to submit to Mokmurian’s rule, Galenmir cares little 
  whom he follows as long as he has the opportunity to lead others 
  in battle and to gain more glory for himself.
   
  When Mokmurian assigned Galenmir to this cave, the proud 
  giant rankled a bit at what he interpreted as “door guard” 
  duty. Given those are his orders, though, Galenmir performs 
  them admirably, rewarding himself in the hours before sleep 
  by generating attack plans for every possible contingency and 
  situation once his army marches on Varisia.
  Galenmir 
  CR 12
  Male stone giant fighter 4 (MM 124)
  LE Large giant (earth)
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Listen +0, spot +19
  DEfEnsE
  AC 31, touch 11, flat-footed 29
  (+7 armor, +2 Dex, +11 natural, +2 shield, –1 size)
  hp 193 (14d8+4d10+108)
  Fort +21, Ref +9, Will +9
  OffEnsE
  Spd 30 ft.
  Melee +3 heavy pick +24/+19/+14/+9 (1d8+19/19–20/×4)
  Ranged rock +17 (2d8+16)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Special Attacks rock throwing
  TacTics
  Before Combat Galenmir drinks his potion of heroism and applies his oil 
  of keen edge to his pick if he has time before entering combat—these 
  benefits are incorporated into this stat block.
  During Combat Galenmir stacked several rocks next to the pit entrance 
  to his lair and uses these against intruders he catches descending into 
  the Pit. if confronted in close quarters, he uses improved Bull Rush 
  to keep his enemies from surrounding him and to set himself up for 
  tactical advantages. He always opens a battle with a 5-point Power 
  attack (included in his stats above), adjusting the amount by which he 
  power attacks by 2 points each round depending on if he’s consistently 
  hitting or missing his enemies with his third and fourth attacks.
  Morale although Galenmir is no coward, he realizes when he’s been 
  beaten. if reduced to 30 hit points or less, he drinks his potion of 
  gaseous form and seeps into the cracks and crevices of the caves, 
  working his way up and out of the Pit to gather a group of eight stone 
  giants to then lead back into the Pit to seek out the Pcs. While he’s 
  aware that Mokmurian will likely be furious at this breach of edict, 
  Galenmir assumes his lord will be even more furious if the Pcs are 
  allowed to explore the caves uncontested.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 33, Dex 14, Con 22, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 16
  Base Atk +14; Grp +29
  Feats awesome Blow, combat Expertise, combat Reflexes, Dodge, 
  improved Bull Rush, iron Will, Mobility, Power attack, Quick Draw, 
  spring attack
  Skills climb +30, Handle animal +11, Hide +17 (+25 in caves), 
  Ride +12, spot +19
  Languages common, Giant
  SQ rock catching
  Combat Gear potion of heroism, potion of gaseous form, oil of keen edge, 
  oil of darkness Other Gear +2 breastplate, +1 light steel shield, +3 
  heavy pick, cloak of elvenkind, 19 pp, 18 gp, 13 sp
   
  Treasure: Galenmir’s wealth is mostly invested in his gear, 
  but he also has an impressive collection of scalps and war 
  trophies, including the preserved head of a frost giant jarl, 
  the beards of 100 dwarves (each neatly bundled and secured 
  with a silver ring worth 10 gp), and bits of broken and dented 
  breastplates from the plate armor of a dozen different warriors 
  (worth 20 gp each).
   
  Galenmir’s favorite collection is a neatly sorted grouping of 
  33 shields, each marked with the name of a human, elf, or dwarf 
  hero Galenmir defeated in combat. He remembers each one; 
  anyone who makes a DC 25 Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 
  check recognizes that one of the shields belonged to Anstan 
  Jeggare, an exiled bastard from the affluent Jeggare family of 
  Korvosa. This shield alone is magical—a +1 arrow catching heavy 
  steel shield. If returned to the Jeggare family, the nobles pay full 
  price as a reward (rather than the standard half price if the shield 
  is sold on the market).
  B4. the Great Cave of Jorgenfist (el 0 or 12)
  This huge cavern contains four large tables set up around a central 
  platform on which sits an immense stone throne. from the ceiling above 
  hang carved stalactites, some fashioned to look like dangling spears, 
  while others look like dragon’s teeth. The flickering light of a large fire 
  burns behind a row of stalagmites to the south, and lots of fairly fresh 
  bones are scattered around the edges of the cave.
   
  Creatures: If Jorgenfist is not on the alert, during the day, 
  the caverns’ four Pit Guardians can be found here relaxing, 
  eating, and arm wrestling. They aren’t paying particular 
  attention and take a –4 penalty on Spot and Listen checks to 
  notice the PCs.
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  Pit Guardians (4) 
   
  CR 8
  stone giants
  hp 119 each (MM 124)
  B5a. Kitchen (el 9)
  a large firepit burns and crackles in the eastern part of this cave, 
  with an iron cauldron hanging over the flames from a frame of tree 
  trunks. Kitchen supplies sized for giants sit along the southern wall, 
  including buckets of water, wooden trenchers for food, and gallon-
  sized mugs.
   
  Creatures: This room is always occupied, even late at night, 
  by Grumelda the watcher, a female stone giant with a particular 
  knack for preparing bland food. She keeps the fire burning at all 
  hours, ready to prepare whatever meals Mokmurian may demand. 
  Grumelda has little interest in war and fighting, but if she spies 
  trouble in the great cave to the north she races into the room, 
  wielding a long iron ladle as a club.
  Grumelda 
  CR 8
  female stone giant (MM 124)
  n Large giant
  hp 119
  B5b. larder
  This room is a carnivore’s paradise: the cave is packed 
  with entire sides of elk, smoked haunches of deer and 
  wild boar, and massive slabs that can only be mammoth 
  ribs. The room is filled with stacks of meat of all kinds, 
  smaller quantities of spices and roots, and many 
  sacks of grain.
   
  A closer search of the smoked meat 
  here reveals some gruesome human, elf, 
  and dwarf remains. One small barrel 
  is labeled “CANDY” in Giant—inside 
  are hundreds of human, elf, and dwarf  
  eyes floating in a thick suspension of 
  foul-smelling brine.
  B6. shrine of the ancestors 
  (el 8)
  The walls of this cave are painted with red, yellow, 
  brown, and black figures, among which are apparent images 
  of giants, mammoths, elk, deer, and wyverns. Others are 
  harder to figure out: ogres, perhaps, or giant children, or 
  even humans. The dwarves are very clear, with beards and tiny 
  axes being crushed under enormous giant feet. a simple oil 
  lantern lights a small altar at the far end of the cavern. a 
  modest offering of antlers, hooves, and patches of fur 
  has been piled in front of the altar. 
   
  When Mokmurian first came to these caves, he set up this small 
  shrine dedicated to his people’s ancestral spirits. As he became 
  more and more obsessed with Thassilon, his interest in religion 
  waned, and after he returned from Xin-Shalast his first act in this 
  chamber was to sacrifice Vandarrec, the father of his old tribe. The 
  now-deposed mother of his tribe, Conna, has tended to this shrine 
  since Mokmurian’s blasphemous sacrifice, and only she knows that 
  her husband’s spirit now haunts this chamber. The other denizens 
  of the surrounding caverns have learned to avoid this cave due to 
  the haunt (see the Haunts sidebar).
   
  If the PCs enter this cave without Conna, the haunt plays 
  out as detailed on page 34. Conna’s presence soothes the 
  angry spirit, and as long as she is in the room, the haunt does 
  not manifest beyond periodically animating one of the cave 
  paintings so that it appears to dance just at the corner of the 
  viewer’s eye.
   
  Conna explains to the PCs what happened to her husband 
  here several years ago, then goes on to explain that Mokmurian’s 
  minions avoid this cave due to the haunting. Since Vandarrec’s 
  spirit remains quiet in Conna’s presence, this is a perfect place 
  to have a brief meeting with the PCs about their common 
  problem—Mokmurian.
   Although few visit here, Conna is still nervous and rushed. 
  She asks the PCs why they have come to Jorgenfist, 
  but regardless of their answer does her best to 
  convince them that slaying Mokmurian is 
  the solution to their problems. She 
  can tell the PCs that Mokmurian 
  has spent almost all of his time in 
  the library level below this one, 
  and she can even draw the PCs a 
  rough map of the caves, suggesting 
  they approach area B14 from the 
  west rather than the north—even 
  though that route is longer, there 
  are fewer perils along the way. 
  She requests that if the PCs 
  encounter any more stone 
  giants they defeat the 
  giants without killing 
  them, if possible, but 
  understands if the PCs have little interest 
  in complying—her kin, in her mind, have 
  brought this doom upon themselves 
  through their own actions.
   
  Conna will not 
  accompany the PCs, 
  mostly out of 
  stubborn respect for her 
  traditions—once a giant elder 
  has been deposed, that elder must not 
  directly oppose the new ruler. Yet she is 
  comfortable answering questions about 
  the surrounding caverns, and she agrees to 
  Galenmir
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  cast spells on PCs if they wish—fly and mage armor being the best 
  choices.
   
  Before she parts ways with the PCs, Conna begrudgingly tells 
  them one more thing. She fears that Mokmurian has fallen under 
  the influence of a powerful evil spirit indeed—one of the Ancient 
  Lords themselves. She has heard him whisper a name when he felt 
  he was alone, the name “Karzoug,” a name Conna recognizes 
  from secret myths shared by the elders. Karzoug was one of those 
  who enslaved her people, and if Mokmurian has fallen victim to 
  this Ancient Lord’s influence, the danger facing her people and 
  all of Varisia may be greater than anyone knows.
   
  Haunt: Vandarrec’s blasphemous sacrifice has bound him to this 
  world—his soul cannot move on to the afterlife until the one who 
  performed this profane act is himself slain. Until then, Vandarrec’s 
  tormented spirit haunts this chamber. Only 1d4 rounds after any 
  creature enters this room, the paintings on the wall suddenly 
  animate into a display of violence. A heartbeat later, the largest 
  giant in the mural seems to rise up out of the wall, taking the shape 
  of an enormous stone giant. With shocking speed, unseen knives 
  flay the giant’s stony flesh and cut deep into the phantom’s belly 
  so its exposed guts drip with black blood. It moans in terrible pain 
  and reaches out to crush anyone within 20 feet of the altar with its 
  bloodstained hands.
  Flayed Giant 
  CR 8
  Notice spot Dc 15 (to notice the paintings on the walls begin 
  moving); Effective HD 13
  EffEcTs
  Trigger proximity; Reset automatic (24 hours)
  Effect all creatures within 20 feet of the altar must make a Dc 18 
  Will save to resist being paralyzed with fright for 1d8 rounds at the 
  gruesome sight. Those who become paralyzed must then make a Dc 
  18 fortitude save to avoid dying of fright as the ghostly giant seems 
  to crush their bodies to pulp.
  B7a. enga’s Cave (el 12)
  This cave is cluttered by tiny mounds of carefully sorted junk—bones, 
  scraps of armor, broken weapons, stones, dead rats, and chitin 
  harvested from large vermin. a net hammock hangs from a pair of 
  stalagmites to the southwest near a four-foot-wide crack in the wall 
  that winds deeper underground.
   
  Creature: During his travels through the Storval Plateau, not 
  long after he returned from Xin-Shalast, Mokmurian encountered 
  a curious creature—a kobold barbarian named Enga Keckvia. 
  Mokmurian initially ignored the brave little kobold when she 
  demanded payment from him for using her territory (a dried 
  riverbed) as a road, but when she stabbed him in the ankle he realized 
  there was more to her than he thought. He was intrigued and offered 
  her a place in his army, figuring that he might need a brave, powerful, 
  little thing like Enga for special missions. Enga herself, a wanderer 
  from distant Andoran, had seen enough  hardship during her travels 
  and liked the idea of a paying job.
   
  Enga’s role these days is twofold. Her primary job is to 
  guard this passage from the River Caves from vermin or other 
  intrusions. Two or three times a week, she makes forays into the 
  tunnels to hunt down and kill the vermin that grow within. Her 
  other job is to serve as a liaison between the giants and the tribes 
  of redcaps that dwell deep in the River Caves (see area B7b). 
  Neither the giants nor the redcaps enjoy the other’s company 
  overmuch, but although they live in close proximity they don’t 
  have overlapping territories. Periodically, Mokmurian demands 
  tributes and favors from the redcaps, and at these times, Enga 
  becomes his messenger and collector.
   
  The arrival of humans in the cave puzzles Enga, particularly 
  if they don’t enter her lair from the River Caves entrance, but 
  she recovers quickly enough to fly into a frothing frenzy just 
  before she attacks. Being able to present humans to Mokmurian 
  is certain to get her a bonus!
  Enga Keckvia, Kobold “Ratcatcher”  
  CR 12 
  female kobold barbarian 12 (MM 161)
  cE small humanoid (reptilian)
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +16, spot +1 
  DEfEnsE
  AC 18, touch 11, flat-footed 16
  (+6 armor, +2 Dex, –2 rage, +1 shield, +1 size)
  hp 131 (12d12+36) 
  Fort +12 Ref +6 Will +10
  Defensive Abilities improved uncanny dodge; DR 2/—
  OffEnsE
  Spd 30 ft.
  Melee +3 shortspear +22/+17/+12 (1d4+8) 
  Special Attacks greater rage 4/day
  TacTics
  During Combat Enga is brave and fearless, despite (or perhaps due 
  to) her small stature. she rages on the first round of combat and, if 
  possible, fights with her back to a wall so she can minimize flankers. 
  she focuses her anger on obvious healers first and foremost.
  Morale Enga flees into the River caves if reduced to less than 20 hit points, 
  hoping to lose her tormenters in the maze-like region. if she’s got a 
  few rounds, she rigs a quick but deadly trap by removing her necklace of 
  fireballs (but keeping one bead) and leaving it on the ground. she then 
  moves about 60 feet away and waits; once she sees someone reach the 
  necklace, she throws her bead and detonates the entire necklace at 
  once. she then doubles back to area B7 via a different route and seeks 
  out one of the lamias in area B13 for aid, possibly recruiting them to 
  stone shape the entrance to the small caves shut.
  Base Stats When Enga isn’t raging, her stats change as follows:
  AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 18
  hp 95
  Fort +8 Will +7
  Melee +3 shortspear +19/+14/+9 (1d4+5)
  Grp +10
  Str 14, Con 12
  Swim +6
  sTaTisTics
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  enga 
  Keckvia
  Str 20, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8 
  Base Atk +12; Grp +13 
  Feats Blind-fight, Great fortitude, iron Will, Power attack, 
  Weapon focus (shortspear)
  Skills craft (trapmaking) +17, Hide +10, Listen +16, survival 
  +11, swim +6
  Languages Draconic, common
  SQ light sensitivity, trap sense +4
  Combat Gear necklace of fireballs (type iV); Other Gear +1 
  breastplate, +1 buckler, +3 shortspear, 11 gp, 12 sp, 12 cp
  B7b. the small tunnels (el 11)
  The narrow crack in the southwest wall connects to a tangled 
  maze of caves the giants refer to as the River Caves. These 
  tunnels lead a winding route south, eventually ending at a 
  secret door that opens into area A4. Along this way, dozens 
  of other tunnels intersect the primary passage, sloping ever 
  downward in an increasingly vexing maze. These tunnels are 
  infested with all manner of vermin, rats, slimes, and other 
  creatures, but the most dangerous are a large clan of violent 
  fey creatures called redcaps.
   
  Navigating the small tunnels is a claustrophobic ordeal. 
  The tunnels vary between three and five feet wide and wrap 
  over and under each other in a tangled three-dimensional 
  maze riddled with dead ends. You can expand these tunnels as 
  you wish, but little beyond their possible use as an alternate 
  entrance into the caverns has any impact on the adventure.
   
  Creatures: The redcaps have lived in the small caves for 
  decades—they once had full run of these caverns, but when 
  Mokmurian moved in and the giant killed several of their 
  number, the fey were forced to remain in the River Caves. 
  They’ve begrudgingly ceded the caves to the giants, hoping that 
  Mokmurian will eventually get tired and move on, but for now 
  the redcaps are making do with their new lot in life.
   
  Characters who spend much time in these caves are 
  guaranteed to encounter a murder party of five redcaps—the 
  redcaps take intrusions into these tight caves very personally 
  and very violently.
  Redcaps (5) 
  CR 6
  hp 64 each (see page 80)
  B8. tannery (el 9)
  This room reeks of vinegar, rotting hair, and worse. a single large stone 
  basin sits in the middle of the room, about ten feet square and filled 
  with foul-looking fluid upon which float patches of wet fur. around 
  the basin stand a dozen wooden frames over which leather and hides 
  are stretched. at the far end of the cave, a stinking mound of hides 
  and furs awaits tanning.
  HaunTS
  Haunts function somewhat like traps, but are difficult to detect 
  since they do not “exist” until they are triggered. When a haunt 
  is triggered, its effects manifest at initiative rank 10 on a surprise 
  round; the haunt effect vanishes as soon as the surprise round 
  is over and things return to normal (haunts never persist into 
  actual round-by-round “combat”). Those in the haunt’s vicinity 
  can make a specific skill check to notice the haunt in time to 
  react—if a character notices it, he may make an initiative check 
  to determine when he acts in the round. Once a haunt is active, 
  a successful turn undead attempt against the haunt’s effective 
  Hit Dice ends it immediately, although the character making 
  the turn attempt must notice the haunt and must act before it in 
  the surprise round it is activated. if the turning attempt results 
  in a destruction result, that particular haunt is exorcised and 
  permanently disabled. Once a haunt triggers, it cannot trigger 
  again for 24 hours.
   a haunt is assigned a cR score, calculated as if it were a 
  trap. for experiencing and surviving a haunt, award the entire 
  party XP as if it had defeated a creature of that cR. all haunts 
  are mind-affecting fear effects, even those that can produce 
  physical effects.
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  The wet fur belongs to bear hides currently being tanned; 
  additional hides are stretched on racks here, ready to be taken up 
  to the surface for softening and further working. These hides and 
  leathers will eventually be turned into tabards and patches for 
  giants to wear over their armor to further enhance their fearsome 
  natures. The liquid in the vat is particularly foul—a character 
  who falls into the stuff must make a DC 14 Fortitude save or be 
  nauseated for 1d4 rounds.
   
  Creatures: A group of nine ogres, kept docile and loyal via 
  the magical combination of threats and abuse from the lamia 
  priests and, periodically, Mokmurian himself, toil here daily to 
  supply leather and furs for the growing army above. They look 
  upon an intrusion by the PCs as an excuse to quit work for at 
  least a few minutes to take part in a fight, and do so with great 
  guffaws and chortles.
  Ogres (9) 
  CR 3
  hp 29 each (MM 199)
  TacTics
  During Combat These ogres are as interested in humiliating the Pcs 
  as they are in hurting them and often attempt to knock Pcs into the 
  tanning vat using bull rushes.
  B9. armory (el 10)
  The walls of this room have been chiseled away and made almost regular. 
  four anvils stand in the middle of the room, while to the south burns a 
  bright forge fire. immense bellows stand near a row of low iron cages, each 
  featuring a filthy mound of straw. The bellows’ handles extend through the 
  cages, allowing anyone imprisoned within to work the bellows without the 
  necessity of leaving their confines. To the north, mounds of steel and the 
  broken and bent pieces of a dozen weapons await work.
   
  Many of the weapons and armor being forged for the coming 
  war are being created elsewhere, either in the surrounding camps 
  or at tribal forges in the Iron Peaks. This forge is concerned 
  mostly with repairing broken or damaged weapons.
   
  Creatures: Two stone giant smiths work here, repairing the 
  broken weapons almost as fast as they’re coming in. The cages 
  near the bellows contain several dwarven prisoners, all of whom 
  might not be immediately recognizable as dwarves, as the giants 
  have shaved off their beards for the sport of it. If the giants 
  managed to capture any unnamed NPCs from Sandpoint and 
  made it all the way back here, they have joined the dwarves in 
  these cages. The prisoners are all exhausted, but if freed, they 
  grab up broken weapons and eagerly (if foolishly) join any fight 
  against the giants.
  Stone Giants (2) 
  CR 8
  hp 119 each (MM 124)
  Dwarf Prisoners (9) 
  CR 1
  Dwarf warrior 1 (MM 91)
  hp 6 each
  B10. pit Guardian Barracks 
  The tunnel widens here into a gallery, the walls of which are streaked 
  with glittering veins of mica. To the north, four large mounds of furs 
  have been arranged—a nimbus of bones and bits of half-eaten food lies 
  strewn around each.
   
  Creatures: The four Pit Guardians sleep here—if the alarm 
  isn’t raised and it’s night, the PCs find the four giants snoring 
  loudly in these makeshift beds.
  Pit Guardians (4) 
  CR 8
  stone giants
  hp 119 each (MM 124)
  B11. Chamber of the sihedron (el 11)
  The doors to this room are made of stone and carved with an 
  immense seven-pointed star—the Sihedron Rune. The doors 
  themselves are unlocked but quite heavy. It takes a DC 20 
  Strength check to push them open, which causes their ancient 
  stone hinges to grind and grate, announcing the PCs loudly to 
  the room’s caretaker.
  This immense hall is an unexpected break from the rough stone walls 
  of caverns and caves. The rectangular chamber is fifty feet wide and a 
  hundred feet long, with rib-like spines arching up to a vaulted ceiling fifty 
  feet overhead. The room’s floor is loose soil, while the wall opposite 
  the doors is carved with an immense bas-relief of a seven-pointed star. 
  Throughout the room, seven fifteen-foot-tall tree trunks have been driven 
  into the ground like immense stakes, their sides carved with countless 
  more stars. Each trunk has been fitted with an iron ring from which dangle 
  chains affixed to manacles. next to each trunk stands an iron brazier 
  filled with smoldering coals. a long branding iron, its tip also featuring 
  the seven-pointed star, leans against each brazier.
   
  Although the original purpose of this room is lost to  the ages, the 
  carvings of the Sihedron Rune made it a perfect place for Mokmurian 
  to use as an indoctrination chamber. When he returned to Jorgenfist, 
  he, his lamia minions, and a particularly vile giant named Lokansir 
  took time to run each of his new recruits through a grueling ritual 
  in which their minds were assaulted, their bodies purified, and their 
  flesh eventually branded with the Sihedron Rune. While these giants 
  believe this ritual is merely symbolic of joining Mokmurian’s army, 
  it has a hidden purpose—it is the same ritual used by other agents of 
  Karzoug to prepare souls for the runewell of greed. When any of these 
  giants die, their souls power Karzoug’s imminent freedom as surely 
  as any other sacrifice.
   
  The soil on the floor of this room was brought in by the 
  chamber’s guardian so even here, underground, he could feel 
  more at home.
   
  Creature: Among the giants of the Storval Plateau 
  periodically rise those who are greater than their kin. In these 
  giants, the blood of the ancients is said to run true, and they 
  are what they were in the time before Thassilon enslaved them. 
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  They are known as the jotunblood, and their powers far exceed 
  those of their lesser kin.
   
  As he was escorting his new lamia allies back from Xin-Shalast 
  to Jorgenfist, Mokmurian encountered one of the jotunblood, 
  a nomadic hill giant named Lokansir. Mokmurian sensed the 
  greatness in Lokansir and made an offer: join his army and 
  take part in the looting of Varisia, and Mokmurian would 
  make Lokansir rich and powerful. The two spoke often during 
  the remainder of the journey, and by the time they’d reached 
  Jorgenfist, Lokansir had become Mokmurian’s closest and most 
  trusted ally. Lokansir was particularly enthralled by Mokmurian’s 
  stories of Xin-Shalast, and the jotunblood hill giant became 
  one of the few to whom Mokmurian confided his true goal to 
  awaken Karzoug by offering up an incredible number of specially 
  prepared souls of greed.
   
  Since then, Lokansir has grown ever more obsessed with 
  Thassilon, particularly the stories of how the ancients used 
  rune giants to control other giants. He’s made a few trips into 
  the Library of Thassilon (area C7) but is far too dim-witted 
  and impatient to learn much from the tomes there. Instead, he 
  decorated his shoulders and arms with Thassilonian runes in an 
  attempt to focus this magic, but so far, these experiments have 
  had no real results. His current desire is to make the journey to 
  Xin-Shalast himself, but he’s contented himself with the coming 
  war for now—there will be plenty of time for visits to the Kodar 
  Mountains once Varisia is conquered.
   
  Lokansir is likely in this room meditating when the PCs first 
  enter, melded with the soil and earth on the floor and thus 
  hidden completely. If he notices intruders, he waits for 
  them to draw near to his hiding spot in the earth before 
  emerging with a roar to strike with his greatclub.
   
  If during the raid on Sandpoint any of the giants 
  made off with named NPCs, they are found here, 
  barely conscious and hanging by the arms 
  from manacles. Badly tortured and at 0 hit 
  points, each prisoner has been branded on the 
  chest with the Sihedron Rune. The ritual of preparation 
  complete, they await sacrifice at the Pit—an event 
  scheduled for some point only a few days after the PCs first 
  arrive in the region.
  Lokansir 
  CR 11
  Male jotunblood hill giant
  cE Huge giant
  Init –2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Listen +10, spot +10
  DEfEnsE
  AC 22, touch 6, flat-footed 22
  (–2 Dexterity, +16 natural, –2 size)
  hp 231 (22d8+132)
  Fort +19, Ref +4, Will +6
  SR 19
  OffEnsE
  Spd 50 ft.
  Melee +3 greatclub +29/+24/+19/+14 (3d8+19/19–20)
  Ranged rock +13 (2d8+11)
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
  Special Attacks earth-shaking bellow
  TacTics
  During Combat Lokansir isn’t too bright, and his combat tactics 
  reflect that. He rarely bothers moving around much in combat 
  except to get in reach of enemies to crush them with his favorite 
  club. He avoids using his earth-shaking bellow while underground, 
  but if brought below 50 hit points and unable to merge with earth, 
  he’ll use this ability in desperation.
  Morale Lokansir melds into earth if reduced below 50 hit points and 
  waits for his fast healing to heal him completely before emerging. if 
  somehow prevented from using this tactic, the desperate giant tries 
  to flee out of the caves up into Jorgenfist to find more earth to hide 
  in. if he manages to heal back to full, he tracks down the Pcs with 
  single-minded stubbornness for revenge.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 33, Dex 6, Con 23, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 7
  Base Atk +16; Grp +35
  Lokansir
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  Feats alertness, cleave, Great cleave, improved Bull Rush, improved 
  critical (greatclub), improved sunder, Power attack, Weapon 
  focus (greatclub)
  Skills climb +20, Listen +10, spot +10 
  Languages Giant 
  SQ meld into earth, rock catching
  Other Gear +3 greatclub
  sPEciaL aBiLiTiEs
  Earth-Shaking Bellow (Su) Once every 1d4 rounds, Lokansir can 
  loose an earth-shaking bellow that functions like an earthquake spell, 
  affecting a 40-foot-cone.
  Meld Into Earth (Su) at will, Lokansir can meld into earth (not 
  solid stone) as if using the meld into stone spell, except that he 
  may remain in the earth as long as he wishes. a move earth spell 
  cast upon his location causes him to be expelled from the earth 
  and take 5d6 points of damage. While melded with earth, he 
  gains fast healing 1.
  B12. Red dragon Captives (el 9)
  The passageway widens here into a cylindrical cavern, the walls black 
  with soot and scorch marks.
   
  Creatures: Two young red dragons are being kept here for 
  eventual sacrifice to Karzoug—each dragon has already been 
  marked with the Sihedron Rune. Since branding works poorly 
  on creatures immune to fire, Mokmurian marked the dragons 
  by prying scales from their chests to form a crude but workable 
  shapes of the rune.
   
  When they were first captured by Mokmurian and Longtooth, 
  these two young dragons fought tenaciously. They were subdued 
  nonetheless, bound in iron, and hauled back here, where Lokansir 
  aided in preparing the dragons for sacrifice. The lamia priestesses 
  then used their charm monster abilities to befriend them, and 
  have repeated this process every few days for several weeks. The 
  dragons now view the lamias as their mistresses and wear the 
  Sihedron Rune with pride. They take quick offense to intruders, 
  roaring warnings to their lamia mistresses and quickly attacking 
  with their breath weapons.
   
  Both dragons are still under the effect of charm monster spell-
  like abilities cast by the lamias. If a dragon is released from this 
  charm effect, it quickly realizes what’s been done to it and flies 
  to area B13 for vengeance, attacking with fury any lamias it finds 
  there before attempting to escape the caverns entirely. They have 
  no interest in rewarding PCs for being released—in a way, they 
  view their not attacking the PCs as reward enough. Any PC who 
  tries to force a reward from a freed dragon quickly finds himself 
  in combat with them.
  Econtredor and Sulaminga 
  CR 7
  Male young red dragons
  cE Large dragon (fire)
  Init +4; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., keen senses; 
  Listen +19, spot +19
  DEfEnsE
  AC 21, touch 9, flat-footed 21
  (+12 natural, –1 size)
  hp 123 (13d12+39)
  Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +9
  Immune fire
  Weaknesses vulnerable to cold
  OffEnsE
  Spd 40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)
  Melee bite +20 (2d6+7) and
  2 claws +17 (1d8+3) and
  2 wings +17 (1d6+3) and
  tail slap +17 (1d8+10)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with bite)
  Special Attacks breath weapon (40-ft. cone; 6d10 fire; Dc 21)
  Spells Known (cL 1st; +12 ranged touch)
  1st (4/day)—cure light wounds, shield
  0 (5/day)—daze (Dc 11), detect poison, mage hand, ray of frost
  TacTics
  During Combat The two dragons attempt to intimidate first, swearing 
  to roast their foes in twin streams of fire, but if actually forced to 
  fight, they use all their melee attacks first, both dragons flanking a 
  single fighter or other dangerous-looking foe.
  Morale While charmed, the dragons fight to the death. if freed from the 
  charm, they attempt to escape into the wilds if reduced to 40 hit 
  points or less.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 25, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 12
  Base Atk +13; Grp +24
  Feats ability focus (breath weapon), alertness, improved initiative, 
  Multiattack, Weapon focus (bite)
  Skills appraise +17, Bluff +17, intimidate +19, Knowledge (arcana) 
  +17, Listen +19, search +17, spot +19 
  Languages Draconic
  B13. Cavern of the lamia priests (el 12)
  incense smoke hangs heavy in the air of this cavern, thick enough 
  to give the cave a gauzy, almost dream-like feel and scenting the 
  place with a vaguely metallic tang. soft chanting fills the air as 
  well—the voices’ rich, modulated tones that are strangely soothing. 
  The cavern’s walls are painted on all sides in spiraling patterns of 
  rich blue and purple, while here and there the angular symbol of a 
  three-eyed jackal-like visage leers out of these dark colors in vivid 
  reds. Elsewhere, depictions of three-headed bats with enormous 
  fangs and a coiling snake with a horned head at each end of its body 
  glower from the walls. a large block of stone sits against one wall, 
  its top and sides greasy with fresh blood.
   
  This cavern has been claimed by the lamias—although most of 
  Mokmurian’s lamia allies are out in the world preparing Varisia 
  for Karzoug’s awakening, two priestessess of Lamashtu have 
  remained behind to serve Mokmurian as advisors and to aid him 
  in whatever way they can. Unknown even to Mokmurian, these 
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  lamias are in regular contact with their own sinister masters 
  and mistresses in Xin-Shalast via sending spells, where they offer 
  regular but brief reports on Mokmurian’s progress.
   
  In the meantime, the lamia priests have transformed this 
  cavern into a cathedral dedicated to the Mother of Monsters, 
  Lamashtu. A DC 15 Knowledge (religion) check identifies the 
  three-eyed jackal as Lamashtu’s symbol, while the images of 
  fanged bats and horned amphisbaena snakes can be identified 
  with a DC 25 Knowledge (religion) check as the symbols of the 
  demon lords Barypon and Fendrast, respectively, lesser lords in 
  Lamashtu’s service.
   
  Creatures: Two lamia clerics dwell here, Seleval and Zaelsar. 
  They react to intrusions into their temple with cold amusement, 
  as if it were some only slightly humorous attempt at a joke that 
  the PCs would even consider treading upon this holy ground. 
  Seleval asks if the PCs are here to pledge their souls to Lamashtu, 
  a sneer on her beautiful face, while Zaelsar scratches her claws 
  along the stony floor, creating a discordant sound not unlike 
  fingernails on slate. Neither lamia expects the PCs to talk for 
  long, which is fine for them—they’ve not dined on humanoid flesh 
  for too long and are eager to rectify that lapse.
  Seleval and Zaelsar 
  CR 10
  female lamia cleric 8 (Lamashtu)
  cE Large magical beast
  Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Listen +6, spot +12
  DEfEnsE
  AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 20
  (+2 armor, +2 deflection, +3 Dexterity, +7 natural, –1 size)
  hp 136 (9d10+8d8+51)
  Fort +15, Ref +13, Will +15
  OffEnsE
  Spd 60 ft.
  Melee +2 flail +19/+14/+9 (2d6+5) and
  touch +12 (1d4 Wisdom drain) and
  2 claws +12 (1d4+1)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
  Special Attacks feat of strength 1/day (+8 strength for one round), 
  rebuke undead 6/day (+5, 2d6+11)
  Spell-Like Abilities (cL 9th)
  at will—disguise self, ventriloquism (Dc 13)
  3/day—charm monster (Dc 17), major image (Dc 16), mirror image, 
  suggestion (Dc 16)
  1/day—deep slumber (Dc 16)
  Spells Prepared (cL 8th)
  4th—freedom of movement, poison (Dc 22), sending, unholy blightD 
  (Dc 20)
  3rd—blindness/deafness (Dc 21), cure serious wounds (2), dispel 
  magic, magic vestmentD (already cast), stone shape
  2nd—bear’s endurance, bull’s strengthD, cure moderate wounds (2), 
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  death knell (Dc 20), sound burst (Dc 18)
  1st—command (Dc 17), cure light wounds (3), divine favor, protection 
  from goodD, sanctuary (Dc 17)
  0—cure minor wounds (2), detect magic, guidance, mending, read magic
  D domain spell; Domains Evil, strength
  TacTics
  Before Combat Each lamia casts magic vestment at the start of her 
  day—if the Pcs arrive at this room after sundown, that spell has 
  expired and the lamias lose their +2 armor bonuses to their armor 
  class. if they hear the dragons or trolls fighting to the north or 
  south, they take several rounds to cast preparatory spells (freedom 
  of movement, bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, mirror image, and 
  finally protection from good) before moving into the neighboring 
  room to join the battle.
  During Combat Each lamia casts divine favor on the first round of 
  combat, then moves in to fight the enemy in melee. They focus 
  their attacks on the same target, one lamia attacking with her 
  melee attacks while the other combat casts spells at the target, 
  then switch off the next round. These lamia are merciless, and 
  if one of them drops to negative hit points, the other doesn’t 
  hesitate to use death knell on her dying sister.
  Morale if a lamia is reduced to 40 hit points or less, she tries to 
  cast sanctuary and then uses her healing magic on herself while 
  attempting to put some distance between her and the Pcs. if 
  reduced to 20 hit points, a lamia casts sending to warn Mokmurian 
  before she attempts to flee to another room in this complex, where 
  she can find an ally to aid her.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 22, Cha 16
  Base Atk +15; Grp +22
  Feats Dodge, Greater spell focus (necromancy), Lightning Reflexes, 
  Mobility, spell focus (necromancy), spring attack
  Skills Bluff +19, concentration +19, Hide +9, Knowledge (religion) 
  +9, spellcraft +9, spot +12
  Languages common, Draconic, Giant, Thassilonian
  SQ spontaneous casting (inflict spells)
  Other Gear +2 flail, periapt of Wisdom +2, ring of protection +2
   
  Treasure: The two incense burners atop the altar are made of 
  silver chased with mithral and are worth 400 gp each.
   
  A DC 25 Search check is enough to notice that the altar has 
  been slid across the stone floor several times. A DC 20 Strength 
  check allows a PC to push it aside to reveal a small hollow in 
  the ground below, within which sit several vile books full of 
  descriptions on how to disembowel, decapitate, drown, and 
  otherwise slaughter all major types of giants and humanoids, 
  especially in ritual killings and sacrifices. Many of these horrific 
  sacrifices involve opening of a victim’s belly, inserting a small but 
  ravenous monster, and then magically healing the belly wound 
  shut so that the monster is forced to gnaw its way to freedom in 
  a mock birth. While horrific, these scrolls are lavishly illustrated 
  by a talented (but demented) artist, and are worth 500 gp in all. 
  Anyone who looks through all of the scrolls discovers one near 
  the end is in fact a scroll of remove curse.
  B14. tyrant trolls (el 12)
  The walls of this wide passageway are hung with furs, while to the 
  southeast the tunnel constricts and slopes down at a sharp angle.
   
  A DC 20 Spot check is enough to notice that behind these 
  hanging furs, the walls are riddled with one-foot-wide openings 
  that look into larger caves beyond. If the furs are pulled aside, 
  these gaps are plainly visible.
   
  Creatures: A pair of rather violent, stupid trolls stand guard 
  here. Once servants to the stone giant tribe of Kavarvatti, 
  Mokmurian pays them poorly (but enough to keep their interest) 
  to guard the entry tunnel to the Library of Thassilon itself. 
  They keep guard in shifts, with one always peering through the 
  cracks between the walls and hanging furs while the other one 
  sleeps. If a troll spots the PCs, he waits for one to come within 
  ten feet of his wall before stabbing at him with his +2 ranseur, 
  roaring in excitement as he does. The other troll wakes and 
  attacks in the same way from the opposite wall one round later, 
  likely being able to easily reach PCs who have backed away from 
  the first wall.
  Hurek and Durek 
  CR 10
  Male troll fighter 5
  cE Large giant
  Init +7; Senses darkvision 90 ft., low-light vision, scent; Listen +7, 
  spot +6
  DEfEnsE
  AC 24, touch 12, flat-footed 21
  (+7 armor, +3 Dexterity, +5 natural, –1 size)
  hp 142 (6d8+5d10+88); regeneration 5 (acid or fire)
  Fort +17, Ref +6, Will +5
  OffEnsE
  Spd 30 ft.
  Melee +2 ranseur +20/+15 (2d6+17/×3) or
  2 claws +17 (1d6+9) and
  bite +15 (1d6+4)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Special Attacks rend 2d6+13
  TacTics
  During Combat The trolls fight with their +2 ranseurs through 
  the narrow windows as long as they can, gaining a +4 cover 
  bonus to their ac and Reflex saves against foes attacking them 
  from the central passageway. as soon as anyone manages to 
  get into one of the side caves, they drop their ranseurs and 
  continue the fight with their claws and teeth. The trolls do not 
  coordinate their attacks in any way, simply fighting as long as 
  they can.
  Morale These brutish trolls are barely smarter than animals and trust 
  their regeneration implicitly to keep them alive. They fight to the 
  death, even in the face of foes who use acid and fire.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 28, Dex 16, Con 26, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 6
  Base Atk +9; Grp +22
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  Jorgenfist Library
  One square = 5 feet
  N
  Side view of Mokmurian’s Hall
  C1
  C2
  C3
  C4
  C7
  C9
  C8
  C6
  C5
  Jorgenfist Library
  One square = 5 feet
  N
  Side view of Mokmurian’s Hall
  C1
  C2
  C3
  C4
  C7
  C9
  C8
  C6
  C5
  Feats alertness, improved initiative, iron Will, Multiattack, Power 
  attack, Weapon focus (ranseur), Weapon specialization (ranseur)
  Skills climb +11, Listen +7, spot +6
  Languages Giant 
  Gear +2 breastplate, +2 ranseur
   
  Treasure: Each troll carries a bag of treasure at his 
  belt—payment from Mokmurian for his work here. Hurek’s 
  bag contains a large collection of colorful, striped, shiny, 
  but ultimately worthless stones weighing 100 pounds in all. 
  Unless an Appraise DC 15 succeeds, the stones resemble 
  valuable agate, onyx, and mithral ore of various kinds. Durek 
  carries the real treasure—assorted bits of armor and helmets 
  and a dire bear skull. The armor includes a suit of Small half-
  plate, a masterwork breastplate, six chain shirts, and a +1 ghost 
  touch gauntlet.
  PaRt five:  
  the ancient liBRaRy
  From area B14, a 10-foot-wide tunnel winds down through 
  the bedrock in a corkscrew for several hundred feet before 
  the walls change to regular worked stone and it arrives at 
  area C1—the entrance to an ancient library of Thassilonian 
  construction. Located about 800 feet below the Black Tower, 
  this hidden library was once accessible from that tower, but 
  the tunnels that connected them have long since collapsed.
   
  The Therassic wizard-monks who attended this library  
  were not directly affiliated with Runelord Karzoug, although 
  they paid regular tithes to him. Their true loyalties lay with 
  the Peacock Spirit, a god of scholars whose purpose was a 
  closely guarded secret even from many of his worshipers—
  only the most devout knew his true name. The monks, 
  scholars, and wizards who dwelt in the Therassic Monastery 
  trafficked with creatures of aberrant appetites, devils and 
  strange creatures now lost to arcane knowledge. Over the 
  years, much of the rest of their works have crumbled, but this 
  section of their monastery, warded by the same preservative 
  magic that protects all of Varisia’s Thassilonian monuments 
  from erosion and decay, has remained intact for all those 
  centuries. Now and then, the works here are discovered  
  again by explorers and tomb robbers, but most of them perish 
  to the menacing guardians that still occupy the halls. It wasn’t 
  until Mokmurian that someone demonstrated sufficient 
  wizardly power to claim the priceless wisdom held within 
  these halls.
   
  The workmanship of these tunnels is distinctly different than 
  the tunnels above or the giantcraft of Jorgenfist itself. Characters 
  who make a DC 20 Knowledge (architecture and engineering) 
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  check and who have been in Thassilonian ruins before (such as 
  the Catacombs of Wrath or the lower level of Thistletop) realize 
  that the style is ancient Thassilonian.
   
  Ceiling heights in the library average at 10 feet in the hallways 
  but rise to vaulted roofs 20 feet high in the chambers themselves. 
  There is no illumination down here at all, unless otherwise noted 
  in the text. In several places, the ancient preservative magic 
  has faded, causing sections of the library to crumble and cave 
  in. Attempts to dig out these sections should be dangerous and 
  intensive—strive to make the PCs realize it’s probably easier to 
  follow the path of least resistance, but if they insist on digging 
  out tunnels, the noise certainly attracts guardians and monsters 
  from other areas.
  C1. entrance
  The gradual change from natural cavern to worked stone is finally 
  complete after the long spiraling descent into the depths. The 
  walls here are regular but strangely rounded—hard angles have been 
  polished away to smooth corners, rendering the entire area somewhat 
  disorienting to look upon. With no hard lines defining edges of rooms, 
  the place seems subtly alien.
   
  The walls of this complex have been rounded to protect the 
  place from a specific type of dangerous outsider the Therassic 
  wizard monks often dealt with—an enigmatic species of entities 
  that inhabit the angles of time, quite unlike the bulk of all other 
  life (who inhabit its curves). These are the hounds of Tindalos, 
  and by rounding the angles and corners of these rooms, even to 
  such a small degree, the ancients protected themselves from 
  retribution should their dangerous dealings with these monsters 
  ever go awry.
   
  Additionally, the scanderig that dwells in area C5 constantly 
  moves through the stone walls of the library. Although its initial 
  encounter with the PCs is scripted there, it can theoretically 
  make an attack on the PCs at any point once they begin exploring 
  the library. Use the scanderig to keep them on their feet.
  C2. Chamber of Reduction (el 11)
  a pair of double doors stands in the southern wall of this room. The 
  floor is made of glossy, polished black and gray marble. To the east, 
  what might have once been another exit has long since caved in. Yet 
  nothing in the room compares to the curious effect that its walls have—
  looking into the room, it’s bizarrely impossible to judge the chamber’s 
  exact dimensions. any wall looked at directly remains stable, but 
  everywhere else through peripheral vision the walls seem to stretch 
  away into impossibly infinite gulfs, as if the room itself were somehow 
  “unhooked” from its own physicality.
   
  Creature: This chamber is the guardpost of a single obese 
  giant, his body covered with scars in the shape of Thassilonian 
  runes. Once a hill giant soldier, he attempted to desert the army 
  when he grew suspicious of Mokmurian’s true motives. When 
  the traitor was turned over by his own brothers, Mokmurian 
  punished him by using the runeslave cauldron (see page 91) to 
  ensure his loyalty and eventual death.
   
  The runeslave giant wears a heavy hide breastplate and has a 
  slightly hunched back and pale lanky hair. His arms and legs are 
  twisted a little and monstrously overdeveloped muscles bulge 
  and strain against his seemingly too-tight skin. Unaffected by 
  the room’s trap, the giant remains out of immediate sight from 
  the northern hallway against the north wall and quickly moves 
  to attack the first person to notice his presence.
  Runeslave Hill Giant 
  CR 7
  hp 102 (see page 90)
   
  Trap: This entire room is in fact a cunning trap—the warped 
  dimensions of the chamber are the only warning that something 
  inside isn’t quite right. Anyone who sets foot in the room 
  must immediately make a DC 23 Will saving throw or become 
  disoriented	as	it	becomes	difficult	to	judge	distance—those	who	
  fail become nauseated for 1d4 rounds. Worse, any humanoid in 
  the room must also make a DC 23 Fortitude save to resist being 
  reduced in size to the next smaller size category down from his 
  actual size, as if by reduce person. This effect persists for 24 hours, 
  but can be dispelled by enlarge person or a successful dispel magic.
  Chamber of Reduction 
  CR 10
  Type magical
  Search Dc 34; Disable Device Dc 34
  EffEcTs
  Trigger proximity; Reset automatic
  Effect spell effect (mass reduce person heightened to 9th level; Dc 
  23 fortitude negates) plus nausea for 1d4 rounds (Dc 23 Will 
  save negates)
  C3. the Cauldron of Giantkind (el 11)
  Runes are carved in bands along the walls of this chamber, which 
  is unnervingly lit by a reddish glow from the slowly burning flames 
  in a shallow firepit in the center of the room. an immense iron 
  cauldron, its side emblazoned with an etching of a seven-pointed 
  star, stands above these flames. smoke rises from the cauldron’s 
  unseen bubbling contents, and a halo of human bones and fragments 
  of what might be dried flesh lie scattered around the cauldron’s 
  three-pronged base.
   
  This 12-foot-tall cauldron is a powerful magical artifact 
  Mokmurian found here on his first journey into the library. It 
  wasn’t until after he returned from Xin-Shalast that he deciphered 
  the cauldron’s secret. Known as the runeslave cauldron, this was 
  an ancient device created by Thassilonian wizards to transform 
  unruly giants into loyal slaves who would make even better 
  monument builders. The wizard-monks of the monastery had 
  just completed the construction of this one and were preparing 
  to send it to Karzoug as a gift when their world came to an end.
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  Now that Mokmurian knows how to use the runeslave cauldron, he’s 
  been researching ways to use it to augment his army. His current 
  plans are to carry the cauldron with him on his march and use it to 
  resurrect fallen giants and recycle them back into the war.
   
  The cauldron is an evil artifact and the smoke it produces 
  has debilitating effects on good-aligned characters—see the 
  runeslave cauldron sidebar on page 91 for more details.
   
  Creatures: One of the treasures Mokmurian discovered in 
  the library was a stone golem manual—a rare treasure indeed, for 
  Mokmurian had long wished he could create constructs like these. 
  The stone golem he created guards this chamber—a hulking brute 
  with a skull-like face and glowing blue runes carved into its forehead. 
  The golem attacks any non-giant that enters the room. Humanoids 
  enlarged to 8 feet tall or more qualify as giants by its reasoning—it 
  allows creatures disguised in this manner to pass unmolested.
  Stone Golem 
  CR 11
  hp 107 (MM 136)
  C4. the ogre lord’s Gallery (el 12)
  The chill in this room isn’t quite enough to frost the floors and walls, but 
  it’s certainly enough to frost the breath. The room itself contains what must 
  be two dozen large suits of armor mounted on what appear to be frozen or 
  preserved ogres, trolls, and hill giants, all staged as if rallying for war.
   
  Creatures: Five of the suits of armor in the room are in fact 
  worn by undead guardians posted here by Mokmurian. The leader 
  of these undead is a headless zombie lord Mokmurian created 
  from the body of a powerful ogre warlord. This figure is nearly 11 
  feet tall, dressed in plate armor, and wielding a wicked-looking 
  hatchet in each gauntleted hand. The figure’s helm is open-faced, 
  but inside there is no head—only a raw, ragged stump of a neck. 
  Called the Headless Lord, Mokmurian keeps this ogre’s head 
  in area C9, where it can speak to him and keep him alerted and 
  appraised of events experienced by its body. If Mokmurian holds 
  the head in his hand and stares into its undead eyes, he can even 
  observe events as if viewing them through the Headless Lord’s 
  empty helm. The four figures around the Headless Lord were hill 
  giants whom Mokmurian set against the lord one at a time to see 
  how it fared in battle—when these giants perished by the lord’s 
  wrath, they rose as zombies under his control.
   
  The Headless Lord watches the western entrance to the room 
  constantly, and if it spies anyone approaching it waits patiently 
  for them to make the first move as its head alerts Mokmurian and 
  describes the intruders to him.
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  The Headless Lord 
  CR 9
  Male ogre zombie undead lord fighter 4 (MM 267, Tome of Horrors II 214)
  nE Large undead
  Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +1, spot +1
  Aura desecration
  DEfEnsE
  AC 31, touch 10, flat-footed 30
  (+9 armor, +1 Dex, +12 natural, –1 size)
  hp 74 (12 HD; 8d12+4d10)
  Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +9
  Defensive Abilities turn resistance +4; DR 10/magic and slashing; 
  Immune undead immunities
  OffEnsE
  Spd 30 ft.
  Melee runechill hatchet +17/+12 (1d8+13/×3) and
  runechill hatchet +17 (1d8+8/×3)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Special Attacks command undead, create spawn, summon undead
  Spell-Like Abilities (cL 12th)
  1/day—darkness, fear (Dc 13)
  TacTics
  During Combat The Headless Lord orders its four hill giant zombies 
  to attack as soon as anyone enters this room, or as soon as it sees 
  someone outside the room preparing to use ranged attacks or spells. 
  The Headless Lord casts fear on the Pcs as soon as it can catch at 
  least three of them in the area of effect. it attempts to keep all three 
  of its zombies within its aura of desecration at all times.
  Morale The Headless Lord fights to the death.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 28, Dex 15, Con —, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 5
  Base Atk +8; Grp +23
  Feats cleave, combat Reflexes, Great fortitude, improved 
  initiative, Power attack, Two-Weapon fighting, Weapon 
  focus (handaxe), Weapon specialization 
  (handaxe)
  Skills climb +19, intimidate +12
  Languages common, Giant; undead telepathy 
  100 ft.
  SQ headless
  Gear +1 full plate, two runechill hatchets
  sPEciaL aBiLiTiEs
  Command Undead (Su) at will, the Headless Lord can command 
  or rebuke zombies as a 12th-level cleric.
  Create Spawn (Su) any creature slain by the Headless Lord 
  rises as a zombie in 1d4 minutes. These zombies remain 
  under the control of the Headless Lord.
  Aura of Desecration (Su) The Headless Lord radiates 
  a 20-foot-radius aura of desecration. undead 
  within this area (including the Headless Lord) 
  gain a +1 profane bonus on attack rolls, damage 
  rolls, and saving throws. all turning checks made 
  in this area suffer a –3 penalty. undead created 
  or summoned into this area gain +1 hit points 
  per HD.
  Undead Telepathy (Su) The Headless Lord can communicate 
  telepathically with any other undead within 100 feet.
  Headless (Su) although the Headless Lord lacks a head, it can still hear 
  and see and speak as if it had one. 
  Zombie Hill Giant (4) 
  CR 7
  nE Large undead
  Init –2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +0, spot +0
  DEfEnsE
  AC 18, touch 7, flat-footed 18
  (+8 armor, –2 Dexterity, +3 natural, –1 size)
  hp 183 (24d12+27)
  Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +14
  DR 5/slashing; Immune undead traits
  Weakness single actions only
  OffEnsE
  Spd 40 ft.
  Melee slam +19 (1d8+12)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  THe Headless Lord
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  TacTics
  During Combat These zombies fight simply, shambling forward to 
  attack the closest target each round.
  Morale The zombie hill giants fight to the death.
  sTaTisTics
  Str 27, Dex 6, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1
  Base Atk +12; Grp +24
  Feats Toughness
  SQ created in aura of desecration
  Gear masterwork full plate
   
  Treasure: The suits of armor on display here are all Large sized, 
  and, not counting those worn by the zombies and the Headless Lord, 
  consist of seven masterwork heavy steel shields, four masterwork 
  suits of half plate, and three masterwork suits of full plate.
  C5. scanderig’s lair (el 10)
  This twenty-foot-square room is shaped almost like a silo—its ceiling 
  arches up to a vaulted height of one hundred feet. The room itself 
  appears to be empty.
   
  Creature: One of the guardians of this complex that dates 
  from ancient Thassilon is a creature called a scanderig. This subtle 
  and tricky creature can move through the stone surrounding 
  the library like a fish swims through water, and for some time 
  after Mokmurian’s first visit here, the scanderig was the giant’s 
  greatest annoyance. Eventually, Mokmurian managed to catch 
  the outsider in a magic circle of protection against law and, through 
  several weeks of magical torture, convinced the creature to serve 
  him as it once served its ancient Thassilonian masters.
   
  The scanderig is highly mobile, and while this chamber serves 
  it as a lair, it’s usually on the move through the walls of the entire 
  complex. It prefers to wait to make its first attack against the PCs 
  on rounds just after they’ve finished battles with other creatures, 
  fighting for only one or two rounds before slipping back into 
  the walls. If the PCs haven’t given up by the time they near this 
  chamber, the scanderig decides to launch a more substantial attack 
  on them, fighting to the death rather than risking more torture at 
  Mokmurian’s hands for letting the PCs get too close to him.
  Scanderig 
  CR 10
  hp 126 (see page 86)
  C6. library entrance (el 12)
  This long hallway has a looming ceiling forty feet above and is 
  decorated with an intricate display of stone supports and beams. 
  The walls are carved in long swaths of densely scribed runes—the 
  seven-pointed star is repeated often. To the east, the hallway has 
  caved in entirely—a battered door protrudes from the rubble, but 
  the hall beyond is completely filled with rubble. To the west, the hall 
  ends at an immense bronze double door that bears a huge mirror-like 
  silver inlay of the ubiquitous seven-pointed star. This bronze double 
  door has no obvious hinges, handles, or locks, save for a single tiny 
  star-shaped indention at the center of the larger mirrored star.
   
  Anyone who can read Thassilonian can decipher the runes on 
  the walls as meditative prayers to the Peacock Spirit meant to 
  calm and prepare the minds of any who seek to use the library. 
  Anyone who reads one of these prayers becomes affected by a 
  calm emotions spell (CL 20th) for 10 minutes.
   
  The bronze doors that lead to area C7 are locked by a persistent 
  arcane lock spell (CL 15th)—even if it is dispelled, the arcane lock 
  remanifests 1d4 rounds after the doors are closed again. The doors 
  can be opened safely with the key that Mokmurian carries (he took 
  the key from the clockwork librarian inside area C7 after using 
  knock to bypass the doors). The doors are magically reinforced 
  and	difficult	to	damage	or	break	down.	Worse,	a	deadly	outsider	
  bound here not long after the Therassic wizard-monks finished 
  building the library itself wards the doors—it is summoned to 
  attack anyone who attempts to open the doors without the key. A 
  password (“Viosanxi,” indicated on the final scroll of the Emerald 
  Codex in area A8) uttered during any attempt to force open the 
  door prevents the monster from being summoned.
   
  Creature: Any attempt to force open the doors to area C7 
  without uttering the password causes the door’s surface to 
  become infused with a dull gray glow. The glow rapidly brightens 
  to near-blinding levels, and then a strange figure floats out of 
  the door’s surface. It seems humanoid, but it’s hard to tell since 
  the entire thing sheds harsh, blinding light. The creature begins 
  screaming, not stopping even to catch its breath as it drifts 
  forward to attack. This alien monster is a shining child, a creature 
  conjured from a distant, insane corner of the planes. It remains 
  for 20 rounds before vanishing once again, spending those 2 
  minutes attacking anything in sight. The door can summon an 
  endless number of shining children, but only one at a time.
  Shining Child 
   
  CR 12
  hp 153 (see page 88)
  C7. library of thassilon (el 9)
  numerous glowing crystal lanterns hang on fine chains from the domed 
  ceiling sixty feet above, filling this circular room with bright light. The 
  walls of the room are carved with more runes and sigils, while over-
  stuffed wood and leather chairs and polished oak tables surround a 
  thirty-foot-wide shaft in the floor.
   
  This room contains the collected lore of the Therassic wizard-
  monks, one of Thassilon’s greatest and most respected orders of 
  scholars. The wizard-monks went to great effort to protect the 
  monastery above this chamber and the rooms that surround it, 
  but the bulk of these preservation efforts were focused in this 
  chamber. In this room, the passage of time has no effect upon 
  inanimate objects. Living creatures still age, but paper, leather, 
  wood, stone, and even dead bodies do not decay—they remain 
  forever pristine and new. The same effects constantly recycle and 
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  purify the air and sustain creatures without the need for food or 
  drink. These effects apply only as long as those objects remain in 
  this chamber, though—if brought out, the delay of time catches 
  up immediately. Bodies corrupt and skeletons crumble to dust, 
  wood turns brittle and rots, books flake away and disintegrate 
  into powder, and even stone grows weathered and aged, all in the 
  course of a few heartbeats.
   
  Furthermore, extradimensional travel does not function in 
  this chamber—the entire place is warded by a dimensional lock 
  effect that bars all manner of teleportation and planar travel.
   
  The central shaft contains the library’s holdings. The 
  walls of the shaft, 30 feet wide and 50 feet deep, consist of 
  shelf after shelf of books, scrolls, tablets, and other means 
  of storing information. All of these books are written in 
  Thassilonian, and thanks to the chamber’s preservative 
  effects, all are in excellent condition. The subjects cover 
  all facets of Thassilonian life—this chamber represents 
  perhaps the single greatest repository of lore from this nearly 
  forgotten age in all of Golarion, and as such, if its existence 
  were made public, it would become a magnet for scholars from 
  around the world. There are no ladders or stairs provided for 
  those who wish to peruse the stacks—the wizard-monks used 
  flight and levitation to sort the holdings and saw no need to 
  make their collection easier for lesser folk to examine.
   
  The PCs can certainly use this library to research all manner 
  of subjects relating to Thassilon. The appendix to this adventure 
  provides some sample bits of information that pertain directly 
  to the remainder of the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path. 
  If the PCs wish to learn more about other parts of this ancient 
  empire, feel free to give them as much or as little information as 
  you desire. You could even let them read parts of (or all of) the 
  article on Thassilon from Pathfinder #1. The only thing the PCs 
  need is time—and until Mokmurian is dealt with, any long-term 
  research done here is doomed to painful interruptions when the 
  stone giant wizard eventually comes to call.
   
  Creature: One remnant from Thassilon remains alive in this 
  chamber—a curious clockwork creature built by the wizard-
  monks to serve as a caretaker, sorter, and assistant for those who 
  wished to use the library. Unfortunately, while the clockwork 
  librarian does not age, it technically counts as a living creature 
  and as a result is not subject to the preservative nature of the 
  magic in this chamber. Over the ten thousand years it spent here, 
  alone, it became relatively able at repairing itself, but with each 
  bout of self-repair, it grows a little more unhinged and confused. 
  Today, parts of it constantly smoke, its limbs creak and whir, 
  and it has grown increasingly paranoid about losing the key that 
  winds it up.
   
  The clockwork librarian clatters and smokes to life when 
  it notices anyone enter the room and hobbles over to greet 
  them in an ungainly lurch (one of its three legs doesn’t quite 
  work right any more). It addresses newcomers in Thassilonian, 
  asking “Which volume of lore would you like me to retrieve for 
  you? There are currently 24,491 volumes, scrolls, pamphlets, 
  and unbound manuscripts available. Please indicate which 
  one you wish by author, title, subject, or date of acquisition 
  by the Therassic Monastery.” The librarian waits patiently for 
  requests—if no one addresses it in Thassilonian, it wordlessly 
  follows visitors around, waiting for requests and hoping no 
  one tries to damage any of the books. The librarian isn’t a very 
  effective combatant, but if it must, it fights to the death to 
  defend the library.
   
  If the PCs can speak to the librarian, its assistance grants a +10 
  bonus on any Knowledge checks made to research matters about 
  Thassilon in this library. Consult the Appendix for information 
  on what kinds of information the PCs can find in here.
  Clockwork Librarian 
  CR 9
  clockwork human expert 8 (Advanced Bestiary 42)
  Ln Medium construct
  Init +3; Senses Listen –2, spot –2
  DEfEnsE
  AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15
  (+3 Dexterity, +5 natural)
  hp 72 (8d12+20)
  Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +4
  DR hardness 10; Immune construct traits; Resist acid 10, cold 10, 
  fire 10
  Weaknesses vulnerability to electricity
  OffEnsE
  Spd 30 ft.
  Melee +8 unarmed strike (1d3+2 nonlethal)
  TacTics
  During Combat The clockwork librarian is not a war construct and only 
  fights to defend itself or the library.
  Morale although relatively innefectual in combat, the clockwork library 
  defends the library to the death.
  runeCHiLL HaTCHeT
  Aura moderate necromancy; CL 5th
  Slot —; Price 5,312 gp;  Weight 6 lbs.
  DEscRiPTiOn
  Runechill hatchets are sized for Large creatures, but can be wielded 
  by Medium creatures as battleaxes or small creatures as greataxes. 
  Their blades are jagged and carved with Thassilonian runes, and 
  the weapons always feel cold to the touch. a runechill hatchet 
  functions as a +1 handaxe, but once per day as a free action, its 
  wielder can cause the runes on the blade to flare up with flickering 
  cold blue light. for the next five rounds, the axe inflicts +1d6 
  points of negative energy damage on a hit—any creature that takes 
  any amount of this additional negative energy damage must also 
  make a Dc 12 fortitude save or take 1 point of strength damage. 
  an undead creature struck by a runechill hatchet does not gain this 
  negative energy as healing, but instead must make a Dc 12 Will 
  saving throw or flee as if panicked for 1d4+5 rounds.
  cOnsTRucTiOn
  Requirements craft Magic arms and armor, chill touch; Cost 
  2,812 gp, 200 XP
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  Clockwork 
  Librarian
  sTaTisTics
  Str 14, Dex 16, Con —, Int 11, Wis 7, Cha 5
  Base Atk +6; Grp +8
  Feats Diligent, investigator, Lightning Reflexes, skill focus 
  (Knowledge [arcana])
  Skills appraise +13, craft (bookbinding) +11, Decipher script +13, 
  Gather information +10, Knowledge (arcana) +14, Knowledge 
  (nobility and royalty) +9, search +13
  Languages Giant, Thassilonian
  SQ metal skin, windup key
  Gear ring of levitation (as boots of levitation), windup key
  sPEciaL aBiLiTiEs
  Metal Skin (Ex) The clockwork librarian is made of metal and counts 
  as a ferrous creature for the purpose of rusting grasp and other spells 
  that have special effects on metal.
  Vulnerability to Electricity (Ex) The clockwork librarian takes double 
  damage from electricity on a failed save and half damage on a 
  successful save.
  Windup Key (Ex) The clockwork librarian must be wound up each day 
  by placing a small key into its side. Each full round the key is turned, 
  the librarian can be active for 4 hours (maximum 24 hours); each 
  round of turning the key provokes an attack of opportunity. The 
  librarian has been careful to keep itself wound over the past 10,000 
  years—the possibility of losing its key is its greatest fear.
  C8. lean and athirst  
  (el 10)
  This strange, empty room has been 
  smoothed over to an even greater 
  extent than the other chambers in 
  this complex—every angle of the 
  walls is smoothed over in gentle 
  arcs, removing any element 
  of harsh regular lines entirely 
  from view. Patches of what 
  appear to be scorch marks 
  stain the walls and floors here 
  and there, especially to the south, 
  where part of the wall has fallen away.
   
  Mokmurian is no fool and he does 
  not entirely trust even his closest 
  allies among his army, to say nothing 
  of the rank-and-file giants themselves. 
  Inspired by the text in a particularly 
  ancient book he studied in the library, 
  he altered this room to serve as 
  an anchor for the conjuration of a 
  trio of dangerous entities from the 
  incalculable depths of time: hounds of Tindalos.
   
  Mokmurian takes pains to keep a silent mental 
  alarm spell on the doors leading into area C9 
  active at all times.
   
  Creatures: These alien outsiders were initially bound to this 
  chamber by several planar binding spells. By reducing the number 
  of angles in the room, Mokmurian was able to greatly extend 
  the length of service from the three creatures. Since they 
  inhabit time in a different way than other life, dwelling upon 
  its angles rather than flowing along its curves, the smoothed 
  architecture acts almost as a hedge to keep the hounds bound 
  for months rather than the normal maximum of weeks that 
  planar binding can do.
   
  The hounds loathe being bound like this, yet the planar binding 
  spell prevents them from acting against Mokmurian. They have 
  been ordered to guard this chamber, or to come to Mokmurian’s 
  side if he calls for them. The hounds lurk in the room, eager to 
  vent their frustration upon anything that moves.
  Hounds of Tindalos (3) 
  CR 7
  hp 85 each (see page 82)
  C9. Mokmurian’s lair  
  (el 15) 
  This vast chamber might have once been a lecture hall, but now the place 
  is empty of furniture. six five-foot-wide pillars, each carved with spiraling 
  patterns of runes, rise up to support the hundred-
  foot-high ceiling. spread through the hall 
  in neatly organized stacks and piles 
  are arcane trappings, candles, books, 
  scrolls, knives, and bundles of powders 
  and ingredients—the entire place looks like 
  an arcanist’s laboratory or storeroom. at the 
  west end of the room, a wide flight of stairs 
  rises up to a stone door in the wall, just north of 
  a twenty-foot-wide stage. Here sits a large mound 
  of furs, an immense chair, and a table stacked high 
  with more book and scrolls. an ironbound chest 
  sits under the table against the far wall.
   
  Once a grand lecture hall in 
  which the Therassic wizard-monks 
  expounded on their latest theories, 
  debated the finer points of magic, 
  and held symposiums to further 
  their research, all of the furniture 
  and features of this room have long since 
  crumbled to dust, leaving behind an 
  immense room and a perfect fit for 
  Mokmurian’s inflated ego.
   
  Mokmurian 
  has 
  converted this entire room 
  into his personal lab, workshop, 
  library, and bedchamber. Rubble 
  blocks the western approach. 
  Mokmurian used a few wall 
  of stone spells to block off 
  the southern entrance and 
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  Mokmurian
  has been considering doing the same to the eastern one, but he 
  prefers the convenience of a physical exit over being forced to 
  keep several dimension door, passwall, and teleport spells prepared 
  at all times.
   
  Creatures: Mokmurian is a powerful giant, 
  though one would not initially come to this 
  conclusion from his stature. At just over 
  10 feet tall, he towers over humans, but in 
  stone giant circles, he’s a runt. It was, in 
  many ways, his height that doomed him to 
  his journey into the Kodar Mountains, where 
  he became enslaved by Karzoug.
   
  Mokmurian has spent most of his time here of 
  late, and on the first attempt by the PCs to investigate 
  this room, he is encountered here. If the PCs are forced 
  to retreat and come back later for a second 
  fight, feel free to have Mokmurian be 
  much more mobile—he may be 
  encountered in the library (area 
  C7), the temple to Lamashtu (area 
  B13), or even up on the surface.
   
  Mokmurian has several 
  advance warning systems set up. 
  If the PCs encountered and fought 
  the Headless Lord in area C4, the 
  undead ogre’s head (which Mokmurian 
  keeps in a gold birdcage on his desk) warns him of the 
  intruders, and Mokmurian uses the ogre’s head to watch them 
  fight. Likewise, the door to this room from area C8 is warded 
  with an alarm spell, which alerts him to trouble in that room even 
  if the sounds of combat don’t.
  Mokmurian 
  CR 15
  Male stone giant wizard (transmuter) 14
  cE Large giant (earth)
  Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, see invisibility; 
  Listen +21, spot +21 (+24 in bright light)
  DEfEnsE
  AC 32, touch 17, flat-footed 28 (+2 vs. good)
  (+4 armor, +3 defending club, +6 Dexterity, +11 natural, –1 size)
  hp 210 (14d8+14d4+112)
  Fort +17, Ref +14, Will +15 (+2 vs. good)
  DR 10/adamantine (for 140 points of damage); Immune mental 
  control, possession; Resist fire 30
  OffEnsE
  Spd 70 ft. (spider climb), fly 40 ft. (average)
  Melee defending spell-storing club +23/+18/+13/+8 (1d8+7)
  Ranged rock +22 (2d8+10)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Spells Known (cL 14th, ranged touch +20)
  7th—limited wish, quickened haste,  
  reverse gravity
  6th—disintegrate (Dc 22), flesh to stone (Dc 22), greater dispel 
  magic, quickened acid arrow, quickened scorching ray
  5th—baleful polymorph (Dc 21), overland flight, quickened shield, 
  telekinesis (Dc 21), wall of force
  4th—dimension door, fire shield, mass reduce person (Dc 20), 
  polymorph, solid fog, stoneskin
  3rd—dispel magic, fireball (Dc 19), fly, greater magic weapon 
  (already cast), lightning bolt (Dc 19), slow (Dc 19)
  2nd—blindness/deafness, cat’s grace, glitterdust (Dc 
  18), resist energy, scorching ray (2), see invisibility
  1st—alarm (already cast), expeditious retreat, 
  mage armor (already cast), magic missile, 
  protection from good, ray of enfeeblement, reduce 
  person (Dc 17)
  0—arcane mark, disrupt undead, mage hand, 
  prestidigitation, touch of fatigue (Dc 16)
  Prohibited Schools enchantment, illusion
  TacTics
  Before Combat Mokmurian casts mage armor and 
  overland flight on himself and greater magic weapon 
  on his club every morning after he prepares his spells. 
  Once he learns that the Pcs are coming (likely via the ogre’s 
  head), he casts resist energy (to resist a type of energy he 
  knows the Pcs favor, or otherwise fire), see invisibility, 
  spider climb, and stoneskin. if he suspects the Pcs 
  are very close he casts expeditious retreat, protection 
  from good, and cat’s grace. all of these effects are 
  incorporated into his stats above. He then hides in his 
  alcove and waits to ambush the Pcs.
  During Combat Mokmurian’s first action when the Pcs enter his 
  room is to cast solid fog, catching as many of them as possible in 
  the spell’s area of effect. He then puts on his fogcutting goggles so 
  he can target the Pcs with ease with his ranged attack spells. as 
  soon as someone emerges from the fog, he casts reverse gravity 
  on that area, shaping the area to encircle the solid fog. if a Pc gets 
  too close to him, he uses telekinesis to hurl her across the room 
  and hopefully back into the solid fog. His goal is to maintain range 
  superiority on his enemies, but if melee seems inevitable, he casts 
  mass reduce person first to shrink down foes, coupling that with his 
  quickened shield spell. Then, on the first round of actual melee, he 
  casts quickened haste on himself. if any hounds of Tindalos survive, 
  he calls on them to aid him in battle as well.
  Morale Mokmurian fights until reduced to 40 hit points or less, at 
  which point he dimension doors up to area B13, hoping to get 
  healing from his lamia minions. if they’re dead, he flees up to the 
  surface and gathers a group of a dozen stone giants and any of the 
  named giants who still live to mount a return to the library to finish 
  off the Pcs. if the Pcs have secured an alliance with conna and 
  she still lives, she’s among the giants who Mokmurian recruits—
  when and if this patrol encounters the Pcs, conna switches 
  sides to aid them, a move that throws the other stone giants into 
  chaos. The next round, half of those giants defect as well, joining 
  conna and the Pcs against Mokmurian. in this event, Mokmurian 
  fights again until reduced to less than 30 hit points, then tries to 
  use limited wish to teleport to Xin-shalast. Yet unfortunately for 
  him, Karzoug, who has been watching his actions through the link 
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  their souls have shared ever since Mokmurian’s trip to the city of 
  Greed, has other plans for him (see Development, below).
  sTaTisTics
  Str 24, Dex 22, Con 18, Int 22, Wis 14, Cha 14
  Base Atk +17; Grp +28
  Feats alertness (when clathmere is in arm’s reach), combat 
  Expertise, combat Reflexes, craft Magic arms and armor, craft 
  Wand, craft Wondrous item, Dodge, improved initiative, iron 
  Will, Mobility, Quicken spell, scribe scroll, spring attack, 
  Whirlwind attack
  Skills climb +24, concentration +24, Hide +19 (+27 in rocky 
  terrain), Knowledge (arcana) +20, Knowledge (architecture and 
  engineering) +12, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +6, Knowledge 
  (geography) +16, Listen +21, spellcraft +28, spot +21 (+24 
  in bright light)
  Languages common, Draconic, Giant, Orc, Terran, Thassilonian
  SQ rock catching, summon familiar (hawk named clathmere)
  Combat Gear wand of bear’s endurance (13 charges); Other Gear 
  +1 defending spell-storing club (vampiric touch), bracers of armor 
  +4, robe of runes, bag of holding (type ii), key to area C7, 500 gp 
  in diamond dust
  Spellbook Mokmurian keeps his spellbooks in his bag of holding. 
  apart from containing all of the spells he has prepared, this 
  extensive collection also contains most of the spells in the PH, 
  up through and including 7th-level spells. feel free to introduce 
  new spells from other sources via these books—if you do, you 
  should also consider swapping some of these spells for those he 
  normally prepares.
   
  Treasure: Much of the treasure Mokmurian has gathered 
  over the past several years (in particular, the riches he gained 
  from his trip to Xin-Shalast) have long since been distributed to 
  his minions and army as payment. Still, a relatively impressive 
  collection of loot remains here as his personal wealth. Apart 
  from his impressive collection of books on spellcraft and all 
  of the spell components and laboratory equipment scattered 
  throughout the room (which is worth a collected total of 1,500 
  gp, but weighs several hundred pounds), the chest under his 
  desk contains the bulk of his remaining wealth, including 
  12,000 gp, 1,100 pp, an amber-and-sapphire necklace worth 
  4,000 gp, a set of ivory runestones worth 1,400 gp, and a scroll 
  of contact other plane.
   
  In addition, scattered among the stacks of Mokmurian’s 
  invasion plans, battle tactics, and research notes is a single 
  piece of paper depicting a map of the Lost Coast region 
  of Varisia. Four points along the coast have “X” marks on 
  them—three placed several hundred feet out to sea along the 
  coast, but one is right over Sandpoint. A note on the map, 
  written in Giant, reads “Hellfire Flume ruins—foundation 
  stones from each would know where the traitor Xaliasa dwelt 
  and perhaps where he hid his key to Runeforge.” This cryptic 
  note is important to the next adventure in this campaign, and 
  further details on its contents are presented at the start of 
  Pathfinder #5’s “Sins of the Saviors.”  
   
  Development: Although Karzoug is not magically 
  controlling Mokmurian, nor is the giant under any magical 
  compulsion to do the runelord’s will, Karzoug still maintains 
  a link with the giant, a connection of the soul established 
  when Mokmurian triggered Karzoug’s awakening. As soon 
  as it becomes apparent that Mokmurian has failed him, 
  Karzoug’s anger and impatience gets the better of him. He 
  sends his mind down from the Spires of Xin-Shalast, out across 
  the Storval Plateau and, from this vast distance, seizes control 
  of Mokmurian. This control is such that even if Mokmurian 
  were dying or even in the process of being disintegrated or 
  being plane shifted to another reality that the effects are, for 
  a moment, delayed.
   
  At this time, Mokmurian’s body suddenly goes rigid. He spasms 
  a few times, and then his head turns to face the PCs, mechanically 
  and clumsily, as if being moved by massive invisible hands. In a 
  strangely accented voice, a voice that sounds almost human, he 
  speaks, his eyes already glazing over in death.
  froM Beyond
  as mentioned in the Hound of Tindalos entry in the bestiary on page 
  83, these creatures came originally from the pen of pulp author 
  frank Belknap Long, one of H.P. Lovecraft’s closest friends. it’s 
  only natural that Long’s bizarre monsters found their way so easily 
  into the Lovecraft mythos. Yet how did they find their way into the 
  world of Golarion?
   in picking new monsters to populate the world and to feature 
  in the Pathfinder Bestiary, i’ve always envisioned a healthy dose 
  of creatures inspired from real-world myth. The monsters of the 
  Lovecraft mythos, although relatively recent inventions when 
  compared to things like manticores and lamias, are no less 
  inspiring. Yet since they were invented and played roles in stories 
  set on Earth, it doesn’t particularly make sense for all of them to 
  appear in Golarion.
   My philosophy on which of the monsters of this myth cycle 
  work well in a fantastic setting like the Pathfinder chronicles 
  is simple: if they appeared in a fantastic setting in their original 
  fiction incarnation (such as the dholes, night gaunts, or even 
  nyarlathotep, all of whom have strong roles in Lovecraft’s 
  stories about Earth’s Dreamlands), they’d fit well in Golarion. 
  Likewise, if the monster in question is capable of travelling 
  through dimensions, worlds, or even the depths of space (such 
  as the mi-go, the dimensional shamblers, ithaqua, or in this case, 
  the hounds of Tindalos), it makes sense that they could find their 
  way to Golarion as well. and finally, some of the outer gods are 
  just that—they’re outside of everything, and therefore can reach 
  anywhere. This category includes entities like Yog-sothoth and 
  azathoth, and even mystical realms like Leng and Kadath. Many 
  of the monsters and locations of the Lovecraft mythos are firmly 
  rooted in Earth (such as cthulhu), and those won’t be showing 
  up in Golarion, but you can certainly expect their more well-
  travelled cousins to make cameo appearances now and then.
  —James Jacobs
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  “so these are the heroes of the age. More like gasping worms to me, 
  soon to be crushed back into the earth when i awaken the armies of  Xin-
  shalast, when the name Karzoug is again spoken with fear and awe. Know 
  that the deaths of those marked by the sihedron—the giants you have 
  so conveniently slain for me—hasten my return, just as yours soon will. 
  fools, all of you. is this all you could manage in ten thousand years?”
   
  At that, Karzoug laughs a cruel, mocking laugh that echoes 
  and fades. Mokmurian dies as well, his soul snuffed out as the link 
  between him and Karzoug ends. Characters who heard Karzoug’s 
  voice in area E8 of Thistletop (Pathfinder #1, page 55) can make 
  a DC 15 Wisdom check—success indicates that they realize the 
  two voices are the same.
  concluding the 
  adventuRe
  The PCs need not slay Mokmurian in order to disrupt the stone giant 
  army—remember, most of the stone giants gathered at Jorgenfist 
  aren’t evil. If the PCs can force Mokmurian to flee, or even convince 
  Conna and a group of giants to rebel against their cruel overlord, that’ll 
  be enough to save Sandpoint and the rest of Varisia from an invasion. 
  The tribes around Jorgenfist break up and return to the Storval Plateau 
  with surprising speed, the giants eager to seek forgiveness from their 
  abandoned elders or to put some distance between themselves and the 
  mighty heroes who slew their fearful lord.
   
  Yet the eerie “dying” words spoken by Karzoug should leave 
  little doubt in the PCs’ minds that Mokmurian was but a pawn in 
  some greater game, and the threat to Varisia is, if the voice is to be 
  believed, even greater than before. Something more must be done, 
  and now, for the first time, the PCs have the resources to learn what 
  that is. The Library of Thassilon is theirs to explore now, and within 
  its collection of ancient books, scrolls, maps, and tomes, the secret 
  to defeating Runelord Karzoug awaits.
  aPPendix:  
  ReseaRching thassilon
  Until this point, very few in Varisia knew much about Thassilon apart 
  from the fact that the mysterious monuments that dot the land came 
  from this ancient empire, and that the rulers of the land were despots 
  and tyrants of the worst possible order. With the discovery of the 
  Thassilonian Library, the PCs have a window into the ancient times 
  of Thassilon, and with this window they can learn much of this time. 
  Given here are the two most relevant Knowledge (history) checks 
  that a character might use to learn more about Thassilon. Note 
  that while the DCs are high, using the library to aid in the research 
  grants a +20 bonus to the check. Further, recruiting the aid of the 
  clockwork librarian adds another +5 bonus on the roll.
   
  As the PCs investigate Thassilon, Karzoug, and the empire of 
  Shalast, take the time to add some flavor to their research. Mention 
  the names of the books they pour through—tomes with titles like An 
  Accounting of the Holdings of Greater Shalast; or A Sculptor’s Guide to the 
  Fleshpots of Xin-Shalast; or Lord of Wealth: Karzoug’s Trade and Conquests, 
  as told from the Rune Court of Xin-Shalast are good examples of the types 
  of titles held in the library.
  Xin-shalast
  Results of Knowledge (history) checks about Xin-Shalast are 
  as follows:
  Check 
  DC 
  Result
  DC 20 
  Xin-Shalast is a legendary lost city, rumored to be 
  hidden somewhere in the Kodar Mountains. None have 
  yet discovered its location, but many have tried.
  DC 30 
  Xin-Shalast was the capital city of an empire called 
  Shalast, one of seven that comprised the ancient empire 
  of Thassilon.
  DC 35 
  Xin-Shalast was ruled by Runelord Karzoug, one of 
  the rulers of the Thassilonian Empire. Rumor holds he 
  built his palace above all of Golarion so he could look 
  down on his domain as well as see unconquered lands 
  to continually fuel his lust for more.
  roBe of runeS
  Aura strong transmutation; CL 13th
  Slot body; Price 44,000 gp
  DEscRiPTiOn
  This robe is made of crimson silk and emblazoned with dozens 
  of spindly Thassilonian runes, each symbolizing a different type 
  of magical effect or syllable of power. favored by wizards, this 
  robe can provide some benefit to any spellcasting creature. 
  While worn, it grants a +4 enhancement bonus to intelligence 
  and allows the wearer to recall, as a free action, up to four levels 
  of spells per day that he had prepared and then cast. Each time 
  a spell is recalled and prepared again in this manner, the sudden 
  rush of magical energy infuses the wearer with power—for one 
  round after recalling a spell, the wearer’s spell save Dcs and 
  attack rolls for spells gain a +2 enhancement bonus.
  cOnsTRucTiOn
  Requirements craft Wondrous item, fox’s cunning, limited wish; 
  Cost 22,000 gp, 880 XP
  foGCuTTinG LenSeS
  Aura faint transmutation; CL 5th
  Slot face; Price 8,000 gp
  DEscRiPTiOn
  These goggles are made of carefully-polished rock crystal, 
  with frames of polished brass and a simple leather strap and 
  buckle sized for a giant’s head (but easily adjustable to smaller 
  wearers). The goggles allow the wearer to see through magical 
  and normal fogs, mists, and similar obscurement. They do 
  not confer darkvision or low-light vision. further, the goggles 
  distort and skew vision in areas not shrouded by fog, and 
  when observing areas like this the wearer suffers a –4 penalty 
  on spot and search checks and a 20% miss chance when 
  attempting to hit creatures.
  cOnsTRucTiOn
  Requirements craft Wondrous item, darkvision, fog cloud; 
  Cost 4,000 gp, 320 XP
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  DC 40 
  The palace of Xin-Shalast stands upon the mythical 
  mountain called  Mhar Massif. This mountain of legendary 
  proportions pierces the skies and lies at the headwaters of 
  the sacred river Alph—which Varisian folklore says leads 
  to a earthly paradise sacred to Desna. 
  DC 45 
  Mhar Massif is said to serve as a bridge to strange realms 
  beyond Golarion. At the foot of the mountain stands 
  the Lower City of Xin-Shalast, where the innumerable 
  servants of the runelord dwelt. From his palace high above, 
  the runelord used unholy ceremonies and incantations to 
  call down unknown beings from the skies.
  DC 50 
  The River Alph truly exists and runs somewhere 
  through the Kodar Mountains. Anyone who finds it 
  can follow it all the way to Xin-Shalast.
  Karzoug
  Results of Knowledge (history) checks about Karzoug are as follows:
  Check 
  DC 
  Result
  DC 35 
  Karzoug was the Runelord of Greed, who ruled a region 
  called Shalast, part of the ancient empire of Thassilon, 
  thousands of years ago.
  DC 40 
  Karzoug’s armies were composed primarily of powerful 
  stone giants and hordes of hill giants that followed his 
  every command.
  DC 45 
  Karzoug focused his magic on the school of 
  transmutation, magic associated in Thassilonian times 
  with the virtue of wealth. Under his rule, though, 
  it became more associated with the sin of greed. 
  Among the runelords, his mastery of greed magic 
  was uncontested, yet in the schools of illusion and 
  enchantment (related to the sins of pride and lust), his 
  skills had atrophied greatly.
  DC 50 
  Karzoug warred with his neighbors, but none more so 
  than against Alaznist, the Runelord of Wrath and ruler of 
  Bakrakhan. Between their nations, along a ridge known 
  as the Rasp, Karzoug built immense sentinel statues 
  to watch over Bakrakhan, while Alaznist built towers 
  called Hellfire Flumes to prevent Karzoug’s armies from 
  invading. Citizens of both nations worried that Karzoug’s 
  and Alaznist’s wars would soon escalate to the point where 
  they could bring about the end of the world.
  DC 55 
  As Karzoug and Alaznist’s war intensified, and as other 
  wars among other runelords threatened more than 
  just their armies, the runelords devised methods in 
  which they could escape the world, enter a state of 
  suspended animation, or the like, so they could ride 
  out cataclysms. In theory, their surviving minions 
  would then waken them to reclaim their empires once 
  the cataclysms had ended.
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  Born of Stone
  A  PAt h f i n d e r ’ s  G u i d e  to  s to n e  G i A n t s
  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  “Once, in the ancient days, the stone and spirits spoke to the giants of the 
  plateau, and the giants of every hill and valley knew what the earth brought 
  forth. The elves brought bronze to the giants, and it made good knives, shining, 
  but not as sharp as stone. The elves spoke to wood, and the giants to stone. All 
  was as it should be. Then came the rune giants, and their little masters full of 
  wrath, pride, and greed, and the stone days were over. From them we learned 
  iron and steel, and the gods changed, and the earth was no longer enough.”
  —Conna the Wise, stone giant elder
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  B o R n  o f  s t o n e
  T
  he history of the stone giants is almost entirely a history of tribal 
  rivalries, followed by the rise of the many other giant races. The 
  taiga giants, hill giants, and stone giants remain tightly bound 
  by what is largely a shared history, faith, and culture. Of these three 
  races, though, in ancient times the stone giants were the ones who 
  allied themselves most closely with the empire of Thassilon, learning 
  the use of iron, rune magic, and advanced weapons. These changes 
  brought the stone giants out of their simple existence as hunters and 
  gatherers, but with the empire’s fall they were driven from civilized 
  lands. Now, the stone giants are split into two antagonistic groups: 
  those who side with their ancient cousins—the taiga giants—and 
  long for the past; and those who hope to recapture the days of empire 
  and seek to find the magic of the rune giants, to become the new 
  masters of a restored empire.
  histoRy of the stone Giant
  The stone giants of Varisia tell that, in the days of glory, stone giants 
  were the first and only giants, and they lived in the hills and in the 
  wide glacial valleys—anywhere there was game to hunt. In time, evil 
  gods seduced them, birthing the first giants of fire and frost. Still 
  others abandoned the early hunting and gathering to become cloud 
  giants and storm giants, lifted to the heavens by beneficent gods to 
  oppose fire and frost. The stone giants were sad to see their cousins 
  wander in so many directions, so far from the simple truths of stone. 
  Then, wizards with powers over runes—the runelords of Thassilon, 
  or, as the giant legend remember them, the Ancient Lords—came 
  and marked many giants as their slaves, creating the first rune giants. 
  Heeding the commands of their tiny masters, these corrupt giants 
  enslaved all of giantkind, including the stone giants themselves.
   
  Although slaves, the stone giants were kept by many races, 
  and learned and shared much. At the will of the rune giants and 
  their human overlords, they crafted great monuments and vast 
  cities, adopted new tools, and learned new magic. Their old 
  customs of riding mammoths for the hunt changed to include 
  making war from mammothback against any realm that opposed 
  their imperial masters. All the while, though, they stayed true 
  to the old ways: hunting, raiding, and building their villages and 
  temples—blatant acts of rebelliousness against the mandates of 
  the Ancient Lords. In time, their beliefs spread among the other 
  slave races working under the direction of their master masons, 
  and the other servants of Thassilon came to praise Minderhal, god 
  of justice and all giants.
   
  Yet with the passage of a fleeting few stone giant generations, 
  the Ancient Lords were cast down in a cataclysm of starfire and 
  rebellion. The Ancient Lords vanished along with their rune giant 
  taskmasters, and with them too died the giants’ concern for the 
  society of humans. The stone giants retreated to the plateaus, 
  hills, and mountains, but their cousins who had stayed behind 
  and fled the rule of Thassilon barely recognized their “imperial” 
  relations. The Thassilonian stone giants worked stone differently; 
  the rune giants’ magic had changed their skin and shape, and they 
  could no longer speak to the ancestor spirits as the taiga giants 
  did. Intermarriages brought only deformed children, and soon 
  the cousins drifted apart. 
   
  And so these once kindred people became two races: the taiga 
  giants who kept to the old customs and the stone giants who were 
  forever changed by the rule of man. So stone giants have remained, 
  caught between two worlds: the old ways they romanticize and long 
  for, and the new ways half-abandoned with the fall of Thassilon.
  anatomy of the stone Giant
  Stone giants stand about 12 feet tall and are recognizable by their chiseled 
  countenances, with many appearing similar to living statues. Their gray, 
  pebbled skin roughens and hardens over time, so that stone giant elders 
  often resemble chipped and craggy rock. While not actually stone, this 
  hardened skin is as tough as boiled leather, but much thicker; in the 
  oldest giants, their gray skin can be up to two inches thick. It’s not true 
  that moss and lichens grow on stone giants, although some hunters do 
  wear clothes sewn with bits of moss as camouflage. 
   
  Stone giants have an affinity for hiding in natural stone 
  surroundings. More than just a function of their skin tone, they 
  can sit motionless for hours and use their slow, patient movement 
  to get within rock-throwing distance of large prey. Despite their 
  large size, they are surprisingly stealthy.
   
  Stone giant bones are strong but partly hollow, allowing them 
  to move more quickly than their size might indicate. A series of 
  reinforcing chambers, like the cells of a honeycomb, help the 
  hollow bones retain their strength even at a lighter weight. Stone 
  giant lungs are enormous for their size, and when they are moving 
  quickly or engaged in strenuous activity, their breath rushes from 
  hugely flared nostrils. They seem largely unaffected by altitude, 
  and can climb high peaks without the loss of breath or vigor.
  Knowledge of the Stone giant
  While elusive and wary of the smaller “civilized” races, stone 
  giants are an ancient people and much might be learned from 
  them. Characters with ranks in Knowledge (nature) can learn 
  more about stone giants. When a character makes a successful 
  skill check, reveal the following lore, including the information 
  from lower DCs.
  Knowledge (nature) 
  DC 
  Result 
  18 
  Stone giants are reclusive, stony-skinned giants who live 
  high in mountains.
  23 
  Impassive and aloof, stone giants hunt large prey and 
  live in hills, caves, and mountains. They are difficult to 
  see among stones and are capable of crushing foes by 
  throwing massive boulders.
  28 
  Stone giants worship Minderhal, a god of strength and law. 
  They revere their elders and frequently ally themselves 
  with other giants and lesser giantkin. Numerous stone 
  giant clans tame dire bears.
  33 
  Many stone giant elders can speak to stones and 
  command the earth to do their will. Stone giants believe 
  they are the purest form of giants, from which all other 
  species of giants are descended.
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  society of the stone Giant
  Stone giants possess an ancient and multi-faceted culture with 
  many clans relating histories that measure in millennia. While many 
  outsiders take them for simple brutes, the stone giant decision not 
  to build cities or form unified nations is one born of a history of 
  slavery and victimization under an empire of vice.
   
  In modern times, stone giant society is an amalgam of two 
  walks: the high culture, numerous taboo skills learned during the 
  days of ancient Thassilon, and the low culture, glorified by the 
  craggiest elders.
   
  The stone giant high culture, often called the Rune Road, is 
  fading, but it is still remembered by those giants who have lived 
  for centuries and heard the tales from their own ancestors. Many of 
  the runic songs and legends refer back to the time when they built 
  cities for other races and raised their own vast settlements. These 
  elders tell stories of how their ancestors built towers reaching 
  into the heavens, cored to the heart of the earth, and worked the 
  world’s tallest mountains into the faces of gods. While storytellers 
  use these tales to remind their people of the feats they’re capable 
  of, they are bittersweet legends that go hand in hand with warnings 
  against the cruelty of the smaller races, their petty tyrants, and 
  the black-armored ungiants that would do their will. It is this high 
  culture that leads stone giants to build structures, work in iron, and 
  mistrust those not of their tribe.
   
  In contrast, the ancient stone giant low culture is based on the 
  hunting of large prey, from mammoth and dire elk to wyverns and 
  rocs. They live in simple caves (worked as little as possible), survive 
  by the strength of their herds, and seek a simple balance in peace with 
  the strength of their mountain. It is this aspect of their culture that 
  hearkens back to the simple ways of their ancestors and the traditions 
  the taiga giants still embrace. Many stone giant communities say they 
  embrace these ancient ways wholeheartedly, but in action find the 
  worked stone and iron of the high culture too useful to abandon.
  Government
  Stone giant society is largely clannish, with a number of interrelated 
  families (usually a dozen or fewer) occupying the same region and 
  working together for a common good. While stone giants rarely 
  war, their clans are insular in nature, with little cooperation 
  occurring between unrelated groups. Stone giants typically claim 
  a specific mountain—or, for larger groups, an entire mountain 
  chain—as their ancestral holding.
   
  A society largely uninterested in power over their kin, stone giants 
  live in a relatively peaceful zygarchy, wherein power is held by the 
  eldest couple of the clan. The ruling couple takes no special title 
  and their extended family gains no special influence or power among 
  their clansmen (though in practice, the children of a clan’s rulers have 
  been known to exert great influence over their parents). The duality 
  of such leadership is thought to balance the passions of a single ruler 
  and remind leaders that the clan is family first and servants second. 
  Although the eldest couple technically rules the clan, the position 
  is rarely a coveted one. The responsibilities of rulers—settling 
  disagreements, guarding clan heirlooms, and dealing with other 
  clans—far outweigh the few benefits of respect and choicest living 
  space. These duties fall to the eldest couple, as their age supposedly 
  grants them the patience and wisdom to deal with such decisions 
  evenly (and, as some young warriors and hunters would joke, because 
  they have little better to do in their dotage). Should a member of the 
  ruling couple die, the next most senior couple of the clan ascends, 
  with the surviving leader retaining a place as a respected advisor for 
  the remainder of his or her days. Considering the length of a stone 
  giant lifetime, it is not uncommon for a ruling couple to have a small 
  council of former-ruler widows and widowers as advisors.
  daily Life
  Aside from hunting, wrestling, and rock throwing—largely the 
  pastimes of clan members of both sexes younger than 300 years 
  old—stone giants are skilled herdsmen and weavers. They often 
  tend herds of giant rams, mountain aurochs, avalanche llamas, dire 
  elephants, and similar gigantic, sturdy mammals, leading them up 
  and down steep mountainsides in pursuit of water and shelter as the 
  season dictates. Sometimes even more deadly than the stone giants 
  themselves, herds of these gigantic beasts spook easily or might 
  trample small mountain climbers with neither their herders nor 
  themselves even noticing. From the thick fur of their herds, stone 
  giant craftsmen create giant weavings of enormous size but of only 
  moderate quality. The largest are 20 feet high and 50 feet long, 
  depicting hunting scenes, masonry works, and raids between clans 
  or tribes. They weigh from 200 to 500 pounds and can be worth 
  hundreds of gold pieces depending on quality, size, condition, 
  and materials. These tapestries divide caverns and giant longhalls 
  into smaller, usable spaces. Aside from the these hangings, stone 
  giants also weave heavy clothing to keep them warm in the frigid 
  climes and howling winter storms they so often wander through. 
  The youngest giants often perform this weaving, as their fingers are 
  more flexible and are able to weave tighter fabric.
  Communities
  While simple people, stone giants are not savages. Although 
  many clans incorporate caves into their living spaces, few natural 
  fissures can hope to accommodate a stone giant’s size. As such, 
  the hollows they dig into solid mountainsides are typically wide, 
  open spaces that hardly feel like chambers of confining rock. Their 
  intuition when working with stone and masterful knowledge of 
  engineering allow them to create completely stable artificial cave 
  complexes capable of housing several families. These subterranean 
  levels are supplemented by sturdy stone structures built against 
  the mountainside. A stone giant community often consists of 
  several small functional buildings used as stables, storage sheds, 
  and workhouses and longhalls used to house warriors and hunters. 
  These structures are surrounded by a sturdy wall set with hulking 
  watchtowers, from which stone giant guards command a view of 
  their surrounding lands and can bombard invaders with rocks from 
  a great distance.
   
  The center of stone giant society is always in a tribe’s Great 
  Cavern. This is usually the first cave the tribe settled around, 
  which over time becomes the largest. Raiding parties boast of 
  their successes there (or lick their wounds and bemoan failure), 
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  and all the major clan ceremonies of naming, marriage, funerals, 
  and taking tribal titles, such as war leader or clan elder, are held 
  there. The Great Cavern is typically decorated with wall painting 
  done over stone.
  Art and Architecture
  On any given evening, the great cave of a stone giant community is 
  filled with the grinding thrum of stone giant voices recounting the 
  legends and histories of their people. In their gravelly voices, elders 
  and skilled scops recount these lengthy tales verbatim as they have 
  through the centuries, imparting their own artistic flair and voice 
  to each retelling. Stone giant bards and elders take great pride 
  in performing before their clan, while nearly every community 
  member delights in a flawlessly repeated, eloquently performed 
  retelling of their people’s familiar stories.
   
  Aside from the work of their weavers, the majority of stone 
  giants’ artistic endeavors turn to sculpting and stone crafting. 
  Stone giant masons and quarrymen achieve astounding results 
  with simple tools, partly due to their great strength, but also due 
  to their deep understanding of what stone can do. Their tools are 
  simple ones: rope and string, squares and levels, and powerful 
  stone hammers. 
   
  In addition, stone giants use temperature to splinter large blocks 
  of stone, heating with fire, then cooling with water, snow, and ice 
  until a stone cracks along the lines they have already scratched 
  along its surface. In this way, they frequently generate stone blocks 
  up to 20 tons in weight. These are too heavy for even a giant to 
  lift (they carry blocks up to about 1 ton), so they use log rollers or 
  pebble slurries to move the largest stones over distances.
   
  As the master masons of the Thassilonian Empire, they designed 
  and directed the construction of great temples, monuments, dams, 
  towers, and more mysterious works in the service of the runelords. 
  The giants retain an oral history of these monuments, but they 
  no longer build in this imperial style, seeing no reason for such 
  needless opulence. To the stone giants, these monuments are dead 
  places, reminders of an empire that failed and an alliance with 
  humans in which they were ultimately betrayed.
  death
  Stone giants are long-lived, often reaching the age of 800 years 
  or even older. Clan members are not considered elders until 
  they reach their sixth century, and the very oldest live to nearly 
  a millennia. Juveniles are acknowledged as adults at age 90 for 
  women and 120 for males.
   
  Stone giant funerals take a number of forms, but burial is rarely 
  one of them. Caves and the earth are a birthplace, but not a proper 
  resting place for stone giant bones. Instead, chieftains and elders 
  are usually mummified by exposure upon great mountaintops 
  or high plateaus. There they are watched over by a shaman or 
  sometimes by an exile, who must make sure animals do not disturb 
  the body. The eyes of a mummy are the only portion that typically 
  decays, creating hollow sockets. Once dried and withered, the 
  mummy is dressed in rich furs, jewelry, and armor or bright woven 
  wrappings and set in a place of honor in the tribe’s ancestral vault, 
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  an ancient catacomb often near the stone giant community, but in 
  some cases hundreds of miles away. 
   
  The funerals of less prominent giants are often fiery pyres, the smoke 
  of which can sometimes be seen for 30 miles or more. In areas of little 
  wood, stone giants are buried under a cairn of stones piled up by the 
  surviving members of the tribe. The size of this cairn indicates the 
  respect accorded to the giant. “He’ll leave a mountain” is a statement 
  of respect, showing that a particular giant is well-loved by his people.
  stone Giant ReliGion
  Stone giants worship many gods and goddesses, just as other 
  sentient races do, but several are common to almost all tribes. 
  Domains marked with an “*” can be found in the system reference 
  document (d20srd.org).
  Ancestral Ghosts
  The Ancestors, Father, Mother, The Spirits of the Earth
  N divine spirits of stone giants, earth, and mountains
  Like taiga giants, stone giants place great value on the proper regard 
  for spirits, ghosts, and ancestors. The two races of giants both speak 
  with ancestors frequently through magic, using these conversations 
  to set plans to determine the right time to hunt, move their great 
  herds, and watch for omens of things to come. Some elders have been 
  haunted by their predecessors when they pursued goals or strategies 
  that risked the destruction of the entire tribe. In many cases, an 
  elder who is haunted by the tribe’s ghosts loses his influence—this 
  is much more common among the taiga giants than among the stone 
  giants, but it happens in both races. The ancestral ghosts usually have 
  a painted shrine where their descendants burn candles and offer up 
  sacrifices of marrow, burnt fur, and amber.
   
  Domains: Death, Divination, Knowledge, Luck, Protection.
   
  Favored Weapon: Club.
  erastil
  Father Strongbow, the Hunter, Old Deadeye
  LG god of farming, family, hunting, and trade
  Although he is widely worshipped among humans, in giant 
  depictions, the hunter’s god is always shown as a rugged old giant 
  with a spear, stone, or greatclub in hand, wearing the furs of his 
  prey. His followers often smear his statues with blood from their 
  kills, giving the idols a warm reddish-brown patina. Giants always 
  leave a stone for Erastil at his shrine before going out to hunt. 
  Family members neatly pile new stones upon the shrine every day 
  until the hunters’ return. The stones of hunters who die in the field 
  are always left where they were dropped, and eventually used to 
  expand or improve the shrine.
   
  Domains: Animal, Community*, Good, Law, Plant.
   
  Favored Weapon: Longbow.
  fandarra
  Blood Mother, the Bleeding Stone, the Earth Seer
  N goddess of birth, death, earth, and knowledge 
  While her worship is not limited to stone giants, Fandarra’s 
  aspect as an earth goddess, source of wisdom, and devourer of 
  the weak is appealing to many stone giant elders. She is known 
  for her gifts of magical bears and mammoths, given to her 
  favored champions. In even the best of times she asks for great 
  sacrifices, mass bloodlettings, butchered livestock, mammoth 
  pelts, the skulls of enemies, and the like. In times of calamity 
  or suffering her demands grow more severe and only worshipers’ 
  lives will appease.
   
  Fandarra is usually depicted as a bald, gray-skinned giant wearing 
  a crown of leaves, a dress of rich red mammoth fur, and holding a 
  haunch of meat in one hand and a stone tablet in the other. In her 
  vengeful aspect, she wears a necklace of knives or arrowheads, and 
  in her fertile aspect she is shown either pregnant or lifting up twin 
  giants in her two hands.
   
  Domains: Community*, Death, Earth, Knowledge, Plant.
   
  Favored Weapon: Stone dagger.
  Minderhal
  He Who Makes and Unmakes, Lawgiver, Lord of Giants
  LE god of creation, justice, giants, and strength 
  At the height of the Thassilonian Empire, the worship of 
  Minderhal expanded beyond the giants who first prayed to him 
  fandarra
  Minderhal
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  and drew in thousands of worshipers from across the empire. 
  With the empire’s collapse, stone giants are among his few 
  remaining followers. The many races that once praised him have 
  all been destroyed or have abandoned him. In the time of the 
  empire, Minderhal was depicted both as a powerful smith and 
  a raging stone monstrosity. His worship was concerned with 
  matters of law, justice, and architecture, as well as stonework 
  and metalwork. 
   
  While Minderhal is still worshiped among a few scattered 
  giant tribes on the Storval Plateau and in the Kodar Mountains, 
  his scattered faith has been entirely forgotten by the smaller 
  races. With the collapse of the broader religion, most carvings 
  of Minderhal are simple works made of softer stone, wherein he’s 
  often shown bearded and wise, although still strong. Still, despite 
  centuries of waning influence, many stone giants—especially stone 
  giant elders—embrace the teachings of the Lord of Giants.
   
  Domains: Artifice*, Earth, Glory*, Law, Strength.
   
  Favored Weapon: Hammer.
  urazra and the Bear Cult
  Breaker of Bones, Gore Pelt, the Red Bear 
  CE god of battle, brutality, and strength
  This new faith (only a few hundred years old) has grown quickly 
  in popularity among more brutal stone giants. Urkav promises 
  his followers great strength, fortitude, and immunity to pain 
  for their acts of savagery and sacrifices of flesh. In addition, 
  many of his followers are powerful barbarians, able to rage as 
  their totem does, gaining strength and power from that fury. 
  The cult is somewhat contentious among stone giants. Many 
  elders oppose it, claiming it plays to the worst, most bestial 
  aspects of giant nature, and that it rejects both wisdom 
  and civilization. The cult spreads through charismatic 
  preachers who claim that will and strength are more 
  important than faith, works, knowledge, or history. The bear 
  cultists are largely young male giants, eager to raid and to rend 
  and torture prisoners.
   
  Domains: Animal, Chaos, Destruction, Strength, War.
   
  Favored Weapon: Claw or spiked gauntlet.
  stone Giant maGic 
  The most common magic among stone giants is that of the elders, 
  which runs toward divinations and transmutations. Elders are simply 
  the oldest of any given clan, and they keep the secrets of stone 
  magic. Typically, they teach these secrets to one or two trusted 
  members of the tribe, who gain their powers when an elder dies or 
  when they unlock forgotten ways granted by communing with their 
  ancestral mountain and the spirits of their forefathers.
   
  Occasionally, a stone giant manifests sorcerous ability before he 
  reaches old age. These young sorcerers are often marked by strangely 
  colored flesh, crystalline formations on their skin, or abnormally 
  short stature. Both revered and shunned, these magic-users are 
  thought to have been possessed by the ancestors and are familiar 
  with their ways. As such, they are afforded higher standing within 
  a tribe, gain the ear of the clan’s ruling couple, and often take a 
  Stone Magic
  Many stone giant elders gain a measure of control over the 
  earth, but those few who nurture this innate magic unlock even 
  greater abilities.
   Prerequisite: Stone giant elder (700 years or older), Cha 17.
   Benefit: In addition to the usual spell-like abilities of a stone 
  giant elder, the giant gains the ability to use passwall, statue, 
  spike stones, stone skin, and wall of stone once per day. These 
  spells are cast as if by a 10th-level sorcerer. The save DC for 
  each is Charisma-based.
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  role similar to a tribal shaman or holy man. 
  For all their influence, though, stone 
  giant sorcerers—especially those marked 
  by strange physical traits—find themselves 
  socially outcast, rarely find mates and thus 
  almost never rise to rule.
   
  Wizards are unknown in stone giant 
  society, the art of studying arcane 
  magic being forbidden, a taboo held in 
  remembrance of ancient Thassilon.
   
  Regardless of when a stone giant gains 
  his magical ability, the channels of magic flow 
  in similar ways. Such spellcasters typically gain power over 
  the earth, with stone shape, stone tell, transmute rock to mud, and 
  transmute mud to rock being the most common manifestations, 
  but others are known (see the Stone Magic feat on page 57). 
  Giants who nurture their magical abilities and become 
  true sorcerers typically gain spells that deal with stone—
  such as stoneskin or wall of stone, or that might aid warriors in 
  battle or speed travel through the mountains—as a variety of 
  transmutation spells do. 
  stone Giants in Battle 
  Stone giants know little of war. While their storytellers weave 
  tales of a time when the armies of the earth marched in great 
  legions under the command of rune-etched generals, those times 
  are long past. Today, most stone giants have replaced the spear 
  and shield of the raider with the bow and boulder of the hunter. 
  Both stone and taiga giants domesticate and rely upon animals 
  in their hunts. These animals help hunters find prey, serve as 
  transportation, and help harry dangerous animals.
  BeaStS of Battle
  Whether as aid on the hunt or as support in battle, beasts kept by 
  stone giants are often as massive as they are deadly.
   Dire Bears: Dire bears and stone giants have a long history 
  together; bears are to stone giants what dogs are to humans. Hunting 
  together and using the dire bear’s excellent sense of smell, stone 
  giants bring down greater prey than they ever could alone. The dire 
  bears’ speed, intelligence, size, and territorial nature also makes 
  them intimidating guardians. One legend tells that dire bears and 
  stone giants were both born to the goddess Fandarra—from her tryst 
  with Estig the Hunter—and that they are brothers. Certainly, bears 
  and stone giants get along well, and many tribes have one or several 
  “Bear Fathers,” the hunters whose skill at handling bears earns them 
  special respect among their fellows.
   Dire Wolves: The least common animal to hunt 
  alongside stone giants are dire wolves. These are 
  found primarily among tribes where the prevalence of 
  the bear cult discourages the use of bears as working 
  animals. Many northerly tribes call dire wolves “dog-
  giants” and hold them as embodiments of natural wisdom, 
  whose howls are songs of forgotten lore. Stone giant bards 
  often adopt dire wolves as companions.
   Mammoths: In ancient days, the warrior-priests of 
  Minderhal’s temples owned hundreds of mammoths 
  trained in mounted combat. Over time, the use of 
  war mammoths has faded among Storval stone 
  giants, although each major tribe does seek 
  to capture and train a handful of mammoths 
  as mounts. A fully trained and blooded war 
  mammoth is worth a great deal to a stone 
  giant tribe. These animals are always treated 
  well, often to the point that bear-cultists 
  resent the food and attention given to 
  mammoths rather than to their totems. 
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  Although not typically a warlike people, when stone giants march into 
  battle they do so with specially designed tools employing the ancient 
  knowledge of their people.
   Shatter Boulder: A shatter boulder is a 60-pound rock 
  specially carved to break into thousands of sharp fragments 
  when it strikes a hard surface (such as a cliff side or an armored 
  foe). These iron-braced weapons function as splash weapons 
  (see Throw Splash Weapon on page 158 of the PH). Treat this 
  attack as a ranged touch attack with a range increment equal 
  to that listed in the giant’s rock throwing ability (180 feet for a 
  stone giant) or 10 feet if the user does not have rock throwing. 
  A direct hit from a shatter boulder deals 2d8 points of damage 
  (plus one and a half times the user’s Strength modifier; 2d8+12 
  for the typical stone giant). Every creature within 15 feet of the 
  point where the boulder hits takes 1d4 points of damage from 
  rocky shrapnel. Due to their rarity and the precision with which 
  they are crafted, shatter boulders typically cost 180 gp and are 
  sized for Large creatures (Medium or smaller creatures take the 
  normal penalties for using inappropriately sized weapons).
   Mammoth Lance: These lances are carved from single fir 
  trees, usually lance pine, cliff fir, or ashwood oak. They are 20 
  feet long, and even after being carved and hollowed in places still 
  weigh nearly 200 pounds (150 for Medium versions). A mammoth 
  lance is always tipped with an enormous iron or stone spike up 
  to 3 feet long, and the better ones have carved grips for a rider 
  to hold. They provide a 20-foot reach and threaten spaces 15 
  to 20 feet away from the wielder. Foes 10 feet or closer are not 
  threatened. The typical mammoth lance is size Large, deals 3d8 
  points of piercing damage (2d8 as a Medium weapon), and has a 
  ×2 critical multiplier. 
   
  In the rare times disputes do erupt between stone giant 
  clans, the elders of both communities meet and seek to 
  resolve their disagreements. If these negotiations end in insult 
  or otherwise prove fruitless, a war of sabotage might erupt. 
  During such fracases, young warriors from both sides steal each 
  other’s livestock, sabotage structures, and abduct female stone 
  giants—the theft of an enemy’s wife is a mark of honor for any 
  young stone giant.
   
  Only rarely do such feuds break into actual warfare. When 
  they do, though, mountains shake with the force of stampeding 
  war mammoths and the stone magic of powerful elders can call 
  down avalanches a mile wide. Although stone giant elders are 
  slow to participate in such battles—seeing them as shortsighted 
  and wasteful—many younger clan members relish the blood-
  haze of battle. In the face of deadly warfare, the weaker tribe 
  is swiftly determined and typically concedes to the demands 
  of the stronger. Pride and stubbornness, however, have led to 
  more than one clan being buried under the rage and rocks of 
  their cousins.
  stone Giant equipment
  The traditional weapons of a stone giant hunter or warrior are 
  the thrown boulder and a powerful club made from a tree trunk, 
  often banded with iron. Taiga giants still use these weapons 
  exclusively, but stone giant clans have seen other weapons and 
  other ways. They often use sharp picks, mammoth lances, huge 
  hammers, and spears—along with the trick of carving shatter 
  boulders. Some clans also rely upon their shamans to cast spells 
  over their boulders, enhancing them with flame arrow, silence, 
  or similar spells.
   
  Armor for stone giants usually consists of thick leathers and furs. 
  Some stone giant clans still bear the breastplates, rune-marked 
  helmets, and shields of the Thassilonian Age, but in most cases these 
  have rusted away and are lost to time.
   
  Aside from such tools of war, stone giants are well versed 
  in crafting the tools and equipment necessary to travel and 
  survive in rugged mountains. Great thick ropes of tightly woven 
  vines, roots, and animal hair; massive hammers; pitons of stone 
  and iron; and massive harnesses for dire elephants and other 
  creatures capable of supporting a giant all allow stone giant 
  hunters to make their way over even the most treacherous 
  slopes with ease.
  adventuRes With  
  stone Giants
  Stone giants are not always foes, although they certainly consider 
  humans something like small but dangerous vermin. If you’re 
  interested in creating your own plots involving stone giants, 
  consider the following adventure hooks.
   
  Bridge to the Past: The elders of a stone giant clan all receive 
  visions of a massive bridge built from the banks of Lake Skotha to 
  the mysterious island known as Chorak’s Tomb. Believing this to 
  be the will of their ancestral spirits, all of the clan’s resources turn 
  to this new project. But one sensitive stone giant hunter fears the 
  voices speaking to his family’s elders are not those of the ancestors, 
  but something darker, welling from the death-shrouded isle.
   
  Exile: An ancient stone giant is sighted wandering through 
  Korvosa’s holdings near Abken, stealing livestock and trampling 
  fields into strange patterns. While the giant avoids humans and has 
  an uncanny knack for hiding himself, his presence is causing a panic 
  around the small community. The community leaders want the 
  giant gone—by force if necessary—and are willing to pay anyone 
  who can convince the elusive giant to leave, whether his intentions 
  be for good or ill.
   
  Rise of the Ruinlord: A young firebrand has wrested control 
  of the Spirehall stone giants deep in the Red Mountains. A 
  fanatic of Urazra, this new stone giant chieftain seeks to bring 
  his people into an age of dominance over the weaker and smaller 
  races. He demands the reconstruction of a Thassilonian tower 
  high in the mountains to serve as his throne, but first, he sends 
  his minions to kidnap several “small folk” to search the ruin for 
  magic of the ancient age.
  the Stone giant arMory
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  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  Powerful, nearly immortal creatures, dragons elicit both stark terror and 
  unrestrained awe from almost all who behold them. At once among the world’s 
  most deadly terrors and wisest guardians, no other creature in existence can 
  match a dragon’s terrible beauty. Despite millennia of study, the body of 
  work comprising draconic lore remains dishearteningly small, and these 
  magnificent creatures largely remain the stuff of fearful legends and heroic 
  tales. Yet, what follows is a sample of what is known about dragons, from their 
  heartbreaking genesis to their terrifying final opus.
  Dragons of Golarion
  T h e  M y T h  a n d  T h e  F l a M e
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  d R a g o n s  o f  g o l a R i o n
  a BRief histoRy of dRagons
  As recorded in draconic history, so goes the creation of the 
  multiverse and all dragonkind:
   
  In the beginning flowed the two waters, the fresh and the 
  salt. These waters were the first gods, one male and one female, 
  who respectively embodied the forces of Law and the forces 
  of Chaos. Although opposites, the two waters lived in relative 
  harmony, and from their union came the lesser gods. For them, 
  the fresh water created the sky and the 
  world, and there he sent the younger 
  deities to live and grow and shape all 
  the facets of reality. The two waters 
  watched with bemusement as their 
  children named the sky Heaven and 
  the world Hell, and with them defined 
  the first acts of Good and Evil. 
   
  The industrious new gods continued 
  the waters’ creation and brought 
  together the four elements to draft a 
  new place between Heaven and Hell, 
  a realm filled with islands of life. 
  Calling this new world Material, for it 
  was crafted from the elements and not 
  merely thoughts, the new gods rested 
  and admired their works. 
   
  Then one of the young gods—the first 
  born from the waters, who called himself 
  Dahak—secretly took on a dreadful and 
  awe-inspiring form and went to the world 
  of Hell. There he reveled and rampaged, 
  making it an eternal nightmare of 
  devastation and suffering, a place of 
  darkness and ever-burning fire. Where 
  his brothers and sisters nurtured the 
  seeds of creation, Dahak only destroyed 
  and in doing brought death into being, embittering his siblings 
  toward him forever. Yet he cared little, withdrawing from his family 
  to rule among the shadow realm of Hell.
   
  A short time later, the salt waters hatched six more gods and made 
  them appear as six Beautiful Metals. Shortly after their birthing, 
  Dahak arose from the shadows and, before the waters could stop 
  him, named the Beautiful Metals: Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, 
  Brass, and Copper. When he finished, he shaped them in honor of his 
  own terrible and awesome form and cast them from the waters to the 
  Material below. There, they shattered into dozens of lesser mortal 
  creatures of the same metals. These were the first dragons. Dahak 
  then descended to the Material world and indulged in his favored 
  creations, death and murder, and the young dragons knew fear. 
   
  Horrified, the waters tried to intervene, but they found that they 
  could not enter the Material world without names. The fresh water 
  declared, “I shall then be Apsu, for I am the first.” Apsu took the form 
  of a great and radiant dragon and went to the Material world and rallied 
  his mortal children around him. A mighty battle followed, but together, 
  the metallic dragons rose up against Dahak and defeated him. 
   
  Even as Apsu stood poised to strike the killing blow, though, 
  Dahak cried out to his mother, the great salt sea, and begged for his 
  life. Unwilling to see her first son perish, the nameless sea spoke 
  to the injured and brutalized survivors of Dahak’s attacks, offering 
  to heal them of the injuries Dahak himself had caused in exchange 
  for saving his life. Some few of Apsu’s children, weakened and in 
  utter pain, accepted the offer, and as one, those who accepted 
  exchanged goodness, love, and mercy for vengeance, wrath, and 
  cruelty, and rose from where they had 
  fallen on the battlefield. Good stripped 
  from them their metallic sheens and Evil 
  replaced that shine with dull chromatic 
  hues. Apsu dropped Dahak and placed a 
  clawed foot on his son’s head, then rallied 
  the mortal metallics around again him 
  and once more sent them into battle. The 
  horrible conflict that resulted lasted for 
  days. Brother killed traitorous brother 
  and cousin slaughtered good-hearted 
  cousin. Blood spilled across the lands in 
  waves, flooding the world of their battle 
  with a stinking red ocean of death. 
  Near the conclusion of the long battle, 
  Dahak slipped out from under his father’s 
  claw and fled. The surviving chromatic 
  dragons, seeing this, withdrew from the 
  field and took to the sky to follow their 
  brutal master. When the metallics made 
  ready to pursue, Apsu held them back. “You 
  shall have your chance again some day, but 
  stem your rage and for now know peace”
  Thereafter, Apsu returned to his mate, 
  ready to demand why she had aided their 
  treacherous son. Yet, instead of the 
  formless salt sea, he found an angry being 
  in a monstrous dragon form, many-faced and writhing with the 
  countenances of seemingly all she had created. His beloved 
  opposite had given herself a name, and to this day its sound 
  pains all dragons.
   
  “I then am Tiamat,” she said, “for I am mother of all. You have 
  failed, Apsu, and my children have met death. I shall never forgive 
  you.” With that, she lunged at the fatigued Apsu, biting and scratching 
  and tearing him until he could stand no more. Even as the last of his 
  strength bled away under her terrible claws, he allowed himself to 
  fall from his primeval realm to the Material below.
   
  His metallic children found him shortly thereafter, hid him 
  under a giant spruce tree, and nursed him back to health. When he 
  could move again, Apsu led his metallic children away from the tiny 
  Material world they found themselves on, taking them across the 
  endless waters to other realms. Yet, vengeful Dahak and his fierce 
  chromatic minions pursued, and each time somehow found Apsu 
  and his followers. This exodus of dragons occurred for millennia, 
  until Apsu found himself on a distant sphere called Golarion. 
  Something here, about this world, called to him and his children. 
  “I shall then be apsu.”
  I shall then be Apsu,
  for I am the first.
  I am the primeval,
  who was of Heaven
  and of Material
  before they had names,
  for I created them with Chaos.
  I then shall go
  and I shall end Death.
  Thus begins the four-thousand-line epic, 
  Draconic Apsu, the story of the creation of 
  the races of the true dragons as recorded 
  in the fourth generation by the gold sage 
  Gunnarrex. The first two lines frequently 
  show up throughout draconic literature and 
  on the Obelisks of Fate and the Obelisks 
  of Destiny. The ninth line of the poem, 
  “and I shall end Death,” appears all across 
  Dragonfall. Many of the metallic dragons 
  use this line as a battle cry when they enter 
  combat with chromatic dragons.
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  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  It was here that Apsu decided to make his stand. Here, far from the 
  eyes of his fickle mate, he declared the metallic dragons would end 
  the menace of his traitorous son and his hated creations. 
  dRagon Clans 
  As recorded upon the Obelisks of Destiny and Obelisks of Fate, 
  all metallic and chromatic dragons of the world belong to one 
  of forty bloodlines (sometimes called clans), originating during 
  the exodus of dragons across the many worlds of the Material 
  Plane. Of these forty, thirty-eight still exist today. In each breed, 
  the clan descending from the first homogeneous color pairing 
  is known as the pure bloodline (see below), with the eldest pure 
  female called the suryx (“empress” or “queen”) and the eldest 
  pure male, frequently the most physically powerful dragon 
  of that breed, declared the thyxl (which roughly translates as 
  “god-emperor”). Groups of related breeds—such as metallic 
  or chromatic—are called septs.
  Metallic dragons
  Metallic dragons trace their clans through the blood of their 
  mothers. While the blood of the father does affect the child’s 
  personality and appearance, the mother’s traits almost universally 
  prove dominant.
   
  In the earliest of times, dragons of different breeds could 
  mate with one another and produce viable offspring. The 
  dragons could breed in twenty-five combinations (gold father 
  with copper mother, silver mother with bronze father, brass 
  mother and father, and every other possible pairing), and so 
  they did. In the third generation, the most powerful female 
  from each pairing founded her own bloodline, producing five 
  clans for each of the five colors, with each clan descending from 
  a father of a specific color. While mating between the breeds 
  can still occur, doing so is frowned upon.
   
  In every clan, the eldest female serves as leader and has the 
  responsibility to mate with another member of her same bloodline, 
  assuring the purity of her bloodline. Her siblings and cousins may 
  mate with dragons from other bloodlines as they see fit. Those of the 
  pure bloodline—the clan descended from two progenitors of the 
  same color—find themselves beset with suitors and matchmakers 
  from the day they hatch, as the other bloodlines consider it an 
  honor to have pure blood injected into their clans. 
   
  While the vast majority of metallic dragons remain utterly true 
  to their goodliness, a tiny fraction (a little more than 1%) drift away 
  from the exalted calling of their family. These tarnished dragons, as 
  they’re called, vary in frequency and proclivity by breed, as noted 
  in the following entries.
   
  When the dragons formed their bloodlines, each metallic breed 
  had five clans. Over time, two have gone extinct, leaving twenty-
  three clans of metallic dragons. Each clan traces back to a survivor 
  of the exodus, and all but the pure bloodlines are tinged with the 
  blood of other metallic dragons as passed along from their fathers. 
  The bloodlines take their names from the female dragons who 
  founded them.
   
  Brass: Sentimental and mercurial, brass dragons openly display 
  their feelings and express their deep emotions with passion and 
  vigor. When a brass dragon needs to cry, it cries; when it needs to 
  laugh, it laughs. A brass dragon rarely, if ever, attempts to stifle 
  its emotions. Brass dragons abhor silence and frequently speak  
  to fill quiet moments with mirthful yet oft-inappropriate  
  comments  and asides.
   
  Hardy but easy to coerce, brass dragons respond to strong 
  emotions more readily than solid reasoning. As such, evil and 
  selfish creatures find it easiest to tarnish a brass dragon with tales 
  of woe and suffering than with offers of treasure or power, although 
  in this regard “easy” is a relative term. Brass dragons remain true 
  to their alignment more often than all other metallics, save only 
  the stoic golds. When a brass dragon does give in to tarnishing, 
  however, it becomes a terrifying yet pitiable creature, as such a 
  shift always—without fail—leads the dragon to insanity.
   
  The pure brass dragon bloodline hails from the ancient dragon 
  Orikal, a herald and diplomat in Apsu’s army. Some sages claim 
  the now extinct, gold-fathered clan of Mishtuu contributed 
  apsu
  Waybringer, the Exiled Wyrm, Maker of All
  LG god of dragons, glory, leadership, and peace
  Apsu and his metallic children have lived on countless planets in 
  the time since he fell to the Material Plane. Having long fled from 
  Dahak in his search for a world where his children might know peace, 
  Apsu keeps no fixed domain upon the Outer Planes. Rather, his 
  cathedral-like lair, the Immortal Ambulatory, is a traveling demiplane 
  capable of manifesting a physical gate upon Golarion. Here he 
  holds court over his mortal children and makes plans to destroy 
  Dahak once and for all. Wise and cautious, Apsu hates to see other 
  creatures suffer, even as he himself endlessly feels the stings of his 
  son’s betrayal and his mate’s rejection. Sinuous and long-winged, 
  with scales that sparkle like mother-of-pearl, Apsu appears lean 
  and ancient. As Dahak’s unhealing wounds attest, however, he is 
  anything but weak. 
  Domains: Creation, Good, Earth, Law, Travel.
  Favored Weapon: Breath weapon or quarterstaff.
  Dahak
  The False Wyrm, Sorrowmaker, the Endless Destruction
  CE god of destruction, dragons, evil, and treachery
  Almost universally hated by metallic and chromatic dragons 
  alike, Dahak nonetheless retains enough divine power to remain a 
  constant threat to Apsu and his children. No dragon trusts Dahak, 
  but his offers of power and endless life tempt many evil dragons. In 
  his aspect as the Endless Destruction, Dahak can call down rains 
  of stone around him, leading some to incorrectly speculate that 
  he caused the Starfall. Covered in bony ridges, spikes, and long 
  curving horns, Dahak bears numerous scars all across his blood-
  brown scales. These gifts from Apsu ache constantly and further 
  fuel his hatred and anger.
  Domains: Chaotic, Destruction, Evil, Scalykind, Trickery.
  Favored Weapon: Bite or scourge.
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  brass Dragon
  White Dragon
  d R a g o n s  o f  g o l a R i o n
  to the fall of Thassilon but in its zeal it 
  overextended, allowing the Thassilonians to 
  hunt it to ruin. The other three extant brass 
  clans are the bronze-fathered Lyxstryxl, the 
  copper-fathered Wymerid, and the silver-
  fathered Gorlam.
   
  Bronze: Stoic and protective—but seldom 
  jealous—bronze dragons epitomize the ideals 
  of bodyguards. Their patient and calm natures 
  also make bronzes natural scholars, and 
  more draconic sages and numerologists 
  hail from their breed than any other. 
   
  Strong and resilient, bronze dragons 
  pick up tarnish around their edges, but 
  in their hearts they remain uncorrupted. 
  Bronze dragons tend to slip more easily 
  from the stringency of lawfulness than 
  from the virtues of good. Those bronzes who 
  do stray often find themselves hunted by their 
  kin—not to kill them but to bring them back to 
  the disciplined lifestyle so many of their kind 
  find comforting. Tarnished bronzes who refuse 
  to repent usually take on humanoid forms and 
  flee into cities, where they’ve been known to 
  become members of town watches, bodyguards, 
  or other protective occupations. 
   
  The pure bronze dragon bloodline hails from 
  Pyropex, the leader of Apsu’s bodyguards. 
  All four other bronze dragon bloodlines 
  still exist: brass-fathered Mox, 
  copper-fathered Orix, gold-fathered 
  Spravevost, and beautiful, silver-
  fathered Ruddantyl.
   
  Copper: The hedonistic coppers accept 
  and forgive the foibles and vices of those around 
  them, declining to pass judgment on those who do not fully give 
  in to sin and evil. Their natural ability to look at situations from 
  multiple points of view would make coppers perfect diplomats, 
  but their tendency to vacillate eliminates them from such roles. 
   
  Malleable and easily swayed, copper dragons embrace 
  neutrality more readily than most of their metallic kin. They 
  also go on draconic rampages more frequently than any other 
  breed in their sept, and many metallics who turn evil hail from 
  among their ranks. 
   
  The pure copper dragon bloodline, Perxop, hails from a quiet 
  but determined compromiser. The bronze-fathered clan of Kaelklig 
  went extinct shortly after the Earthfall, due to numerous ill-advised 
  battles with red dragons (including the red paragon Tashraxmort). 
  Three other copper clans still exist: brass-fathered Yt, gold-
  fathered Straxel, and silver-fathered Orrstreng.
   
  Gold: Patient and wise, gold dragons speak little and consider 
  their words all the weightier for their scarcity. The epitome 
  of wisdom and reason, gold dragons reside in vast lairs filled 
  with books, scrolls, clay tablets, and all other forms of written 
  communication. Gold dragons are 
  avid readers and possess memories 
  longer than many human empires. As 
  such, they make exceptional advisors 
  and scholars.
  Nigh incorruptible, gold dragons 
  retain their purity regardless of 
  what might attempt to sully 
  them. The least likely of 
  any dragon breed to drift in 
  their alignment, gold dragons 
  remain trusted paragons of 
  good and lawfulness.
   The pure gold dragon bloodline 
  hails from Aurixia, Apsu’s greatest 
  general and one of the most 
  strategically minded beings to have 
  ever existed. All four other gold 
  dragon bloodlines still exist: brass-
  fathered Perspykus, bronze-fathered 
  Kexkyxl, copper-fathered Aleirt, and 
  silver-fathered Ectrym.
  Silver: Sometimes called 
  draconic paladins, silver dragons 
  instinctively possess pious and 
  chivalric souls. They formed 
  the backbone of Apsu’s 
  armies and metallic dragons 
  rally around them in times 
  of war. They deal fairly 
  with all creatures of goodly 
  heart and advocate the benign 
  protectiveness of law and rightful 
  rulership. Paladins or blackguards, 
  silver dragons live with passion and 
  fervor, never sacrificing nobility and honor for an easy solution.
  The most easily tarnished metallic dragons, silvers have a higher 
  rate of shifting from good to neutrality than all other lawful breeds. 
  When pure of heart, though, silver dragons shine like exalted 
  beacons of virtue.
   
  The pure silver dragon bloodline hails from Argix, a crusading 
  daughter of Apsu who led multiple incursions against chromatic 
  dragon strongholds. All four other silver dragon bloodlines still 
  exist: brass-fathered Kosthrum, bronze-fathered Meshiavel, 
  copper-fathered Bollivik, and gold-fathered Tyss.
  Chromatic Bloodlines
  Opposing the metallics in all things, chromatics trace their bloodlines 
  via the father. Although the mother contributes to the child’s 
  personality and personal power, the father’s traits always dominate.
   
  When those injured by Dahak accepted the tainted salve offered 
  by his immortal mother, they realized only too late the ramifications 
  of their choice. Those who survived the first catastrophic battle with 
  the metallics split in their regard for their trecherous progenitor, 
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  Copper Dragon
  black Dragon
  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  with some turning from him to pursue 
  their own rage-filled whims, while others 
  embraced the power of the Sorrowmaker. 
  Over time, though, both groups realized 
  the need to procreate to survive. Like 
  the metallics, the first generations of 
  chromatic dragons mated across colors, 
  but in their case the fathers determined 
  the attributes of the offspring. Unlike 
  the metallics, though, once these 
  early chromatic dragons reached 
  maturity they erupted into terrible 
  orgies of rape, incest, and lust. 
  The powerful red males spread their 
  seed with ease, founding five great and 
  terrible bloodlines for their crimson-hued 
  offspring. The other males, discovering 
  the relative power of the colors, could 
  overpower or woo potential mothers of 
  progressively fewer colors. As a result, 
  the blue dragon progenitors could 
  usually only spread their seed 
  to the blue, green, black, and 
  white females, being unable 
  to convince (or force) the 
  red females to copulate, 
  thus creating four blue 
  clans. Likewise, the 
  green fathers of 
  the clans could not 
  spread their seed 
  to the blue or red 
  females, and founded only 
  three bloodlines, while the 
  black males could only produce 
  two. Lowliest of all, the white males could 
  only barely overpower their white-scaled counterparts, and  
  thus to this day the inbred white dragons trace back only one 
  single bloodline.
   
  Chromatic dragons occasionally rampage, taking to the sky to 
  rain destruction upon whatever communities of lesser beings exist 
  nearby, indulging an instinctual drive to shed blood and wreak 
  devastation. Such rampages often result—directly or indirectly—in 
  the demise of the dragons, leading most to avoid such an attention-
  drawing spectacle. As such, the chaotic chromatics (black, red, and 
  white) tend to rampage far more often than their calmer and less 
  emotional lawful cousins.
   
  Unlike their metallic kin, most chromatic dragons do 
  not make much effort to trace or maintain their clans. Two 
  exceptions exist: the lawful green dragons, whose obsession 
  with breeding exceeds even that of the dark elves, and the pure 
  bloodline of the reds, which remains almost as inbred as the 
  lone white clan. Each bloodline takes its name from the male 
  dragon who founded the line.
  Black: As dark in soul as 
  in scale color, black dragons 
  embody an insatiable hatred of all 
  other living creatures. Short-tempered 
  and sadistic, black dragons frequently 
  fly into rages for the most insignificant 
  (and often imagined) slights. Black 
  dragons rampage more often than 
  the other chromatic dragons, razing 
  settlements in or near their swamps 
  with little or no provocation.
  In all the long course of time, no black 
  dragon has ever become good, although a 
  sizable minority of Pellthol-clan dragons 
  have turned chaotic neutral. These rare 
  dragons tend to become obsessed with 
  music or other art forms and frequently 
  kidnap the artisans and bards of lesser races 
  to become their personal entertainers.
  The pure black dragon bloodline hails 
  from Geris, a cruel torturer 
  known for extracting 
  the locations of 
  metallic dragon 
  strongholds from 
  captives. The only 
  other bloodline is the 
  white-mothered Pellthol clan. 
  Blue: Second only to red dragons in 
  power, lawful blue dragons use their 
  keen intellects and frighteningly calm 
  demeanors to coerce desert- and sky-
  dwelling creatures. So insidious and 
  deeply layered are their plots that 
  most of their servants never realize 
  they serve such evil beings. Blue 
  dragons delight in the slow, undetected tainting of paladins 
  and other paragons of virtue, putting such creatures through 
  a series of noble-seeming quests that result in a major victory 
  for the blue dragon and its more powerful (and always evil) 
  lieutenants. Occasionally, blue dragons live relatively close 
  together, with each controlling an area that borders on 
  the territory of at least one of their kin. Over time, these 
  areas of control can extend across entire regions, with the 
  blue dragons working together in mutually beneficial ways, 
  whether that means pitting their nations against one another 
  in war or increasing trade between the two. Blue dragons 
  never themselves rampage, though they delight in aerial battle 
  more so than perhaps any other draconic breed. Rather than 
  rampage, they express their displeasure by mobilizing armies 
  or even entire nations to destroy whatever vexes them. 
   
  Blue dragons of the non-green mixed clans occasionally slip 
  from their lawful perches, becoming somewhat unpredictable 
  neutral evil oppressors and fickle bargainers. When such a change 
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  bronze Dragon
  Green Dragon
  d R a g o n s  o f  g o l a R i o n
  occurs, other blue dragons in neighboring 
  regions move in to eliminate such a threat 
  to their carefully orchestrated power 
  structure. A neutral evil blue dragon not 
  engaged in such a large-scale power play 
  has little to fear as long as he does nothing 
  to attract the attention of his cerulean 
  kin. Members of the Ehmalilin clan most 
  commonly—but even then still rarely—
  slip into relative beneficence and 
  become lawful neutral or even—
  more unlikely still—lawful good.
   
  The pure blue dragon 
  bloodline hails from Skel, the 
  second dragon to accept Dahak’s 
  treacherous promise. In addition to the 
  green-mothered clan of Ehmalilin, the 
  swift, black-mothered Uztaabil, and white-
  mothered Hox clans still exist, although 
  in declining numbers. Of all chromatic 
  dragons, blue dragons create the most 
  half-dragon and dragon-blooded 
  offspring. Such scions serve them 
  well as proxy leaders and the powers 
  behind humanoid thrones.
   
  Green: Where blue dragons 
  use their careful minds to 
  scheme their way into far-
  reaching political power, 
  green dragons turn their keen 
  intellects onto the task of self-
  improvement. The scholars and 
  wizards of the chromatic dragons, 
  green dragons fill their lairs with books, 
  scrolls, and all sorts of collections of 
  wisdom. While they hate the lesser races of the world, green 
  dragons begrudgingly admit that humanoids provide a valuable 
  service in recording knowledge on easily transportable media. 
  Ever seeking answers to questions others fear to ask, green 
  dragons analyze all information they can find, regardless of 
  its source or affect on their sanity. Many green dragons have 
  shattered their minds delving too deeply into the mysteries 
  of the multiverse. Of the chromatic dragons, only greens 
  practice draconic numerology, and because of their obsessive 
  personalities they tend to master it and add to it far more than 
  their metallic cousins. Green dragons only rampage when their 
  minds break under the strain of their discoveries.
   
  More than any other chromatic breed, green dragons most 
  often lose their evil alignments and take up the mantle of lawful 
  neutral’s academic indifference. This still occurs in less than 2% 
  of the green dragon population and almost always in the pure 
  bloodline of clan Virid.
   
  Unlike all other chromatic dragons, green dragons trace their 
  genealogies with the help of the Obelisks of Fate. The pure green 
  dragon bloodline hails from Virid, a cruel 
  but calculating lieutenant of the first 
  chromatic army. Two-thirds of 
  all mixed-blood green dragons 
  belong to the black-mothered clan 
  Tixok, with the remainder claiming 
  descent from white-mothered 
  clan Syxstryxl. 
  Red: Unbelievably powerful 
  and irredeemably terrible, the dreadful 
  reds rival the breathtaking golds in 
  sheer draconic magnificence. As evil 
  and frightening as they are beautiful 
  and impressive, red dragons demand 
  and deserve respect from all the living 
  creatures of the multiverse. Even gold 
  dragons, their hated enemies, acquiesce 
  to the magnitude of destructive fury 
  full-grown red dragons can command. 
  Consummate evil dragons, reds covet, lust 
  for, and dominate all they see and 
  meet. They rampage without 
  concern, 
  completely 
  disregarding the abilities of 
  humanoids and the tales of 
  dragon slayers. 
  Red dragons almost never 
  stray from the chaos and evil 
  that permeate and define 
  their souls. When they do, they 
  rarely deviate more than one 
  step. Red dragons never become 
  lawful. They never become good.
   
  The pure red dragon bloodline 
  hails from Nerothroc, the first dragon to 
  listen to Dahak and the first to taste the blood of his kin. Alone 
  among the chromatic dragons, four mixed-blood clans exist: black-
  mothered Huuromyth, blue-mothered Vuellthak, green-mothered 
  Daraxa, and white-mothered Zosh. 
   
  White: Scions of the weakest and stupidest of Dahak’s 
  followers, white dragons express their many faults in their bestial 
  personalities and actions. Driven from the best hunting grounds 
  by their stronger cousins, white dragons traveled into the cold 
  wastes, where they have long struggled to survive. As such, white 
  dragons remain the rarest of all true dragon breeds. If not for their 
  excellent natural camouflage and inhospitable domains, some 
  sages speculate white dragons would have long ago gone extinct. 
  White dragons rarely rampage, for in their desolate domains there 
  is little point, but when they do their victims leave trails of red 
  snow scattered across miles of territory. 
   
  All white dragons belong to the inbred clan of Nivus. All white 
  dragons have pure white scales that occasionally take on ice-blue 
  edges in the eldest of their kind. On extremely rare occasions, a 
  white dragon hatches with small black spots scattered about on its 
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  scales, giving it the look of a rocky winterscape. White dragons 
  view these speckled hatchlings as abominations and kill them on 
  sight. To date, none have survived more than a few months before 
  being discovered and murdered.
   
  White dragons almost never vary in alignment, but when they 
  do they become neutral evil—never chaotic neutral or any kind 
  of good. Some sages hypothesize that speckled white dragons, if 
  allowed to grow, would eventually become chaotic good members 
  of their race.
   
  The pure (and only) white dragon bloodline hails from Nivus, a 
  cowardly clutchmate of Nerothroc who took Dahak’s offer despite 
  suffering the smallest of wounds on his clawed foot. 
  Physiology
  Dragons feel the passage of time differently from other 
  creatures of the multiverse, mortal or immortal. Unlike all 
  other mortal creatures, dragons only become more powerful 
  as they age—their bodies and minds never decline as a result 
  of the roll of years. 
   
  Just as blood courses through their veins, so too does magic pulse 
  within the bodies of dragons, altering, regulating, and enhancing 
  every biological system to the peak of mortal perfection. Truly the 
  paragons of all living creatures, dragons seamlessly mesh multiple 
  disparate ideals—flesh and magic, majesty and brutality, covetous 
  greed and exalted virtues—into singular beings. 
   
  Easily at the top of their food webs, regardless of location, dragons 
  nonetheless leave a far lesser impact on their surroundings than 
  creatures of their size otherwise might. Thanks to their hyper-efficient 
  digestive systems, dragons require a minimal amount of food, can eat 
  both organic and inorganic materials, and produce almost no waste. 
  Magic sustains dragons and aids in their digestion (as well as every 
  other biological system), allowing them to gain nutrients from plants, 
  animals, and minerals with equal ease. Some sages even suggest that 
  dragons somehow take nutrition from the innate magics of this world 
  or parallel planes, though this theory is largely unproven.
  Internal Physiology
  A complex system of glands throughout the dragon’s body regulates 
  the balance between biology and magic. These glands create and 
  manipulate magical energy, aid in the creation of breath weapons, and 
  enhance the dragon’s body with magic. As integral to a dragon’s health 
  as its nervous system, the presence of these glands separates true 
  dragons from lesser beings of their type. The following description of 
  this glandular system begins at the dragon’s head and works back toward 
  its tail. Not coincidentally, perhaps, this also roughly corresponds to 
  the importance of the glands in the dragon’s health.
   
  Superior Arcanicus Gland: At the back of a dragon’s throat, 
  protected behind the arcanic process (a spur of bone connected 
  to the third vertebrae), exists a lump of porous flesh about the 
  size of the dragon’s eye. This gland performs two vital but largely 
  mysterious functions: it either absorbs magical energy around 
  the dragon or creates its own arcane spark—which is a highly 
  disputed question among sages—and it secretes a protomagical 
  ichor vital to the dragon’s breath weapon. This ichor, called 
  drathyrum, varies slightly in composition by breed. The superior 
  arcanicus gland constantly secretes drathyrum, allowing dragons 
  to use their breath weapons at will. When a dragon uses its breath 
  weapon, though, it “burns off” all the drathyrum within its throat, 
  forcing it to wait several seconds for the protomagical ichor to 
  recoat its esophagus before it can breathe again. When a dragon 
  doesn’t use its breath weapon, the secreted drathyrum oozes 
  down into the dragon’s stomach, where it is reabsorbed and 
  channeled to the aortic arcanicus gland.
   
  Inferior Arcanicus Gland: In dragons with two breath weapons 
  (such as most metallics) a second, smaller, arcanicus gland exists 
  opposite the superior arcanicus gland. The inferior arcanicus gland 
  is half the size of the superior gland but performs essentially the 
  same function.
   
  Aortic Arcanicus Gland: This gland secretes reabsorbed 
  drathyrum directly into the dragon’s bloodstream at the base of 
  the aorta. From here, drathyrum spreads throughout the dragon’s 
  body, enhancing its muscles and strengthening its bones.
   
  Pericardial Arcaduct: While not a gland itself, the arcaduct 
  is absolutely vital to the glandular system. Ten strands of nerve 
  fiber, insulated from one another by muscular linings that can flex 
  to allow them to touch, enwrap this miniscule duct. The nerve 
  bundle runs from a nerve clot above the dragon’s small intestine 
  to its heart, where the ten nerves then form an overlapping 
  latticework of nerve fibers within the pericardium. These nerve 
  fibers magically regulate the dragon’s heart rate, acting as part 
  of its parasympathetic nervous system that can put the dragon in 
  magical hibernation when necessary. The duct itself runs from the 
  dragon’s small intestine, along the outer contour of the pericardial 
  sac (without ever penetrating it), to the aortic arcanicus gland. 
   
  Gastroarcanicus Gland: Located within the dragon’s stomach 
  just ahead of the duodenum, this gland secretes a magical slurry that 
  combines with natural intestinal fluids to break down substances 
  indigestible or toxic to the bodies of lesser creatures. This process 
  allows a dragon to maximize its absorption of nutrients and 
  minimizes the amount of waste it produces. 
  external Physiology
  Despite their psychological and magical differences, all true 
  dragons look exceedingly similar to one another. Indeed, aside 
  from their heads, placements of spines and similar features, and 
  minor variations in their wing shapes and neck and tail lengths, 
  most draconic bodies appear indistinguishable from one another. 
  Without the skull, many lesser races cannot differentiate a 
  dragon skeleton’s breed. The following sections look at the traits 
  common to all true dragons as well as that which is specific to 
  individual breeds. 
   
  Limbs: Sages of lesser races frequently set the number of draconic 
  limbs at six, inviting much disagreement and violence from draconic 
  scholars, who claim true dragons possess seven limbs (see Draconic 
  Numerology). Regardless, dragons have four legs (with the front 
  pair sometimes referred to as arms), two wings, and a tail. Powerful, 
  magically enhanced muscles wrap a dragon’s limbs, giving it strength 
  far beyond that of a lesser being of similar size and build. 
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  Neck: Depending on the individual and the breed, a dragon’s 
  neck ranges in length from roughly half its body’s length to fully 
  double the measure of its torso. 
   
  Head: A dragon’s head marks the creature as an individual 
  more than any other part of its body. As unique as humans (or 
  more so, if you ask one), dragons possess wide variations in 
  their faces and heads. Horn length, scale color, eye color, 
  muzzle length, tooth size, jaw shape, and dozens of other, minor 
  variations produce individual differences greater than in any 
  other intelligent race. While a dragon’s breed allows scholars 
  to make general statements about its appearance—much as a 
  human’s ethnicity—no two dragon faces look exactly alike. 
  The Magic of draconic death
  So much more than merely a biological creature, a dragon stores 
  magical energy in its body within complex weaves of nerve fibers 
  along its spine that extend into its wings (this aids in allowing 
  all dragons to fly and manifest breath weapons). At the instant a 
  dragon ceases to live, the stored magical energy within it releases 
  in a burst felt by other true dragons nearby as well as any creature 
  detecting magic at the time.
   
  Supporting the theory that dragons absorb magic from the 
  world around them, a dragon that remains in an area of no magic 
  for a prolonged amount of time (on the order of months, at 
  the very least) takes ill, becoming sickly and weak. If this time 
  extends to years, the dragon enters a deep hibernation, slowing 
  its body functions to such an extent that its heart beats scarcely 
  more than once a week and the higher processes of its brain cease 
  almost completely. Dragons fear this near-death hibernation, 
  calling it pakthryxl (which translates roughly to “doomed life”). 
  After decades of the pakthryxl state, a dragon simply dies, its 
  DraGonfall
  When dragons die, many attempt to ensure their bodies end up 
  in a draconic graveyard known as Dragonfall. Some dragons near 
  the ends of their lives travel to the nigh-impassable mountain 
  Shearphorus, which surrounds this massive boneyard. Others use 
  powerful magic or strike incredible deals with other beings to have 
  their remains borne there. Dragons of all breeds consider interment 
  in Dragonfall the greatest of honors, for such esteemed dragons 
  shall one day rise again during the Final Flight. To that end, dragons 
  go to stunning lengths to increase the odds of receiving an honored 
  burial there.
  More than merely a graveyard, Dragonfall represents the past 
  and future of dragonkind. Protected by a dazzling display of magical 
  and physical wards and guardians, entering Dragonfall is all but 
  impossible for non-dragons.
  See GameMastery Module J2: Guardians of Dragonfall for more 
  information about this wondrous location.
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  body’s magical stores spent to such a point that it has no magic 
  to release back into the world, dooming it from any chance of 
  entering Dragonfall.
  PsyChology
  As a species, dragons tend to share the following behaviors and 
  personality traits:
   
  Covetousness: As part of their racial drive to reach 
  Dragonfall, dragons must hoard treasures of various kinds. What 
  they define as treasure tends to vary by breed, although all 
  dragons consider precious metals—especially when refined—
  acceptable to hoard. This undeniable instinct, as impossible 
  to suppress as breathing and eating, leads all dragons to covet 
  wealth and treasure. The good dragons tend to suppress this 
  instinct when faced with something another living being owns 
  (although it is a bad idea to show off a prized possession to even 
  a gold or silver dragon, lest this instinct gets the better of it). 
  Evil dragons make no distinction between unattended treasures 
  and those owned by other living creatures—even other dragons. 
  Only when an evil dragon has a mate does he even attempt to 
  suppress his covetousness, but even so, many chromatic mates 
  spend decades stealing from one another. 
   
  Racial Arrogance: Dragons invented civilization and they 
  never hesitate to remind lesser races of that. Supposedly, 
  long before even the first fey formed, dragons had laws, 
  culture, science, and powerful magical theories. They created 
  hereditary monarchies before the first elf took the title of king, 
  uncovered mathematics and developed numerology prior to 
  the rise of human seers, and put into practice a complex and 
  codified set of laws millennia ere the protodwarves ever copied 
  such acts. From the most subjective accomplishments of art 
  to the pinnacle of exacting and repeatable science, dragons 
  created (and claim they perfected) every discernable piece of 
  civilization long before the lesser races. 
   
  This undeniable truth of firstness gives dragons a rampant 
  racial arrogance. For a creature to even suggest that its race could 
  have created, discovered, or invented something—anything—
  before or better than dragons is an insult rectified only with 
  the fool’s death. When dealing with a draconic sage or scholar, 
  wise speakers should frequently belittle the accomplishments 
  of their own people while praising the creative and technical 
  skills of dragons. 
   
  Treacherous Hunger: A neophyte scholar of draconic lore 
  first learns the saying, “Always assume a dragon’s next move is to 
  eat you.” Those who forget this lesson invariably make delicious 
  meals. Regardless of scale color, age, size, or general observed 
  temperament, a dragon remains, at its very core, a magnificently 
  potent predator. Although dragons have magically efficient 
  metabolisms, they do frequently hunger. When ignored or 
  neglected, this hunger can gnaw at the mind of a dragon, sending a 
  chromatic into a rampage or causing an otherwise exalted metallic 
  to lash out. Those schooled in the ways of dragons always bring 
  along extra food when dealing with a draconic ally (particularly of 
  a kind favored by the breed).
  the oBelisks
  Eldest of all intelligent creatures native to Golarion and the 
  other worlds that exist within the Material Plane, few question 
  that dragons originated the tenets of civilization or that they 
  invented the practice of genealogy (among other sciences). 
  Draconic obsession being what it is, many lawful dragons 
  carefully collect and maintain two massive libraries of genealogy 
  that contain—between them—every single dragon who has ever 
  lived. These genealogical resources exist on opposite sides of 
  the world, floating slowly in the clouds miles above the surface 
  of the planet below. 
   
  Known together as the obelisks and separately as the Obelisks 
  of Destiny and the Obelisks of Fate, these impressive libraries 
  forever slowly orbit the world in a complex pattern that brings them 
  over the same spot precisely every 39,062.5 years. The Obelisks 
  of Destiny record the family links of metallic dragons, while the 
  Obelisks of Fate track the chromatics. 
   
  The sets of obelisks are physically identical. Six five-sided 
  black marble obelisks form the centerpiece of each library, rising 
  from a perfectly flat, perfectly round floating island of obsidian. 
  One of these pentagonal obelisks, double the size of the others, 
  stands in the center, with the other five arranged with perfect 
  radial symmetry around it, such that lines drawn connecting 
  all five would form a pentagram with the largest column in the 
  center. All five smaller pillars are aligned such that each face of 
  the large central obelisk is directly parallel with one of the faces 
  of an outer monolith. 
   
  Softly glowing Draconic writing appears on every side of each 
  central obelisk. This script records, one clan per face, the suryx and 
  thyxl of the pure bloodlines. Directly opposite, the lesser obelisk’s 
  facing side records the same information (albeit in non-glowing 
  script), with the other four sides of the smaller monolith recording 
  reWrItInG hIstory
  Despite their claims and the revisionist histories they frequently 
  write, dragons did not create everything first. On some level, 
  most draconic historians know this, but in their arrogance they 
  do their best to hide this uncomfortable truth from their kin. 
  Because intensive genealogy (a study dragons truly did create) 
  records the name of every dragon who has ever lived, draconic 
  historians cannot simply invent a dragon to have supposedly 
  created something that first came from a lesser race. As a 
  result, many otherwise unremarkable dragons in history have 
  later received wondrous accomplishments attributed to them 
  thanks to a draconic historian rewriting the past.
  While many young or stupid dragons (such as the easily fooled 
  whites) undoubtedly believe their awesome species invented, 
  discovered, or uncovered everything known in the world, 
  wiser dragons do not. Their unfathomable draconic arrogance, 
  however, prevents even the most open-minded and outspoken 
  dragons from admitting as much to anyone—dragon or other. 
  Fortunately, most creatures have enough survival instincts to 
  not push the matter.
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  silver Dragon
  blue Dragon
  d R a g o n s  o f  g o l a R i o n
  the names of the queens and kings of all 
  other clans belonging to the same breed. 
  Only fifteen of the twenty-five faces of 
  the Obelisks of Fate record names, as ten  
  of the possible breed combinations 
  never occurred and thus founded 
  no bloodlines. Two of the faces 
  of the Obelisks of Destiny 
  hold less script than the 
  others, as two metallic clans 
  have gone extinct.
   
  On average, every side of every pillar is 
  roughly two-thirds to three-quarters filled, 
  beginning at the top. Draconic scholars 
  continue to debate what will occur when 
  the first face completely fills in.
   
  In addition to these obvious 
  records of each clan’s suryx and thyxl, 
  extradimensional spaces beneath the 
  obsidian islands hold long shafts of white 
  marble. The walls of these shafts record 
  the names (along with parents) of 
  every metallic or chromatic 
  dragon ever hatched. At all 
  times a handful of great 
  wyrms patrol the shafts, 
  adding names when 
  necessary and protecting the precious 
  genealogical work from the depredations 
  of time, vandals, and the unworthy eyes of 
  non-dragons.
  dRaConiC 
  language
  One of the first languages, Draconic has provided thousands 
  of words to various other tongues and dialects all across the 
  multiverse, from the Common word “dragon” itself to the Elven 
  “ithallyn.” Almost every word from Draconic has been absorbed by 
  other languages, although, as with all dialects, time has frequently 
  made etymology difficult to discern. 
   
  A dragon speaks Draconic with the entirety of its long tongue, 
  such that even the most carefully pronounced words from a 
  humanoid sound slurred. Draconic sounds tonal to humanoid ears 
  (and, frankly, to the ears of all non-dragons), although dragons 
  who deign to discuss such matters unequivocally deny that. This 
  debate comes from the true dragon’s use of its arcanic process 
  when speaking, a spur of bone absent from non-dragons (as well as 
  non-true dragons of the dragon type). A dragon vibrates its arcanic 
  process to produce a subtext of meaning impossible for non-
  dragons to replicate or understand. As an unintended by-product 
  of this use, two true dragons may speak to one another in Draconic 
  in such a way as to mask their true conversation from lesser races.
  As a written language, Draconic uses a mixture of phonetic 
  letters and pictographic symbols. It relies most heavily on its letters 
  and only uses pictographs 
  for highly important words—
  typically nouns—such as “dragon” and 
  “hoard.” From a high count of more 
  than 20,000 pictographs right before 
  the language shifted to a true alphabet, 
  Draconic now uses only twenty. 
  Scholars, therefore, can trace the 
  rough age of something written 
  in Draconic by the number of 
  different pictographs used. As a 
  side note, non-dragons rarely bother 
  using pictographs when writing in 
  Draconic and write almost exclusively 
  in letters. Kobolds alone eschew 
  Draconic letters, 
  favoring the old 
  pictographs in an attempt 
  to seem “more dragon.”
  As implied by the Draconic Apsu, 
  the Draconic word for “first” traces 
  back to Apsu’s name. Currently 
  pronounced atsu, the word’s 
  etymology connects it with 
  Draconic’s aauu (“one”) and apsyk 
  (foundation, founder, founding). 
  The Celestial word aasu (“new”) 
  also descends from Apsu’s name and 
  combines with imarr (another word 
  borrowed from Draconic, which means 
  “birth”) to form the word aasimar, which 
  itself has become a word in Common to 
  mean a child born of Heaven and Earth.
  dRaConiC numeRology
  The lawful dragons—particularly bronzes and greens—practice 
  a unique form of numerology used to make vague predictions of 
  the future not subject to the whims and fancies of living creatures. 
  Many of these dragons catalog the heavens, generating detailed star 
  charts that—when combined with their extensive numerological 
  predictions—accurately forecast the positions of stars, planets, comets, 
  and every other imaginable celestial body. Some go so far as to claim 
  their predecessors predicted the Earthfall, although such draconic 
  astronomers can never produce evidence to verify such stories.
   
  Some of these number-obsessed dragons also study and 
  practice advanced mathematics, developing systems they 
  claim no lesser mortal creature could hope to understand. 
  Most dragons, even those who practice numerology, don’t 
  see the point in these theoretical and impractical fields of 
  mathematics, cannot hope to understand the complicated 
  equations used in these formulae, and continue to treat such 
  studies with derision. 
   
  As chaotic dragons cannot muster the attention required to 
  perform, much less formulate, complicated mathematics, they view 
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  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  draconic numerology as a bizarre (and 
  boring) form of magic. As such, many of 
  these chaotic dragons dracomorphize 
  (i.e., ascribe draconic traits to) certain 
  numbers. Such superstitious beliefs 
  call the numbers 2 and 5 rightful and 
  draconic (2 being the number of 
  original septs and 5 the number of 
  breeds within each sept) even as they 
  vilify 6 and 11 as inferior, lesser, and 
  non-draconic (as there were originally 
  6 metallic dragons and the current 
  number of original true dragons equals 
  an unbalanced 11, counting the grays). 
  The number 7, as the sum of 2 and 5, is 
  also a strong number of great fortitude 
  that also represents a dragon’s body. 
  Dragons consider the number 10, as the 
  product of 2 and 5, the luckiest number 
  of all. These beliefs pervade draconic 
  thought more deeply than any skeptical, 
  logic-minded dragon cares to 
  admit. If asked (and assuming it 
  doesn’t just eat the incredibly 
  rude questioner), a dragon of 
  any color claims to have seven 
  limbs (two wings, four legs, and 
  a tail) and flares with shock and 
  anger—and at this point likely 
  eats the uncouth rube questioning 
  it—if said to have only an unlucky six 
  (discounting the tail).
   
  The Number Ten: As the luckiest 
  of all numbers, dragons incorporate ten 
  into everything they can, building decads 
  into their art and architecture and long 
  ago creating the base-10 (decimal) system. The proliferation of 
  the base-10 system among the lesser races greatly pleases draconic 
  numerologists. 
   
  The Perfect Number: Roughly two millennia ago, a dragon of 
  an unknown breed appeared suddenly at the Obelisks of Destiny. 
  When greeted, the mysterious dragon introduced himself as Bryemr 
  and claimed he came to Golarion with a message from a possible 
  future. In that future time, Bryemr explained that dragons no longer 
  existed on Golarion and that only a tiny number eked out livings 
  on the nearby planets and in well-hidden planar refuges across the 
  multiverse. Bryemr brought hope with him as well, telling of how, 
  just before a series of cataclysms and world-spanning dragon-hunts 
  all but eradicated their kind, dragons uncovered a formula to arrive 
  at a perfect number. This perfect number could reshape the world 
  to make it safe and comfortable for all dragonkind. Unfortunately, 
  before the dragons could solve the formula to extract the perfect 
  number, their time ran out and they were slaughtered. Although 
  most dragons scoffed at his claims, Bryemr convinced many draconic 
  numerologists by providing advanced 
  mathematical formulas that helped to 
  predict the future all the way up until 
  the death of Aroden.
  In the past twenty or so centuries, 
  draconic numerologists have striven 
  to uncover the formula for the perfect 
  number. Those who took Bryemr’s dire 
  warnings to heart consider the recent 
  death of Aroden and the start of the 
  Age of Lost Omens as signs that their time 
  runs short. Efforts to solve this formula 
  have recently redoubled, distracting many 
  draconic numerologists from making lesser 
  predictions or working to develop other 
  techniques. Many Bryemrites, as they 
  are called, predict that uncovering the 
  perfect number will permit dragons to 
  launch the Final Flight. 
  otheR 
  dRaConiC 
  BReeds
  The metallic and chromatic septs 
  represent the vast majority 
  of true dragons, although 
  many other septs exist (with new 
  ones appearing periodically). Aside 
  from the original two septs, most 
  new breeds arise when a large group 
  of gray dragons spontaneously claim similar 
  essences (see sidebar). Non-evil dragons who 
  share a sept generally get along fairly well, as 
  seen by the cooperation among all metallic 
  dragons. Evil dragons rarely get along well with 
  anyone, regardless of relationships.
  Known Septs
  Scholars, Pathfinders, and eyewitnesses confirm the existence 
  of the following true dragon septs, although the exact breeds of 
  dragons that comprise them generally remain under debate.
  Abomination Dragons: Among the rarest of all dragons, these 
  breeds formed from the crossbreeding of metallics and chromatics. 
  Since metallic dragons would never allow such interbreeding, 
  these pitiable creatures almost always result from rape or perverse 
  magical experimentation. While most such acts do not create a 
  viable offspring, five abomination dragon breeds nonetheless 
  exist: hoarfrost, rot, ruin, rust, and suffocation.
   
  Dragons of the Celestial Host: Linked by their embodiments 
  of the five elements of Tian Xia, these dragons only live on that 
  continent. They have long, snake-like and wingless bodies and 
  frequently sport colorful scales. The five breeds of this sept are 
  dragons of the earth, dragons of flames, dragons of steel, dragons 
  of the waves, and dragons of the woodlands.
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  d R a g o n s  o f  g o l a R i o n
   
  Humour Dragons: Said to have burst from the body of a dead 
  dragon god, only four breeds belong to this disgusting sept: 
  choleric, melancholy, phlegmatic, and sanguine. Unapologetically 
  chaotic and utterly foul, these dragons are almost universally 
  shunned by others.
   
  Mineral Dragons: These dragons tend to have angular, rough 
  scales that look like the crystalline minerals they represent. Seers 
  believe five breeds belong to this all-lawful sept, although to this 
  point they have only confirmed the existence of the coal, pyrite, 
  silicon, and sulfur dragons.
   
  Sin Dragon: Irrepressibly vile and irredeemably evil, the sin 
  dragon leaves in its wake a terrible swath of chaos. The sin dragon 
  belongs to no sept, although some scholars attempt to place it and 
  the virtue dragon together.
   
  Thaumaturgic Dragons: Easily the most powerful natural 
  spellcasters among dragonkind, the eight breeds of this sept each 
  represent one of the common schools of magic: abjuration, conjuration, 
  divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, and 
  transmutation. Dragons of these breeds are universally neutral.
   
  Virtue Dragon: The eternal opponent of the sin dragon, the 
  virtue dragon represents the very pinnacle of draconic goodness. 
  It outshines even the paladin-like silver in its exaltedness. Like the 
  sin dragon, the virtue dragon belongs to no sept.
  dRagonkin
  Besides the true dragons, myriad creatures of the dragon type fill 
  the multiverse. Frequently the result of perversions of majestic 
  true dragons or the misconceived offspring of gray dragons, these 
  various dragonkin are in many places more pervasive than their 
  true dragon ancestors. 
   
  Dragon Turtles: Common to the warm waters off the western 
  coast of Garund, dragon turtles frequently prey upon merchant 
  ships and trading vessels that would dare the treacherous journey 
  around the Eye of Abendego. Many a dockside legend tells of 
  sunken graveyards littered with the booty of countless ships, 
  patrolled by greedy and gluttonous dragon turtles, or of such beasts 
  grown so massive as to be mistaken for islands.
   
  Dragonnes: Among the fiercest predators of the Deserts of 
  Kelesh, large prides of dragonnes prowl along trade routes and 
  frequently besiege oases. Some of the more powerful prides have 
  even begun challenging the influential blue dragons of the region.
   
  Drakes: The five common drakes correspond to the magical 
  energies: caustic drakes to acid, flame drakes to fire, ice drakes 
  to cold, lightning drakes to electricity, and the powerful thunder 
  drakes to sonic. Drakes live in almost every environment, spreading 
  destruction and mayhem. True dragons see these creatures as 
  blasphemously formed vermin and actively seek their extinction.
   
  Pseudodragons: Native to the northern continent of Avistan, 
  large populations of pseudodragons can be found in Cheliax, Nidal, 
  Andoran, Varisia, and even as far north as Numeria. Depending 
  on their numbers and how they interact with the local humanoid 
  populations, these clever dragonkin receiving varying treatment, 
  being held as welcome guests, hunted as destructive pests, or any 
  behavior in between.
   
  Wyverns: Common in many of the mountain ranges of Avistan, 
  wyverns are among the most feared and deadly predators of such 
  rocky regions and the surrounding lands. In some lands, though, 
  such as among the dwarves of Hantz Mountain or the orcs of the 
  Hold of Belkzen, these savage dragonkin serve as deadly mounts 
  and beasts of war. 
  final flight
  Long ago, in a time well before the death of Aroden and the collapse 
  of prophecy, the draconic sage Hrynryx wrote of the ending and 
  beginning of worlds. The ending comes first in his writing, in a time 
  known as the Final Flight. Following that event, a time known as 
  the Great Hatching apparently births a new generation of dragons. 
  Details of both remain sketchy and contradictory, but according to 
  Hrynryx, the many dead who currently slumber within Dragonfall 
  shall arise again, awakening from their long sleep. Drawn as if by 
  a singular thought, these reborn dragons shall take to the sky and 
  circle the globe, serving the desires of Dahak and bringing final 
  destruction to the world. Their wings shall blot out the sun, their 
  claws and teeth shall sunder the earth, and their terrible breaths 
  shall lay waste to country, home, and hearth. Not a single thing shall 
  exist above the level of the boiling seas, for all the world’s surface 
  shall be reduced to slag. 
   
  Yet not all life shall end. Apsu shall reign supreme in the end. 
  The dragons, of course, shall survive this closure, but so too shall 
  a few plants and creatures, here and there, protected by swooping 
  dragons, begin the world anew. And in this time after the cooling 
  of the world, the dragons shall forever reign supreme.
  Gray DraGons
  When Dahak descended to the Material Plane and began his 
  slaughter of the mortal dragons there, he began with the powerful 
  and incorruptible platinums. He succeeded so completely that only 
  one platinum dragon, a pregnant female, remained alive to hear his 
  offer of salvation. She not only spurned his offer but, with nearly the 
  last of her strength, struck him with a claw, ripping out one of his 
  teeth. In response, Dahak cursed her, but not to death. He stripped 
  from her the shine and gloss of her platinum countenance, but he 
  gave her no color in its place. Reduced to a shriveled gray husk, she 
  fled the battlefield and slinked into hiding nearby.
  A year later, she laid a clutch of lead-gray eggs, and when they 
  hatched, a dozen weak and pathetic gray-colored dragons flopped 
  and wriggled around her. As they grew, these dragons found 
  themselves outcast from the ranks of both metallic and chromatic 
  dragons. Gathering their small numbers, these ill-fated dragons ever 
  strive for the grandeur of their good and evil-aligned cousins, but 
  reproduce only rarely and in pitiable numbers. Thus, gray dragons 
  have sought to influence their fate with the blood of other creatures, 
  ultimately giving rise to many of the myriad dragonkin races in 
  existence today. Both metallic and chromatic dragons see gray 
  dragons’ desperate reproductive experimentation as blasphemous 
  squandering of the draconic bloodline, and as such, the few gray 
  dragons that still exist do so in solitude and secrecy. 
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  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  Fool’s Gold
  13 Desnus, 4707 ar
  They say the heart’s natural state is one of yearning, and nowhere 
  is this truer than in regard to the open road. Put me too long in any 
  given city, and my legs will itch for the feel of a horse beneath them, 
  my toes for the sand of distant shores. Yet just two days out of Kaer 
  Maga, the rains hit, drenching me so thoroughly that I dared not 
  unwrap my journal from its oilskin, and I began to remember why 
  it is that man builds cities in the first place.
   
  Thus it was with a glad heart that I came to the crumbling walls 
  of Sirathu, poorest of Korvosa’s holdings. Everything I’d heard 
  of it in the past had painted it as a backwater suited solely for 
  sharecroppers and herdsmen (and the occasional disgraced noble), 
  but as I arrived its muddy streets were abuzz with activity, even given 
  the rain that fell in obscuring sheets from the tiled roofs. Taking 
  the opportunity to dry out and rent a room at the Royal Hare, I 
  spent a bit of time in the common room, and was well rewarded. It 
  seems that since the town’s inception, a font known as the White 
  Prince’s Fountain has stood dry in the market square. When it was 
  originally constructed, the leaders of Korvosa promised it would 
  be enchanted to provide limitless amounts of pure, clean water, 
  so that the town might never need bother with wells. Before it 
  could be finished, however, the collapse of the Chelaxian Empire 
  drew the city’s attention elsewhere, and the fountain has stood dry 
  ever since, a symbol of the nobility’s low opinion of the common 
  man. A few months ago, however, a young local girl was found 
  unconscious next to the fountain, which now poured forth water 
  so pure that it rejected even the dust of the air. And the girl, too, 
  seemed changed, speaking sometimes as a child and sometimes in a 
  stranger’s voice, warning those who would listen that they must rise 
  up and break with Korvosa entirely before it’s too late. While not all 
  of the locals have gathered arms and rushed to the child’s standard, 
  the strange events leave little doubt among these practical people 
  that, one way or another, change is coming.
   
  As is fitting with my role and nature, I of course attempted to 
  arrange an audience with the child, but the locals are understandably 
  suspicious of outsiders and reluctant to endanger their supposed 
  oracle. Perhaps if I remain for a few days and gain their trust, they’ll 
  change their minds. If not, well—between the disturbing puzzle 
  box I took off the dead elf in the swamps and the ioun stone that 
  still needs to be examined by someone more experienced in such 
  matters, I have more than enough mysteries on my plate. 
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  P at h f i n d e R ’ s  J o u R n a l
  3 Erastus, 4707 ar
  Three weeks! Three weeks I chased those gods-damned thieves across 
  southeastern Varisia, and only now, hiding in the dark crotch of a bridge 
  like a beggar, am I finally able to begin thinking clearly again.
   
  It was my own fault, of course. The wine at the Royal Hare is less 
  watered-down than most, and as the night of my arrival wore on the 
  patrons proved too eager an audience for tales of my wanderings. 
  Unable to resist, I expounded until my voice was hoarse, plied 
  by the steady stream of drinks from my new friends, locals and 
  travelers alike. While recounting my journey upriver on this latest 
  mission, I came to my encounter with the owlbear, and as a grand 
  finale pulled out the skull-embossed puzzle-box I acquired there. 
  It had the desired effect, provoking gasps and signs against evil, but 
  my pride proved my undoing.
   
  Later that night, after I had staggered back to my room and 
  readied myself for bed, there came a knock at the door. Made 
  foolish by wine, I presumed it to be yet another admirer, perhaps a 
  comely local lass looking for a tumble with the mysterious stranger. 
  Cracking the door and peering out, I discovered three figures I 
  recognized from the common room: a burly half-orc, a Varisian 
  woman, and an effete elf. Before I could react, the half-orc 
  slammed the door forward and into my nose, which broke with 
  a crunch. My eyes clouded with pain, I stumbled backward, 
  fumbling for my dagger, as the three moved quickly into the 
  room. The elf and the woman ignored me completely as they 
  rifled through my possessions, chattering urgently in some 
  language or cant I couldn’t understand. I, for my part, had 
  little attention to spare them either, as my blurred vision 
  filled with the looming dark mass of the half-orc. I jabbed 
  tentatively at his shape with my dagger, but he caught my 
  arm and squeezed until the bones groaned in protest and I 
  dropped the weapon, lest he break my wrist. Grabbing my 
  throat with his other massive paw, he lifted me free of the 
  floor and thrust me against the wall, keeping me out of the 
  way of the searchers.
   
  At that moment the elf let out a triumphant cry. In the 
  tongue of his people, he blurted out something about 
  “the box.” In response the woman hissed angrily at him in 
  their mystery language, and the half-orc turned his head 
  to mumble something back over his shoulder. That was all 
  the chance I needed. Pulling my legs up tight, I withdrew 
  a hidden dagger from my boot and swung it hard and 
  underhand into the orc’s side, sliding it flat between his 
  ribs. He grunted as my blade slid forward to the quillons 
  and I torqued left with all my might. Warm blood and 
  worse drenched my arm and chest, and the half-orc and 
  I dropped to the floor in a tangled mess.
   
  Thrusting the twitching corpse aside, I stood just 
  in time to see the window shutters swing free and 
  hear the quiet thuds of bodies hitting mud. Singing 
  a quick psalm of healing to mend my nose and purge 
  the unbidden tears that blurred my sight, I ran to 
  the window and found the elf and woman mounting a pair of waiting 
  horses, a third steed standing unladen and obviously intended for 
  the half-orc. I turned to gather my gear and give chase, only to 
  discover my pack missing, along with this precious journal and the 
  wayfinder that, in more cautious moments, I keep around my neck 
  to prevent such things. Taking up my sword, I vaulted after them 
  to the street below. Yet before I could cut them down, the thieves 
  put spurs to flanks and raced south along the town’s main road, 
  followed by my screams of impotent rage.
   
  The next seven days are a blur of motion. Pounding on the door 
  of the local horse trader, I purchased a swift-looking mare at an 
  outrageous price and was on the road within hours, using all of my 
  meager tracking skills to follow the bandits’ trail. Had they even 
  for a day crossed into the woods or attempted to double back and 
  ambush me, all would assuredly have been lost, but the bastards 
  flaunted their confidence by staying to the road, always just a half-
  day’s ride ahead of me. At night, sometimes, I would see their 
  The strange fountain offers 
  pure water and ill omens.
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  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  campfire in the distance, but though I rode until my horse blew 
  bloody foam and I swayed unconscious in the saddle, the trail led 
  ever onward, until at last I topped a rise and found myself staring 
  out over the vast expanse of Korvosa, the grandest metropolis in 
  Varisia. In the burgeoning light of dawn it glittered like spun gold, 
  every roof and steeple reflecting the honeyed glow. Yet only a fool 
  takes Korvosa at face value.
   
  At the bottom of the hill the wide trail suddenly became a 
  paved road, straight and level. For the last mile into town I rode 
  on massive slate slabs surrounded by shards of gray flint. It was the 
  only time I had seen such a road in Varisia, and I wondered as I went 
  if similar thoroughfares crisscross all of Cheliax.
   
  This road took me through a tent city filled with the sights and 
  smells normally associated with native Varisians and Shoanti, which 
  the locals derogatorily call Thief Camp. To the south, Thief Camp 
  gives way to an area of roughly built wooden houses and shops 
  catering to visitors from elsewhere in the region. Residents of the 
  city use this unnamed area as a buffer between themselves and, as 
  they put it, “those thieves and savages outside.” After making a few 
  subtle inquiries with the merchants and traders in Thief Camp, I at 
  last followed the road to a massive stone bridge ending in a black-
  marble gatehouse in the Wall of Erodred. 
   
  That twenty-foot-high wall, made of black marble, bears along 
  its top a row of black, downward-pointing metal spikes, broken 
  only by the occasional leering bust of some fiend or another. From 
  what I understand, this reflects modern Chelaxian architectural 
  sensibilities, and was yet another failed attempt by a monarch of 
  Korvosa—in this case the recently deceased king, Erodred the 
  Second—to lure Cheliax into reabsorbing the city.
   
  At the gate, I stopped and attempted to press one of the guards 
  for information on the two thieves who had passed before me, but 
  though I offered healthy bribes, the guardsman shoved away my 
  palmed coins with bored disdain. Of all the times to run across an 
  honest guard... Fortunately for me, my questions were overheard by 
  a nearby beggar who was happy to point me in the right direction, 
  and there began a long stretch of skulking and information 
  gathering that bled my purse almost dry.
   
  Despite nearly a dozen bridges, Korvosa is a divided city, carved 
  apart by the Jeggare River and the Strait of Saint Alika. Seven 
  districts, divided further into one to five wards apiece, split the 
  city into relatively distinct administrative, cultural, and economic 
  sections. While no single wall surrounds the entire city, several 
  wards are physically defined by walls of varying ages and styles.
   
  I spent six days in the North Point District, canvassing the 
  inns and taverns in search of my quarry. Comprised of four 
  large, sparsely populated wards, North Point houses many of the 
  city’s oldest non-noble families. The Infernal Wall opens onto 
  Northgate, home of the city hall, the gloomy Arbiter’s Hall, and 
  the Bank of Abadar. The remnants of the city’s first mainland walls 
  define the northern edge of the ward, dividing the influential 
  Gaters (as they’re called by the rest of the city) from the truly 
  old money in Mainshore. 
   
  Coming up empty and growing increasingly nervous, I crossed 
  into the inviting but bustling Midland District. When people 
  think of Korvosa, they generally think of the cosmopolitan crowds 
  of Midland. Regardless of the bustle, I knew almost immediately 
  that I wouldn’t find who I sought there—the district contains 
  the Korvosan Guard’s headquarters, as well as both a department 
  of the beloved Sable Knights and the hard-hearted Order of the 
  Nail. As such, it’s not exactly welcoming toward the lawless, 
  The Avenue of Arms continues 
  to defy explanation.
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  nor to vigilantes bent on their own form of justice. I circled 
  northwest and climbed into the Heights District, passing by the 
  University of Korvosa on my way.
   
  It was here that I finally struck gold. Leaving the Posh and 
  Turtle just below Korvosan Tower, I found myself waylaid by one 
  of several beggars I had contracted to keep watch for my quarry. 
  Surprisingly nimble in his stinking rags, the panhandler led me 
  north along the waterfront via the Avenue of Arms. As I reached 
  its north end, I came upon an intersection with a wide, tree-
  lined boulevard, and there, leaning against one of the trees’ 
  slender trunks, slouched the foppish elf who had eluded me  
  for so long. 
   
  Circling wide around the square, I approached from behind 
  and at an angle, keeping the bole of the tree between us. When I 
  grew close enough to brush up against its smooth bark, I turned 
  and drew my dagger, wrapping my arms around both tree and elf 
  and pinning him there, dagger pricking the skin beneath his chin. 
  Placing my cheek next to his, I whispered in his ear.
   
  “Hello, friend.”
   
  To his credit, he didn’t flinch. Instead he turned his head 
  slowly, careful not to impale himself on my blade, until he could 
  look me in the face. At that, his eyes widened the tiniest bit, and 
  I smiled with all of my teeth.
   
  Faster than I could blink, he straightened his legs and leapt 
  into the air, bringing his throat clear of my blade. Before I could 
  react, he slammed an elbow down on my still-sore wrist, smashing 
  it between bone and the tree trunk. I howled and lost my grip, 
  and then he was off, dodging through the busy streets. Obviously 
  more experienced with the territory, he nearly lost me in the 
  crowds of that lane as we raced across a narrow bridge, over the 
  Strait of Saint Alika, and into the least desirable section of the 
  city: Old Korvosa. 
   
  Completely covering Endrin Isle, Old Korvosa is, as the name 
  implies, the oldest section of the city. And the dirtiest. And the 
  most dangerous. The cramped tenements of Bridgefront make 
  the claustrophobic apartments of Old Dock appear roomy and 
  expansive, seeming more akin to the towering shanties of Kaer 
  Maga’s Warren district. Coming to the end of the bridge, I found 
  myself suddenly in an entirely new environment. I had heard 
  tales of Old Korvosa, of course, but the stories never really 
  conveyed the sights and stomach-churning smells of the place. 
  Here, maimed veterans of the Goblinblood Wars sat begging 
  along the streets. There, dealers in pesh and qat peddled their 
  wares in plain sight. All of this I took in at a glance, but spared 
  no attention for.
   
  The elf veritably danced through the crowded, stinking 
  throngs. Even as I fell behind in our slow-moving chase, I watched 
  with begrudging respect the way he spun full around to dodge 
  through a group of thick-handed copper beaters, or grabbed a 
  stirrup to slip under a slow-moving horse. Elves and halflings 
  always make the best cutpurses, and this one was no exception.
   
  At last we broke through the first two blocks of the district, 
  past the walls of ramshackle tenements and squeezed townhouses. 
  With Bridgefront behind me, I found myself in Garrison Hill. Still 
  crowded, this oldest part of the city (outside of Fort Korvosa 
  itself) at least provides wider avenues and boulevards, especially 
  as you near the cliffs of the island, where the high walls of the 
  rebuilt fort still stand, proud and erect.
   
  The elf leapt through a merchant’s cart, stomping on a display 
  of wrinkling Ravenmoor grapes, then vaulted over the bewildered 
  Varisian tending the makeshift stall and tumbled along the alley 
  floor behind. Not trusting the slick fruit, I instead leapt to the side 
  of the cart, planted one foot on the wall of the nearby building, and 
  spun through the air behind the merchant. 
   
  I landed awkwardly in a puddle of something, and my feet slipped 
  out from under me, gravity slamming me hard into the pavement. 
  The foul liquid, redolent of urine and fish, splashed up around 
  me, soaking my clothing and coating me in a slick of filth. The 
  elf reached the end of the alley and turned, passing from view. 
  Struggling to my feet, I followed.
   
  And stopped short. The narrow waterfront lane I found 
  myself in held a dozen or so people, but not one of them an 
  elf. Painfully aware of the stares of the fishermen around me, I 
  breathed hard, attempting to ignore the burning in my chest. 
  That’s when I heard a soft wooden bang to my right. Turning, I 
  noted a small greasy window almost level with the street, with 
  scuff marks scarring the sill. Without a second thought, I dashed 
  at the window and dropped, trusting the slimy filth covering  
  me to grease my slide. With my right foot leading I smashed 
  through the glass and struck something soft and yielding on 
  the other side.
   
  The elf and I landed hard on the rough-hewn floor of a cellar, 
  with me on top. For a moment we lay there head-to-toe with 
  each other, gasping to regain our wind, then simultaneously 
  launched into a flurry of kicks that bloodied each other’s faces 
  but lacked the leverage to do any real damage. That tactic 
  proving ineffective, I rolled off the elf and came to my feet. At 
  that moment, the extent of my injuries became apparent. Long 
  slivers of glass stuck out of my legs, chest, and arms, and wide 
  patches of blood coated my body, seeping through my already 
  befouled clothing. Darkness framed my vision and my knees 
  buckled with exhaustion, but I managed to grab the edge of the 
  window frame and catch myself. Through the haze of a raging 
  headache I noticed the elf moving even slower, and took the 
  opportunity to hum an aria borrowed from the priests of Desna, 
  feeling the magic inherent in the music close the worst of my 
  Exploring Korvosa
  Established during the expansion of the Chelaxian Empire 
  as the primary settlement in Varisia, Korvosa remains closely 
  tied to its roots in devil-worshiping Cheliax and continues 
  to be the unofficial capital of the region in the eyes of most 
  foreigners, rivaled only by Magnimar. Korvosa is the setting of 
  the Pathfinder Curse of the Crimson Throne Adventure Path, 
  and further information on its web of political intrigue and 
  infernal pacts can be found in Pathfinder volumes 7–12 and in 
  the forthcoming Guide to Korvosa.
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  wounds and fill my veins with new life. Bits of glass fell from my 
  flesh as I stepped forward, still shaky, and drew my sword.
   
  Rising slowly, one arm held close against his chest to immobilize 
  it, the elf began to weave his fingers in strange movements, mouth 
  moving but eyes still set in that same expressionless mask. A spell? 
  Really? With my sword drawn? Fast as he was, not even an elf could 
  concentrate on a spell and still expect to dodge me. Before he 
  could finish his incantation, I lunged forward and ran my sword 
  clear through his stomach, carrying him to the ground with me, 
  where I lay panting on his corpse, his blood flowing out between 
  us and warming my hands. 
   
  For a short time I stayed there, surveying my surroundings from 
  the floor. On first blush, it looked like a water-damaged empty 
  basement. In fact, it looked like a basement on second and third 
  blushes as well. Sighing, I sat up on the dead elf’s chest, causing 
  a spurt of blood to blast a streak of crimson on my arm. Absently, 
  I backhanded his face. Why did he run down into an abandoned 
  basement? Maybe he lived in the building above. Maybe he knew 
  someone who did. Still, his strength was in his speed, and he had 
  sacrificed it. Why? Glancing down at the body, I noticed for the 
  first time a thin chain around his neck, at the end of which hung a 
  softly glowing key.
   
  Maybe he had a way out after all.
   
  Snatching up the key, I walked up the wooden stairs leading out 
  of the dusty basement and tried the key in the door. No luck. Over 
  the next several minutes I tried putting the key into anything 
  resembling a hole I could find in that dust-filled, gods-forsaken 
  basement. At last my frustration got the best of me, and I fell to 
  kicking the elf’s corpse, punctuating each strike with a curse or 
  unanswered question. Then with one final kick, his body shifted, 
  and I discovered what I had been missing: beneath where the elf 
  had fallen, his wide puddle of blood seemed to drain, ever so 
  slowly, into a previously unseen crack beneath the body.
  Gods, the smell.
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  As I moved the key near the crack it began to glow more brightly. 
  Encouraged, I stuck it in and twisted. With an audible, grinding 
  crunch, a rectangular outline of cracks suddenly formed in the 
  floor, with a dozen parallel cracks running across it. The parallel 
  sections recessed in a series of mechanical chunks, forming a steep, 
  crudely cut set of stairs, dripping now with blood. A terrible draft 
  of corruption washed into the basement.
   
  Ah, how wonderful. Sewers. A section of the famed Vaults of Korvosa.
   
  With a quick search of the elf’s body, I found little to identify 
  him, but plucked an unused handkerchief from of his pouches and 
  put it to my nose. As I had hoped, it was perfumed. Elves. I tied it 
  around my head to cover my mouth and nose.
   
  Holding my sword out before me, I descended into the yawning 
  sewer, searching for any indication of recent passage. At the 
  foot of the stairs, a low-ceilinged tunnel flowed sluggishly with 
  a morass of salt-water sludge a foot deep, stretching out into the 
  darkness. Holding up the elf’s key, which continued to glow with 
  a pale blue light, I continued cautiously down the tunnel. After a 
  time, the passage curved and I caught a glimmer of dim radiance, 
  accompanied by the shuffling and snorting of something huge. 
  Then the tunnel opened up, and I found myself staring down upon 
  one of the island’s many cesspits... and its inhabitants.
   
  Massive three-legged monstrosities with mouths that filled their 
  bulbous bodies waddled around in the filth and refuse collected 
  below the city. If they saw me they did not react, for they continued 
  their disgusting work, shoveling huge piles of garbage into their 
  gaping maws. Careful to make as little noise as possible, I edged 
  around the circular chamber on a narrow, man-sized walkway. Three 
  other similarly sized pipes opened into the cesspit, and as with the 
  stairs, the key grew brightest near the far tunnel. Fair enough. Not 
  wanting to remain near the massive, dangerous, and nauseating 
  creatures any longer than I already had, I moved quickly down the 
  passage. Almost immediately the air changed, the odor lessening 
  until it felt almost fresh.
   
  Taking heart, I continued on, finally coming to a raised dais 
  made of wood and covered in a thick and muddy layer of pine 
  needles and dirty hay. A wooden trap door waited in the roof 
  above. In front of me, horizontal lines cut directly into the 
  stone wall created a makeshift ladder. Climbing it, I slid a 
  dagger’s blade into the slight gap between door and roof and 
  pried. The thin blade provided little in the way of a view, but 
  after several finger- and toe-cramping minutes I guessed the 
  room beyond to be empty.
   
  Taking a deep breath, I threw open the door, scampering 
  up the ladder and through the hatch as quick as I could. I was 
  alone, but I felt certain someone had heard my entry. Silently I 
  took in the boot-filled mudroom in which I found myself before 
  moving into a well-appointed entry hall. Kicking off my slime-
  coated boots so as to not leave a trail, I began my exploration 
  in earnest. Voices drifted throughout the seemingly endless 
  building, forcing me more than once to duck into a side room 
  and press my ear to the door.
   
  It was in one of these rooms that my luck finally turned and I 
  found myself surrounded by piles of bags, weapons, works of art, 
  and other seemingly random but valuable items, each tagged with 
  a tiny note listing a date and location. Throwing myself into the 
  mounds of goods, I burrowed frantically, and was soon rewarded by 
  my own pack, its tag noting the circumstances of its theft. Tearing 
  it open, I discovered everything as I had left it, with the notable 
  exception of the missing puzzle box. Such losses bothered me 
  little, however, and with a lightened heart I slipped the thong of 
  the wayfinder over my head and clutched the journal to my chest, 
  vowing to never let either pass from my sight again. With one 
  longing look at the piles of loot—who knows what other secrets 
  might rest within such a trove?—I made haste for the door, only to 
  run headlong into a bewildered youth wearing all red, approaching 
  from the direction of the sewers. 
   
  We stared at one another for a few surprised seconds, then  
  I kicked him hard in the knee and sprinted the other way.  
  Behind me, his cries of alarm as he went down were answered by other 
  voices, and the clank of weapons sounded from several directions.
   
  A staircase loomed up suddenly in front of me, and without 
  thinking, I took it, taking the steps two or three at a time. Ahead of 
  me, sunlight slanted through a windowed landing, broken only by 
  the brace of red-garbed guards who came charging down the stairs, 
  swords drawn. I was out of options. Summoning up the last of my 
  strength, I put my head down and charged, backpack held in front 
  of me like a shield. The surprised guards’ blades whistled over my 
  head, and then I was crashing through the glass, pack protecting 
  my newly healed skin from the jagged shards as I plunged in free-
  fall to the cobblestones that appeared below, tucking and rolling 
  to spread the impact over my whole body. Above me, the guards 
  looked on in astonishment as I tumbled to my feet, the broken glass 
  raining down around me.
   
  Seeing their expressions, I was unable to resist and swept my 
  arm out in a low, mocking bow. Then I turned and raced laughing 
  into the streets of Old Korvosa, the fresh breeze cool on my face 
  and stones smooth beneath my bare feet.
  Korvosa’s offal sEcrEt
  Built where the land meets the water and straddling a major 
  river that dumps into the most prosperous clam field in Varisia, 
  the lower sections of Korvosa face a huge, stinking problem: 
  their own waste. Many of the sewers beneath Korvosa drain 
  into massive cesspits to the south, but the isolated wards on 
  Endrin Isle trust to an alternative means of disposal: otyughs. 
  The otyughs of Korvosa have more than tripled in number 
  (and can still only barely keep up with the city’s offal) since 
  Lord Magistrate Dess Leroung imported them from Cheliax 
  almost two centuries ago. Large steel plugs in the streets, 
  opened by equally massive crank-driven winches, separate 
  the city’s population from its surly waste disposers. These 
  otyughs occasionally break out of the sewers and rampage 
  through Old Korvosa, where they’re subsequently corralled 
  and incarcerated again by guardsmen wielding longspears 
  coated in tranquilizing poisons.
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  Size CompariSon
  F
  ew dare to gaze past the veil of the mundane, living in contented 
  ignorance within the simple borders of their everyday concerns. 
  Yet beyond such walls of obliviousness teem horrors undreamt of 
  by closed-minded philosophies—creatures from beyond the fringes 
  of the explored world, remnants of ages long dead, or things born of 
  anathema realities. While so-called civilized Man performs feats of 
  delusion to expel thoughts of such beings from his fragile mind, those 
  from beyond are all too aware and watch the simple works of Man with 
  malevolent, ravenous interest.
   
  This bestiary reveals seven such beasts from beyond: invaders 
  from alien dimensions, inscrutable fey, horrors from the other 
  side of death, and the remnants of ancient civilizations. Each 
  cataloged and documented by scholar of the unknown Wolfgang 
  Baur—some say at the cost of his very sanity—all seven terrors 
  feature in this volume’s adventure, “Fortress of the Stone Giants.” 
  Beyond those encounters, however, any of these beasts might 
  give rise to their own subplots and side treks.
   
  Outsiders: The hounds of Tindalos, shining children, and 
  forgefiends all originate in realities completely inhospitable to 
  mortals. Attracting the attention of any such creature can only lead 
  to suffering, either at the flesh-ripping gaze of the Lovecraftian 
  hounds, within the blazing maw of the fiendish scanderig, or through 
  the fatal manipulations of the extradimensional shining children. 
   
  Twisted Nature: The natural world is rarely the Elysian paradise 
  bards laud in poetry and song. Even the most placid woodland has 
  its dark side. In the depths below, monstrosities of black chitin and 
  poison fangs hunt to appease hungers so insatiable that—in the 
  case of the deathweb—even death cannot quell them. The fey too, 
  so-called embodiments of nature, manifest more than the serenity 
  of the natural world, with brutes like the redcap embracing its 
  unfeeling cruelty and endless bloodshed.
   
  The Ageless: The echoes of the past can be heard, even millennia 
  later. In the case of the taiga giants, the supposed progenitors of 
  dozens of giant races, ways long lost and forgotten still hold sway 
  in corners of the world untouched by civilization, while the magic 
  that created the giant monument builders of ancient Thassilon—
  the living tools known as runeslaves—still lingers in forgotten 
  vaults, waiting to be used again.
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  Deathweb 
  CR 6
  Always N Gargantuan undead
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +16, Spot +1
  Aura poison swarm 10 ft.
  DefeNSe
  AC 20, touch 8, flat-footed 18
  ( +2 Dex, +12 natural, –4 size)
  hp 78 (12d12)
  Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +9
  OffeNSe
  Spd 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
  Melee bite +11 (2d8+9) and
   
  2 claws +8 (1d8+4)
  Space 20 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
  Special Attacks web
  TAcTicS
  During Combat A deathweb uses its web ability and Awesome Blow 
  feat to scatter its victims, then attacks the largest foe with its 
  powerful mandibles.
  Morale A deathweb fights until destroyed.
  STATiSTicS
  Str 28, Dex 14, Con —, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 12
  Base Atk +6; Grp +27
  Feats Awesome Blow, cleave, improved Bull Rush, Multiattack,  
  Power Attack
  Skills climb + 17, Listen +16, Move Silently +17
  SQ undead traits
  SPeciAL ABiLiTieS
  Poison Swarm (Ex) The area around a deathweb is filled with swarms of 
  living spiders that nest in the undead thing’s exoskeleton. Any creature 
  that comes within 10 feet of a deathweb takes 1d4 points of damage per 
  round and must make a Dc 17 fortitude save or be poisoned (initial and 
  secondary damage 1d3 con). The save Dc is charisma-based.
  Any attack that deals more than 10 points of damage and has an area of 
  effect large enough to affect every square a deathweb occupies destroys 
  its poison swarm for 3 rounds. After this time, new spiders well up from 
  inside the beast and recreate the swarm.
  Web (Ex) The deathweb can create  sticky webs to ensnare enemies. A 
  deathweb can throw a web at will, but no more than once every 5 rounds. 
  This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, 
  with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against colossal or 
  smaller targets. As a standard action, an entangled creature can escape 
  with a successful Dc 16 escape Artist check or burst it with a Dc 24 
  Strength check. The check Dcs are constitution-based, and the Strength 
  check Dc includes a +8 racial bonus.
  The slimy webbing created by a deathweb has 10 hit points. it is 
  difficult to burn and has an effective DR of 10 against fire. fires that do 
  more than 10 points of damage in a round burn away the web; these fires 
  also deal the same damage on creatures entangled in the web.
  Skills Deathwebs have a +8 racial bonus on climb checks. A deathweb can 
  always choose to take 10 on climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.
  ecOLOGy
  Environment any
  Organization solitary or swarm (2–8)
  Treasure none
  Advancement 21–30 HD (Gargantuan), 31–40 HD (colossal)
  Level Adjustment  —
  Deathwebs are the exoskeletons of truly massive monstrous 
  arachnids animated by magic and masses of smaller, symbiotic 
  spiders. Although their bodies resemble the powerful predators 
  they once were, they are now broken, hollow things, teeming with 
  swarms of their lesser kin. Potent necromantic energies might create 
  a deathweb, but these horrors have also been known to animate 
  spontaneously in areas teeming with insectile vermin or tainted 
  by the worship of perverse spider cults. They are most commonly 
  found in areas where strong magics were once worked, especially 
  deep underground, in mountain caves, and sometimes in old-growth 
  forests with dense undergrowth or a thick canopy.
  deAthweB
  Whatever terror of gigantic legs and venom-dripping fangs this 
  arachnid horror once was could have been no more appalling 
  than the undead remnant it has become. The house-sized 
  creature’s wasted exoskeleton cracks and splits as it skitters 
  forward with unnatural speed, and from the web of rotted 
  gashes crisscrossing its bulbous body pour swarms of fat, 
  poison-bloated spiders. 
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  Fort +6, Ref +11, Will +7
  DR 10/cold iron
  OffeNSe
  Spd 60 ft.
  Melee Medium scythe +11 (2d4+8) and
   
  kick +4 (1d6+6)
  Special Attacks boot stomp
  TAcTicS
  During Combat Lone redcaps try to wear down their opponents by 
  using their boot stomp ability to make a series of hit-and-run attacks. 
  Groups, however, are much more bold, swarming larger foes and 
  slicing them to shreds with their terrible scythes.
  Morale Bloodthirsty creatures, redcaps fight until they are barely able, 
  fleeing only if reduced below 5 hit points.
  STATiSTicS
  Str 18, Dex 20, Con 18, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
  Base Atk +4; Grp +4
  Feats improved initiative, Power Attack, Weapon focus (scythe)
  Skills Bluff +13, Hide +20, intimidate +15, Jump +29, Knowledge 
  (nature) +14, Listen +12, Move Silently +16, Spot +12, Tumble +18
  Languages: common, Giant, Sylvan
  SQ heavy weapons, irreligious, red cap
  SPeciAL ABiLiTieS
  Boot Stomp (Ex): A redcap wears heavy iron boots with spiked soles 
  that it uses to deadly effect in combat. it can use its boots to make 
  a secondary attack as part of a full attack action or can use them to 
  make an attack as part of its movement just as if it had the Spring 
  Attack feat. A redcap is only treated as having Spring Attack when 
  attacking with its boots and no other weapon.
  Heavy Weapons (Ex) A redcap’s powerful hands and arms allow it 
  to wield Medium weapons without penalty.
  Irreligious (Ex): Bitter and blasphemous, a redcap cannot stand 
  the symbols of good-aligned religions. if a foe spends a 
  standard action presenting such a holy symbol, any redcap that 
  can see the character becomes frightened for 1 minute and 
  attempts to flee.
  Red Cap (Su) A redcap wears a tiny, shapeless woolen hat, dyed 
  over and over with the blood of its victims. While wearing its cap, 
  a redcap gains a +4 bonus on damage rolls and fast healing 3 
  (reflected above). These benefits are lost if the cap is removed or 
  destroyed, and caps are not transferable, even between redcaps.
  ecOLOGy
  Environment any
  Organization solitary, pair, or gang (3–12)
  Treasure standard
  Advancement by character class; Favored Class barbarian
  Level Adjustment  +6
  Redcaps are misshappen, humanoid fey with sharp teeth, bat-
  like ears, enormous feet, and filthy white beards. Their large 
  hands can wield a full-size scythe, and they often wear spiked 
  and bladed boots. Their nut-brown skin and dark eyes are always 
  topped by a reddish cap, which they wash in the blood of their 
  defeated enemies.
  RedcAp
  Snarling and spitting, this tiny figure looks like a hateful old man, his 
  face wrinkled like month-old fruit. The bent, three-foot-tall cretin 
  wields a rusted scythe nearly double his size in his gnarled hands, 
  and wears a pair of overly large spiked iron boots. Upon his grizzled 
  head sits a bent hat, gruesomely stained bright crimson.
  Redcap 
  CR 6
  Always Ne Small fey
  Init +9; Senses low-light vision; Listen +12, Spot +12
  DefeNSe
  AC 21, touch 16, flat-footed 16
  ( +2 armor, +5 Dex, +3 natural, +1 size)
  hp 64 (8d6+32); fast healing 3
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  B e s t i A R Y
  81
   
  Redcaps stand about three feet tall in their bare feet, or three-
  and-a-half in their spiked boots. They always wear their bloody 
  caps, and sometimes gore trickles down onto their eyebrows or 
  nose. Their hands and feet are quite large for their body size, and 
  their torso is small but very flexible. Redcaps occasionally sport 
  elaborate scars, the results of desperate attempts to keep their 
  caps moistened.
   
  Redcaps are impulsive in combat, quick to charge opponents 
  several times their size, and are always yelling for blood. In close 
  combat, they fight in groups against a single foe whenever they 
  can, using teamwork to overcome “big ’uns.” They are always 
  happy to use their speed and boots to trample a prone or fallen 
  foe into reddish paste. Masters of the ambush, few things make 
  a redcap happier than leaping out of the brush to hamstring a 
  victim before he even knows he’s under attack.
  ecologY
  Redcaps are fey that embody the merciless savagery of nature. 
  The cat playing with a mouse before killing it, the venus 
  flytrap that lies in wait for the unsuspecting insect—these are 
  the aspects of the natural world that give rise to redcaps, and 
  to which the tiny sadists look for cues on how to live. They kill 
  something every day, just to keep their caps charged with life-
  giving blood. They have little taste for meat, oddly enough, 
  preferring to drink leftover blood or to suck marrow from 
  bones. Any warm-blooded prey will do, though they prefer 
  sentient victims; redcaps are ruthless hunters. 
  hABitAt & societY
  Redcaps are possessed of a sick and twisted sense of humor, 
  heavy on punch lines that involve physical torment steeped 
  in irony. They are tough, violent, and largely uncaring about 
  anyone but themselves, and while they treat other redcaps 
  with respect, and offer all fey a minimum of courtesy, 
  everyone else is a dupe, a threat, or a victim in their eyes. 
  Even in their bloodthirsty bands, redcaps fight constantly, 
  both to establish dominance and just for enjoyment. They 
  heal quickly and have a high tolerance for pain, and sometimes 
  forget that other fey do not. They consider those who do not 
  fight somehow “too delicate” or “flowery.”
   
  These malicious fey live in hilly terrain by preference, but 
  can also be found underground and in forests and mountains. 
  They often serve as mercenaries for dryads, sprites, and other 
  more refined fey (despite their frailties), and frequently 
  appear wherever large concentrations of fey gather. More 
  commonly, they’re encountered in abandoned keeps and other 
  dwellings, particularly those left vacant by some terrible 
  tragedy. Redcaps seem to be attracted by the air of doom 
  surrounding such places, and dwelling in such environs proves 
  useful for luring passersby into traps.
   
  Redcaps place immense value in their caps, and believe that 
  if they don’t keep them constantly moistened with the blood 
  of their prey they will sicken and die. While evidence for this 
  theory is sparse, the paranoid creatures go to great pains to honor 
  their superstition. They often hire or force other creatures into 
  placing beneficial enchantments on their caps, making their skin 
  tougher, their weapons more effective, or, most commonly, their 
  hats easy to locate if stolen. Some even go to such extremes as 
  stitching their caps to their scalps with spider silk thread.
  tReAsuRe
  Redcaps carry their treasure either in their boots or hidden 
  in their caps, and prefer gems for their easy portability. While 
  redcaps have little regard for material wealth themselves, they 
  understand the allure that such things hold for their victims, and 
  they frequently use treasure to goad the greedy into traps.
  RedcAp tRAps
  Redcaps are fond of traps, particularly those that render a 
  victim helpless or bring him down to the redcaps’ level while 
  still leaving him alive and fresh for the fey to do as they will. 
  Most redcap traps are straightforward but contain a particularly 
  malicious twist: razorlines hung at knee height or bladed snares 
  designed to take the leg off of running quarry, or a shallow 
  pit trap filled with biting insects that places the prey’s face at 
  ground level, ripe for disfigurement. The exception to the fey’s 
  “take them alive so it lasts longer” rule are the bloodletting 
  traps. While redcaps relish the chance to get their hands dirty 
  and commit their atrocities in a personal, face-to-face setting, 
  in particularly target-rich environments such methods are no 
  longer efficient enough. In these cases, redcaps design special 
  traps aimed specifically at exsanguination, using crude but 
  effective methods such as pits with hollow stakes or immense 
  deadfalls that press the victim between two smooth, flat rocks. 
  In both cases, the blood that wells out flows through crude 
  channels to vessels or basins where one or more redcaps can 
  wash their hats, wallowing in a pint-sized orgy of blood.
  Redcaps in FolkloRe
  in British folklore, redcaps (also called “powries” or “dunters”) 
  are malicious pike-wielding goblins, elves, or fairies. According 
  to legend, a redcap must kill regularly and dye its hat in the blood 
  of its victims, for if its hat dries out, it dies. As redcaps are far too 
  quick for humans to outrun and too strong for most to overpower, 
  the only way to escape one of them is to quote a passage from 
  the Bible. Upon doing so the redcap disappears, leaving behind 
  only a single tooth. 
   The most infamous powrie of all was Robin Redcap, supposed 
  familiar of Scottish Lord William de Soulis, whose murders and 
  tortures during the lord’s reign were said to be so extensive that 
  his castle sank into the ground under the sheer weight of the sins 
  committed within.
   GMs who wish to extrapolate upon legends of redcaps in their 
  games might want to make the teeth of red caps simple magic 
  items—perhaps granting +1 bonuses on saving throws or similar 
  minor benefits—or directly tie the fey creatures’ caps to their 
  physiology, causing them to weaken if it’s lost.
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  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  Hound of Tindalos 
  CR 7
  Always Ne Medium outsider
  Init +11; Senses darkvision120 ft.; Listen +18, Spot +18
  Aura ripping gaze (30 ft.)
  DefeNSe
  AC 22, touch 17, flat-footed 15
  ( +7 Dex, +5 natural)
  hp 85 (10d8)
  Fort +11, Ref +14, Will +12
  Immune poison, mind-affecting effects
  DR 10/magic
  OffeNSe
  Spd 40 ft.
  Melee bite +17 (2d6+2) and
   
  2 claws +12 (1d6+1)
  Spell-Like Abilities (cL 10th)
   
  At Will—air walk, fog cloud, invisibility, locate creature
   
  3/day—dimensional anchor, greater scrying (Dc 21), haste, slow 
  (Dc 17)
  TAcTicS
  During Combat What beings it can’t overwhelm with its slashing claws 
  and ripping gaze, a hound of Tindalos wears down with hit-and-run 
  teleporting attacks.
  Morale A hound of Tindalos reduced to fewer than half its hit points 
  teleports away. The beast never forgets a victim, though, and will 
  return to attack again and again until destroyed.
  STATiSTicS
  Str 15, Dex 25, Con 18, Int 20, Wis 21, Cha 18
  Base Atk +10; Grp +12
  Feats combat Reflexes, improved initiative, Track, Weapon finesse
  Skills Balance +22, concentration +17, Hide +20, Jump +21, 
  Knowledge (arcana) +18, Knowledge (geography) +18, 
  Knowledge (the planes) +18, Listen +18, Move Silently +20, 
  Search +18, Spot +18, Survival +18, Tumble +22
  SQ angled entry, otherworldly mind
  SPeciAL ABiLiTieS
  Angled Entry (Su) A hound of Tindalos has mastered all dimensions 
  and moves through space in a way that other creatures cannot 
  understand. A hound can greater teleport once per round as 
  a free action and plane shift itself three times per day as a 
  standard action. These abilities function as a 10th-level caster. 
  in both cases, the square a hound of Tindalos appears in must 
  be adjacent to an angle in the physical environment, such as a 
  corner in a wall. (Where a hound can teleport to is determined 
  by the GM.) it can teleport from any location. indoors, the 
  angle created by a wall and either the floor or ceiling is the 
  most common point of reappearance of a teleporting hound of 
  Tindalos. Angles circumstantially or momentarily created by folds 
  of clothing, flesh, or items are not significant enough to allow 
  a hound to teleport through. A hound could not, for example, 
  teleport into a spherical room. complex architectures and 
  open outdoor environments can make it difficult for a hound of 
  Tindalos to appear. 
  Otherworldly Mind (Ex) Any non-outsider who uses a divination spell 
  or similar ability that allows him to read or communicate with a 
  hound of Tindalos’s thoughts must make a Dc 20 Will save. Those 
  who succeed take 5d6 points of damage and their spell immediately 
  ends (providing no information). Those who fail suffer the same fate 
  and are affected by the spell insanity. 
  Ripping Gaze (Su) The gaze of the hound tears the fabric of matter, 
  destroying flesh at a distance and leaving deep, bloodless rents 
  (5d6 damage, 30 feet, fortitude Dc 17 negates). The Dc is 
  charisma-based. The number of dice rolled to determine the 
  damage of this attack is always half a hound’s total Hit Dice.
  ecOLOGy
  Environment any
  Organization solitary or pack (2–13)
  Treasure none
  Advancement 11–22 HD (Medium), 23–34 HD (Large)
  Level Adjustment  —
  hound of tindAlos
  All the evil in the universe is seemingly concentrated into this 
  creature’s lean and hungry body. Many-jointed limbs extend from 
  its gaunt, quadrupedal form, each ending in numerous twitching, 
  clawed digits. From between the pallid flesh of its grasping forelimbs 
  protrudes an alien face warped in a perpetual scream, a starved-
  looking visage where wide, depthless black eyes yawn above a 
  fleshless, shuddering maw. A sharply pointed tongue projects from 
  between its shattered teeth, quivering perversely. 
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  Horrors from beyond the boundaries of known reality, the 
  hounds of Tindalos stalk the timeless netherways of existence, 
  intruding upon the mortal world only when summoned by 
  reckless spellcasters or in pursuit of fools who tread upon their 
  immaterial domain. Akin in shape to some tortured combination 
  of humanoid and lithe jungle predator, hounds of Tindalos are 
  not actually related to canines of any kind—nor any creature 
  from the known world. Little is recorded about the hounds 
  themselves, with what knowledge exists being gleaned from 
  the occasional bloodstained notes and manic observations that 
  survive the beasts’ victims. If the writings of the near-insane 
  are to be trusted, the creatures posses a strange relationship to 
  time and physical space, their gazes ripping through layers of 
  soft physicality while their steps allow them passage through the 
  angles of reality. Although possessed of great cunning and cruel 
  intelligence, these otherworldly horrors are anathema to the 
  beings of the mortal world and have never shown any evidence of 
  understanding or attempting to communicate with mortals.
  ecologY
  Outside the mysterious netherrealm that crazed students 
  of the arcane and howling madmen ascribe as their home, 
  hounds of Tindalos have no place in any sane environment. 
  They seem disinterested in the lands of forests, water, and rock 
  that comprise Golarion, suffering these too-real places only 
  when stalking a particular quarry. If encountered when not 
  hunting, it’s likely the beast has been bound to the world by 
  some powerful magic. Such captivity greatly pains a hound 
  of Tindalos, which leads the already ravenous, destructive 
  creature to new heights of savagery. 
   
  For all their strange abilities and dreadful disposition, hounds 
  of Tindalos are thankfully quite rare. Aside from those summoned 
  by powerful magic, a hound will only enter the physical world in 
  pursuit of one who has trod the mysterious paths beyond time 
  and reality. Once such a beast “has the scent” of an intruder, it 
  tirelessly stalks its prey, hunting it from beyond the boundaries 
  of its world, through the ethers of the adjacent Ethereal Plane or 
  to any other plane to which its quarry might flee. The hunt only 
  ends when the hound has savaged and feasted upon the remains 
  of its victim. Fear of hounds of Tindalos and similar horrors might 
  explain why the fledging magical art of chronomancy remains the 
  purview of short-lived madmen and the naive.
  societY
  Hounds of Tindalos have no apparent society, though little is 
  known of how the creatures behave amid the eternal ethers they 
  naturally inhabit. Some savants believe they have no feelings or 
  thoughts beyond the guardianship of the places between time 
  and reality, being set to guard such hypothetical reaches by some 
  ancient force or  malign alien god.
  tReAsuRe
  Hounds of Tindalos carry nothing with them and seem wholly 
  disinterested in all physical objects besides their prey. Yet, the 
  remnants of attacks by such creatures tend to be frighteningly 
  uniform. Aside from shocking scenes of gore and furious feeding, 
  the victims of hounds of Tindalos tend to be aware of the stalking 
  and often try to document what arcane dabbling led to their 
  miserable fates. Any character who discovers such notes may 
  spend one week deciphering and studying the victim’s ravings. 
  After that time, the character may reference the writings to gain 
  a +1 circumstance bonus on any Knowledge (arcana) check that 
  relates to arcane time travel, magical teleportation, or unknown 
  planes of existence.
  Victims of the hounds
  None know how many enthusiastic students of reality’s mysteries 
  have meet bloody ends at the claws and rending gazes of the 
  hounds of Tindalos. While these three incidents are well-
  documented, countless more have doubtlessly met pitiable ends 
  at the hounds’ claws.
   
  Dr. Jibyri Kamendori: A researcher of heightened 
  awareness and monastic traditions in his home country ofVudra, 
  Kamendori’s body was found by his students in the Black and 
  Gray lecture hall at the University of Castigali, ripped to shreds 
  seemingly as he reproduced a number of ancient diagrams he’d 
  discovered upon the Plateau of Leng.  
   
  Lord Halafax Chalmers II: When his wife was lost at sea, 
  Lord Chalmers was taken in by the theories of the experimental 
  magician Vartashad the Displacer and came to believe he and 
  the mage could travel back in time to save his wife. Although the 
  attempt led to Lord Chalmer’s grisly end, he took copious notes 
  on the wizard’s strange preparations. Vartashad the Displacer’s 
  whereabouts are still unknown.
   
  Sevina Eldridge: Citing some tragic indiscretion during her 
  days as an adventurer in the River Kingdoms, the sorceress Sevina 
  lived for 40 years in an estate of round rooms. Sevina’s rent body 
  was found in her home after a devastating explosion tore several 
  jagged cracks in her laboratory. Strangely, though, the remains of 
  her corpse were discovered on the opposite side of her manor.
  Hounds oF tHe MytHos
  “God, they are breaking through! They are breaking through! Smoke 
  is pouring from the corners of the wall. Their tongues—ahhhh—”
    
  —frank Belknap Long, “The Hounds of Tindalos”
  The hounds of Tindalos first appeared in frank Belknap Long’s 
  short story of the same name, which appeared in the March 1929 
  issue of the fantasy and horror fiction pulp Weird Tales. Although 
  the titular beasts make no direct appearance in the story, the vague 
  menace of their “lean and athirst” forms and their odd ability to 
  travel through the angles of time so inspired future contributors to 
  H.P. Lovecraft’s cthulhu mythos that the beasts have ever since 
  been a part of that body of works. chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu 
  roleplaying game has long featured these timeless hunters, and 
  readers are encouraged to investigate chaosium.com for more 
  details on these horrors in both gaming and literature.
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  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  During Combat Taiga giants usually pelt their opponents with spears 
  and rocks, in the latter case throwing great boulders while they race 
  closer to engage their foes in melee.
  Morale Proud but not stupid, a lone taiga giant flees if reduced to 
  less than a quarter of its hit points. Groups of taiga giant hunters, 
  though, might fight to the death in an attempt to appear brave 
  among their peers.
  STATiSTicS
  Str 32, Dex 14, Con 21, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 15
  Base Atk +10; Grp +29
  Feats cleave, iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Track
  Skills climb +21, Knowledge (religion) +8, Move Silently +9, Spot 
  +12, Survival +19
  SQ spirit summoning, rock catching
  SPeciAL ABiLiTieS
  Spirit Summoning (Su) Once per day, a taiga giant can perform a 
  10-minute ritual to summon ancestral spirits to aid it in battle. 
  These invisible spirits grant the giant a +2 deflection bonus to 
  Armor class, immunity to enchantment and illusion spells, and one 
  of the following spell effects: bless, endure elements, protection 
  from evil, protection from good, or see invisibility. These spell 
  effects last for an entire day (regardless of their normal duration).
   
  A taiga giant’s ancestral spirits can be detected by detect undead 
  or any spell that reveals invisible creatures. These beings occupy 
  the same space as the taiga giant and can be turned or rebuked 
  as a single creature with as many HD as the taiga giant. Turning or 
  rebuking these spirits banishes them for the remainder of the day, 
  though the giant may resummon them the following day. These 
  spirits cannot be attacked or interacted with in any other way.
  Run and Throw (Ex) A taiga giant can throw a boulder in the same 
  round he takes a full move action. This ability functions exactly as the 
  Spring Attack feat, but only applies to a ranged attack with a rock. 
  Rock Catching (Ex) A taiga giant of at least Large size can catch Small, 
  Medium, or Large rocks (or projectiles of similar shape). See page 
  119 of the MM for details.
  Rock Throwing (Ex) The range increment is 140 feet for a taiga giant’s 
  thrown rocks.
  Skills When hunting, taiga giants often wear lichen-crusted hunting 
  cloaks and camouflage that help hide even their great size. This 
  and their natural stealth grant them a +8 racial bonus on Hide 
  checks in grasslands or forested terrain.
  ecOLOGy
  Environment sub-arctic plains and forests
  Organization solitary, warband (2–7), or tribe (22–48)
  Treasure standard
  Advancement by character class; Favored Class druid
  Level Adjustment  +7
  On the wide hills and in the deep boreal forests, taiga giants 
  are masters of the hunt and the kill. They command not just vast 
  reserves of physical strength and speed, but great faith, allowing 
  them to tap into personal stores of spiritual power. 
   
  Ranging in height from 17 to 20 feet tall—with women 
  generally being a foot shorter than men—taiga giants have 
  Taiga Giant 
  CR 10
  Usually cN Huge giant
  Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Listen +2, Spot +12
  DefeNSe
  AC 26, touch 12, flat-footed 24
  ( +3 armor, +2 deflection, +2 Dex, +11 natural, –2 size)
  hp 133 (14d8)
  Immune enchantment and illusion spells
  Fort +14, Ref +8, Will +8
  OffeNSe
  Spd 40 ft. (30 ft. in hide armor)
  Melee greatclub +19 (3d8+16) 
  Ranged rock +14 (3d8) or
   
  javelin +10 (2d6)
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
  Special Attacks rock throwing, run and throw
  TAcTicS
  Before Combat if hunting or otherwise expecting danger, a taiga giant 
  always summons ancestral spirits to aid it, typically those that bring 
  with them the benefits of the bless spell.
  tAigA giAnt
  Stark white scars and tribal patterns tattoo the dusky skin of this 
  towering brute. Skulls, stone fetishes, and crude but deadly wooden 
  weapons mark the nearly twenty-foot-tall savage as a deadly warrior.
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  light brown skin, often crisscrossed with extensive tribal 
  tattoos or covered in hardened mud and foliage to camouflage 
  them during the hunt. Although obviously of a more primitive 
  disposition, they are most likely to be mistaken for strangely 
  colored cloud or storm giants than any other giant race.
   
  While non-giants know them as taiga giants, among their 
  own tribes they call themselves “Urganta,” the word in the 
  Giant language for “People.” This name stems from their 
  ancient stories—largely reinforced by the studies of modern 
  scholars—that suggest taiga giants were among the first 
  giants to inhabit Golarion and that many, if not all, of the 
  giants of the continent of Avistan are descended from this 
  race. Whatever the truth of their history, the ages have not 
  been kind to these giants, and now taiga giants are only found 
  in  some of the harshest, most remote environments in the 
  world, their ancient holdings largely taken over by better-
  adapted or stronger giant races.
  ecologY
  Taiga giants are nomadic hunters, always seeking large 
  prey and avoiding the civilized settlements of other races. 
  They often raid small villages for livestock and other goods, 
  caring no more for the morality of such acts than does a man 
  gathering honey from a beehive. Taiga giants thrive in hilly, 
  mountainous, and forested terrain, though they tend to stay 
  in the northern climes. Their nomadic wanderings, however, 
  take them to many places, and taiga giants are sometimes 
  found in unexpected corners of the world, often in pursuit of 
  herds of great beasts. 
   
  Despite the typical scantness of their garb, taiga giants are 
  well-insulated against the alpine cold and tundra conditions. 
  Their hair changes seasonally: dark brown or black in summer, 
  then fading to red and brown in fall, and finally becoming white 
  or blond in the winter. The pale hair falls out in spring, when new 
  black hair grows in very quickly. 
  hABitAt & societY
  Taiga giants follow mammoth, aurochs, and elk herds as part of 
  their nomadic way of life. They hunt in the winter, net salmon in 
  the spring and autumn, and gather what they can from the taiga 
  in the summer.
   
  A tribe of taiga giants typically consists of approximately 30 to 
  40 related members, with nearly half being hearty, battle-ready 
  hunters and warriors. The other members tend to be children 
  and the elderly, though the tribe’s most skilled shamans are 
  commonly among this latter number. Nomads since a time beyond 
  reckoning, taiga giants survive off the strength of the herds they 
  follow, crafting many of their goods and simple shelters from 
  bone and fur.
   
  Taiga giants are patient hunters, work well in warbands or 
  hunting groups, and often keep deadly animals as hunting 
  companions—typically dire wolves, dire bears, and smilodons. 
  They fight in cooperation with their animals, often using thrown 
  rocks to wear down foes, then sending in their savage allies to 
  flank or trip a foe while the giants use their reach weapons to 
  strike from a distance. 
   
  Taiga giants feel contempt for most humanoids significantly 
  smaller than themselves, fearing and distrusting them. Tribal 
  legends say that the progenitors of many of the smaller races 
  were once giants, cast down from their original statures and 
  malformed for crimes against their race and for a variety of vices. 
  They are friendly toward hill giants and stone giants, and they 
  tolerate ogres.
  tYpicAl tReAsuRe
  Taiga giants carry their treasure in bags or rucksacks when they 
  are travelling, though this treasure might be split between their 
  persons and their homes when settled for a season. In either case, 
  any of the treasure from the Giant’s Bag sidebar on page 120 of 
  the MM would be appropriate for a taiga giant to possess, with 
  primitive goods being of their own make and worked equipment 
  stolen from smaller races.
  tRiBAl AncestoRs
  More so than any other giant race, taiga giants live in fear and 
  respect of their people’s ancestral spirits. Largely forgotten by 
  many of the other giant races, the ghosts of this ancient people 
  hold great wisdom and the power to bestow their blessings upon 
  those who do them honor. As such, taiga giants do much to please 
  the souls of their ancestors. 
   
  Jewelry: Many taiga giants—especially hunters and those 
  who expect to face battle—wear jewelry made of mammoth 
  ivory, elk horn, amber, or beaten copper. These fetishes are 
  crafted either to embody the power of a particular animal 
  totem or depict a specific ancestor spirit. In either case, the 
  taiga giant wears the jewelry in the hopes that the spirit it 
  represents will give him its blessing. Taiga giants are not 
  exclusive in whom or what they seek blessings from and 
  do not see it as a slight against any one spirit to seek the 
  protection and power of dozens, even hundreds, of spirits 
  through necklaces or cords strung with numerous uniquely 
  carved bits of jewelry. 
   
  Song: From an early age, taiga giants are taught how to 
  meditate on the will of their ancestors and spend at least 
  an hour in silence every day. At night, however, the plains 
  and forests near their camps are filled with timeless songs 
  and throaty chants that the spirits supposedly find pleasing. 
  These songs tell a tale of a single tribe or individual ancestor’s 
  greatness, or serve as a meditation aid for the chanters to 
  focus on.
   
  Tattoos: Taiga giants often cover their tanned skin in white 
  scars and tribal tattoos. These tattoos relate lengthy tribal epics 
  to those versed in the particulars of taiga giant history, and 
  serve as much as a name for the tattooed individual as any single 
  word. The process of receiving one’s scar tattoos is a lengthy 
  and painful one held as a coming-of-age rite for both males and 
  females, with the deep cuts being meted out by the tribe’s eldest 
  shaman or storyteller. 
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  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  Special Attacks rend equipment, searing spew
  Spell-like Abilities (cL 11th)
   
  At will—major image (Dc 13), passwall, pass without trace, shatter 
  (Dc 12), stone shape
  3/day—deeper darkness, dimensional anchor, flesh to stone (Dc 16), 
  quickened produce flame, wall of stone, wall of fire
  TAcTicS
  During Combat Once it closes to melee, a scanderig gnaws the armor 
  from its foe using its rend equipment ability, then burns foes using 
  its searing spew and spell-like abilities. it traps any foes who try to 
  escape by using stone shape, wall of stone, or wall of fire.
  Morale A scanderig flees if reduced to fewer than 25 hit points.
  STATiSTicS
  Str 28, Dex 14, Con 24, Int 15, Wis 8, Cha 10
  Base Atk +11; Grp +24
  Feats combat Reflexes, improved initiative, iron Will, 
  Quicken Spell-Like Ability (produce flame)
  Skills concentration +21, Disable Device +16, escape Artist 
  +16, Hide +12, Jump +17, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +16, 
  Listen +13, Move Silently +16, Sense Motive +13, Spot +13
  Languages common, Dwarven, infernal, Terran
  SQ adamantine bite, earth glide
  SPeciAL ABiLiTieS
  Adamantine Bite (Ex) A scanderig’s primary bite attack is considered to 
  be adamantine for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction and 
  penetrating hardness.
  Earth Glide (Ex) A forgefiend can glide through stone, dirt, or almost any 
  other sort of earth except metal. its burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or 
  other signs of its presence. A move earth spell cast on an area containing 
  a burrowing forgefiend flings the outsider back 30 feet, stunning the 
  creature for 1 round unless it succeeds on a Dc 15 fortitude save.
  Rend Equipment (Ex) if a scanderig hits with its primary bite attack, it 
  chews any armor worn by its foe if the victim fails a Dc 24 Reflex save. 
  This attack deals 3d6+18 points of damage to the opponent’s armor. 
  creatures not wearing armor are unaffected by this special attack. Armor 
  reduced to 0 hit points is destroyed. The save Dc is Strength-based. As a 
  standard action, a scanderig can attempt to bite a foe’s weapon or shield. 
  for the purposes of this attack the scanderig is treated as though it had 
  the improved Sunder feat and deals 2d6+18 points of damage.
  Searing Spew (Su) A scanderig can belch forth a searing pile of slag from 
  its gigantic body maw, burning foes and filling an area with molten iron. 
  This slag can affect any 10-by-10-foot area adjacent to the scanderig. 
  Any creature in the area takes 14d6 points of fire damage (Reflex Dc 22 
  save for half). This slag quickly cools, forming a rugged pile of misshapen 
  metal, which is treated as difficult terrain. A scanderig can use this ability 
  once every 1d4 rounds. The save Dc is constitution-based.
  See in Darkness (Su) Scanderigs can see perfectly in darkness of any 
  kind, even that created by a deeper darkness spell.
  ecOLOGy
  Environment any underground
  Organization solitary or team (2–6)
  Treasure standard
  Advancement 12–22 HD (Large), 23–33 HD (Huge)
  Level Adjustment  —
  Scanderig 
  CR 10
  Always Le Large outsider (earth)
  Init +6; Senses darkvision 120 ft., see in darkness; Listen +13, Spot +13
  DefeNSe
  AC 25, touch 11, flat-footed 23
  ( +2 Dex, +14 natural, –1 size)
  hp 126 (11d8+77)
  Fort +14, Ref +9, Will +8
  Immune fire, poison
  Resist acid 10, cold 10
  OffeNSe
  Spd 20 ft., burrow 20 ft.
  Melee bite +19 (3d6+9) and
   
  2 claws +14 (1d8+4) and
   
  bite +14 (1d6+4)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  scAndeRig (foRgefiend) 
  More than ten feet tall, this lumbering humanoid fiend looks to have 
  been born of living ore and sculpted pig iron. A massive maw splits 
  its prodigious belly and through the sockets of its eyes, flared nostrils, 
  and both mouths flickers an angry glow, as if a furnace raged within 
  the brute’s bowels. The impression is cemented as its jagged belly 
  maw belches forth a blast of cinders and sparks. 
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  “Miners speak of the scanderig as death in armor plate. 
  But death is kinder than those things.”
    
  —Hedrig Bluefoot, dwarven mithral miner (ret.)
  Scanderigs, more commonly known as “forgefiends,” look like 
  large, heavily armored, barrel-shaped creatures, with enormous 
  mouths in their bellies in addition to the normal-sized ones 
  in their heads. Their powerfully clawed hands are capable of 
  digging through stone and ore, allowing the brutes to reach 
  the raw metals for which they endlessly hunger. Their heads 
  are slightly conical, and their skin is thick and segmented, as if 
  they were wearing numerous fused plates of armor. This steely 
  appearance causes many who encounter these ravaging outsiders 
  to mistake them for some manner of rampaging golem or other 
  diabolical construct.
   
  ecologY
  Scanderigs are native to the Elemental Plane of Earth, where they 
  fight constantly with one another in their efforts to consume vast 
  quantities of ore, which they then regurgitate as slag, somehow 
  taking nourishment from the transformation of the metal’s state. 
  Occasionally, forgefiends make their way through subterranean 
  portals onto the Material Plane, where they gorge themselves on rich 
  and relatively uncontested mineral veins. A forgefiend might live quite 
  happily inside a mountain’s heart for centuries, only causing trouble 
  when the ore runs out or interlopers attempt to mine its territory. 
   
  Unlike many elemental creatures born from the hostile forces 
  that comprise their primeval realms, forgefiends reproduce 
  asexually —when one individual manages to locate a large enough 
  supply of metal, it regurgitates a puddle of molten ore, sculpting 
  it into its own image and breathing life into it via an unknown 
  process. From that point, the new scanderig has only hours to 
  escape its parent’s territory before it is attacked and consumed 
  for its own metals.
   
  hABitAt & societY
  While most scanderigs dwelling on the Elemental Plane of Earth 
  face constant competition from others of their race for mineral 
  food sources, on other planes they often become lords of the 
  areas they inhabit. Menacing underground-dwelling races, these 
  brutes are quite capable of destroying small communities or, 
  at least, disrupting mining operations. Some particularly dim-
  witted subterranean creatures even pay homage to scanderigs 
  out of fear, bringing these gluttonous warlords great meals of 
  unworked metal ore.
   
  Covetous of the lands they inhabit—or, more aptly, the delicious 
  minerals in those lands—scanderigs often create simple earthen 
  traps in their territories, such as deep pits, deadfalls, and the like. 
  Collapsing tunnels and stony barriers are a forgefiend’s most 
  common ways of deterring trespassers, as it can pass or burrow 
  through the earth with relative ease.
   
  Scanderigs care only for themselves and have a vague contempt 
  for non-outsiders. Willing to perform menial tasks for the ore 
  they endlessly hunger for, scanderigs sometimes come to serve 
  creatures more powerful than themselves or who frequently 
  pay them in mined minerals, such as derro, genies, or elemental 
  lords. Even beyond such arrangements, forgefiends are by their 
  nature greedy, and are always willing to be bribed, provided their 
  victims or patrons can supply them with significantly more ore 
  than they would get by simply attacking outright. They might also 
  temporarily work with other scanderigs, digging through stone or 
  iron to reach the best ore, but generally view other forgefiends as 
  competition and are quick to attack their fellows if challenged. 
  scAndeRigs in  
  dwARVen folkloRe
  While the depths of Golarion are home to an untold number of 
  horrors, the forgefiend holds a special place in dwarven myth. 
  Naturally attracted to the high concentrations of ore found in 
  dwarven mines and forges, the scanderig is a rare but very real 
  threat to dwarves everywhere, and it is capable of wreaking 
  terrible devestation. While most dwarves are prudently 
  compelled to destroy forgefiends whenever possible, there 
  are stories of the occasional corrupt dwarven wizard or priest 
  summoning such creatures to make war on another dwarven clan 
  or in an attempt to guard a particularly rich vein of ore.
  In addition to the creature’s fearsome reputation, the  legend 
  of marauding scanderigs has become such a pervasive part of 
  dwarven culture that it’s often used as an all-purpose bogeyman 
  for frightening dwarven children and instilling good smithing 
  habits, as seen in this popular dwarven nursery rhyme:
  “For every scrap of slag you waste,
  a scanderig is making haste.
  Those who use excessive ore,
  find scanderigs at their door.”
  exAmple scAndeRigs
  Found in the depths throughout Golarion, the depredations of 
  forgefiends are vast and varied, and might lead to all manner of 
  underground adventures.
   
  Anvilbitter: According to local stories, the deepest tunnels 
  below the dwarven community of Ramstaltown are haunted by 
  the forgefiend known as Anvilbitter. Dwarven mothers frequently 
  tell tales of the famous scanderig to keep their children from 
  wandering off alone, and nearly every problem or mishap the 
  town faces is blamed on ol’ Anvilbitter. The scanderig pays little 
  attention to the town, though, having found the forgotten vaults 
  of the dwarves’ forefathers, which it has gradually been eating 
  through for years.
   
  Father Fire: The tribes living upon the long-dormant volcano, 
  Mount Hakamachti, were terrified and amazed when an angry 
  voice sounded from within, demanding that the earth at the 
  mountain’s base be mined and that all shines be dropped into 
  the volcano’s mouth. Although the natives say the voice is the 
  god of the volcano, it is in fact a scanderig that has come to live 
  in the fiery depths.  
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  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  At will—quickened greater teleport, light, major image (Dc 20)
  3/day—mirage arcana (Dc 22), greater dispel magic (Dc 23), 
  rainbow pattern (Dc 21), sunbeam, spell turning, wall of force
  1/day—scintillating pattern (Dc 25), screen (Dc 25), symbol of 
  insanity (Dc 25)
  TAcTicS
  During Combat Shining children prefer to maintain ranged superiority 
  via flight, attacking with rays of searing light from a distance. if 
  pressed in melee, they rely on their aura, burning touch, and symbol 
  of insanity to thin out the ranks of their foes.
  Morale Shining children generally fight to the death.
  STATiSTicS
  Str 10, Dex 17, Con 18, Int 15, Wis 11, Cha 24
  Base Atk +18; Grp +18
  Feats Ability focus (aura of blinding light), Dodge, Lightning Reflexes, 
  Mobility, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (greater teleport), Spring 
  Attack, Weapon finesse
  Skills Bluff +28, concentration +25, Diplomacy +30, intimidate 
  +30, Knowledge (arcana) +23, Knowledge (the planes) +23, 
  Listen +21, Search +23, Spot +21, Use Magic Device +28
  Languages telepathy 120 ft.
  SQ outsider traits, radiant armor
  SPeciAL ABiLiTieS
  Aura of Blinding Light (Ex) A shining child can radiate a 50-foot-radius 
  aura of blinding light as a free action. This creates a condition of 
  illumination equal to daylight and imposes a –4 circumstance penalty 
  on Hide checks within the aura. creatures within the affected area 
  must succeed on a Dc 25 fortitude save or be blinded. A creature 
  who successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same shining 
  child’s aura for 24 hours. Other shining children are immune to the 
  aura. The save Dc is constitution-based.
  Burning Touch (Su) A shining child corrupts the positive energy 
  within a living creature into an unnatural, disintegrating, burning 
  light. By making a successful touch attack, it can cause a living 
  foe to burst into this searing radiance. The light of a shining child 
  deals 2d12 points of fire damage when it first hits and 2d6 points 
  of fire damage for the next 5 rounds. The burning light can be 
  “extinguished” by immersing it in darkness, such as that created 
  by darkness or similar spell or simply by entering an area devoid of 
  any other source of light. This attack does not affect constructs, 
  undead, or similar non-living creatures.
  Radiant Armor (Su) The light that surrounds a shining child grants a 
  deflection bonus to its Ac equal to its charisma bonus. The bonus 
  can be reduced to +2 for 1 round by casting deeper darkness on 
  the shining child (ordinary darkness has no effect).
  Searing Ray (Su) A shining child’s primary attack is a ray of searing 
  positive energy. This attack has a range of 120 feet (no range 
  increment). This ray deals double damage to undead.
  ecOLOGy
  Environment any
  Organization solitary, visitation (2–9), or incursion (10–30)
  Treasure none
  Advancement 19–32 HD (Medium)
  Level Adjustment  — 
  shining child  
  of thAssilon
  This creature is almost too bright to gaze upon, its emaciated body 
  sheathed in writhing flames of pure light and supporting a prehensile 
  tail, clawed hands, and a twisted skull projecting beams of fire from 
  its eyes and mouth. 
  Shining Child of Thassilon 
  CR 12
  Always ce Medium outsider (evil)
  Init +3; Senses darkvision 120 ft.; Listen +21, Spot +21
  Aura aura of blinding light
  DefeNSe
  AC 30, touch 20, flat-footed 27
  ( +7 deflection, +3 Dex, +10 natural)
  hp 153 (18d8+72)
  Fort +15, Ref +14, Will +11
  Immune fire, poison; SR 26
  Resist cold 10, sonic 10
  OffeNSe
  Spd fly 50 ft. (perfect)
  Melee burning touch +21 (2d12 fire)
  Ranged searing ray +21 (5d6 fire)
  Spell-like Abilities (cL 12)
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  B e s t i A R Y
  89
  “The shining child is the herald of evil, dressed in beauty 
  and light but promising destruction.”
    
   
   
  —The Record of Lost Scandye
  Always obscured by harsh rays of blinding light, the true 
  appearance of the shining children is difficult to discern—
  and this is just as well, as many creatures find their warped 
  geometry, weirdly glowing eyes and mouth, and pulsating, 
  many-hued skin painful to behold. Those who risk blindness 
  and gaze into the luminous figure describe the general form 
  of the shining child as humanoid, though it seems to have a 
  prehensile tail, and its hands resemble a horrible mixture of 
  fingers and claws, with five pairs of claws and double thumbs 
  on each hand. Its face is difficult to see, as its eyes and mouth 
  constantly exude beams of light in whatever direction the 
  child is looking. These strange beings warp positive energy 
  into powerful searing flames. Everything they touch catches 
  fire and burns into dust, forever lifeless. 
  Shining children can communicate via telepathy with any 
  creature that has a language. This generally manifests as a 
  constant psychic roar like that of metal tearing or a raging fire, 
  but when they seek to make their thoughts known their voices 
  are strained and raspy.
  ecologY
  Shining children are not of Golarion and defy classification 
  even by scholars of the infinite planes. Destructive by their 
  very nature, these radiant horrors have no place in any known 
  environment and defy many of the fundamental laws of nature—
  being unbound by the need to eat, requirements of sleep, and 
  even gravity. 
   
  Adding to the enigma of these beings, it is unknown whether 
  a shining child can truly be killed. When destroyed, a shining 
  child’s body disappears completely in a flash of light, leaving 
  only a burned afterimage on the nearest surface—a silhouette 
  that looks like a shadow but is somehow brighter than everything 
  around it, even in full daylight. Not even magic seems able to 
  hold their form in place after “death,” leading many to believe 
  that a dying shining child simply disperses its energy into the 
  surrounding ether.
   
  Descriptions of the skin and head shapes of shining children 
  vary considerably. It might be that male and female shining 
  children are sexually dimorphic, or there might be other poorly 
  understood differences, perhaps between juvenile and adult 
  forms, molting forms, or larval and pupated forms. The answers 
  to such questions are unlikely to ever be discovered, as shining 
  children are notoriously unwilling—sometimes murderously 
  so—to discuss themselves.
  hABitAt & societY
  According to the sparse records available, the first contact with 
  these beings was made by a cabal of Thassilonian wizards attempting 
  to research new means of teleportation. The strange creatures 
  don’t appear to have individual names and refer to themselves as 
  “the shining one” or “the shining child,” as if they were a singular 
  entity, leaving sages somewhat puzzled on the question of their 
  species or uniqueness. Due to the temperamental nature of the 
  creatures, few have dared to pry too deeply. 
    Shining children are not native to the Material Plane. They 
  might be native to realms of madness, the heart of a black star, 
  or some even stranger place. While many theorize what their 
  origins might be, the creatures themselves refuse to offer any 
  concrete answers.
   
  When summoned, shining children appear to have little 
  concern for their fellows or those who called upon them. They 
  do seem to enjoy burning sentient beings, though, and are 
  willing enough to obey their summoners if they’re provided  with 
  adequate opportunities to burn and torture mortal victims. 
  childRen of thAssilon
  Shining children are primarily known today through their 
  association with the Thassilonian wizards who first discovered 
  them. Though any alliance appears to have been tenuous and 
  volatile at best, ancient writings describe beings of pure light 
  who guarded the most important artifacts of the ancient empire 
  or walked before their armies, consuming vast swaths of humanity 
  in a blaze of killing light. There are also whispers that the scholars 
  managed to learn great arcane secrets from the creatures, 
  knowledge alien to man and god alike, but if this is true, the secrets 
  continue to be guarded well or are simply lost.
  theoRies of oRigin
  As little concrete fact can be determined regarding shining 
  children—due as much to their violent natures as their extreme 
  rarity—it seems that any scholar who learns of these beings has 
  a theory regarding their strange nature. Presented here are four 
  of the best known theories regarding their origins.
  Dimensional Intruders: These ancient horrors come 
  from beyond any known dimension, called forth by intangible 
  sacrifices and long-forgotten magic. Now they wait for the planes 
  to align properly again so that they might use the power of the 
  conjunction to return home.
  Faces of the Future: The shining children come from a world 
  of the future, where a race of beings outgrew their physical 
  forms and became creatures of pure energy and unknowable 
  pursuits. A variant of this theory holds that the shining children 
  are the celestials of a future age wherein all behavior has been 
  regimented and purified to such a degree that residents of the 
  past, no matter how good by the standards of the time, are 
  hideously warped and in need of the children’s cleansing fire.
  Reality’s Vanguard: Shining children come from the 
  bleeding edge of reality, an immaterial place where light and 
  dark have grown sentient and engage in continual war, both 
  made thoroughly evil by their endless conflict.
  Star Children: All shining children are actually reflections of a 
  single creature, a vast and dying star grown sentient and projecting 
  its mad will at random through time and space, refracting through 
  the lenses and angles of planes and dimensions.
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  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  The ageless monuments and awesome cities of Thassilon rose 
  upon the backs of countless slaves, but none bore the sin-poisoned 
  civilization’s burden more than the giants. Able to perform the 
  work of dozens of human slaves, Thassilon’s titanic servants—hill 
  giants, stone giants, taiga giants, and others—crafted marvels nigh 
  unparalleled in any era before or since and shaped the face of what 
  is now modern Varisia. Yet, as viciously as the runelords worked 
  their slaves and for all they demanded, the giant-crafted marvels 
  were not enough. And so, working the corrupt rune magic that was 
  theirs alone, the runelords manufactured a damning curse and laid 
  it over their most tireless and effective workers, and in so doing 
  created a new breed of servant: the runeslave.
  Creating a runeslave
  “Runeslave” is an acquired template that can be added to any 
  giant (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
   
  A runeslave uses all the base creature’s statistics and special 
  abilities except as noted here.
   
  Speed: A runeslave’s base land speed is 20 feet faster 
  than the base creature. Other forms of movement, such 
  as flying or swim speeds, are unaffected.
   Special Qualities: Runeslave creatures have all 
  the base creature’s special qualities as well as those 
  described below.
   Arcane Decay (Su): The symbols etched upon a 
  runeslave’s body put great stress on its physical form, 
  choking its mind and ultimately killing the giant. This 
  slow decay of a runeslave’s mental faculties manifests as a 
  disease with the following traits.
   Arcane Decay—non-contagious, Fortitude DC 30, incubation 
  period instant, damage 1 Int, 1 Wis, 1 Cha.
   
  All runeslaves are “infected” by this disease. Only limited wish, 
  miracle, or wish can prevent or cure arcane decay, but in so doing 
  removes the entire template, reverting the runeslave back to the 
  base creature. Multiple successful Fortitude saves only delay the 
  decay and do not cure the creature of the disease.
   
  Arcane Surge (Su): Three times per day, as a free action, a 
  runeslave can gain the benefits of the spell haste for 6 rounds. Using 
  this ability forces the giant to make an additional Fortitude save 
  against arcane decay, even if it has already made its daily save to 
  resist the disease. If it fails, the runeslave takes damage from the 
  disease as normal.
   
  Vulnerable Mind (Ex): A runeslave takes a –8 penalty on any save 
  made to resist a mind-affecting spell or ability.
   
  Immune to Fear (Ex): Runeslaves are immune to all fear effects.
   
  Immune to Pain (Ex): Runeslaves can continue to function even 
  after taking great punishment. They continue to fight without 
  penalty even when reduced to 0 or fewer hit points (as per the 
  Diehard feat) and are immune to nonlethal damage and death 
  from massive damage.
   
  Abilities: Change from the base creature as follows: Str +4, 
  Int –2, Wis –2, Cha –2.
   
  CR: Same as base creature.
  Sample runeslave
  Among the weakest of the true giant races, hill giants were most 
  commonly the victims chosen for transformation into runeslaves, 
  as their efforts left the most to be desired and their numbers were 
  most expendable.
  Hill Giant Slave 
  CR 7
  Male runeslave hill giant (MM 123)
  ce Large giant
  Init –1; Senses low-light vision; Listen +1, Spot +4
  DefeNSe
  AC 20, touch 8, flat-footed 20
  ( –1 Dex, +9 natural, +3 armor, –1 size)
  the RuneslAVe
  Numerous severe-looking runes spark and flicker upon the body 
  of this towering giant, seemingly seared into the creature’s skin. 
  Although its eyes look dull, its muscles bulge grotesquely, as if barely 
  contained by a thin layer of flesh, and it moves unnaturally fast for a 
  creature of such ponderous size. A horrid expression—either rage 
  or pain—contorts the giant’s features as it speeds forward. 
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  B e s t i A R Y
  91
  hp 102 (12d8+48)
  Fort +12, Ref +3, Will +2 (–6 versus mind-affecting effects)
  Immune fear
  Weakness vulnerable mind
  OffeNSe
  Spd 40 ft. in hide armor (base speed 60 ft.)
  Melee greatclub +18 melee (2d8+13)
  Ranged rock +8 (2d6+9)
  Special Attacks rock throwing
  TAcTicS
  During Combat As soon as it is provoked, the runeslave uses its arcane 
  surge ability and charges into combat, fighting with whatever it has 
  on hand.
  Morale The runeslave has lost nearly all sense of self-preservation and 
  fights until slain.
  STATiSTicS
  Str 29, Dex 8, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 6, Cha 3
  Base Atk +9; Grp +20
  Feats cleave, improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, improved Sunder, 
  Weapon focus (greatclub)
  Skills climb +9, Jump +9, Listen +1, Spot +4
  Languages Giant
  SQ arcane decay, arcane surge, immune to pain
  Other Gear hide armor, greatclub
  SPeciAL ABiLiTieS
  Arcane Decay This giant has taken an additional 2 points of 
  intelligence, Wisdom, and charisma damage from arcane decay.
  Rock Throwing (Ex) The range increment is 120 feet for a hill giant’s 
  thrown rocks. 
  The Curse of the runeslave
  As the benefits of turning their giant servants into runeslaves 
  swept across Thassilon, each of the seven runelords came to 
  employ the corruptive magic in varying ways. While in most of 
  the runelords’ holdings the giants merely continued to serve 
  as expendable labor, in Bakrakhan, the runelord of wrath, 
  Alaznist, incorporated runeslaves into her vast armies, using 
  them as living siege engines. In Cyrusian, the domain of Pride, 
  Runelord Xanderghul used the magic as a punishment upon any 
  slave who garnered his fickle ire.
   
  While the magic used to create runeslaves resided almost 
  exclusively in the hands of the runelords, the number of 
  giant slaves that would benefit from this ultimately fatal 
  “improvement” far exceeded Thassilon’s rulers’ ability and 
  interest to transform. As such, a number of different methods 
  of creating runeslaves were created, each originating  
  in a separate domain but eventually spreading throughout 
  the empire.
   
  Runeslave Cauldron: Brought forth from Gastash, the 
  domain of gluttony, these massive cauldrons were crafted to 
  be large enough to fit an adult stone giant and infused with 
  necromantic energies. If the body of any dead giant were placed 
  within the profane cauldron, it was immediately resurrected, but 
  now affected with arcane decay (see sidebar).
   
  Poisoning: In Edasseril, the domain of envy, the alchemists of 
  the poison laboratories of Runelord Belmarius discovered a way 
  to turn arcane decay into a toxin, allowing the contagion to be 
  delivered via a deadly poison.
   
  Arcane Decay Poison: Injury, Fortitude DC 22, initial 1d6 Con, 
  secondary results in contracting arcane decay. This poison only 
  affects creatures of the giant type.
   
  Mass Rite: In the Grand Sybaritum of Xin-Haruka, Runelord 
  Krune grew weary of cursing filthy giant after filthy giant, and so 
  devised a method to transform hundreds of his slaves at a time. 
  Summoning whole legions of his giants before him, Krune called 
  down the might of the rune goddess Lissala and cursed his slaves 
  en masse, sending countless faithful slaves to their doom.
  Runeslave cauldRon
  Aura strong necromancy (minor 
  artifact); CL 20th
  Slot —; Weight 900 lbs.
  DeScRiPTiON
  This 12-foot-high, 10-foot-diameter 
  cauldron is made of solid iron, cast in one piece and 
  thick enough to withstand great heat. its side is marked with 
  the Sihedron Rune, while many other Thassilonian runes grace its 
  rim. Normally empty, the cauldron must be activated by filling it 
  with a specially prepared broth of rare necromantic ingredients 
  and rainwater that has filled several open graves. The cost of the 
  special ingredients is 10,000 gp, but once the cauldron is filled, a 
  fire lights under it automatically and keeps the broth bubbling and 
  functional for one year.
  A runeslave cauldron has the ability to infuse the body of a 
  freshly slain giant, reviving it and transforming it into an even 
  more brutish creature well-suited for magical control. A giant 
  corpse placed inside the cauldron’s bubbling broth rises from 
  the cauldron one hour later as if true resurrection had been cast 
  on it. in addition, the newly revived giant gains the runeslave 
  template. The cauldron can revive up to five giants a day in this 
  manner. Non-giant corpses placed in the broth are unaffected by 
  the cauldron’s magic.
  Any living creature (save for a runeslave) completely immersed 
  in the boiling broth inside a functional runeslave cauldron 
  immediately takes 6d6 points of fire damage per round. in 
  addition, it must make a Dc 20 fortitude save each round—failure 
  indicates that the cauldron’s necromantic energy snuffs out the 
  victim’s life, killing him instantly.
  The smoke produced by the cauldron as it boils is particularly 
  noxious to good-aligned beings. it spreads to a radius of 30 feet 
  around the cauldron, and while the smoke isn’t thick enough 
  to obscure vision, its foul-smelling vapors sting and burn those 
  of good alignment. each round such a creature remains in the 
  smoke, he must make a Dc 20 fortitude save or be blinded and 
  nauseated for as long as he remains in the area plus an additional 
  1d6 rounds after leaving it.
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  R i s e  o f  t h e  R u n e l o R d s
  ValeRos
  seoni
  Male HuMan FigHter  10
  FeMale HuMan Sorcerer  10
  abilities
  abilities
  Despite being a consummate adventurer, Seoni is something of an enigma to her compatriots. Quietly 
  neutral on most matters, bound by codes and mandates that she rarely feels compelled to explain, the 
  sorceress keeps her emotions tightly bottled. Extremely detail-oriented—a trait that has led Merisiel 
  to often call her a “control freak”—Seoni is a careful and meticulous planner, a schemer who frequently 
  finds herself frustrated by the improvised plans of her more impulsive companions. Despite all of this, 
  Seoni has stuck by her comrades through numerous tight spots, a fact that continues to amaze and 
  confuse Valeros, who often wonders loudly (although not altogether unappreciatively) about “the witch 
  and her schemes.”
  Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds, rod of lesser empower metamagic, staff of fire (25 charges), scroll of fireball, wand of 
  magic missile (CL 3rd, 50 charges); Other Gear mwk dagger, amulet of natural armor +1, cloak of Charisma +4, ring of protection +2, 
  handy haversack, everburning torch, rations (4), 60 pp, 34 gp
  skills
  Bluff  
  +18
  Climb  
  +2
  Concentration  
  +14
  Listen 
  +3
  Spellcraft 
  +13
  Spot 
  +3
  feats
  Alertness (when Dragon is in reach), 
  Dodge, Extend Spell, Greater Spell 
  Focus (evocation), Spell Focus 
  (evocation), Spell Penetration, 
  Varisian Tattoo (evocation)B
  familiar
  Dragon (blue-tailed skink: as 
  lizard, MM 275)
  offense
  Melee staff of fire +4 (1d6–1)
  Ranged mwk dagger +8 (1d4–1/19–20)
  Base Atk +5; Grp +4
  Spells Known (CL 10th, 11th  evocation)
  5th (4/day)—cone of cold (DC 22)
  4th (6/day)—dimension door, wall of fire
  3rd (7/day)—fly, haste, lightning bolt (DC 20)
  2nd (7/day)—invisibility, resist energy, 
  scorching ray, web
  1st (8/day)—burning hands (DC 18), enlarge 
  person, mage armor, magic missile, shield
  0 (6/day)—acid splash, arcane mark, daze 
  (DC 15), detect magic, light, mage hand, 
  prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th)
  1/day—dancing lights
  defense
  HP 36
  AC 15
  touch 14, flat-footed 13
  Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +8
  cha
  21
  wis
  13
  int
  10
  con
  12
  dex
  14
  str
  Born a farmer’s son in the quiet Andorian countryside, Valeros spent his youth dreaming of adventure and 
  exploring the world. For the past several years, he’s done exactly that, having been a mercenary with the Band of 
  the Mauler, a guard for the Aspis Consortium, a freelance bounty hunter, and hired muscle for a dozen different 
  employers in as many lands. Gone is his youthful naivete, replaced by scars and the resolve of a veteran warrior. 
  Although he possesses a keen wit, he finds the simplest, most direct approach is often the best, and has little 
  patience for convoluted schemes or magical chicanery. While noble at heart, Valeros hides this beneath a jaded, 
  sometimes crass demeanor, often claiming that there’s no better way to end a day’s adventuring than with “an 
  evening of hard drinking and a night of soft company.”
  Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds (3); Other Gear +2 mithral breastplate, +1 frost longsword, +1 short sword, +1 
  composite longbow (+4 Str) with 20 arrows, silver dagger, amulet of natural armor +1, belt of giant strength +4, gloves of Dexterity +2, 
  ring of protection +1, cloak of resistance +1, backpack, lucky tankard, rations (6), 50 ft. silk rope, 30 pp, 17 gp
  8
  align LN 
  init +2 
  speed 30 ft.
  deity Pharasma    Homeland Varisia
  align NG 
  init +8 
  speed 30 ft.
  deity Cayden Cailean 
  Homeland Andoran
  skills
  Climb  
  +14
  Intimidate  
  +13
  Ride  
  +17
  Swim 
  +11
  feats
  Big Game HunterB, Combat 
  Expertise, Greater Weapon Focus 
  (longsword), Improved Critical 
  (longsword), Improved Initiative, 
  Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, 
  Power Attack, Two-Weapon 
  Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting, 
  Weapon Focus (longsword), 
  Weapon Focus (short sword), 
  Weapon Specialization (longsword)
  offense
  Melee +1 frost longsword +17/+12  
   
  (1d8+7/17–20 plus 1d6 cold) or 
  +1 frost longsword +15/+10 (1d8+7/17–
  20 plus 1d6 cold) and
  +1 short sword +14/+9 (1d6+3/19–20)
  Ranged +1 comp longbow +15/+10 
  (1d8+5/×3)
  Base Atk +10; Grp +14
  defense
  HP 69
  AC 24
  touch 15, flat-footed 20
  Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +3
  cha
  10
  8
  wis
  int
  13
  con
  12
  dex
  19
  str
  18
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  C h a R a C t e R s
  93
  MeRisiel
  KYRa
  FeMale elF rogue  10
  FeMale HuMan cleric  10 
  abilities
  abilities
  Kyra was one of the few survivors of a brutal raid on her hometown, and on the smoking ruins of her village 
  she swore her life and sword arm to Sarenrae. Possessed of a fierce will, pride in her faith, and skill with the 
  scimitar, Kyra has traveled far since her trial by fire. She lost her family and home that fateful day, yet where 
  another might be consumed by anger and a thirst for revenge, Kyra has found peace in the Dawnflower, and 
  in the belief that, if she can prevent even one death at evil hands, her own losses will not have been in 
  vain. While her faith runs deep, she does not see herself as an evangelist and saves her sermonizing for 
  those with ears to hear her enlightenment—a virtue largely learned after many frustrating philosophical 
  arguments with Merisiel and Valeros.
  Combat Gear holy water (3), wand of cure moderate wounds (40 charges), wand of lesser restoration (25 charges); Other Gear +2 
  chainmail, +1 heavy steel shield, +1 holy scimitar, cloak of resistance +1, periapt of Wisdom +4, ring of protection +1, backpack, gold holy 
  symbol (with continual flame) worth 300 gp, rations (4), 30 pp
  skills
  Concentration 
  +15
  Heal 
  +18
  Knowledge (religion) 
  +13
  feats
  Combat Casting, Country BornB, 
  Extra Turning, Iron Will, Martial 
  Weapon Proficiency (scimitar), 
  Weapon Focus (scimitar)
  offense
  Melee +1 holy scimitar +10 (1d6+2/18–20)
  Base Atk +7; Grp +8
  Special Attacks greater turning 1/day, turn 
  undead 8/day (+3, 2d6+11)
  Spells Prepared (CL 7th, +4 ranged touch)
  5th—flame strikeD (DC 20), righteous 
  might, spell resistance, summon monster V
  4th—air walk, divine power, fire shieldD, 
  freedom of movement, restoration
  3rd—blindness/deafness (DC 18), dispel 
  magic (2), remove disease, searing lightD
  2nd—aid, bull’s strength, heat metalD (DC 
  17), resist energy, spiritual weapon (2)
  1st—bless, cure light woundsD, divine favor 
  (2), sanctuary (DC 16), shield of faith (2)
  0—detect magic (2), light, mending (3)
  D domain spell; Domains healing, sun
  defense
  HP 68
  AC 20
  touch 10, flat-footed 20
  Fort +10, Ref +3, Will +16
  cha
  12
  wis
  21
  int
  10
  con
  14
  dex
  8
  str
  13
  align NG 
  init –1 
  speed 20 ft.
  deity Sarenrae    Homeland Qadira
  Merisiel’s life experiences have taught her to enjoy things to their fullest as they occur, since it’s impossible 
  to tell when the good times might end. Just over a century old—still an adolscent as her people count age—
  she’s already grown used to watching her friends grow old. She’s open and expressive with her thoughts and 
  emotions, and never hesitates to make them known when things go wrong. Never the sharpest knife in the 
  drawer, Merisiel makes up for this by carrying at least a dozen of them on her person. She hasn’t met a prob-
  lem yet that can’t, in one way or another, be solved with things that slice. While she’s always on the move and 
  working on her latest batch of plots for easy money, in the end it comes down to being faster than everyone 
  else—either on her feet, or with her beloved blades. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
  Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds (2), potion of invisibility (2); Other Gear +3 shadow silent moves studded leather 
  armor, +1 keen rapier, daggers (12), amulet of natural armor +1, boots of speed, gloves of Dexterity +2, ring of jumping, ring of 
  protection +1, rations (3), masterwork thieves’ tools, polished jade worth 50 gp, 120 pp
  skills
  Bluff  
  +12
  Disable Device 
  +11
  Hide 
  +17
  Jump 
  +18
  Listen 
  +9
  Move Silently 
  +17
  Open Lock 
  +14
  Search 
  +11
  Sleight of Hand 
  +14
  Spot 
  +11
  Tumble 
  +16
  feats
  City BornB, Dodge, Mobility, 
  Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse
  offense
  Melee +1 keen rapier +13/+8 
  (1d6+2/15–20)
  Ranged dagger +12 (1d4+1/19–20)
  Base Atk +7; Grp +8
  Special Attack crippling strike, sneak 
  attack +5d6
  defense
  HP 47
  AC 23
  touch 16, flat-footed 18
  Fort +4, Ref +14, Will +4 
  (+6 against enchantment)
  Defense evasion, trap sense 
  +3, improved uncanny dodge; 
  Immune sleep
  cha
  10
  wis
  13
  int
  8
  con
  12
  dex
  21
  str
  12
  align CN 
  init +5 
  speed 30 ft.
  deity Calistria    Homeland Varisia
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  Next Month In Pathfinder
  94
  P R E V I E W
  SInS of thE SaVIoRS
  by Stephen S. Greer
  The plot of the resurrected Runelord of Greed has been revealed, 
  but what weapon holds the power to combat his murderous return? 
  Only by delving into the depths of a seven-dungeon labyrinth of sin 
  can the PCs discover the ancient magic capable of defeating their 
  deathless foe—though doing so might mean embracing the very 
  vices they would fight to defeat.
  LamaShtu
  by Sean K Reynolds
  The howls of monsters and gibbering of abominations rise in 
  blasphemous chorus to Lamashtu, the goddess of madness, 
  monsters, and nightmares. Witness the blasphemous rites of 
  the Mother of Monsters’ twisted clergy and learn the bloody 
  ways of horrors as zealous as they are cruel.
  magIc of thaSSILon
  by Owen K. C. Stephens, Brian Cortijo, Nicolas Logue, et al.
  The secrets of the runelords revealed! Learn the rune magic that gave 
  rise to a millennia-old empire of sin, claim artifacts of vice and ruin, 
  and wield the arcane might of ancient Thassilon!
  PathfIndER’S JouRnaL
  Eando Kline’s reckless tour of Korvosa gets even worse when he 
  goes head to head against the spies and assassins of the Red Mantis, 
  one of the most feared criminal organizations in Golarion!
  BEStIaRy
  Many-eyed monstrosities, flammable witches, giants who would 
  feel right at home along the Manuxet River, and more!
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  P R E V I E W
  95
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  Find Your Path.
  Look for these upcoming Pathfinder releases:
  Pathfinder Rise of the Runelords Players Guide (5-Pack) 
  PZO9000  
   
   
  $9.99  
  Available now!
  Pathfinder #2 Rise of the Runelords: The Skinsaw Murders 
  PZO9002  
   
   
  $19.99   
  September 2007
  Pathfinder #3 Rise of the Runelords: The Hook Mountain Massacre 
  PZO9003  
   
   
  $19.99   
  October 2007
  Pathfinder #4 Rise of the Runelords: Fortress of the Stone Giants 
  PZO9004  
   
   
  $19.99   
  November 2007
  Pathfinder #5 Rise of the Runelords: Sins of the Saviors 
  PZO9005  
   
   
  $19.99   
  December 2007
  Pathfinder #6 Rise of the Runelords: Spires of Xin-Shalast 
  PZO9006  
   
   
  $19.99   
  January 2008 
  All trademarks are property of Paizo Publishing®, LLC. ©2007 Paizo Publishing.
  TM
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  paizo.com/pathfinder
  Made in China. PZO9004
  T
  he Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path™ continues! Driven to battle by 
  a maniacal warlord, the once-peaceful stone giants of the Storval Plateau 
  threaten to destroy the sleepy town of Sandpoint. Will fast action and quick 
  wits be enough to save the defenseless community? 
  Yet, even if the giants’ initial raid can be repelled, only by striking at the heart 
  of their titanic war machine—the black-towered fortress of Jorgenfist—can the 
  menace be quelled. But who knows what mysterious bloodlust spurs the usually 
  peaceful giants to war, or what mysteries lie 
  beneath their ancient fortress? 
  This volume of Pathfinder™ includes:
  • 
  “Fortress of the Stone Giants,” an 
  adventure for 10th-level characters, 
   
  by Wolfgang Baur.
  • 
  A study of the ancient history, harsh 
  life, and nuanced society of stone 
  giants, by Wolfgang Baur.
  • 
  Details on the dragons of the 
  Pathfinder Chronicles campaign 
  setting, revealed for the first 
  time by Mike McArtor.
  • 
  The fourth installment of  
  the Pathfinder’s Journal, 
   
  by Mike McArtor.
  • 
  Seven new monsters  
  by Wolfgang Baur.
  The Giants are on the March
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Pathfinder/Adventure Paths/Rise of the Rune Lords/Fortress of the Stone Giants 4.pdf