TEXT: ADVENTURE PATH
  Second Darkness
  A Memory 
  of Darkness
  By J. D. Wiker
  
  Caldrana
  Misraria
  Azrinae
  Rasivrein
  Vexidyre
  Parastric
  Tracinoa
  dolour
  Vonnarc
  Udrinor
  Sardavic
  Moivas
  Drow Runes
  
  TM
  “A Memory of Darkness” is a Pathfinder Adventure Path scenario designed for four 12th-level characters. By the end of this adventure, characters should reach 14th level. This adventure is compliant with the Open Game 
  License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the 3.5 edition of the world’s most popular fantasy roleplaying game. The OGL can be found on page 92 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, 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.
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  Pathfinder © 2008, All Rights Reserved. Paizo Publishing, LLC
  Paizo Publishing and the golem logo are registered trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC. Pathfinder, and Pathfinder Chronicles, are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC.
  Printed in China.
  Credits
  Editor-in-Chief • James Jacobs
  Art Director • Sarah E. Robinson
  Managing Editor • F. Wesley Schneider
  Editors • Christopher Carey and James L. Sutter
  Editorial Assistance • Jason Bulmahn, Sean K Reynolds,  
  Christopher Self, and Vic Wertz
  Graphic Design Assistance • Drew Pocza
  Managing Art Director • James Davis
  Publisher • Erik Mona
  Cover Artist
  Steve Prescott
  Cartographer
  Rob Lazzaretti
  Contributing Artists
  Concept Art House, Julie Dillion, Andrew Hou, 
  Chuck Lukacs, Tyler Walpole, Ben Wootten, and Kevin Yan
  Contributing Authors
  Mike Ferguson, Joshua J. Frost, James Jacobs, Hal Maclean, 
  Sean K Reynolds, Amber Scott, James L. Sutter, and J. D. Wiker
  Paizo CEO • Lisa Stevens
  Vice President of Operations • Jeff Alvarez
  Events Manager • Joshua J. Frost
  Corporate Accountant • Dave Erickson
  Sales Manager • Christopher Self
  Technical Director • Vic Wertz
  Online Retail Coordinator • Jacob Burgess
  Special Thanks
  The Paizo Customer Service and Warehouse Teams
  
  Foreword	
  4
  A	Memory	of	Darkness	
  6
  by J. D. Wiker
  Kyonin	
  48
  by James L. Sutter
  Calistria	
  56
  by Sean K Reynolds
  Sun	Dagger’s	Crown	
  64
  by Joshua J. Frost
  Pathfinder’s	Journal	
  72
  by Amber Scott
  Bestiary	
  78 
  by Mike Ferguson, James Jacobs,  
  Hal Maclean, and Sean K Reynolds
  Pregenerated	Characters 
  90
  Preview	
  92	
   
  Table of Contents
  
  4
  Second Darkness
  The Darkness Comes!
  W
  e try not to date Pathfinder too much, since 
  reports from the trenches and whatnot prove 
  pretty worthless when you look back at them a 
  year later. So only a few words got said in these pages about 
  Gen Con 2008. But let me say something about it now. Gen 
  Con was freaking awesome.
  Along with the start of the Second Darkness Adventure 
  Path, August and Gen Con marked the first birthday of 
  Pathfinder. We got probably the best birthday present we could 
  with three ENnie awards, including a gold for Best Adventure 
  for Pathfinder #1. The recognition was both a shock and 
  beyond cool, so a big “thank you” to everyone who voted. We 
  really appreciate it, and the knowledge that folks like what 
  they’re seeing makes all this totally worthwhile!
  But while awards are neat, they weren’t what made the 
  convention so cool. 
  Day one of the convention saw the launch of our 
  Pathfinder Society organized play program (paizo.
  com/pathfindersociety)—a huge room that swiftly 
  became packed (and stayed packed) with Pathfinder 
  fans throughout the whole weekend. Nick Logue, Lou 
  Agresta, and a team of incredibly brave GMs wrangled 
  the Ascension of the Drow mega-event, which helped 
  shape the design of last month’s adventure, Endless 
  Night. We didn’t call out what came from where (largely 
  due to a lack of space), but close readers might see their 
  characters, nefarious deeds, and other contributions 
  reflected in the dark elven homeland.
  Going hand-in-hand with that—and this is going to 
  sound schmaltzy—it was really you guys that made the 
  trip to Indianapolis so fantastic. This year folks actually 
  knew what Pathfinder was and sought us out to talk about it. 
  Our seminars were packed, supposedly more due to folks’ 
  interest in our world and adventures than for my, James’s, 
  and Sutter’s ever-effervescent personalities (turns out 
  we’re pretty hilarious though). We got wined-and-dined 
  (well, beered-and-desserted) by the Werecabbages, a group 
  of some of our most dementedly enthusiastic contributors, 
  whom we invited to participate in a semi-open call for 
  Set Piece adventures. Expect an all-Werecabbages series 
  of Set Pieces debuting with Pathfinder #19 and running 
  throughout the upcoming Legacy of Fire Adventure Path, 
  with more news on writing for Pathfinder soon after. We 
  also saw a ton of Pathfinder fan art, heard about several 
  
  5
  Foreword
  F. Wesley Schneider
  Managing Editor
  wes@paizo.com
  dozen characters from Golarion, and likely traumatized 
  the first Pathfinder cosplayer. 
  So to everyone at Gen Con who stopped by to chat or 
  question, rant or gush, play or GM, another fond thank 
  you! And for everyone we missed, I’m sure we’ll catch you 
  next year!
  The Way of The Spider
  Right below the title and the big scary spider-demon on the 
  cover you’ll see J. D. Wiker’s name. Chances are you already 
  know J. D.’s work—he’s got a game design resume as long as 
  my arm, after all. Recalling roleplaying products that I read 
  and reread growing up and then tracking down their authors 
  to harass them about writing for Pathfinder has always been 
  one of the most enjoyable and humbling aspects of my job. 
  Not trying to make J. D. feel old, but I was just starting 
  college when his work on Dark•Matter and the Star Wars 
  RPG were coming out. It must have hit at a formative time, 
  though, because when James and I put our heads together 
  on who should handle Second Darkness’s big elven intrigue 
  adventure, J. D.’s name came to the top of the list.
  We knew “A Memory of Darkness” would prove tricky. 
  One of this adventure’s themes is the tangled web that is 
  elven politics. The queen wants the PCs to infiltrate the 
  Winter Council hideout of Thorn’s End, disrupt the group 
  they find there, and find proof of conspiracy and misdeed. 
  But she can’t directly order them to take action without 
  risking her power and the respect of her people. As a 
  result, she’s forced to undertake a rather complex plan of 
  manipulation and plausible deniability in the hopes that 
  it looks like the PCs decided to oppose the Winter Council 
  on their own. Maybe you’re starting to see where the drow 
  get their scheming nature.
  While some groups might work well with this setup, you 
  know your players better than I do. If you don’t think they’ll 
  mix well with sneaky political subplots, consider bringing 
  them in on the conspiracy. After the PCs suffer the attack at 
  the hands of the Shin’Rakorath, have the queen take them 
  aside and lay out the situation as detailed on page 15. In this 
  version, she tells the PCs to use the deluded succubus she’s 
  got imprisoned as a guide. If the PCs don’t let the succubus 
  know that they know what’s going on, they can trust the 
  demon to act according to her nature and lead them directly 
  to Thorn’s End. The queen tells the PCs that she’ll deny 
  this conversation if they mention it after their meeting, 
  of course, but this route does make the PCs feel more like 
  they’re allies with the elves rather than frustrated enemies.
  At the end of “Endless Night” the PCs technically have 
  all the information they need to seek out Allevrah in the 
  Land of Black Blood. If they want, they can certainly act on 
  their own and bypass this entire adventure, instead heading 
  down deeper into the Darklands to seek out their enemy to 
  confront her immediately—though that confrontation won’t 
  be detailed until Pathfinder #18’s adventure. PCs who bypass 
  “A Memory of Darkness,” however, might well be damning 
  themselves to a grisly end. Not only will they likely be too 
  low-level for “Descent into Midnight” (which is designed for 
  14th- to 15th-level characters), but this month’s adventure 
  is designed to fill the PCs in on how to defeat Allevrah’s 
  plan—simply killing her isn’t enough, since the magic to 
  bring down the sky is already in motion. Of course, there’s 
  nothing preventing PCs from coming back to play through 
  this adventure when they realize that they need information 
  hidden in Thorn’s Hold or the support of the elven nation to 
  finish things off in “Descent into Midnight.” Just a heads-
  up for GMs with particularly enthusiastic parties.
  reTurn To deaThSTalk 
  ToWer
  The illustration to the left is not the first appearance 
  of Treerazer, the Lord of the Blasted Tarn. Actually, the 
  demonic warlord first debuted on the cover of the classic 
  adventure JJ1: The Secret of Deathstalk Tower by James Jacobs. 
  Unfortunately, unless you were another student at Point 
  Arena High School or U. C. Davis in the late 80’s/early 90’s, 
  chances are that you never saw this 40-plus-page adventure 
  or the elaborate charts, illustrations, or map book that go 
  along with it. Right now, the only copy of this decades-old 
  self-publishing effort sits on my desk, its cover illuminated 
  in colored pencil (a far better effort than I could ever manage) 
  and its typewriter-inked parchment held together by rusty 
  staples and a meter of yellowed tape. Carefully flipping 
  through the pages of three-column, first-edition adventure, 
  a few familiar names attract the eye: Treerazer, Allevrah, 
  urdefen, eidolons, a certain Demon Lord of Vermin—pretty 
  influential stuff for a young writer’s summer diversion. It’s 
  been almost 20 years now since The Secret of Deathstalk Tower 
  didn’t see publication, but it’s cool to see its influence still 
  creeping into print a decade or two later. I guess on some 
  level the games we play today still satisfy the same parts of us 
  that pretended to be heroes and monsters a few dozen years 
  back, and in some cases the ideas that got us excited before 
  we were teenagers still get us excited today. Fortunately, 
  even if you never got to play The Secret of Deathstalk Tower, its 
  spiritual successor, “A Memory of Darkness,” stands alone 
  pretty well. Just forewarning, though—when it comes to 
  next month’s final confrontation with Allevrah, you can 
  bet she’s going to be a good deal tougher than an 11th-level 
  drow witch with 56 hit points.
  
  The truth is a powerful weapon—too powerful to be left in the hands 
  of strangers. While the drow, led by their new military mastermind 
  Allevrah, perfect their meteor magic, the question arises: How did 
  they come by such devastating magic in the first place? The truth 
  lies in the halls of elven power, guarded by the Winter Council, a 
  secret society so ancient that they are considered all but a myth. 
  And what the Winter Council is prepared to sacrifice in order to 
  retain this secrecy is a scandal that the elven nation may not be 
  prepared to accept.
  A Memory of Darkness
  Second Darkness
  Chapter      Five
  
  7
  Adventure BAckground
  As with every society, there are those who favor standing 
  by the old way of doing things, and those who espouse 
  adapting to changing conditions: tradition versus progress. 
  With the elves, the role of traditionalism is a time-honored 
  value upheld by folk of all walks of life, yet none cleave 
  more tenaciously to tradition than the Winter Council. 
  Originally an advisory body to elven royalty, the Winter 
  Council gained respect when their agents at the Mordant 
  Spire learned of the inevitability of the coming Earthfall 
  over 10,000 years ago. It was at the Winter Council’s 
  urgings that the elves of Golarion fled to Sovyrian—and in 
  a way, it was due to the Winter Council’s act that the drow 
  race would ultimately be born. In the centuries to follow, 
  the role of the Winter Council receded from the public 
  eye, so that by the time the elves returned to Golarion, the 
  Winter Council was little more than a dream in most elves’ 
  already long-lived memories.
  Yet the Winter Council has maintained its basic principles 
  for centuries, its members serving as secret advisors for the 
  elven rulers through the ages, and placing their highly trained 
  agents at their fingertips for secret operations and shadowy 
  missions best left unmentioned to the general populace. Yet 
  not all of Kyonin’s rulers have meshed well with the Winter 
  Council’s values and goals. Invariably, these “upstart rulers” 
  who espouse more liberal elven principles find reasons to step 
  down from power, pressured secretly by the Winter Council, 
  which is always ready to install a more compliant ruler on the 
  throne. Yet sometimes, rulers arise who are too headstrong, 
  too sure of their own vision for the future of the elven people 
  to cow to intimidation and implied threat.
  The current recognized ruler of the elves, Queen Telandia 
  Edasseril, is “one of those progressive ones.” She and the 
  Winter Council have clashed on numerous occasions—
  and the Winter Council has always prevailed in the end. 
  The queen has grown increasingly frustrated as what she 
  hoped would be great strides in art, culture, magic, and 
  particularly interracial relations were methodically undone 
  by the Winter Council. Worse, she’s seen innocent people—
  elves and other races alike—suffer in order to maintain 
  the Winter Council’s hoary status quo. And perhaps worst 
  of all, due to the Winter Council’s masterful manipulation 
  of events—and the fact that most elves believe that the 
  Winter Council is just a convenient scapegoat for conspiracy 
  theorists—Queen Telandia has actually taken the blame for 
  the worst of the Council’s reprehensible acts in its pursuit of 
  maintaining tradition.
  The Winter Council has recently cut all contact with 
  Queen Telandia, and she fears that its members have 
  withdrawn to plot a coup or something worse. She finds 
  herself in an impossible situation—unable to move against 
  the Council without seeming to be a despot to her people, 
  and unable to let the Council carry on in their destructive, 
  stagnant ways. She is sick of the Winter Council punishing 
  her people for daring to share the queen’s vision of a 
  more enlightened future, and tired of being manipulated 
  into taking the blame—if not actually enacting the 
  punishments. She has seen elven communities abandoned 
  to the tender mercies of rampaging monsters, progressive 
  elven leaders crippled for life by mysterious illnesses, and 
  countless generations of elven children taken from their 
  families and forced into lives of “orthodox” education—all 
  for the sake of ensuring that future generations of elves 
  never rise above traditionalist rationale.
  To put a stop to this, Queen Telandia needs to expose 
  the Winter Council’s true role in these shameful acts. 
  But she has no one in Iadara she can trust; those who 
  are not Winter Council dupes often still feel the pangs 
  of conscience when they act counter to what centuries of 
  traditionalist thinking has convinced them is “proper.” 
  What the queen needs is outsiders—either elves who grew 
  up apart from Sovyrian-influenced society, or members of 
  other races… few of whom ever come within her sphere of 
  influence (or care about the political troubles of the elves).
  The arrival of the PCs in Iadara brings Queen Telandia 
  a ray of hope.
  Adventure Summary
  The adventure begins with the PCs having arrived in 
  Kyonin after escaping the Darklands via an aiudara (a 
  mystical gate that elves use to travel throughout Golarion). 
  Ushered to the elf city of Iadara, the PCs reveal their 
  findings in the drow city of Zirnakaynin to the queen, who 
  asks for time to consider the news. Not long thereafter, the 
  PCs are assaulted by elven mercenaries, and the Queen 
  has the PCs relocated to a magical prison known as the 
  paradise chamber for their own safety. In the prison, the 
  PCs meet a strange half-elf bard who has some disturbing 
  information for the PCs—a shadow government known 
  as the Winter Council may be after them. This half-elf, 
  a woman named Quilindra, asks the PCs to aid her in 
  exposing the corruption in the Winter Council, and reveals 
  that if they can escape the paradise chamber, she can escort 
  the PCs through the aiudara network to Tanglebriar, where 
  the Winter Council fortress is located. That Quilindra is 
  in fact a succubus seeking to gain prestige in the demonic 
  court for being the one to topple the Winter Council is a 
  secret the PCs may or may not discover, yet her aid remains 
  equally useful even if they do learn her secret.
  After moving through several portals, the PCs arrive at 
  Thorn’s End, the stronghold of the Winter Council, only to 
  find that it is besieged by demons. Exploring Thorn’s End, 
  the PCs learn that the Winter Council recently endured a 
  schism of sorts—a betrayal of the society by one of its own, 
  and now the surviving councilors are in desperate need 
  to defeat the demons so that they can attempt to rebuild 
  
  8
  Second Darkness
  their nearly broken society. The PCs must encourage the 
  councilors to set aside their personal demons to hear the 
  warning about what the drow are planning for Kyonin, and 
  at some point learn that their enemy Allevrah Azrinae was 
  once a member of this same council, and that she was the one 
  who put the society in the situation it finds itself in today. 
  At the climax of this meeting, another of the councilors, 
  driven mad by the revelations the PCs bring, goes mad and 
  lets the demons in. In so doing, the PCs are witness to a rare 
  event—the transformation of elf to drow. If they are to use 
  the information they learn about Allevrah and her methods 
  of drawing down stars from the sky against her, they must 
  survive this sudden turn of events. 
  The PCs should be 12th level when they begin “A Memory 
  of Darkness.” By the time they finish Thorn’s End, they 
  should have gained enough experience to reach 14th level.
  PArt one: city of illusion
  The previous adventure ended with the assumption the 
  PCs were escaping the Darklands via an elf gate deep 
  underground. This adventure continues that assumption, 
  with the PCs emerging from the gate into the midst of a 
  group of quite surprised and suspicious elven guards. If the 
  PCs escaped from Zirnakaynin via another method (such 
  as teleportation), where they begin this adventure can vary 
  greatly. Yet what they’ve learned is of great import, and it 
  is to the elves of Kyonin that they should bring the news 
  that the matron of House Azrinae intends on destroying 
  Kyonin with a falling star.
  If the PCs returned to Crying Leaf after their escape, 
  they are urged by their contacts there to bring their news 
  to Queen Telandia Edasseril herself. If the PCs need 
  transportation to Kyonin, they can hitch a ride with the 
  next delivery of supplies from Kyonin, brought there via a 
  teleporting wizard. In this case, the PCs’ arrival in Kyonin 
  is a bit less intense than if they’d simply stumbled into the 
  elven nation unannounced through an elf gate, but their 
  eventual reception and the reaction the elves have to their 
  outlandish claims remain the same.
  But if the PCs were forced to flee Zirnakaynin on foot 
  and make use of the elf gate to escape, they step through 
  the portal into a clearing in the middle of an ancient forest. 
  The journey through the elf gate is not pleasant; the portal 
  was dormant at the Kyonin end, and forcing it open from 
  the far side makes for a rough journey. Each PC must make 
  a DC 20 Fortitude save to avoid being nauseated for 1d4 
  rounds as a result. The clearing they find themselves in is 
  about 50 feet across, with the delicate white marble arch of 
  the elf gate located at its center.
  The elves of Kyonin have long known that this particular 
  elf gate linked to a location deep under Fangwood—after 
  activating it briefly many centuries ago and determining 
  that it led to a point too close to the city of Zirnakaynin, 
  the king at the time ordered the gate deactivated but 
  not destroyed (since he could not bear the thought of 
  destroying it). Instead, he placed a small contingent of 
  soldiers in the area to guard the elf gate should something 
  manage some day to open it again. For centuries, the elf 
  gate lay dormant and quiet, and the soldiers slowly became 
  citizens of a cozy village that grew up around the clearing. 
  This is the village of Siavenian, a small settlement a mere 
  two hour’s walk from the elven capital of Iadara.
  The activation of the Siavenian elf gate is impossible to 
  ignore—the device glows and hums for a minute before 
  the PCs actually arrive. By the time the PCs emerge, 
  dozens of elven soldiers have gathered at the arch, bows 
  drawn and arrows aimed. Among them is a regal-looking 
  elven wizard—this is Villastir (LN male elf aristocrat 5/
  diviner 9), noble lord of Siavenian, one of Queen Telandia’s 
  countless advisors… and one of the many secret pawns of 
  the Winter Council. Once the PCs are through, he steps 
  forward to greet them. Assuming they no longer have their 
  drow disguises, his greeting is polite but his stance makes 
  no mistake—he’s ready to order the PCs shot dead if they 
  try anything funny.
  While Kyonin’s leaders know that the drow exist, among 
  the people of the nation the drow remain firmly in the 
  The Dark FaTe
  Only a few elves know the terrible secret—that any among 
  their kind can transform into a drow. Over the course 
  of many centuries, only a few handfuls of elves have 
  undergone this transformation—almost all of Golarion’s 
  drow were born to drow parents and never knew life as an 
  elf. Yet those who underwent the Dark Fate are among the 
  most vile and reprehensible of the entire race.
  Without proof of the Dark Fate, most of Golarion’s 
  people (elves included) would discount such stories 
  as the stuff of legend and myth. But with the Winter 
  Council gone, no society remains to ensure that the drow 
  remain hidden, or that the Dark Fate remains obscured. 
  The legacy of these secrets, at least for the near future, 
  is now firmly in the PCs’ hands. They can choose to 
  continue the crusade of secrecy, or they can decide to let 
  the world know. Further ramifications of this change in 
  elven society are detailed in Pathfinder #18.
  In any event, as tempting as it may be, you shouldn’t 
  inflict the Dark Fate on the PCs. Likewise, no specific game 
  rules are given to determine when the Dark Fate should 
  strike—this should always be an event to drive stories, and 
  therefore, if the GM wants it to happen, it happens. Just 
  don’t let it happen too often—there are plenty of evil elves 
  in the world already, and almost all of them aren’t at risk of 
  the Dark Fate—it takes something more than evil to trigger 
  such a drastic change.
  
  9
  A Memory of Darkness
  category of myth. The Shin’Rakorath, mercenaries in the 
  indirect control of the Winter Council, do an excellent job 
  suppressing the facts in this case, and if the PCs claim to 
  have come from a drow city and bear news of a dark elf plot 
  against Kyonin, snickers ripple through some of the elven 
  soldiers surrounding them. Yet Villastir does not smile. 
  He explains to the PCs that they have appeared deep in the 
  sovereign nation of Kyonin via a route thought dormant, 
  and that if they are friends, they should lower their weapons 
  and accompany him to the city to sort things out. If 
  the PCs grow argumentative and combative, things 
  can quickly grow grim—they’re surrounded by 
  nearly two dozen elven archers and a powerful 
  wizard, after all. If the PCs want a fight, they’ll 
  quite swiftly face the armies of Kyonin in swift 
  course. This adventure assumes the PCs go 
  quietly with Villastir.
  The elven noble is quite concerned about 
  the PCs’ sudden appearance, and offers 
  to teleport them directly to the queen’s 
  palace, telling them that if their 
  claims of drow menace are truth, 
  then Queen Telandia must hear 
  swiftly. Of course, what he 
  doesn’t tell them is that by 
  bringing them to the core 
  of Iadara’s government, he’s 
  basically placing the PCs in the perfect 
  spot for the elven army to handle them 
  if they’ve got ulterior motives. In any event, their arrival 
  through the dormant elf gate itself is reason enough to 
  take their claims seriously for now. Villastir doesn’t ask 
  the PCs to relinquish their weapons, but does ask them to 
  keep them sheathed and to remain patient while things 
  are sorted out. The point here isn’t to dwell on making 
  the PCs feel unwanted in Kyonin; they’ve been through a 
  harrowing time of things, all at the request of the elves of 
  Crying Leaf, and it’s best to get them into Iadara to begin 
  the adventure itself rather than drag this section of things 
  out for too long.
  Welcome to Iadara
  The first thing visitors to Iadara notice is the light—
  bright, glorious sunshine, streaming through the leaves 
  of trees high above and washing over the ground in waves 
  of sun and soft shade. Here and there it glances off the 
  windows of graceful towers and austere buildings with 
  exquisitely carved wooden eaves. The ground, too, is 
  made up of thousands upon thousands of inlaid wooden 
  tiles, polished and glowing the hue of a warm hearth, 
  with designs as intricate as the most delicate gold jewelry. 
  Elves move to and fro, or gather to talk in light, carefree 
  tones, and all—from tradesmen to the elite of elven 
  society—are dressed in elegant but functional garb, and 
  adorned with understated gold and silver trinkets of the 
  highest quality. Colorful birds flit through the air, and you 
  can just make out a recurring melody in their song that 
  brings to mind lazy summer days and hours of indolent 
  pleasure. The sound of countless burbling fountains fills 
  the air, and the scents of pristine woodland and delicate 
  wildflowers grace every intake of breath.
  This is Iadara—a city built amid 
  ancient trees and with elven ideals. 
  Most of the city’s structures are 
  built of finely carved and smoothly 
  polished 
  wood 
  or 
  delicately 
  polished 
  and 
  shaped 
  stone 
  and crystal. Windows are large 
  and bright, often decorated with 
  pastoral scenes in stained glass. The 
  people are peaceful and happy, even 
  carefree—though they are merely 
  polite and somewhat reserved toward 
  non-elves, largely because they are 
  not accustomed to other races; Iadara 
  is an insular community after all, and 
  many of its citizens have never met 
  anyone who wasn’t an elf.
  An Audience with the 
  Queen
  When the PCs are granted an interview 
  with Queen Telandia Edasseril and her advisors, Lord 
  Villastir arrives at the party’s doorstep with the verbal 
  invitation and an offer to escort them. If necessary, he gives 
  the PCs a chance to bathe and change into “more suitable” 
  clothing (such as courtiers’ outfits of elven design), and 
  asks them to leave their weapons behind. If the PCs balk 
  at this, he gives his personal word that they have nothing 
  to fear here in the heart of the elven nation, and appears 
  insulted if the PCs persist to believe that their gear could 
  be stolen. If the PCs have Kyonin’s trust, he relents and 
  allows them to retain their weapons, but otherwise he 
  refuses to let the PCs come before his queen. Draw this 
  out as long as you can, then have Villastir pause, cock his 
  head as if listening to something no one else can hear, and 
  then blush. He announces that he has just received word 
  from his queen that they can retain their weapons—that 
  she trusts them to be on their best behavior.
  Even if the PCs refuse Villastir’s offer to teleport into 
  the queen’s hall, the journey into the palace is short—the 
  Viridian Throne is on the palace’s ground floor. A herald 
  loudly announces the PCs by name as they approach the 
  entrance, indicating that they should bow as they enter. 
  Beyond the towering silver and crystal double doors from 
  the palace entrance, a short, broad flight of marble stairs 
  Lord 
  Villastir
  
  10
  Second Darkness
  leads into a vast hall. Light filters in from above through 
  wide crystal windows to focus on a dais perhaps a hundred 
  yards distant. Several richly garbed elves speaking quietly 
  among themselves stand in a gathering near the dais, 
  on which a single throne of living vines and delicate 
  wooden branches sits. And seated upon that throne is a 
  regal, beautiful elf woman with an intense gaze and an 
  almost challenging expression. Upon her brow is a crown 
  of delicate vines and violets. She nods at the PCs as they 
  approach—this is Queen Telandia Edasseril.
  Queen Telandia has heard of the PCs’ adventures 
  (particularly the role they played in helping to retake 
  Celwynvian), and she believes them. Yet she suspects that 
  in the PCs is her first real chance at exposing the activities 
  of the Winter Council. But, while she is happy to see them 
  and hear them speak, she knows that she cannot appear 
  to take them too seriously, lest she tip her hand to the 
  Winter Council. Instead, she chooses to simply invite the 
  PCs to tell their stories, and allows her dozens of advisors 
  to ask most of the questions while she pretends to be out 
  of her depth.
  Villastir himself quickly takes the lead in the 
  questioning, assuming the role of spokesman for the 
  assembled advisors, and he does his best to shoot holes 
  in the PCs’ story. He asks for evidence of their so-called 
  discoveries; calls for the PCs to allow themselves to be 
  subjected to zone of truth, detect evil, discern lies, and other 
  divinations, and even accuses them outright of self-
  aggrandizement. As they tell their tale, he quietly mocks 
  them to the queen, with the occasional exaggerated “Oh, 
  dear!” or “Surely not!” and similar sarcastic remarks. 
  The queen seems to be barely hiding her amusement at 
  Villastir’s antics, though she does remind him at each 
  outburst to let the PCs finish. However, at a moment when 
  she is fairly certain Villastir is not looking—and at least 
  one PC is—Telandia’s expression briefly changes from 
  “bored and befuddled” to “keenly interested” and back 
  again, hopefully letting the PCs know that, despite her 
  advisors’ doubts, she at least knows that what they have to 
  say is very important.
  When the PCs have finished their story and the advisors 
  are done with questions, Queen Telandia continues to watch 
  them for a long moment, apparently lost in thought. Finally, 
  Villastir taps her lightly on the hand and asks, “My queen?”
  “Oh,” says Telandia, coming alert. “Our apologies. We were 
  leagues away. Well. Your tale is surely riveting, and certainly 
  one worthy of the bards. Villastir, perhaps they can return 
  to Kyonin to tell it again some time—perhaps next year at 
  the midsummer feast. Please make the arrangements.”
  She turns back to the PCs after this subtle dismissal of 
  the noble, who flushes with embarrassment before stiffly 
  bowing and then briskly leaving the hall. Telandia watches 
  his exit with a slight smile, waiting for him to be gone 
  before she speaks again. 
  “Thank you so much for visiting us today. We cannot remember 
  when we have been so entertained—though perhaps the 
  next time you tell this tale you should add in some dragons, 
  and perhaps a captive princess, with a handsome suitor who 
  comes to her rescue. And perhaps leave out all that distasteful 
  nonsense about falling stars; you must consider the sensibilities 
  of your audience, after all. In any event, we shall take your tale 
  under advisement. Kyonin’s seers and diviners are second to 
  none, and given time we trust that they shall secure the truth 
  of these matters. The divinations may take some time, perhaps 
  a week. Until such time as they are ready to advise us further, I 
  invite you to remain in Iadara at the accommodations we have 
  provided you. You may take these next days to rest and relax and 
  recover from your ordeals—when we have our reports from our 
  diviners, we wish to speak with you again on what might be done 
  if, Calistria forfend, your tales are as true as you fear.”
  With a royal nod, the audience is over. Guards appear 
  and offer to escort the PCs back to their quarters, after 
  which they are free do as they will. Iadara is a large city, and 
  a perfect place to sell or purchase magic items, take time 
  to learn spells, work on item crafting, or whatever else the 
  IaDara resIDence 
  key
  All internal doors in the villa are of thin wood (hardness 
  5; hp 20) and most have no locks. Windows have no glass 
  within but can be secured from the inside with wooden 
  shutters that can be opened from outside with a DC 12 
  Open Lock check. A map of the villa appears on page 12.
  A1.  Entryway: The front door is of stronger wood and 
  includes a sturdy lock (Hardness 5; hp 40, Open Lock 
  DC 35). The PCs are given a key to this door.
  A2.  Sitting Room: The sitting room is modestly appointed, 
  though the owners provide a bottle of fine elven wine 
  (worth 65 gp) and eight crystal wine goblets (worth 
  12 gp each) for guests. The room’s other furnishings 
  consist of a small table with several chairs.
  A3. Living Area: The living area’s furnishings include a 
  settee, two rocking chairs, and a low table.
  A4.  Small Bedroom: Each of these small rooms includes 
  a single bed, a freestanding wardrobe, and a chamber 
  pot.
  A5.  Large Bedroom: Each of these two rooms includes a 
  double bed, cleverly hidden closets in the walls (DC 
  20 Search to locate the doors), and a chamber pot.
  A6.  Patio: The patio is a raised platform about 12 feet off the 
  ground outside. IThe 3-foot railing is just wide enough 
  to sit on.
  A7.  Washroom: This room features a crystal washbasin 
  and a cupboard of soap and towels.
  
  11
  A Memory of Darkness
  PCs might wish to take the time to do. Yet the invitation 
  to return to the queen’s side to hear what her diviners have 
  discovered never occurs—once enough time has passed (as 
  judged by the GM), proceed with “Arrows in the Night.”
  At one point during this period, perhaps even as 
  soon as the PCs first return to their quarters after their 
  meeting with the queen, something new waits for them 
  in area A3. Sitting on a table, prominently displayed, 
  is a large book, the lacquered wood cover embossed 
  with silver and the pages edged in gold. The title of the 
  book, in elven, reads Emerald Dreams. The book itself is a 
  popular tome among the elves—a collection of stories and 
  parables documenting the elves’ return to Golarion that 
  has become beloved among elven children throughout 
  Kyonin. A bookmark consisting of a single green vine with 
  a violet flower (of apparently the same type as the vines and 
  flowers that comprised the queen’s crown) marks one of the 
  several parables inside, a short tale entitled “The Quasit’s 
  Promise.” In brief, this story recounts of an elven princess 
  named Ilaraviana who is captured by a marilith and placed 
  in a prison infested with quasits. The priestess escapes 
  by forming an alliance with one of these quasits (a foul-
  mouthed demon named Ochurgund), and even though the 
  quasit breaks his promise to the priestess in the end and 
  betrays her, her trust in the quasit to act according to its 
  nature and betray her allowed her to engineer her escape 
  nevertheless—she emerges from the prison wounded but 
  alive. The obvious moral of the story is that sometimes one 
  can trust one’s enemies to act according to their natures 
  and if the wise person accounts for that, an alliance with 
  an enemy can still function.
  Of course, Queen Telandia engineered the placement of 
  this book where the PCs would find and read it as a way to 
  prepare them to help her in Part Two (when the PCs are 
  given the opportunity to ally with a succubus), but in a way 
  that no elf would suspect the queen as having blatantly 
  allied with them—the popularity of Emerald Dreams is 
  strong enough that no citizen of Kyonin would think twice 
  about its inclusion in a library of any size.
  Arrows in the Night (EL 11+)
  Throughout this part of the adventure, Lord Villastir keeps 
  a watchful eye on the PCs. As one of the Winter Council’s 
  highest-placed contacts in Kyonin high society, he’s quick 
  to report to his masters once a group of “heroes” emerges 
  from the Darklands with tales of drow plots. When the 
  
  12
  Second Darkness
  Iadara Lodgings 
  One square = 10 feet
  A5
  A5
  A2
  A1
  A7
  A6
  A3
  A4
  A4
  N
  Iadara Lodgings 
  One square = 10 feet
  A5
  A5
  A2
  A1
  A7
  A6
  A3
  A4
  A4
  N
  Winter Council learns that Allevrah is involved, of course, 
  its members realize they’ve got a much larger problem on 
  their hands. They certainly want to stop her from realizing 
  her own dire goal, but it’s just as important to the Winter 
  Council to cover up the fact that Allevrah became a drow 
  and that the genesis of the entire plot to create a Second 
  Darkness originated with the Council itself. To the elves 
  of the Winter Council, protecting their society is more 
  important than protecting Golarion, and so the silencing 
  of the PCs before they learn too much is their first order 
  of business. Once the PCs are dealt with (preferably 
  via capture for later interrogation), they can turn their 
  attention to acting on what the PCs have discovered about 
  Allevrah’s plans.
  This encounter represents the PCs’ first real contact 
  with the Winter Council and its minions. Concerned 
  with Villastir’s reports, Hialin of the Winter Council 
  decides to see that the PCs are captured—or if this proves 
  impossible, slain. To achieve this end, he orders Villastir 
  to use the Shin’Rakorath mercenary to take care of the 
  situation. Villastir handpicks a group of soldiers from 
  the Shin’Rakorath to handle the assault, ordering them 
  to attack the PCs in the dead of night while they are at 
  rest. The brazen attack serves the Winter Council in 
  another way as well—occurring as it does practically on 
  the front porch of Queen Telandia’s palace, it’s their way 
  of sending a message to the queen that she shouldn’t be 
  putting so much trust in outsiders’ words. In fact, as the 
  Shin’Rakorath soldiers attack, they take the time to yell 
  out, “Death to all who would doubt the Winter Council!”
  Shin’Rakorath Soldiers (9) 
   
  CR 6
  Elf fighter 6
  LN Medium humanoid
  Init +6; Senses low-light vision; Listen +3, Spot +3
  DEFENSE
  AC 23, touch 19, flat-footed 17
  (+4 armor, +3 deflection, +6 Dex)
  hp 55 (6d10+18)
  Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +3
  Immune sleep
  OFFENSE
  Spd 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (good)
  Melee mwk rapier +13/+8 (1d6+3/18–20)
  Ranged +1 composite longbow +14/+9 (1d8+4/×3 nonlethal 
  plus sleep) or
  
  13
  A Memory of Darkness
  Multishot +10/+10 (1d8+4/×3 nonlethal plus sleep) or
  Rapid Shot +12/+12/+7 (1d8+4/×3 nonlethal plus sleep)
  TACTICS
  Before Combat The elves drink all of their potions once 
  they approach within 60 feet of the PCs’ lodgings. Any 
  characters on guard can attempt Spot checks against the 
  anarchists’ Hide checks to notice the elves drinking down 
  potions. The effects of all these potions are included in the 
  stats here.
  During Combat The elves begin their assault by firing sleep 
  arrows on any PC they can see from outside. Once there 
  are no awake PCs apparent, or the alarm is raised, the elves 
  rush inside the building through as many entrances as 
  possible. They favor archery as attacks, with two or three 
  switching to melee as necessary to keep the PCs from 
  reaching the archers. Their goal is to capture as many PCs 
  as possible alive, but they aren’t squeamish about killing 
  those who prove difficult to subdue.
  Morale The anarchists flee if at least four of their number are 
  defeated.
  Base Statistics Init +4; AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14; Fort 
  +6, Ref +6; hp 43; Melee mwk rapier +11/+6 (1d6+1/18–20); 
  Ranged +1 composite longbow +12/+7 (1d8+4/×3 nonlethal 
  plus sleep) or Multishot +8/+8 (1d8+4/×3 nonlethal plus 
  sleep) or Rapid Shot +10/+10/+5 (1d8+4/×3 nonlethal plus 
  sleep); Str 13, Dex 18, Con 12; Skills Jump +10, Hide +4, 
  Move Silently +4, Ride +13
  STATISTICS
  Str 17, Dex 22, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8
  Base Atk +6; Grp +9
  Feats Manyshot, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, 
  Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (longbow), Weapon 
  Specialization (longbow)
  Skills Jump +12, Hide +6, Move Silently +6, Ride +15
  Languages Common, Elven
  Combat Gear potion of bear’s endurance, potion of bull’s 
  strength, potion of cat’s grace, potion of fly, potion of shield 
  of faith +3; Other Gear mithral shirt, rapier, +1 composite 
  longbow (+1 Str) with 20 sleep arrows
  PArt two:  
  Prisoners of PArAdise
  Centuries ago, elven illusionists created an illusory 
  playground in the heart of Iadara: a place where the wealthy 
  could live out their wildest fantasies. Eventually, an elven 
  noble hit upon the idea of using one of these “paradise 
  chambers” to hold or even interrogate prisoners by tricking 
  them into believing they were actually free from control, 
  and the idea proved wildly successful among Kyonin’s 
  government—until Queen Telandia rose to power. She felt 
  that using the paradise chambers as prisons was eminently 
  worse than standard prisons, since the paradise chamber’s 
  quality of turning a prisoner’s mind into the cell bars 
  struck her as the worst sort of torture. “We are above such 
  practices,” she preached, and many elves found themselves 
  swayed by her words. Yet traditionalists argued that the 
  practice should not be abandoned entirely, that at least 
  one paradise chamber be kept as a prison for certain rare 
  situations. Queen Telandia assented (mostly to appease 
  the Winter Council and other traditionalists), a choice 
  she has recently been forced to admit was fortuitous. For 
  now that the PCs are here, the paradise chamber prison 
  gives her the perfect place and method to engineer the 
  end of the Winter Council itself—although her methods 
  are incredibly complex and nested one within the other in 
  layers of deception and plausible deniability so that if things 
  backfire, she won’t be forced from her position of power. 
  The fact that her plan hinges on the PCs making what she 
  hopes is the right choice is the shakiest part of her plan. Of 
  course, the introduction of the succubus Quilindra creates 
  another variable in her plan, but one that the queen feels 
  she can trust as well. Just as Princess Ilaraviana trusted the 
  quasit Ochurgund to act to his nature, she trusts Quilindra 
  to try to deceive the PCs into helping her take down the 
  Winter Council, and trusts the PCs to live up to the reliable 
  need most adventurers have for revenge.
  Quilindra’s Story
  Years ago, at about the point when Queen Telandia decided 
  she needed to do something about the Winter Council, a 
  beautiful agent of the enemy played unknowingly into her 
  hands. A succubus named Quilindra infiltrated Iadara’s 
  political circles in an attempt to gain access to information 
  have 
  you 
  hearD 
  oF 
  allevrah?
  The name “Allevrah” is not unknown in Kyonin. As a DC 
  20 Gather Information check or a DC 30 Knowledge (local) 
  or bardic knowledge check can reveal, the name is elven 
  for “she whose words end wars.” Of course, those who 
  speak Elven know that depending on where the inflections 
  and accents fall, the name could also mean “she whose 
  words begin wars.” In any event, it’s not an unusual name 
  among the elves. More to the point, the most famous 
  “Allevrah” in Kyonin is a general of the elven army, a 
  decorated commander whose mind for tactics has long 
  served Kyonin in the constant battle against Razmiran in 
  keeping the northern borders strong. Claims of an Allevrah 
  Azrinae being the greatest threat to Kyonin are met with 
  skepticism and shock—even moral outrage—that the 
  drow should take a “perfectly good elven name” for one of 
  their own, yet since the drow retain the elven language in 
  their society (albeit one with a strange and sinister accent), 
  the possibility that the drow and the surface elves share 
  some names in common isn’t all that unusual (although 
  the concept still makes elves wince in distaste).
  
  14
  Second Darkness
  about the Winter Council—the Council’s hidden fortress in 
  Tanglebriar, Thorn’s End, has long been a source of irritation 
  to the demons of that region, and any demon who engineers 
  a way to root out the unwelcome elven presence would 
  certainly earn much favor with Lord Treerazer, master of 
  that twisted woodland. Quilindra, as one of the few succubi 
  in Treerazer’s court, knew that her particular skill set gave 
  her access to sources that the more crude and violent of the 
  demon court couldn’t reach. Hoping to find information 
  on how to bring down Thorn’s End, she succeeded in 
  memorizing a map that revealed the locations 
  of numerous elf gates, including one that 
  led to a point very near the target fortress 
  in Tanglebriar. For several months, she 
  used this information to explore the 
  network of portals, traveling to dozens 
  of different elven holdings in her 
  search for information about Thorn’s 
  End’s defenses.
  Quilindra learned much about 
  Thorn’s End, but unfortunately she also 
  learned that she needed non-demonic 
  proxies to infiltrate the fortress. For a 
  succubus, gathering such minions is no 
  great deal, but when she returned to Iadara to 
  build a hand-picked army of charmed minions, 
  she was finally captured.
  Impressed that the succubus had eluded 
  detection for so long, Telandia decided not to execute 
  the creature immediately. Since demons are one of the few 
  creatures the queen had little conscience about tormenting, 
  she placed Quilindra into the paradise chamber and turned 
  the tables on the experienced deceiver. She allowed the 
  succubus to believe that her disguise was uncompromised, 
  and that she’d been imprisoned at the Winter Council’s 
  command—that the Winter Council believed her to be an 
  anarchist bent on bringing down the elven government 
  from within by leading an army of dissidents recruited from 
  beyond Kyonin’s borders through the network of elf gates 
  to strike at the nation’s heart. The queen’s interrogations 
  were in fact a cover for the actual work—she employed detect 
  thoughts and other methods to learn everything she needed 
  to know about the succubus’s actual plans without revealing 
  to the demon how much she knew. The queen realized 
  that here was a perfect pawn to lead a well-equipped strike 
  force against Thorn’s End. Yet the queen didn’t want to 
  use anyone that could be traced easily back to her trusted 
  followers. She needed skilled, dependable, and potent heroes 
  to take on this role—heroes with an axe to grind against the 
  Winter Council, so that if they were caught, investigation 
  would need look no further for motives. In the PCs, Queen 
  Telandia has her heroes—that she’s forced for political 
  reasons to be so deceptive and underhanded with sending 
  them against her own government doesn’t sit well with her, 
  but she hopes that if the PCs are successful, she’ll be able 
  to come clean and reward them properly once the Winter 
  Council is exposed for the corrupt society it has become.
  Now all that remains is to introduce Quilindra to the PCs.
  The Paradise Chamber
  After the attack on the PCs by the anarchists, Queen 
  Telandia’s guards react swiftly. As the battle is winding 
  down (or as soon as it appears that the anarchists are about 
  to win), a dozen elven guards arrive on the scene to 
  aid in defeating the anarchists. These guards are 
  loyal to their queen and her displeasure at 
  the PCs’ treatment terrifies them—even if 
  the PCs are largely hated by the elves, these 
  guards are apologetic and quickly pass out 
  up to 8 potions of cure moderate wounds to help 
  heal the PCs. The guards refuse to answer 
  questions about the Winter Council, claiming 
  that such knowledge is best left to those in 
  charge. The guards also inform the PCs that 
  the queen has been made aware of this 
  affront to her guests, and that she has 
  ordered that the PCs be relocated into a 
  more secure guest chamber in her own 
  palace, for their own protection. Here, 
  in the paradise chamber, the guards 
  explain that the PCs will have all the 
  comforts they need while the queen’s diviners 
  finish their research.
  Once the PCs are ready, the guards lead them through a 
  pair of double doors, through a large antechamber decorated 
  to the left and right by statues of enormous wasps, and then 
  through a shimmering golden curtain into a spacious 
  chamber fit for royalty. They do not bother to take the PCs’ 
  gear or weapons, since the magic of this prison functions 
  best when the prisoners aren’t aware that they are prisoners. 
  Such is the subversive nature of the paradise chamber.
  B1. The Paradise Chamber
  Luxurious tapestries hang suspended from slim marble pillars, 
  many of which are tied back to give the room an airy, open feeling. 
  Light filters in from an opening in the ceiling, and softly glowing 
  lanterns hang from several of the pillars. The center of the room 
  is a wide common area, decorated with potted plants and a large 
  pool and fountain burbling in the exact center of the room. 
  Entrances to four smaller chambers mostly closed by thick green 
  curtains surround the larger central area.
  The guards themselves indicate that the PCs should 
  step into the chamber through the golden curtain, but do 
  not themselves follow. “We usually reserve these chambers 
  Quilindra
  
  15
  A Memory of Darkness
  for visiting ambassadors and particularly influential 
  merchants,” explains a guard, “but the queen is making 
  an exception for you, by way of apology for recent events. 
  You will be safe here. Please make yourselves at home, and 
  we will speak again in the morning.”
  Of course, the implication to most of elven society is that 
  the queen has ordered the PCs into the paradise chamber 
  in order to sequester, even imprison them. If the PCs still 
  haven’t read between the lines, they may never realize that 
  they are more prisoners than guests of Kyonin. The entire 
  paradise chamber is a powerful magical device—a large hall 
  that creates a false reality for those inside it. The queen can 
  observe events in the chamber via a magical scrying pool 
  dedicated to this purpose, and can manipulate the illusions 
  within to generate any kind of false reality, triggering screen 
  (DC 28), mirage arcana (DC 25), and persistent image (DC 25) 
  to maintain the illusions for those within. The illusions 
  created by the paradise chamber function at CL 20th.
  Illusions are not the only effects that work to keep those 
  imprisoned within—a dimensional lock and a sympathy effect 
  (both at CL 20th) are at work here as well. Actually escaping 
  a paradise chamber requires physically exiting the area of 
  the chamber’s influence (the chamber itself and the corridor 
  outside); a tricky proposition, given that the magic of the 
  chamber bends reality so much that those inside can literally 
  walk in circles while believing they are traveling in a straight 
  line. Successfully penetrating the illusions to locate the 
  exit requires a successful DC 25 Will save against the mirage 
  arcana effect. Once the exit is located, the sympathy effect 
  must be overcome before anyone can leave the room. This 
  effect targets all creatures that enter the chamber—it doesn’t 
  only target specific types of creatures or alignments. If a 
  character successfully makes a DC 29 Will save, he can leave 
  the chamber but 1d6×10 minutes later must save again or be 
  compelled to return to the chamber. A new saving throw to 
  escape the chamber may be attempted once per day.
  The four side rooms (areas B1A–B1D) each contain beds, 
  constantly replenishing supplies of food, and other comforts 
  and supplies to keep guests of the chamber content. Books, 
  musical instruments, and other forms of entertainment are 
  present as well, but the majority of these are little more than 
  complex illusions themselves. The food and drink itself is 
  created via create food and water, with exquisite flavors added 
  via illusion. If the illusions in this chamber are penetrated, 
  the truth is revealed to be a barren chamber with simple 
  wood furniture and bland food and water.
  B2. Guard Post (EL 13)
  A pair of domed chambers connect to form a single larger room 
  here. A towering pair of double doors stands in one wall, opposite 
  a shimmering golden curtain. The floor is of polished marble, 
  matching the plain but spotless walls rising to the domed ceiling 
  above. To either side, an equally well-polished stone statue of a 
  crouching wasp with crystal wings stands sentinel.
  While the paradise chamber’s sympathy effect and 
  illusions don’t extend into this antechamber, the dimensional 
  lock effect does, preventing the use of teleportation and 
  similar powers from functioning here. The double doors 
  to the south are kept locked with arcane lock at caster level 
  20th. They’re made of magically treated stone (hardness 
  16; hp 120; Break DC 58).
  Creatures: Both of the stone wasps are in fact variant 
  stone golems posted here to ensure that anyone who 
  manages to escape the paradise chamber faces one final 
  hurdle before escaping the prison. The stone wasps have 
  the same stats as normal golems, save that they have a fly 
  speed of 40 feet (poor). The golems do not pursue foes out 
  of this room.
  resIsTIng 
  arresT
  This part of the adventure requires that the PCs are, 
  effectively, placed under house arrest. If the players realize 
  what’s going on, they’re likely to become resistant to being 
  so railroaded, and with good cause. Don’t force the PCs 
  to accept being relocated into the paradise chambers, 
  but do your best (acting as the elven guards) to convince 
  them that the paradise chambers are much more secure 
  and that they’ll be much safer there. If the PCs remain 
  resistant to the idea, Queen Telandia (observing via scrying 
  on the guards) teleports into the area to apologize to the 
  PCs in person and to do her best to encourage the PCs to 
  comply. She uses a sending spell to the PC that seems the 
  friendliest toward her, delivering the following message: 
  “Please comply; I am your ally, but our enemy is powerful. 
  This secret society must be stopped! I’ll send you allies 
  within the Paradise Chamber.”
  If even this isn’t enough, it’s time for Queen Telandia 
  to come clean. She’ll dismiss the guards and invite the 
  PCs into a private meeting room. Such a move is highly 
  irregular (as a DC 15 Knowledge [nobility and royalty] check 
  can confirm), but Queen Telandia is out of options. Once 
  she’s alone with the PCs, she explains to them about her 
  worries of the Winter Council, and her suspicions that this 
  “Allevrah Azrinae” could be the same as General Allevrah, 
  one of the secret leaders of the Winter Council. She goes 
  on to explain that she cannot take action herself, and that 
  laying it out on the table like this to the PCs is her last, 
  desperate attempt to take action before she’s forced to put 
  her entire government at risk of collapse. She explains that 
  there’s a succubus prisoner in the paradise chamber the 
  PCs can use to get into Tanglebriar and perhaps even to 
  aid in infiltrating Thorn’s End, and then begs them one last 
  time to go along with her plan.
  
  16
  Second Darkness
  The Paradise Chamber 
  One square = 5 feet 
  B1 
  B1A 
  B1B 
  B1C 
  B1D 
  N 
  The Paradise Chamber 
  One square = 5 feet 
  B1 
  B1A 
  B1B 
  B1C 
  B1D 
  N 
  B2
  B2
  Stone Wasps 
  CR 13
  Variant stone golem (MM 136)
  hp 107
  Spd 20 ft., fly 40 ft. (poor)
  The Voice of Experience
  The PCs are not alone in the paradise chambers—currently 
  relaxing in area B1C is the succubus Quilindra, still in 
  her disguise as a half-elf bard. She’s been a prisoner of the 
  paradise chambers for months, and even though she suspects 
  these chambers are powerful illusions, she hasn’t quite 
  figured out how the place works—while she’s a gifted bard, 
  she doesn’t know much about the theory behind magic, only 
  that it’s useful in getting her way. With the introduction of 
  new prisoners, she hopes to be able to befriend them and 
  even recruit them in not only escaping the chamber but 
  in destroying Thorn’s End. Masterfully handled illusory 
  interrogations at the queen’s hand have tricked the succubus 
  into thinking this was her own plan—furthermore, Quilindra 
  believes that during these “interrogations” she picked up on 
  a clue on how to escape from the chambers.
  Although she notices the PCs arrival (unless they’re 
  taking pains to be stealthy), Quilindra ignores them at first 
  as she believes they are mere illusions meant to distract 
  her from finding her way out. However, if the PCs force 
  her to interact (such as by standing in her way, or attacking 
  her), she recognizes that they, too, are honest-to-goodness 
  prisoners. At this point, her attitude softens and she breaks 
  down in tears in an attempt to set the PCs off guard and to 
  trust her. Once she’s “recovered,” her despair quickly gives 
  way to eager curiosity. She assaults the PCs with questions, 
  asking them why they’ve been imprisoned, what the current 
  year is (she’s uncertain about the passage of time inside the 
  paradise chamber), and if the PCs have any clues that she can 
  use to escape. If the PCs are curious about her, she explains 
  that she is a political prisoner, that a shadow government 
  known as the Winter Council is using the elven people as 
  pawns and puppets for their own hidden agenda, and that 
  when she attempted to organize a rebellion, the Winter 
  Council sent their thugs, a mercenary company known as 
  the Shin’Rakorath, after her. They caught her and she’s been 
  languishing in this prison ever since.
  
  17
  A Memory of Darkness
  This may be the first time anyone’s mentioned the 
  Winter Council in the PCs’ presence, but if a character can 
  make a DC 35 Knowledge (nobility and royalty) or bardic 
  knowledge check, he can confirm the rumor that a secret 
  society exists in Kyonin’s government by this name—some 
  rumors hold that the Winter Council advises the queen, 
  while others hold that the Winter Council uses the queen as 
  a puppet and that its members are the true rulers of Kyonin.  
  Quilindra explains that she learned about the Winter 
  Council after a former lover died under mysterious 
  circumstances after voicing doubts about the appointment 
  of Villastir to the post of Royal Chamberlain. (This is 
  technically the truth; Quilindra simply leaves out the 
  part about how she was using this “lover” to get access to 
  the chamberlain, and how she killed him to prevent him 
  from exposing her.) Quilindra used her skills as a bard to 
  infiltrate the chamberlain’s quarters, and found evidence 
  revealing that Villastir took his orders from the Winter 
  Council. She wasn’t able to carry away any of the documents 
  she found, but she did manage to memorize a map that 
  indicated the Winter Council had a secret headquarters 
  called Thorn’s End in Tanglebriar, and that by using several 
  elf gates one could navigate the route with speed. As she 
  speaks, Quilindra grows more and more excited, pointing 
  out that with the PCs’ aid, she can certainly not only escape 
  this prison but can make her way to Thorn’s End to confront 
  the Winter Council. If she learns that the PCs have been 
  targeted by Winter Council agents, she proclaims that their 
  enemies are the same, and that for the good of the elven 
  nation, this corrupt society must be excised.
  Quilindra 
  CR 14
  Female succubus bard 10
  CE Medium outsider (chaotic, demon, extraplanar, evil)
  Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +17, Spot +17
  DEFENSE
  AC 36, touch 16, flat-footed 32
  (+7 armor, +2 deflection, +4 Dex, +11 natural, +2 shield)
  hp 126 (16 HD; 6d8+10d6+64)
  Fort +12, Ref +16, Will +12
  DR 10/cold iron or good; Immune electricity, poison; Resist 
  acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 18
  OFFENSE
  Spd 30 ft., fly 50 ft. (average)
  Melee +2 spell storing rapier +20/+15/+10 (1d6+3/18–20) and
  claw +13 (1d6)
  Special Attacks bardic music 10/day (countersong, fascinate, inspire 
  competence, inspire courage +2, inspire greatness, suggestion), 
  change shape, energy drain (DC 26), summon demons
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th)
  At will—charm monster (DC 27), detect good, detect thoughts 
  (DC 25), ethereal jaunt (self plus 50 lb. of objects only), 
  suggestion (DC 26), greater teleport (self plus 50 lb. of 
  objects only)
  Spells Known (CL 10th)
  4th (3/day)—freedom of movement, hold monster (DC 27)
  3rd (5/day)—cure serious wounds, displacement, haste, tiny hut
  2nd (6/day)—blindness/deafness (DC 25), cure moderate 
  wounds, enthrall (DC 25), mirror image
  1st (7/day)—cure light wounds, hideous laughter (DC 24), 
  undetectable alignment, unseen servant
  0 (3/day)—detect magic, know direction, light, message, 
  prestidigitation, read magic
  TACTICS
  Before Combat Quilindra casts unseen servant and 
  undetectable alignment every morning.
  Quilindra
  
  18
  Second Darkness
  During Combat While Quilindra is in disguise, she avoids 
  using her spell-like abilities or summon demons ability, 
  instead fighting defensively while using Spring Attack and 
  using her bardic music and spells to support her allies. If 
  forced to fight against those who know her for what she is, 
  she teleports away to cast displacement, mirror image, and 
  haste before she returns and uses hold monster, blindness, 
  and hideous laughter to cripple her foes. She’s fond of using 
  her energy drain on creatures that are held in place or 
  otherwise incapacitated by her magic.
  Morale If Quilindra is reduced to 30 hp or less, she uses greater 
  teleport to escape to a safe spot in Tanglebriar where she can 
  heal her wounds. If she’s still allied with the PCs, she returns 
  to their side as soon as she’s healthy, claiming she merely 
  dimension doored away for a moment to “catch her breath.” 
  If she’s not allied with the PCs, she teleports to Thorn’s End to 
  join the demon host there and waits for several days, hoping 
  the PCs find their way there without her further aid.
  STATISTICS
  Str 12, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 36
  Base Atk +14; Grp +14
  Feats Combat Expertise, Dodge, Hover, Mobility, Spring 
  Attack, Weapon Finesse
  Skills Bluff +32, Concentration +23, Diplomacy +25, Disguise +32 
  (+42 with change shape), Escape Artist +16, Gather Information 
  +23, Hide +13, Intimidate +24, Knowledge (geography) +22, 
  Knowledge (nature) +13, Listen +17, Move Silently +13, Perform 
  (oratory) +32, Search +13, Spot +17, Tumble +23
  Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic; telepathy 100 ft., tongues
  SQ bardic knowledge +14
  Gear +4 studded leather armor, +2 spell storing rapier (contains 
  blindness/deafness), sapphire amulet of natural armor +2, 
  cloak of Charisma +4, gloves of Dexterity +2, ring of force 
  shield, ring of protection +2, aiudara map, silver anklet set 
  with bloodstones (worth 300 gp), platinum ring set with a 
  fire opal (worth 2,400 gp), silver and moonstone bracelet 
  (worth 450 gp)
  Escaping Paradise
  Quilindra’s tried many times to escape the paradise 
  chamber, and mentions that she’s even managed to throw 
  off the compulsion to remain several times, but each time 
  she’s made it into area B2, she was stymied by the locked 
  door and the golems and was forced to retreat back into 
  area B1. Yet with the PCs’ aid, she hopes to finally be able 
  to escape for real. The trick is getting out of the paradise 
  chamber, and that requires either dispel magic to remove 
  the dimensional lock effect so the group can teleport out 
  (Quilindra can only teleport herself, so to keep up her 
  disguise she claims to be unable to teleport and would 
  require aid from the PCs in this matter), or the door to 
  the south of area B2 must be opened (a tactic that requires 
  either great stealth or the defeat of the two stone wasps). 
  Quilindra does everything she can to aid and help the 
  PCs, whatever their plan, all the while observing their 
  skills and tactics. It doesn’t take her long to decide that 
  they’d be perfect agents to send into Thorn’s End to 
  disrupt the fortress’s wards and allow the demonic host 
  gathered outside to attack, and by the time the PCs do 
  escape, she remains at their side until they reach Thorn’s 
  End—or until the PCs see through her ruse and try to kill 
  her, of course.
  Fortunately for the PCs, once they manage to escape 
  the paradise chamber, they’ll find that there aren’t many 
  guards posted elsewhere in the palace to avoid. Queen 
  Telandia has been watching the PCs progress, and once it 
  becomes obvious that they’re about to escape, she calls an 
  emergency meeting of her advisors and guards, claiming 
  she has news about what the PCs have brought her. 
  She stalls for hours on this meeting, effectively saying 
  nothing but giving the PCs plenty of time to sneak out 
  of the palace—as long as the PCs don’t try something 
  particularly foolish, like attempting to enter the queen’s 
  throne room or going shopping in Iadara, they should 
  meet no resistance to their flight from the palace. If the 
  PCs have no plan for what to do, Quilindra suggests 
  that they make for the closest elf gate and begin their 
  journey through the network of portals to Tanglebriar, 
  so that they can confront the Winter Council as soon 
  as possible. If the PCs prefer to teleport to some other 
  point of safety to rest and recover, she agrees for now, but 
  begins pressuring them to take up her plan to confront 
  the Winter Council soon thereafter. If she’s forced to use 
  charm monster and other tactics to convince the PCs, she 
  won’t hesitate to use such methods (provided she can do 
  so without arousing the suspicion of the other PCs).
  unmaskIng 
  QuIlInDra
  Although Quilindra wants to help the PCs escape the 
  prison they share, the PCs may find cause to mistrust 
  her. If they penetrate her disguise with an effect like 
  true seeing, or don’t succumb to her healthy Bluff checks, 
  Quilindra does her best to avoid combat. She points out 
  that she means them no harm, and argues that they have 
  a common enemy in the Winter Council. She suggests an 
  alliance until such time as the Winter Council is defeated, 
  after which, if the PCs still want to kill her on general 
  principle, she’s willing to give them a fair fight.
  On the other hand, if the PCs aren’t having anything to 
  do with a demon, a fight against the succubus is certainly 
  an acceptable end to this part of the adventure. When the 
  PCs invariably loot her body, they should find a partial 
  map of the aiudara network she redrew from memory that 
  shows the route from Iadara to Tanglebriar and lists each 
  portal’s particular gemstone key.
  
  19
  A Memory of Darkness
  PArt three: the grAnd 
  tour of golArion
  Quilindra (and Queen Telandia, for that matter) both want 
  the PCs to travel to Thorn’s End and confront the Winter 
  Council. Unknown to the PCs, secrets hidden in Thorn’s 
  End can also give them a wealth of information and aid 
  when they finally move against the secret society. Although 
  Queen Telandia’s influence prevents the whole of her palace 
  guard from chasing after the PCs after they escape from 
  imprisonment (she quickly covers up the fact that the PCs 
  were even in the paradise chambers at all, and her agents 
  spread rumors that the PCs have been exiled from Kyonin), 
  the Winter Council does not let them go quietly. Soon after 
  the PCs’ escape, agents of the Council command the leader 
  of their pet mercenary company, the Shin’Rakorath, to track 
  the PCs down and assassinate them.
  Where the PCs go once they escape the paradise chamber 
  is left to them, but Quilindra strongly pushes to have 
  them follow her to somewhere safe where she can lay out 
  her plans. She realizes that she can use their help to get 
  inside Thorn’s End, but she also knows that agents of the 
  Winter Council will quickly learn that she and the PCs 
  have escaped. As a result, she pushes for speed, pointing 
  out that an overland journey from Iadara to Thorn’s End 
  would require navigating a distance of approximately 60 
  miles, most of its territory held by the elves or the demons 
  of Tanglebriar. If the PCs prefer an overland journey, 
  Quilindra begrudgingly accedes to them—consult the 
  gazetteer on Kyonin that begins on page 48 for more details 
  of what the PCs can expect to encounter if they opt for this 
  route. Note that if the PCs don’t maintain secrecy, word that 
  they’re still in Kyonin spreads quickly and they may face 
  more encounters with Shin’Rakorath assassins.
  Quilindra’s favored approach is to use the elf gates to 
  enter Tanglebriar, effectively bypassing the dozens of 
  miles of enemy territory between Kyonin and their goal. 
  If the PCs follow her advice, Quilindra quickly leads them 
  through the streets of Iadara toward the closest elf gate. As 
  she leads the PCs, she goes over her plan with them in a 
  quiet but eager voice.
  “We must move quickly now. Even if you feel that the elven 
  nation as a whole can be trusted, the Winter Council cannot. 
  They are not the nation. They are their own society, and as 
  you’ve already experienced, they’ll stop at nothing to maintain 
  their status quo. We need to be out of Iadara quickly. If we can 
  keep moving along the auidara paths, I think we can stay ahead 
  of our pursuers and should be able to reach Thorn’s End before 
  the Winter Council realizes it.
  “While there’s not an auidara that leads directly to Thorn’s 
  End, several of them did lead into southern Kyonin at a time. 
  Most of these have been deactivated or destroyed—we don’t 
  want Treerazer’s demons using them to invade Golarion. But 
  some of them still exist, and I know of one that’s only a few 
  hours away from our goal.
  “There are two types of auidara. Some are simply two-way 
  portals that link distant locations, but many are hubs that connect 
  to two or more sites. For the simple portals, you just activate 
  them and step through. The hubs are a bit more complex; you 
  need a portal key to indicate which of the multiple destinations 
  you wish to travel to. I’ve got all of the portal keys we’ll need to 
  navigate our route—from Iadara to a site in Galt, and thence to 
  a site in northern Irrisen, and from there to an abandoned elven 
  fortress in Ustalav. It is from this abandoned fortress, a place 
  called Mirianath, that we make our final journey into Tanglebriar. 
  But before we reach Mirianath, we should prepare. At Galt and 
  Irrisen, we’ll need only to keep level heads to talk our way by the 
  guards, but in Ustalav we may have trouble. Rumor holds that 
  the elves who once held Mirianath fell to temptation and became 
  banshees. I can protect us somewhat with my singing, but more 
  protection against their dirge would be wise.”
  The First Aiudara: Lotusgate
  Iadara is the heart of the Aiudara Network—nowhere else 
  on Golarion are there as many separate elf gates in such 
  close proximity. There are certainly more than a dozen 
  functioning elf gates in the city limits or within an hour of 
  its border, and likely twice that number of non-functioning 
  gates as well. The majority of these gates are not hubs—each 
  has a single destination when leaving from Iadara. One 
  such gate links to the Darklands (this is the one the PCs 
  likely used to arrive in Kyonin at the start of the adventure); 
  the one Quilindra leads the PCs to is another.
  Known locally as Lotusgate, this delicate arch of stone 
  sits at the center of a series of ring-shaped gardens filled 
  with a riot of lotus flowers. As the PCs approach, Quilindra 
  grows nervous—there’s no sign of any guards in the area. 
  She’d been prepared to have to fast talk or fight through 
  to Lotusgate, and isn’t prepared for the strange lack of 
  The 
  aIuDara 
  neTwork
  Each elf gate is either a simple gate with only two linked 
  locations, or a hub that connects several locations. Active elf 
  gates need only be stepped through to transport a traveler; 
  in the case of a hub, the traveler needs to be carrying a 
  specific portal key to select his destination. All other travelers 
  who follow go to the same location, so that in the case of a 
  group, only the first to travel needs a key. Typically, these 
  keys are gemstones. In a case where a traveler has multiple 
  gemstones that suffice, the elf gate defaults to the most 
  expensive gemstone—in the case of a tie, the destination 
  is randomly determined between tied gemstone values. 
  Travel through an elf gate is instantaneous, much like that 
  of traveling through a portal created by a gate spell.
  
  20
  Second Darkness
  opposition. Of course, this is due to the fact that the queen 
  has reassigned the guards here, giving the PCs a fortunate 
  break and allowing them to move through Lotusgate with 
  ease. If the PCs linger, perhaps beginning a paranoid 
  search for hidden guards who aren’t there, the sound of 
  a group of guards returning to their post at Lotusgate 
  should be enough to encourage them to leap through the 
  aiudara and onto the first stage of their journey.
  The Second Aiudara: Galtgate
  Hidden in a cavern under several ancient fir trees in 
  Boarwood, the elves have taken recently to calling this 
  aiudara Galtgate. This region once held a small but 
  majestic set of temples dedicated to the elven gods, 
  but during the period of time when the elves were 
  gone, Taldan soldiers razed the temples to the 
  ground. Distraught at the loss of the temples, 
  the elves chose not to rebuild here, and now use 
  the surviving cathedral-like caverns that once 
  served as the temple’s storerooms as a staging 
  ground for a long-term observation of the nation 
  of Galt. Galtgate itself is located in the central 
  cavern, a large, 200-foot diameter chamber 
  filled with softly humming crystals, 
  floating motes of multicolored light, 
  and a dozen stone bunkers.
  Galtgate is one of the network’s 
  busier elf gates, with connections to 
  seven other locations in all, and as 
  such the gate sees travelers passing 
  through several times a day. Since 
  many of these travelers are not elves, 
  the guardians of Galtgate are relatively 
  welcoming of travelers. New arrivals are 
  greeted by several elven soldiers and offered drinks 
  of wine and snacks of fruit if they wish. As long as the PCs 
  don’t act too crass or suspicious, these soldiers have little 
  interest in delaying them. The elves of Galtgate sometimes 
  trade goods with travelers—treat this small collection of 
  soldiers as a community with a 500 gp limit for the purposes 
  of buying items. One of Galtgate’s greatest resources are its 
  crystals and gems, many of which are sold as portal keys.
  The portal key for Galtgate is a garnet. Travelers from 
  Lotusgate need no portal key to travel here, of course, 
  as Lotusgate is not a hub, but if the PCs wish to return 
  to Galtgate from another aiudara hub, they’ll need a 
  garnet. Characters who wish to move on to Irrisen need a 
  moonstone to serve as a portal key; if the PCs are still with 
  Quilindra, her bracelet does the trick.
  The Third Aiudara: Icegate (EL 12)
  North of Irrisen, along the border between the continents 
  of Avistan and the Crown of the World, lies a mysterious 
  region ruled by one of Golarion’s most reclusive elves. 
  Known to many in the region only by rumors and 
  myth, these elves are referred to as Snowcasters, and the 
  stories of what they do to visitors are almost universally 
  overexaggerated. Yet while tales of cannibalism, demonic 
  sacrifice, and the ability to freeze a man solid at a glance 
  are all blatant falsehoods, the Snowcasters’ disdain of 
  intruders is quite legitimate.
  Icegate, as a result, is only rarely used—rather than 
  deal with the Snowcasters, most travelers opt for alternate 
  routes between these four regions. Icegate itself is a pale 
  arch no more than 9 feet tall carved in the side of a stony 
  outcropping at the edge of a small copse of 
  pine trees. The arch looks out over a small 
  lake that remains frozen year round, 
  and snowfall is generally quite heavy 
  in the region.
  The portal key for the Icegate 
  aiudara is a moonstone. Those 
  who wish to move on to Ustalav’s 
  Lichgate need a fire opal to serve 
  as a portal key; if the PCs are still 
  with Quilindra, her ring 
  suffices for this key.
  Creatures: Icegate is 
  under constant watch by a 
  small band of Snowcaster 
  sentries, and as soon as 
  the aiudara activates, they 
  quickly move into action. One group of four 
  elven fighters is stationed 30 feet downhill 
  from the portal, while another group of four 
  stands watch atop the outcropping. It only takes a 
  few seconds for the eight elves to move into position, 
  after which one of them cries out to the PCs in strangely 
  accented Common, “You there! Lower your weapons and 
  cast no spells! Hands where we can see them! Give us no 
  cause to attack, and you can go in peace.”
  Assuming the PCs cooperate, two of the sentries 
  downhill from the aiudara stand up and approach within 
  10 feet, warning the PCs that they won’t hesitate to open fire 
  if they try anything rash, then demand an explanation for 
  why the PCs have appeared. The elves remain suspicious 
  of the PCs even if they tell the truth, but as long as the PCs 
  aren’t too aggressive they agree to let them use Icegate to 
  continue on their way—but only if they pay a toll of 200 
  gp per person. The snow elves prefer this payment to be in 
  gems, jewelry, or magic items, but will accept coins with 
  a grumble. The snow elves respect shows of force (they 
  find the calm ways of their southern kin to be “soft and 
  childish”) and an attempt to Intimidate them gains a +4 
  bonus on the roll; if successful (or if the hostile elves are 
  made friendly with a DC 35 Diplomacy check), the snow 
  Snowcaster
  Sentry
  
  21
  A Memory of Darkness
  Mirianath 
  One square = 5 feet 
  C2
  C1 
  N 
  Mirianath 
  One square = 5 feet 
  C2
  C1 
  N 
  elves agree to let the PCs continue without paying. Any 
  other attempt to dodge payment, including an attempt 
  to simply flee through the aiudara, causes the elves to 
  immediately attack.
  Snowcaster Sentry (8) 
         
  CR 6
  hp 55 each (see page 12—Shin’Rakorath soldier)
  Ad Hoc Experience Award: If the PCs negotiate a 
  peaceful accord with the elves, award them experience as if 
  they had defeated them in combat.
  The Fourth Aiudara: Lichgate (EL 13)
  Centuries ago, the elves maintained a small stronghold 
  called Mirianath in a remote woodland in northern 
  Ustilav, a series of several stone domes used as a barracks 
  by a small group of female elven scouts and rangers. 
  Lichgate was unique among the aiudara of the network in 
  that it led to the lost region of Kyonin under the influence 
  of the demon Treerazer—no other aiudara remained active 
  that led to this region. The elves of Lichgate were charged 
  with the task of guarding this portal but were under strict 
  orders not to venture through it into Tanglebriar beyond.
  Yet Mirianath‘s commander Elledariah ignored these 
  orders. Acting on the best of intentions but fueled by a 
  dangerous combination of pride and patriotism, Elledariah 
  believed that if she could establish a safe harbor on the 
  far side of the gate, she and her soldiers could wage a war 
  against Treerazer’s demons from within Tanglebriar’s 
  borders, and in so doing might be able to drive the abyssal 
  taint of the region even farther back. Elledariah’s initial 
  efforts seemed to be working, but she was unfortunately 
  confronted by a menace she wasn’t prepared for—seduction. 
  Armed to defend herself against physical threats, she was 
  ill-prepared to resist the wiles of a particularly silver-
  tongued succubus who seduced her in the form of an elven 
  scout who claimed to have escaped the Witchbole and had 
  much to teach Elledariah. The eager elven ranger brought 
  the scout back to Lichgate, tended to his apparent wounds, 
  and accepted him into her people’s ranks, but as the scout 
  “recuperated,” he began to lure the elves away from their 
  mission with well-placed lies and the periodic charm. Over 
  the course of several months, the elves of Mirianath became 
  increasingly paranoid and introverted. They abandoned 
  their worship of Calistria and started to suspect the rest 
  of the elven army had been infiltrated by shapechanging 
  demons from Tanglebriar, that someday in the near 
  future, an assault of demons wearing elven skins would 
  overwhelm them and that their allies in distant Kyonin 
  would do nothing to help. So when a group of Kyonin’s 
  
  22
  Second Darkness
  22
  of eagle’s splendor, a potion of cure moderate wounds, a suit of +2 
  elven chainmail, a +1 improved silent moves mithral shirt, a wand 
  of fireballs (CL 8th, 21 charges), a +2 cold iron evil outsider bane 
  bastard sword, and 1,203 gp in all.
  Slumped against a wall in the southern guardtower is 
  what remains of Elledariah’s mortal form. Her withered 
  skeleton still wears her +3 moderate fortification elven chain, 
  the front lifted up and draped over her +2 cold iron speed 
  longsword, which is still lodged between her exposed ribs. 
  On one hand glints a ring of protection +3, while draped over 
  her neck is an amulet of health +4.
  The Fifth Aiudara: Tanglegate (EL 12)
  The final stage in the race through the aiudara network is 
  Tanglegate, a stone arch sitting on a small sliver of ground 
  amid a stinking, seething bog of tainted water. Deep in 
  the forest known now as Tanglebriar, this gate is covered 
  with clinging moss and the ground around it is thick with 
  diseased and foul-smelling mushrooms. The elf gate itself 
  looks remarkably well-preserved for the surroundings, 
  though—Treerazer has forbidden his minions from 
  damaging the portal, since he hopes someday to use it 
  against the elves, perhaps by redirecting it to connect 
  directly to Iadara, giving him a direct line of invasion to 
  the elven heartland.
  Creature: To encourage his demonic minions to keep 
  away from the elf gate, Treerazer posted two bebiliths in 
  the region to serve as guardians. The immense spidery 
  creatures’ reputation for cruelty to other demons is well 
  known, and no random encounters with other demons 
  occur within a mile of Tanglegate. Unfortunately, the 
  bebiliths themselves are dangerous guardians, and 
  they move quickly to attack anything that steps out of 
  Tanglegate, splashing through the shallow waters of the 
  surrounding bog with terrific speed.
  Bebeliths (2) 
  CR 10
  hp 150 each (MM 42)
  Traversing Tanglebriar
  Once the PCs defeat or escape the bebiliths, they’re faced 
  with the daunting prospect of a short but uncomfortable 
  overland journey through Tanglebriar. According to 
  Quilindra, it’s only a 3-mile journey to the west to reach 
  Thorn’s End, but no trails exist in Tanglebriar, and the 
  forest lives up to its name. Thick coils of stinging nettles, 
  swaths of glistening mold and poisonous fungi, spiky 
  vines and razor-sharp branches, and thick, sucking 
  patches of soggy ground present a very real threat to any 
  who would try to traverse the woodland. Overland travel 
  through Tanglebriar is 1/4 normal, and for every hour 
  spent traversing the tangle, a creature must make a DC 
  14 Fortitude save to resist taking 1d4 points of Strength 
  soldiers arrived to investigate why Mirianath had cut off 
  contact with the homeland, the defenders mistook their 
  arrival for invasion and attacked. The succubus enjoyed the 
  slaughter, but she enjoyed the results of that slaughter even 
  more. The only survivor of the fight was Elledariah, and 
  when the succubus revealed her true nature to her after the 
  battle, Elledariah was overwhelmed with despair and took 
  her own life. The succubus, none other than Quilindra 
  herself, returned to Tanglebriar triumphant, while back 
  at Mirianath, Elledariah’s spirit rose the next twilight as a 
  powerful banshee.
  Since then, Elledariah’s proximity has soured the elf 
  gate here—it can still accept arrivals, but none may use it 
  to leave the fortress as long as the banshee exists. Saddened 
  and shamed by the failure here, the elves of Kyonin tried 
  once (and failed) to exorcise the undead elf, and instead 
  settled for quarantining the area. Long-term plans to 
  cleanse the area and lay the spirits to rest remain on the 
  schedule, but as with so many things in elven life, these 
  plans seem eternally doomed to languish in the future.
  Quilindra is eager to return to the scene of one of 
  her most successful early triumphs, but a bit nervous as 
  well. She knows the place is haunted by a banshee, and 
  encourages the PCs to prepare accordingly with death ward 
  spells and similar effects.
  Lichgate itself is located in area C1 of Mirianath. It 
  can receive travelers from other elf gates, but as long as 
  Elledariah exists, it cannot be activated from the Mirianath 
  side to transport travelers to any other location. Once the 
  banshee queen is defeated, the elf gate functions normally. 
  The portal key for Lichgate is a fire opal. Those who wish 
  to move on to Tanglegate need a sapphire to serve as a 
  portal key. If Quilindra remains with the PCs, her amulet 
  of natural armor +2 does the job as portal key.
  Creatures: During the day, Elledariah is harmless and 
  hides in the stone walls of the place, but at night she 
  emerges to wander the ruins’ halls, her deadly song echoing 
  through the chambers. Her ability to sense heartbeats 
  allows her to locate living intruders swiftly, and once night 
  falls, she is terrifically fierce in defending her home. The 
  banshee appears as she did in life (albeit in a smoky white, 
  ghostly form), with long hair, form-fitting chainmail, and 
  a gently curved sword in one hand. Her eyes glow with a 
  cruel yellow flame, and her face is a constant grimace of 
  hate and despair.
  Elledariah 
  CR 13
  Banshee
  hp 161 (see page 80)
  Treasure: Scattered among the dead bodies in area 
  C2 are many objects of value—10 minutes of searching 
  gathers the following treasure: a +1 large steel shield, a potion 
  
  A Memory of Darkness
  23
  damage from the various poison thorns, spores, and nettles 
  that grow thick in the area. Wandering monsters (see page 
  79) are another very real threat to those in Tanglebriar, 
  although if the PCs know she’s a succubus, Quilindra can 
  use her influence to talk any demons the PCs encounter 
  out of attacking if she makes a DC 35 Diplomacy check. 
  PCs can attempt the same, but suffer a –10 penalty to their 
  check if they’re obviously not demons.
  With Quilindra as a guide, the PCs can find their way 
  through Tanglebriar to Thorn’s End directly (at a speed of 
  30 feet, the 3 mile journey still takes 4 hours). If Quilindra 
  is no longer with the party, a DC 30 Knowledge (geography) 
  check is required to know the approximate location of 
  Thorn’s End if the PCs don’t possess a map. To avoid 
  becoming lost in Tanglebriar the PCs must make a DC 20 
  Survival check; if the PCs have a map, this drops to a DC 
  15 Survival check. With Quilindra, there’s no chance of 
  becoming lost at all.
  PArt four: thorn’s end
  After the elves returned to Golarion in 2632 ar, the Winter 
  Council’s role in elven society had changed. Whereas before 
  they were a public group that served as ambassadors to 
  Azlant, Earthfall and the resulting Age of Darkness changed 
  the society’s outlook. It was only through espionage and 
  secrecy that their agents were able to so accurately predict 
  Earthfall’s advent, and so as the new age of elves dawned, they 
  retreated from the public eye. Proxies like the Shin’Rakorath 
  mercenary company and certain select nobles became 
  their public faces, and in time, even these proxies began to 
  have doubts about who they really worked for. The Winter 
  Council’s traditional stronghold, a fortress called Thorn’s 
  End, stood in a portion of Kyonin from which the elves were 
  unable to reclaim from Treerazer, but the Winter Council 
  saw this as a boon, not a liability. The wards in place at 
  Thorn’s End made it difficult for the demons to harm 
  the building, and once Winter Council wizards perfected 
  a magical item called the Maleficus Spike and drove it into 
  the tower’s foundation, Thorn’s End became practically 
  invulnerable to the demonic host that surrounded them. 
  Nestled deeply in one of the few places on Golarion that the 
  elven people had no real interest in exploring, it became the 
  perfect place to base a secret society.
  It was honestly only a matter of time until things 
  backfired on the Winter Council, and when they did, it 
  was spectacular. When their most decorated and powerful 
  member, an elven priestess and general named Allevrah, 
  approached the Winter Council with an audacious plan 
  to destroy the drow, the council recoiled in horror. The 
  argument that resulted intensified until Allevrah struck 
  out against the then leader of the Winter Council, an 
  elven wizard named Auramesties, murdering him before 
  the rest of the council. It was the final act in Allevrah’s 
  
  24
  Second Darkness
  recent sacrifices to her morality, and before her associates’ 
  eyes, she transformed into a drow. Allevrah fled before 
  the shocked Winter Council could react, and as she fled 
  she damaged the Maleficus Spike enough that the demonic 
  host of Tanglebriar could come closer than ever to the 
  fortress. The act gained her enough time to flee to the 
  Darklands, taking with her much of her research and 
  several potent magical resources while the other Winter 
  Council leaders mobilized to shore up the rent in their 
  fortress’s armor.
  Several of the Winter Council’s guards and even a few 
  of their leaders perished in that initial surge of demonic 
  fury, and some of Thorn’s End’s higher towers suffered 
  partial collapse before the elves were able to right the 
  damage. Yet the demons had tasted victory, and whereas 
  before they were content to lurk in the shadows around 
  Thorn’s End, now they have settled into a perpetual host 
  of monsters around the tower. Their minions haunt the 
  damaged upper reaches and lay siege to the tower from 
  below. Unwilling to cede their pride and fortress, the 
  Winter Council dug in for a long siege and turned their 
  attentions to how to track Allevrah down and stop her 
  without allowing the world at large to learn that one of 
  their own had become a drow.
  It is this tenacious stalemate between demon and drow that 
  the PCs come upon when they draw near to Thorn’s End.
  The Winter Council
  The Winter Council originally consisted of a group of six 
  elves, each with their own area of unique skill and specialty. 
  Since Allevrah’s defection and murder of the previous 
  leader, this number has dropped to four. These surviving 
  council members are growing increasingly isolated and 
  distraught over what they feel to be a situation spiraling 
  out of control, and if the PCs play their cards right, they 
  can use this to their advantage in securing the Council’s 
  aid or ensuring its destruction.
  Each of the surviving Winter Council members have 
  their own issues and problems, and have reacted to 
  Allevrah’s betrayal and the growing concern of what to do 
  to escape the siege without revealing the location of their 
  hideout to the queen. If made friendly, any of the four 
  councilors agrees to help the PCs secure an audience with 
  the others, and they recommend holding an emergency 
  council session with the PCs and all four councilors in 
  attendance. A councilor made helpful might confide in 
  the PCs that the situation here at Thorn’s End is worse 
  than it seems, and that one of their own, a woman named 
  Allevrah, murdered another of their members years 
  ago and fled, engineering the demon siege as she left to 
  throw off pursuit. If the PCs mention that they’ve heard 
  the Azrinae drow have a new matron named Allevrah, 
  the councilor grows concerned but doesn’t seem too 
  surprised, saying, “All will be made clear during the 
  coming emergency session.”
  If the PCs befriend Armistril, the captain of the Thorn’s 
  End guard, he can give them the names of the following 
  four, the locations where they’ve been spending much of 
  their time, and the information listed here.
  Arlindil (page 40) liaises between the Winter Council 
  and Golarion’s elven druids (particularly those operating 
  in Kyonin). He is currently the council’s oldest living 
  member, and, perhaps not coincidentally, the most 
  “hard-line” of an already traditionalist group. As a druid, 
  he recognizes that there are natural cycles to all things, 
  and most of his philosophy revolves around the elves not 
  impeding Golarion’s ability to carry out those cycles. He 
  spends a great deal of time brooding in his new home 
  (area D30).
  Hialin (page 43) is the Winter Council’s resident 
  expert on arcane magic, and represents the interests 
  of elven arcane spellcasters throughout Golarion. He 
  also researches arcane knowledge, and is the keeper of 
  Thorn’s End’s archives (areas D39 and D40). A quiet and 
  intense man, Hialin has become a bit of a recluse of late 
  and spends his time in his laboratory (area D36) or his 
  quarters (area D37).
  Malindil (page 33) is the commander-in-chief of the 
  Council’s defenders and the main point of contact with 
  the Shin’Rakorath and various other contacts scattered 
  throughout Kyonin. Her primary concern is to maintain 
  the integrity of Thorn’s End, and it is primarily at her 
  insistent arguments that the Winter Council has not yet 
  given up on their traditional home. Malindil works closely 
  with Arlindil to ensure the natural order of things, and 
  spends some of her time visiting with him in his chambers 
  (area D30), but mostly confers with Armistril (see area 
  D4) about devising a plan to defeat the demons and their 
  expectations that the wards will soon fail.
  Perelir (page 39) is the council’s advisor on divine 
  affairs—a theologist who specializes in divinations, 
  making her invaluable to the Winter Council. She also 
  serves as the Council’s armorer, providing for most of the 
  council members’ magical arms and armor. She’s the most 
  outspoken of the councilors; as a priestess of Calistria, 
  she often differed on opinions with the rest of the Winter 
  Council and most of the arguments that rocked the meeting 
  room were started by her. She generally spends her days 
  in her chamber (area D28) or tending to the chapel itself 
  (area D26), and has grown uncharacteristically gloomy 
  and morose.
  D1. Collapsed Walls
  The once-mighty gatehouse of this ancient elven fortress 
  has collapsed, transforming into a jagged rent in the curtain 
  
  25
  A Memory of Darkness
  wall that opens onto a courtyard perhaps once used as a 
  marshalling yard. Thick, dripping vines and soggy, drooping 
  mushrooms grow thick on the walls and ground surrounding 
  the castle, and the tangled woodland presses in against its 
  outer walls like a malignant sea of verdant tumors.
  After Allevrah damaged the Maleficus Spike, the demonic 
  host that marched on Thorn’s End tore apart the gatehouse 
  that once stood here. When the Winter Council reactivated 
  their defenses, the courtyard remained unprotected (along 
  with a few of the upper towers that flying demons had 
  managed to breach).
  D2. Courtyard (EL 17)
  The grace of elven architecture and design is still visible in the 
  lines of the structure surrounding this large courtyard, but the 
  yard itself has been polluted beyond redemption. A thick layer of 
  mud, fungus, and refuse lies heaped on the ground, trampled 
  flat in the middle of the yard but lying in mounds against the 
  walls. To the south, a bloodstained and muddy set of stairs rises 
  up to a set of filth-caked double doors of cold iron.
  Creatures: The courtyard before the main doors 
  of the castle swarms with demons. The exact mix 
  of demons changes from day to day as some are 
  slaughtered by their kin or grow bored with the 
  siege, but at any one time the mix is about the same 
  level of danger as the one presented here.
  Overseeing the squabbling, howling mob 
  is a single bloated nalfeshnee demon named 
  Viggrizzur. Sent from Treerazer himself to handle the 
  siege of Thorn’s End, Viggrizzur has a quality lacking in 
  many other demons—patience. He knows that Thorn’s End 
  is warded against teleportation (after many failed attempts 
  to enter by that very method), and while he knows that the 
  elves inside can likely last for years or decades on their 
  magical supplies, demons are longer-lived even than elves. 
  The elves themselves let down their guard once before, and 
  precious time was lost in the initial assault—when the elves 
  let down their guard again, Viggrizzur is ready to strike 
  immediately.
  Lurking in the yard with Viggrizzur are many lesser 
  demons, all of whom fear the nalfeshnee enough to limit 
  their squabbling and bickering and fighting to a dull roar. 
  The nalfeshnee isn’t above crushing minor demons for some 
  real or imagined slight or error, and the demons gathered 
  here have made a game of this, each trying his best to goad 
  or trick his kin into angering the nalfeshnee enough to be 
  crushed. It’s a violent but entertaining enough pastime for 
  the demons while they wait for their siege to have results. 
  Over a dozen demons in all gathered here in the courtyard—
  eight babaus, three vrocks, two hezrous, and the nalfeshnee 
  himself. In addition, a group of a dozen satyr barbarians (fey 
  that have been corrupted and subsumed by the sickening 
  miasma of Treerazer’s presence in Tanglebriar and are 
  equal parts satyr and demon now), bicker and squabble 
  among their more powerful demonic cousins. It’s among 
  the ranks of these corrupted satyrs that most of the violence 
  occurs, but the number of these creatures serving Treerazer 
  is legion, and Viggrizzur isn’t worried about running out 
  Maleficus Spike
  Aura strong abjuration; CL 20th
  Slot —; Price — (minor artifact); Weight 16 lb.
  DESCRIPTION
  The Maleficus Spike is an ancient item forged of cold iron 
  with an adamantine core designed to keep demons at bay. 
  When driven into the wall of a building, the Maleficus Spike 
  infuses the walls of the structure with a dimensional lock 
  effect and a ward that repels demons. Any outsider with 
  the evil subtype that tries to enter or damage the warded 
  building must attempt a DC 30 Will save. If it 
  fails, the outsider takes 12d6 damage each 
  round and becomes nauseated for 1 hour. 
  An outsider that manages to enter a 
  building warded in this manner must 
  make a new Will save each round to 
  avoid damage and nausea. The effect 
  is lessened against non-outsider evil 
  creatures; such creatures gain a +4 bonus on 
  their Will saves, take only 4d6 damage on a failed 
  save, and are nauseated for only 1 minute.
  The stone and doors of a structure warded by a 
  Maleficus Spike are considered magically treated (+20 
  to Break DCs, double hardness, and double hit points). 
  Additionally, the structure self-repairs damage at the rate of 5 
  points of damage per round, provided the damage was inflicted 
  while the Maleficus Spike was functioning; the Spike can’t repair 
  existing damage when it is installed.
  A Maleficus Spike consumes an enormous amount of magical 
  energy. It contains enough energy to ward a structure for 
  24 hours, after which it becomes dormant until recharged. 
  Recharging a Maleficus Spike requires a spellcaster to spend 10 
  minutes in contact with the Spike, after which the spellcaster 
  selects a number of spell slots totaling no less than 24 spell 
  levels to expend to infuse the minor artifact with enough 
  energy to ward the structure for another 24 hours. Prepared 
  spells in these slots are lost for a day, and for spontaneous 
  spellcasters those slots are used for a day. Spell-like abilities 
  cannot be used to fuel a Maleficus Spike.
  DESTRuCTION
  To destroy a Maleficus Spike, you must hammer it into a 
  structure on the Abyss using a hammer bearing the 
  unholy symbol of any demon lord.
  
  26
  Second Darkness
  Vrocks (3) 
   
  CR 9
  hp 115 each (MM 48)
  Babaus (8) 
   
  CR 6
  hp 66 each (MM 40)
  Tanglebriar Satyrs (12) 
   
  CR 5
  Male fiendish satyr barbarian 2 (MM 108, 219)
  CE Medium fey
  Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Listen +16, 
  Spot +16
  DEFENSE
  AC 19, touch 10, flat-footed 17
  (+2 armor, +2 Dex, +5 natural, –2 rage, +2 
  shield)
  hp 65 each (7 HD; 5d6+2d12+35)
  Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +8
  Defensive Abilities uncanny dodge; DR 5/
  cold iron and magic; Immune critical hits, 
  mind-affecting effects, sleep, paralysis, 
  poison, polymorph, stun; Resist cold 5, fire 5; 
  SR 12
  OFFENSE
  Spd 50 ft.
  Melee mwk battleaxe +10 (1d8+6/×3) 
  and
  head butt +3 (1d6+2)
  Ranged mwk composite longbow +7 
  (1d8+2/×3)
  Special Attacks rage 1/day, smite good 1/
  day (+7 damage)
  TACTICS
  During Combat Tanglebriar satyrs 
  rage at the start of battle and prefer to 
  engage foes in melee; if they can’t, they 
  save their rage and fire arrows at foes until they’ve closed 
  to melee range.
  Morale Tanglebriar satyrs fight to the death.
  Base Stats AC 21, touch 11, flat-footed 19; hp 51; Fort +7, Will 
  +6; Melee mwk battleaxe +8 (1d8+3/×3) and head butt +1 
  (1d6+1); Str 14, Con 17; Skills Jump +13
  STATISTICS
  Str 18, Dex 14, Con 21, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 12
  Base Atk +4; Grp +6
  Feats Alertness, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Armor, 
  Weapon Focus (battleaxe)
  Skills Bluff +9, Hide +13, Jump +15, Knowledge (nature) +8, 
  Listen +16, Move Silently +13, Spot +16
  Languages Common, Sylvan
  SQ fast movement
  Gear masterwork leather armor, masterwork heavy wooden 
  shield, masterwork battleaxe, masterwork composite 
  longbow (+2 Str) with 20 arrows
  of them any time soon. In all, 30 enemies wait in 
  the courtyard, a force large enough to make the 
  Winter Council trapped within pause 
  even before one factors in the 
  additional demonic creatures 
  lurking in the midden (area 
  D3) or the ruined heights of 
  the tower above (areas D25 and 
  D34). It certainly should be enough 
  to give the PCs pause—fortunately, if they 
  still have Quilindra in their party, the succubus 
  gives them an easy way past the demons.
  Viggrizzur 
  CR 14
  Nalfeshnee demon
  hp 175 (MM 45)
  TACTICS
  During Combat Viggrizzur starts every fight with a smite, 
  following up with call lightning. If he sees a PC casting spells, 
  he targets that PC with feeblemind. He uses slow against 
  physical combatants, and greater dispel magic to undo any 
  detrimental spell effects on his demon host. He lets his 
  demonic forces lead the attack, though, and only resorts to 
  personal violence if a PC moves within his 15-foot reach.
  Morale Viggrizzur is no fool, and if the PCs appear to be 
  winning (or if he’s reduced to less than 30 hit points), he 
  uses greater teleport to retreat elsewhere in Tanglebriar to 
  lie low until Treerazer’s had time to learn about the failed 
  siege and vent his rage on other demons. He does not 
  return to Thorn’s End during this adventure.
  Hezrous (2) 
   
  CR 11
  hp 138 each (MM 44)
  guarDs oF Thorn’s 
  enD
  Today, the number of guards in Thorn’s End is less than 
  half of the original number—only 36 Shin’Rakorath guards 
  remain stationed in the fortress, led by a single commander, 
  Armistril. These elves have stoically upheld their charge of 
  defending Thorn’s End, but morale is nonetheless slowly 
  eroding. Their loyalties today lie primarily with Armistril, 
  and they see the retreat of the Winter Council commanders 
  themselves into their own chambers on the floors above as 
  damning evidence that the secret society is dying, if not 
  already dead. Where Armistril goes, so do the guards, and 
  so if the PCs earn his allegiance, the guards in Thorn’s 
  End become handy allies in confrontations not only 
  with the demons that have colonized upper areas 
  of the fortress, but also in interactions with the 
  four remaining councilors. If, on the other hand, 
  the PCs make enemies of Armistril, the guards of 
  Thorn’s End oppose the PCs to the bitter end.
  Thorn’s End
  Guard
  
  27
  A Memory of Darkness
  If Quilindra Isn’t with the PCs: The demons’ natural 
  reaction to the arrival of humanoids is to attack, but 
  Viggrizzur orders them to stand down long enough that 
  he can greet the PCs in an unsettlingly civil manner. He 
  asks if the PCs would be interested in doing him a favor—
  simply go into this tower and talk to the elves within 
  and convince them to lower their defenses. In return, he 
  promises the PCs they can have all of the treasure inside 
  the tower. Of course, this is a lie; once the Thorn’s End 
  wards are down, Viggrizzur orders his demons to tear 
  down the tower and kill everyone inside. Likewise, if the 
  PCs attempt to exit the building after Viggrizzur lets 
  them enter, he orders his demons to attack. The demons 
  do not pursue PCs beyond the courtyard, though.
  If Quilindra Is with the PCs: As the group approaches 
  within 100 feet, Quilindra telepathically informs 
  Viggrizzur that she and the PCs are approaching, and 
  that she’s convinced them to take down the Winter 
  Council for them. From here, the interaction proceeds 
  as above, with Viggrizzur allowing the PCs entry into 
  the tower but demanding Quilindra remain behind as a 
  hostage to ensure the PCs do their job; this is, of course, 
  because Quilindra herself can’t enter Thorn’s End, 
  being a demon. She puts up a brave front in this case, 
  telling the PCs not to worry about her and to be swift in 
  their assault.
  If the PCs know Quilindra’s a succubus, she assumes her 
  natural form as she arrives and is greeted with open arms 
  and rounds of applause by the demonic host. At this point, 
  she joins the besiegers, and if the PCs attempt anything 
  other than entering Thorn’s End to lower the wards, she 
  joins the demons in an attack on the PCs.
  Ad Hoc Experience Award: If the PCs manage to enter 
  Thorn’s End without resorting to combat, award them 
  experience as if they had defeated a CR 13 foe in combat.
  D3. Midden (EL 10)
  What once might have been a pleasant garden is now filled with all 
  manner of filth and refuse. A great deal of it is heaped in front of a 
  door leading into the central tower—and about forty feet below an 
  upper-floor arrow slit; clearly, someone inside has been dumping 
  the stronghold’s refuse out the window, and the ambient spores 
  heavy in the air have taken to the filth with speed.
  Thorn’s End
  One square = 10 feet 
  N
  D1
  D2
  D4
  D5
  D6
  D7
  D8
  D9
  D9
  D9
  D9
  D3
  Thorn’s End
  One square = 10 feet 
  D1
  N
  D2
  D4
  D5
  D6
  D7
  D8
  D9
  D9
  D9
  D9
  D3
  
  28
  Second Darkness
  Once a garden, this corner of the courtyard has become 
  a midden. At one time, the demons and satyrs enjoyed 
  frolicking in this filth and sifting through it for prizes cast 
  off by the elves within Thorns’ End, but they eventually 
  grew bored with the diversion. Since then, several 
  shambling mounds have settled in the area. The filth is 
  piled up high enough along the wall to completely obscure 
  the door leading inside.
  Shambling Mounds (4) 
   
  CR 6
  hp 60 (MM 222)
  D4. The Great Hall (EL 12)
  All three doors leading into this chamber from the 
  courtyard or the midden are locked via arcane lock (CL 
  15th), which in combination with the Maleficus Spike, make 
  them very difficult to force open. Each of these doors is 
  made of cold iron as well. If the characters pound on the 
  doors or call out to anyone within to be let in, Armistril 
  replies soon enough—with the leaders of the Winter 
  Council ensconced in their own particular distractions on 
  the floors above, it’s left to him to determine if the PCs 
  are who they say they are, and if they should be allowed 
  to enter. In the end, as long as the PCs don’t threaten him 
  and state their case with a DC 20 Diplomacy check (or a 
  successful Bluff), he’ll open the door for them, trusting the 
  Maleficus Spike to keep the PCs out if they’re really demons 
  in disguise. As the door’s opened, though, the demons in 
  the courtyard might try to take a few shots at Armistril or 
  any elves they can see through the open doorway with a few 
  ranged attacks, so Armistril won’t leave the door open for 
  long, urging the PCs to enter as quickly as possible so he 
  can slam the door shut again.
  This huge, airy chamber was once decorated with finery fit for 
  kings—but the faded tapestries on the walls are thick with dust, 
  and the stonework is crumbling and coated with mold. High above, 
  the vaulted ceiling is decorated with ancient frescoes depicting the  
  sun, the moon, and various deities of the elven pantheon. 
  Creatures: Long ago, before Treerazer settled in, this 
  area was where the Winter Council received guests or 
  held public hearings. Today, the great hall is mostly 
  empty and used as a marshalling yard for the guardians 
  of Thorn’s End. The commander of Thorn’s End’s 
  guards, an honorable elven soldier named Armistril, 
  spends the majority of his time here, retreating to his 
  quarters at area D18 only for a few hours each night after 
  midnight to rest. He even takes his meals here. Armistril 
  wears gleaming armor and wields a cold iron longsword 
  and a heavy shield bearing the image of a wolf’s head. A 
  group of four elven guards stands at attention in the room 
  as well, although only Armistril speaks to the PCs if they 
  enter without provoking a fight. Armistril has grown 
  weary of the situation in Thorn’s End; his only goal now 
  is to prevent further death among his men, and he has all 
  but given up on serving the Winter Council. Yet as long 
  as the siege persists, he doesn’t want to risk flight. He’s 
  been trapped here as a result for years, and the arrival of 
  the PCs presents to him hope of an end to the situation. 
  His initial attitude toward the PCs is thus friendly, 
  unless he has cause to believe that they are allied with the 
  demons (in which case it drops to unfriendly) or are here 
  to destroy the Winter Council (in which case it drops only 
  to indifferent).
  Armistril’s initial reaction to the PCs, whatever his 
  attitude, is to address them in a calm, clear voice: “I do 
  not know if you are friend or foe—liberators sent from 
  Kyonin or scoundrels in league with the demons on our 
  stoop. Speak now, and make plain your intentions here 
  in Thorn’s End!”
  Viggrizzor
  
  29
  A Memory of Darkness
  Armistril doesn’t seek the PCs’ surrender—only plain 
  discourse. At one time he may have worried that the 
  Winter Council elders might be observing events here, but 
  he knows that they have all retreated into their own fugues 
  upstairs, and has no qualms about speaking plainly with 
  the visitors. Armistril knows that Allevrah left Thorn’s 
  End years ago in a rage, but isn’t sure why. He’s heard 
  rumors that she proposed a hideous plan to use falling 
  stars against the drow, and even that she’s defected to work 
  for the drow, but hasn’t yet seen proof of these rumors. As 
  long as the PCs aren’t too aggressive or insulting, he sighs, 
  then admits that he’s worried as well that something has 
  poisoned the minds of the Winter Council, but claims 
  that it’s not his place to intervene. He and his men are 
  here only to guard Thorn’s End. He encourages the PCs 
  to seek out the four remaining Winter Council elders to 
  speak to them—he cannot leave his post, but he does send 
  two of the guards here with the PCs to act as guides and 
  warn them of the places where dangerous traps or demons 
  have infiltrated the structure. He also gives the PCs the 
  information listed in the “Armistril’s Plea” sidebar. He 
  can also tell the PCs where the four remaining councilors 
  spend most of their time.
  Armistril 
   
  CR 10
  Male elf fighter 10
  LG Medium humanoid
  Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Listen +1, Spot +1
  DEFENSE
  AC 23, touch 12, flat-footed 21
  (+7 armor, +2 Dex, +4 shield)
  hp 79 (10d10+20)
  Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +2 (+2 against enchantment)
  Immune sleep
  OFFENSE
  Spd 20 ft.
  Melee +1 cold iron longsword +16/+11 (1d8+6/19–20)
  Ranged +1 composite longbow +13/+8 (1d8+4/×3)
  TACTICS
  During Combat Armistril’s goal in a fight is to get his enemy 
  to surrender. He uses Combat Expertise to gain a +5 dodge 
  bonus to his AC (increasing his overall AC to 28) while making 
  
  Second Darkness
  30
  Improved Disarm attempts. Once his opponent’s weapon is 
  out of the way, Armistril offers his foe a chance to surrender, 
  and treats them fairly if they accept; if they refuse (or accept, 
  but rejoin the fight later), he drops his Combat Expertise and 
  makes full attacks.
  Morale If overwhelmed by mortal foes, Armistril asks for quarter 
  and vows not to attempt to harm or hinder the PCs (though he 
  offers no aid, either). Otherwise, Armistril fights to the death, 
  preferring not to be taken prisoner by those who would use 
  him against his masters.
  STATISTICS
  Str 17, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 8, Cha 10
  Base Atk +10; Grp +13
  Feats Combat Expertise, Dodge, Greater Weapon Focus 
  (longsword), Improved Critical (longsword), Improved 
  Disarm, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Focus 
  (longsword), Weapon Specialization (longsword), 
  Whirlwind Attack
  Skills Handle Animal +13, Intimidate +13, Sense Motive +5
  Languages Common, Elven
  Gear +2 breastplate, +2 heavy steel shield, +1 cold iron 
  longsword, +1 composite longbow (+3 Str) with 20 cold iron 
  arrows, gauntlets of ogre power
  Thorn’s End Guards (4) 
   
  CR 6
  hp 55 each (see page 12—Shin’Rakorath soldier)
  D5. Banquet Hall
  Several graceful yet sturdy mahogany tables cover the length of 
  this wide room. The tables are covered with embroidered linen 
  cloths, and one table is dominated by five magnificent chairs—all 
  of which is finely coated in a layer of dust.
  Once used to entertain guests and hold banquets, 
  this chamber has gone mostly unused since the rise of 
  Tanglebriar. The western stairs lead up to the stairs just 
  east of area D11 above, while the eastern stairs lead up to 
  the northernmost guard post on the second floor.
  D6. Drill Room (EL 10)
  The walls of this vaulted chamber are lined with half a 
  dozen weapon racks of longswords, bows, and spears, all 
  of exquisite workmanship. Archery targets and practice 
  dummies lean against the southern wall as well. The center 
  of the room is clear. The polished stone floor has obviously 
  seen decades, if not centuries, of sparring, drilling, and 
  exercising.
  Creatures: Two off-duty guards are fighting with wooden 
  swords here while two others stand near the door, offering 
  martial advice and comradely encouragement. They are 
  engaged in their activities and suffer a –5 penalty on Listen 
  or Spot checks.
  Thorn’s End Guards (4) 
   
  CR 6
  hp 55 each (see page 12—Shin’Rakorath soldier)
  Treasure: The weapons in here are all of 
  masterwork quality, though not cold iron, like 
  the guards’ standard gear. There are 16 longswords, 8 
  longbows, and 12 spears in the racks.
  Armistril
  
  31
  A Memory of Darkness
  D7. Kitchen
  Although the tables and cupboards of this chamber are obviously 
  those of a kitchen, very little in the way of food preparation 
  utensils or other supplies are in evidence.
  The elves have long since exhausted their normal 
  supplies of food and water since the beginning of the siege, 
  and have been subsisting on magically created food and 
  water for some time.
  Treasure: In a cupboard on the east wall lie two wands 
  of create food and water—one fully charged, and the other 
  down to only 11 charges.
  D8. Pantry
  A spiral staircase leads up to the north, while several water 
  barrels stand in a nook to the stair’s side.
  These stairs lead up to area D10. Arlindil and Perelir keep 
  the water in the barrels stocked with create water spells.
  D9. Cells (EL 5)
  Each of these cells has no exit onto this floor; they’re all 
  accessed via cold iron trap doors in the ceiling 12 feet 
  above. The cells are lit by a single stationary permanent 
  dancing light and from the tiny slots in the trap door that 
  allow light and air in from area D10 above. Each contains 
  little more than a bed of straw, several low wooden pallets 
  to sleep on, and three large buckets (one for food, one for 
  water, and one for waste) that hang from chains leading up 
  to the trap door.
  Creature: Only one of these cells is currently occupied. 
  The southeast chamber contains a despondent and 
  depressed pixie named Estril that was captured by Hialin 
  a few months ago when the pixie managed to sneak into 
  Thorn’s End. Estril had originally entered Tanglebriar 
  to look for a lost pixie enclave rumored to be hidden in 
  the corrupted forest, but instead discovered the conclave 
  of elves hiding in the ruins. Intrigued, the curious pixie 
  infiltrated the stronghold, but his curiosity would be his 
  undoing. He followed Hialin into his laboratory to see 
  what the elf was up to when he was spotted—assuming the 
  pixie was here to cause trouble, Hialin swiftly overpowered 
  the fey and had him thrown into this prison, intending 
  to interrogate the pixie and figure out what was his “real” 
  reason for entering Thorn’s End. Unfortunately for Estril, 
  Hialin soon forgot about the pixie, and since the other 
  three councilors don’t know he’s being kept here, the pixie 
  has languished in his cell for months.
  Armistril and his men know about the prisoner, of 
  course, and have taken care to feed him regularly, but as the 
  captain of the guard was ordered by Hialin to say nothing 
  of the prisoner to the other councilors, he has remained 
  quiet. If he befriends the PCs, though, he tells them of the 
  prisoner—it takes very little urging on the PCs’ behalf to 
  convince him to let Estril out.
  If released, Estril is ecstatic and showers the PCs with 
  tiny hugs and kisses. He has nothing but insults for Hialin, 
  and says that the pasty elf’s lab up in the tower above was 
  particularly creepy with all of its scary books and funny 
  smells. Estril becomes particularly enamored of the PC 
  with the highest Charisma, and begins following him 
  or her around (invisibly, of course) and uses his magic as 
  best he can to advise and protect that PC until the PC gets 
  fed up with the pixie’s nearly constant stream of chattery 
  compliments. Estril lost his bow and arrows (they’re in 
  Hialin’s laboratory at area D36), but the pixie does have 
  the ability to use irresistible dance as a spell-like ability.
  Estril 
   
  CR 5
  Male Pixie
  hp 3 (MM 236)
  Ad Hoc Experience Award: If the PCs free Estril, award 
  them experience as if they had defeated a CR 8 creature in 
  combat.
  D10. Interrogation Chamber (EL 8)
  Iron doors stand on either side of this large, almost empty 
  chamber, and a flight of spiral stairs leads both down and up to 
  the north. Four iron trapdoors are set in the floor, their faces 
  decorated with narrow slots and a tiny drawer-like latch. A single 
  wooden chair sits against a large central pillar.
  armIsTrIl’s 
  Plea
  “I’d been serving here at Thorn’s End for years—barely 
  long enough to start feeling that it was my home when it 
  happened. There was an argument in the Council meeting 
  room, and by the time I managed to get in there, the deed 
  had been done. The eldest of the Council was slain in the 
  fight, a brilliant wizard by the name of Auramesties. Another 
  of the Council, General Allevrah, fled after the conflict, but 
  neither I nor my men saw her flee—for all I know, she is now 
  dead as well. The remaining four councilors have retreated 
  into seclusion. Someone must convince the remaining four 
  to convene a meeting—I suspect that only if one could get 
  them all in the same room would there be any chance of 
  learning more from them. I ask only that you moderate your 
  blades and spells, for the concept of the Council is sound. If 
  something of it can be salvaged and saved, it would do the 
  elven nation good. Now go. Gather the Winter Council to 
  the council chamber above and plead your case.”
  
  32
  Second Darkness
  This 
  room 
  is 
  used to interrogate 
  prisoners. 
  The 
  four 
  trapdoors in the floor 
  lead down to the prison 
  cells below (area D9); only the 
  southeast door is locked (Open 
  Lock DC 30). The key to the lock 
  hangs on a hook by the stairs.
  Creatures: Two guards stand duty in this room—
  more to watch for intrusions from outside via the two 
  doors than to watch over the single prisoner in the  
  room below.
  Thorn’s End Guards (2) 
   
  CR 6
  hp 55 each (see page 12—Shin’Rakorath soldier)
  D11. Guards’ Bath
  This damp room contains several gleaming marble and polished 
  wood tubs, shelves of towels and soap, and several partitioned 
  alcoves containing chamber pots. A large number of barrels sit 
  against the southern wall, and a large iron cauldron sits over a 
  firepit to the north.
  This is where the guards of Thorn’s End bathe. The 
  barrels contain water, which is heated in the large cauldron 
  to the desired temperature for bathing.
  D12. Guest Room
  This well-appointed room appears comfortable, though clearly 
  unoccupied. The air smells slightly musty, though the canopy 
  bed appears comfortable.
  The Winter Council has not had guests for quite a while, 
  and so this room has been somewhat neglected.
  Treasure: A DC 30 Search check of the bed turns up a 
  long-lost gold ring set with a star sapphire, worth 2,150 gp.
  D13. Upper Defense Post (EL 11)
  Several curved stone walls provide ample places for cover in this 
  room. Three metal gratings in the floor look out over the great 
  hall over twenty feet below.
  Creatures: A group of six guards are stationed here, 
  charged with monitoring the activities of the demons in 
  the courtyard. If the PCs aren’t stealthy, the guards give 
  constant reports through the grated murderholes in the 
  floor to Armistril in area D4 below. They don’t abandon 
  their post unless ordered by a superior, but if combat 
  breaks out in the room below, they’ll provide ranged 
  support via those same murderholes.
  Thorn’s End Guards (6) 
   
  CR 6
  hp 55 each (see page 12—Shin’Rakorath soldier)
  D14. Mess Hall
  Several wooden tables surrounded by chairs sit in this room, all 
  covered with a thin layer of dust.
  Since the siege began, the elves have grown less and less 
  interested in camaraderie during meals and have taken to 
  eating while on guard duty—this room hasn’t seen use in 
  years as a result.
  D15. Southeast Tower Armory
  The walls of this armory are hung with enough swords, spears, 
  bows, and shields to equip a small company of soldiers.
  Treasury: The Thorn’s End garrison is divided between 
  the two southern towers, each with separate armories. In 
  this room, the armory includes two dozen masterwork cold 
  iron longswords, 20 masterwork cold iron shortspears, 16 
  masterwork longbows, 1,200 cold iron arrows, 21 masterwork 
  heavy steel shields, and 6 sets of elven chain. Additionally, 
  a suit of +2 elven chain hangs on an armor rack on the south 
  wall near the stairs, and a +2 cold iron longsword and a +2 cold 
  iron short sword sit together on a small rack. There are also 
  two separate quivers, each containing 50 +1 cold iron arrows.
  D16. Malandil’s Quarters (EL 13)
  This room is decorated like a hunting lodge, with exotic animal 
  skins in place of tapestries, simple but beautiful wooden 
  Estril
  
  33
  A Memory of Darkness
  furniture, and a pile of luxuriant furs in place of a bed. Tucked 
  into the southeast corner is a large, iron-bound chest, and on 
  the southwestern wall is a pair of crossed shortspears. An armor 
  rack and its accompanying weapon rack stand empty, while a 
  warm brazier and general cleanliness mark this room as being 
  in use, though there is no one about.
  Creature: These are the personal chambers of Malindil, 
  the commander-in-chief of Thorn’s End defense and the 
  main point of contact between the Winter Council and the 
  Shin’Rakorath. Malandil was close friends with Allevrah, 
  and feels particularly betrayed that her friend trapped her 
  here when she left, and still can’t bring herself to admit that 
  Allevrah actually transformed into a drow, believing that she 
  used an illusion to achieve the effect simply to throw the rest 
  of the Council into chaos to aid her escape. Since the event, 
  she’s become lovers with another of the councilors, Arlindil, 
  a move that normally wouldn’t be approved by the Council 
  but in these strange times is her only real source of comfort. 
  Malindil can be found here 50% of the time, or in Arlindil’s 
  chambers in area D30 otherwise. If she’s encountered here, 
  there’s a 50% chance that Arlindil is with her.
  If the PCs are escorted by guards or Armistril when they 
  arrive, Malindil is shocked by their presence but recovers 
  quickly; her initial attitude in this case is indifferent. If 
  the PCs arrive unescorted, she assumes they’re demons in 
  disguise and her initial attitude is hostile—the PCs have 
  one opportunity to sway her before she attacks.
  Malindil is a statuesque beauty whose mind teeters 
  precariously on the edge. For hundreds of years she took pride 
  in her rigorous, regimented lifestyle, and found relaxation 
  in the solidity of her surroundings. When her close friend 
  Allevrah betrayed the Winter Council, Malindil took the 
  betrayal as a personal repudiation of their relationship. 
  And when she found comfort in the arms of the druid 
  Arlindil, she began to let her emotions guide her decisions 
  more than ever. Perelir has seen these changes in Malindil’s 
  personality and has done everything she can to encourage 
  them—it won’t be much longer before Malindil completes 
  her transition from lawful neutral to chaotic neutral and 
  becomes, in Perelir’s eyes, a “proper elf.” Only the return of 
  the Winter Council as a viable entity could halt her descent 
  into chaos, and with each day that passes, Malindil grows 
  more convinced that her old life as a councilor was a waste, 
  a fear she has yet to voice to anyone else.
  Malindil 
   
  CR 13
  Female elf ranger 13
  N Medium humanoid
  Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Listen +19, Spot +19
  DEFENSE
  AC 24, touch 14, flat-footed 22
  (+7 armor, +2 deflection, +2 Dex, +3 natural)
  hp 114 (13d8+52)
  Fort +12, Ref +10, Will +7 (+2 against enchantment)
  Defensive Abilities evasion; Immune sleep
  OFFENSE
  Spd 40 ft.
  Melee +1 evil outsider bane bastard sword +13/+8/+3 (1d10+3/17–
  20) and
  +1 returning short spear +13/+8/+3 (1d6+2)
  Ranged +1 returning short spear +17 (1d6+3)
  Special Attacks favored enemy (plant +4, evil outsider +4, elf +2)
  Spells Prepared (CL 6th)
  3rd—neutralize poison
  2nd—barkskin
  1st—longstrider, resist energy
  TACTICS
  Before Combat As soon as she realizes danger is near, 
  Malindil casts longstrider and barkskin on herself. She’ll 
  cast resist energy beforehand as well if she expects to face 
  attacks from a particular type of energy.
  During Combat Malindil fights with an almost hypnotic grace, 
  a whirling vortex of blade and spear. She prefers to move in 
  to make full attacks against any enemies when possible.
  Morale Malindil has already died three times (and been 
  resurrected three times) since Allevrah’s betrayal, but even 
  this hasn’t blunted her devotion to Thorn’s End. As long as 
  the building still stands, she fights to the death (again) to 
  defend it. 
  STATISTICS
  Str 14, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 8
  Base Atk +13; Grp +15
  Feats Endurance, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword) 
  Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Critical (bastard 
  sword), Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Iron Will, Track, 
  Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (bastard sword, 
  short spear)
  Skills Hide +16, Knowledge (geography) +16, Listen +19, Move 
  Silently +16, Spot +19, Survival +18
  Languages Common, Elven
  guarDrooms, 
  Barracks, 
  anD 
  sTorage
  Three other categories of rooms exist in Thorn’s End apart 
  from the numbered encountered areas. These three rooms 
  are indicated on the map of Thorn’s End by a G, Q, or S.
  G.  Guard Post: Two elven guards stand sentinel at each 
  of these guard posts.
  Q.  Guard Quarters: There’s a 30% chance of encountering 
  1d4 guards at rest in any of these rooms. 
  S.  Storage Room: These rooms are filled with dry 
  goods, blankets, boxes of candles, cords of firewood, 
  bolts of cloth, vials of ink, reams of paper, tools, 
  lumber—anything that might come in useful during 
  a long siege.
  
  Second Darkness
  34
  SQ animal companion (hawk named Iaasos), camouflage, swift 
  tracker, wild empathy +12, woodland stride
  Gear +2 elven chain, +1 evil outsider bane bastard sword, +1 
  returning short spear, ring of protection +2, amulet of health +2
  Treasure: Most of Malandil’s belongings are of little 
  value to anyone but her, but she keeps a few valuables in 
  the iron chest, including a noble’s outfit worth 125 gp, 
  a spyglass, four amethysts worth 100 gp each, a silver 
  drinking horn worth 300 gp, 150 gp in a sturdy leather 
  sack, a set of horseshoes of speed, and a stone of alarm. The 
  stone of alarm is set to sound if anyone opens the chest. 
  The two spears on the wall are both masterwork cold iron 
  short spears.
  D17. Malindil’s Trophy Room
  The walls of this room are decorated with the stuffed and 
  mounted heads of various creatures ranging from elk and 
  bears to exotic creatures like demons and what must be an 
  iron golem’s head. One large plaque bears three heads—a lion, 
  a dragon, and a fiendish-looking goat. The focal point of the 
  collection, displayed in the center of the room, is an oversized 
  greatsword driven through a scorched, bloodred, horned skull 
  twice the size of a human head.
  Malindil’s trophy room contains her collection of 
  mementos from past encounters, although these trophies 
  now remind her of her previous life and fill her with 
  bitterness and anger—she hasn’t been in this chamber 
  for years as a result. None of the trophies are particularly 
  valuable, save for the greatsword.
  Treasure: The Large +2 axiomatic greatsword was 
  the pride and joy of a half-fiend hill giant who served 
  as a commander for one of Treerazer’s many armies. 
  Malindil killed the giant over a hundred years ago and 
  kept his sword and skull as a trophy after she disarmed 
  it and used his own sword to strike the killing blow 
  against him.
  D18. Armistril’s Quarters
  This room is sparsely decorated, but obviously lived in. A canopy 
  bed sits in the northeast corner, with a small writing desk 
  wedged between it and the door, and a wooden chest at 
  its foot. In the southwest corner is a small shrine. An 
  armor rack and its accompanying weapon rack stand 
  empty against the western wall; behind them is a 
  rich tapestry depicting an elven knight suffering 
  a variety of indignities while being menaced 
  by a red dragon. The room is very clean and 
  orderly.
  This is Armistril’s room, and, if he is with the PCs, he 
  informs them so, asking them not to violate his privacy.
  In a drawer in the writing desk is Armistril’s personal 
  journal, which mainly details (in Elven) his experiences 
  since coming to Thorn’s End. If the PCs haven’t secured 
  Armistril’s cooperation, this journal can certainly suffice 
  to fill them in on the information he would have told 
  them had they made friends with the elf.
  Malindil
  
  A Memory of Darkness
  35
  Treasure: The small idols on the shrine represent Nethys, 
  Desna, and Calistria, as well as some ancestral spirits from 
  Armistril’s family. Each idol is made of gold and is worth 500 
  gp. In the chest are some personal belongings, including a 
  courtier’s outfit worth 30 gp, a silver ring worth 300 gp, and 
  a velvet pouch containing 5 platinum pieces.
  D19. Council Drawing Room
  This comfortably appointed room holds several chairs 
  and low tables, reading lamps, a wine rack full of bottles 
  and elegant glasses, and a small cabinet for holding other 
  alcoholic spirits. A fire burns merrily in a hearth against the 
  southeast wall.
  This room is designed with comfort in mind—a place 
  for the Winter Council to rest while it waits for all of its 
  members to gather before adjourning to the meeting room 
  (area D20). The fire itself is a heat-radiating variant of 
  continual flame.
  Treasure: The wine rack holds six bottles of an exquisite 
  elven brandy, each worth 750 gp. The four bottles of spirits 
  in the cabinet are not particularly valuable, though they 
  are quite flammable (treat each as a pint of oil).
  D20. Council Meeting Room (EL 13)
  This spacious chamber is the very picture of austerity. Candles 
  burn throughout the room, illuminating tapestries depicting 
  elven life in beautiful detail. A long, wide table stretches twenty 
  feet through the center of the room, surrounded by exquisitely 
  carved, high-backed chairs, and set with several silver ewers 
  and silver-filigreed goblets. To the southeast, six tall paintings 
  depicting full-size renditions of elves hang on the wall—a 
  beautiful woman in a gown of stars with long red hair, a dark-
  haired man in a long fur cloak with green facial tattoos, a pale-
  skinned man with black hair wearing dark clothes and a spiked 
  glove, a statuesque beauty in golden armor wielding a spear 
  and a sword, a tall man with silver hair and long green robes 
  holding a bejeweled staff, and a narrow-eyed woman dressed 
  in gold and green armor missing the top half of her left ear. 
  This last portrait has been slashed multiple times with a blade. 
  To the northwest, the walls are bare save for what appears to 
  be an iron spike with a pentagram carved into its head—the 
  spike has been driven into the wall, and shimmers with a pale 
  golden radiance.
  This is where the Winter Council meets to discuss 
  important matters—it is in here the councilors gather 
  should the PCs convince them to meet. The portraits on 
  the walls are of the most recent six Winter Councilors. 
  Plaques on the portraits’ bases read, from right to left, 
  “Perelir,” “Arlindil,” “Hialin,” “Malindil,” “Auramesties,” 
  and “Allevrah.” The damage to Allevrah’s painting was 
  inflicted by Malindil, who stopped just short of burning 
  the portrait.
  Creatures: A ghaele, conjured via planar ally by Perelir, 
  stands guard over this room. The ghaele does so in 
  globe form, hovering invisibly near the ceiling above the 
  Maleficus Spike. She does not move to attack unless attacked 
  herself or unless anyone attempts to meddle with the 
  Maleficus Spike, at which point she creates a wall of force 
  to seal off the spike from as many foes as possible, then 
  uses all of her powers to defend the spike from anyone 
  still able to meddle with it. Perelir maintains a status 
  spell on the ghaele at all times, so as soon as the outsider 
  takes damage or otherwise suffers harm, the elven cleric 
  knows and immediately comes to investigate, sending 
  any guards she encounters along the way to gather the 
  other councilors.
  Ghaele 
  CR 13
  hp 65 (MM 94)
  Treasure: The five silver ewers are each worth 300 gp, 
  while the 10 silver-filigreed goblets are each worth 75 gp. 
  Seven of the eight tapestries are worth 750 gp—the eighth, 
  depicting the return of the elves from Sovyrian, is worth 
  1,250 gp. The portraits themselves are 7 feet tall and 3 feet 
  wide, weighing 100 pounds each. With the exception of 
  Allevrah’s, which is damaged beyond repair, the portraits 
  are worth 1,500 gp apiece.
  The spike on the wall is, of course, the Maleficus Spike. As 
  long as it remains embedded in the wall, the Thorn’s End 
  wards persist and keep the demons at bay. The spike itself 
  cannot be damaged, but if it is pulled out of the wall, the 
  wards vanish. It’s a DC 40 Strength check to yank the spike 
  free. The wall surrounding the spike can be battered apart 
  with 300 points of damage (hardness 16, repairs damage at 
  5 hp/round), after which the spike can be pulled free easily. 
  Other spells, like stone shape or stone to flesh, weaken the 
  wall enough that extracting the spike is a simple task as 
  well. Once the spike is extracted, proceed with Concluding 
  the Adventure.
  D21. Abandoned Quarters
  Clearly a bedroom until relatively recently, this room has only 
  a light coating of dust and a few spiderwebs in the corners. 
  The furniture has all been covered, and there are no signs of 
  personal belongings.
  Before Allevrah betrayed the council and became 
  a drow, this was her room. All of her personal items 
  were placed in storage in the lesser archives (area D39) 
  by Malindil, who at the time still harbored hope that 
  
  36
  Second Darkness
   
  Thorn’s End
  Second Floor
  Third Floor
  Fourth Floor
  Fifth Floor
  Sixth Floor
  Seventh Floor
  Sixth Floor
  Sixth Floor
  Seventh Floor
  One square = 10 feet
  N
  Open
  to
  Below
  WEST TOWER
  SOUTH TOWER
  NORTHEAST TOWER
  Seventh
  Floor
  N
  D10
  N
  D24
  D23
  D19
  S
  G
  D28                     
  D27
  D26
  D25
  D29
  G
  D17
  D16          
  D15
  Q
  S
  G
  D12
  D13
  D14
  D18
  G
  Q
  Q
  Q
  G
  S
  G
  Q
  Q
  D11
  D40
  D38
  D39
  D33
  G
  D32
  D37
  D36
  D31
  G
  D34
  D35
  D30
  D21
  G
  D22
  D20
  S
  Q
  Q
  G
  S
  S
  Thorn’s End
  Second Floor
  Open
  to
  Below
  Third Floor
  Fourth Floor
  Fifth Floor
  Sixth Floor
  Seventh Floor
  Sixth Floor
  Sixth Floor
  Seventh Floor
  D10
  One square = 10 feet
  N
  D24
  D23
  D19
  S
  G
  D28                     
  D27
  D26
  D25
  D29
  G
  D17
  D16          
  D15
  Q
  S
  G
  D12
  D13
  D14
  D18
  G
  Q
  Q
  Q
  G
  S
  G
  Q
  Q
  D11
  S
  D40
  D38
  D39
  D33
  G
  D32
  D37
  D36
  D31
  G
  D34
  D35
  D30
  D21
  G
  D22
  D20
  S
  Q
  Q
  G
  S
  WEST TOWER
  SOUTH TOWER
  NORTHEAST TOWER
  Seventh
  Floor
  
  37
  A Memory of Darkness
  Allevrah would return for atonement. Nothing of interest 
  remains in this room.
  D22. West Tower Armory
  The walls of this armory are hung with enough swords, spears, 
  bows, and shields to equip a small company of soldiers. A 
  gleaming breastplate hangs on an armor rack amid the various 
  suits of chainmail.
  Treasure: The west tower armory includes 17 masterwork 
  cold iron longswords, 24 masterwork cold iron shortspears, 10 
  masterwork shortbows, 1,500 cold iron arrows, 16 masterwork 
  heavy steel shields, and four sets of elven chainmail. 
  Additionally, a +3 mithral breastplate rests on an armor rack, 
  and a +2 composite longbow (+3 Str) hangs near the door.
  D23. Council Map Room
  The walls of this room are lined with high shelves, all of which 
  are packed with what appear to be oversized scrolls. A large 
  central table is inlaid with an elaborate cartographic woodcut 
  of the Inner Sea region of the world.
  The Winter Council has collected hundreds of maps 
  over the years. In addition to being a comprehensive map 
  of the depicted region, the central table is also magical: 
  touching any given spot on the table map causes a map 
  corresponding to that area to slide out of its spot in the 
  shelves and to float over to the table for perusal. The maps 
  themselves are of varying quality, and a few are woefully 
  out of date (the maps of Cheliax, for example, still list 
  Westcrown as the capital).
  Treasure: While the table is magical (providing a 
  number of locate object spells keyed to the maps on the 
  shelves) it weighs almost 2,000 pounds, and is useless 
  without the maps in the map room (or new maps, which 
  can be keyed to the table by touching a point on the table 
  and a map at the same time). However, the table and 
  all of the keyed maps are worth 18,000 gp if the entire 
  collection is sold as one.
  D24. Council Baths
  This bathing room is lavishly appointed with what appear to be 
  two solid silver tubs, silver ewers and washbasins, and even a 
  full-length mirror with a mahogany frame. Fresh towels sit on 
  a small table in the corner.
  The members of the Winter Council bathe separately 
  from the guards, and in a great deal more luxury.
  Treasure: The two tubs are worth 3,500 gp each, but 
  weigh roughly 900 pounds apiece. The four silver ewers 
  and the two washbasins are worth 80 gp each, and the 
  mirror is an antique worth 1,450 gp.
  D25. Rookery (EL 13)
  Although the stairwell has a landing here, the archway 
  that once provided access to this area has been sealed with 
  a wall of stone.
  This room might originally have been some sort of library—
  judging from the numerous bookshelves—but now it is in 
  ruins. Sections of the wall to the northwest and southeast have 
  crumbled away, and a humid wind carries through the room with 
  the stink of the surrounding tangles and the din of demons in 
  the courtyard below.
  Once the pride and joy of the druid Arlindil, this 
  abandoned and destroyed rookery has been lost to 
  Thorn’s End. When Allevrah deactivated the Maleficus 
  Spike to cover her escape, it was against this central tower 
  that a large portion of the demon host attacked, focusing 
  on the now-ruined balcony areas and battering down 
  walls before the Winter Council managed to reactivate 
  the wards once the ruined section here was quarantined 
  with a wall of stone over the stairwell. Once the wards were 
  reactivated, the demons quickly learned that even within 
  this partially ruined area they were affected by the wards, 
  and thus they retreated—but their agents lurk in this 
  ruined area still.
  The Maleficus Spike works well to ward off demons and 
  other evil creatures, but only to portions of Thorn’s End 
  that remain enclosed by stone and structurally sound. 
  This ruined rookery (and the ruined seventh floor above) 
  fell out of the artifact’s zone of control when the Winter 
  Council reactivated it, and ever since the nalfeshnee 
  Viggrizzur has kept a portion of his host positioned at 
  these two locations.
  Creatures: Here in the rookery, one of Viggrizzur’s 
  favorite minions lurks amid the ruins—a hulking 
  glabrezu named Mokravud. Selected for his patience (a 
  relatively rare trait among Treerazer’s demonic host), 
  Mokravud spends his time slowly dissecting and then 
  tasting various animals the vrocks from the courtyard 
  below catch and offer to him. The demon also periodically 
  experiments with Thorn’s End’s ability to repair damage 
  to itself, amused and intrigued by the fact that the tower 
  can’t repair damage done during the initial siege, but 
  quickly fixes any new damage the demon inflicts to the 
  remaining ruins.
  Once Mokravud notices non-demons, he quickly rises 
  and greets them in a disturbingly welcoming and pleasant 
  voice. He holds forward a large bag in one of his pincers, 
  shaking it to show that it is filled with what sounds like 
  coins and then says, “These gold coins can be yours, 
  
  38
  Second Darkness
  mortals, if only you’ll let me into this tower. I can make this 
  easy for you. Simply wish for the tower wards to be lifted, 
  and this gold is yours.” If the PCs comply, the glabrezu can 
  use his wish granting power to disable the Maleficus Spike. 
  He drops the coins, roars with triumph, and then both he 
  and the other demons below begin to teleport into the tower 
  to assault the elves within. See Concluding the Adventure 
  for further details on the breaking of the siege. If the PCs 
  refuse Mokravud’s offer, he snarls in anger and attacks. If a 
  battle here lasts for longer than 4 rounds, the fight attracts 
  the attention of the demons in the courtyard below, and 
  they begin teleporting up to this room in groups of 1d4 per 
  round to join the mayhem.
  Mokravud 
   
  CR 13
  Glabrezu demon
  hp 174 (MM 43)
  Treasure: Just in case the PCs demand to see the gold 
  before they agree, the sack Mokravud carries is the real 
  deal—inside are 5,000 gp.
  D26. Chapel
  This small but exquisitely furnished chapel contains several 
  carved wooden benches lining the northern wall, facing a 
  small altar of polished white wood in the center of the room. A 
  glimmering gold and onyx statuette of a beautiful elven woman 
  stands on the west side of the altar atop a short silver stand. To 
  the east, an empty silver stand sits—the statue it may have once 
  supported is nowhere to be seen.
  This is a temple to Calistria tended by Perelir. She holds 
  twice-daily services here—at sunrise and then again at 
  sunset, but her sermons are only rarely attended. Even 
  when the Winter Council was at its height, the other 
  councilors found Perelir’s sermons to be far too emotional, 
  flighty, and petty for their sensibilities. The inclusion of a 
  shrine to the elven goddess of trickery and lust had been a 
  relatively contested choice from the beginning, since much 
  of what the Winter Council espoused was moderation and 
  restraint. Yet the Winter Council also knew that Calistria 
  was a jealous deity, and its members didn’t want to chance 
  her wrath by turning their back on her completely. Perelir 
  and the line of priests before her knew this, and despite 
  their sermons have traditionally had very few to preach to 
  here at Thorn’s End.
  Treasure: The statuette of Calistria is a fabulous work of 
  art worth 4,500 gp.
  D27. Acolytes’ Chamber
  Numerous throw-rugs and cushions and four canopied beds 
  occupy this otherwise spacious room. Each is graced with 
  black and yellow sheets and swathed in gauzy curtains. A large 
  freestanding cupboard stands against the western wall.
  At one point, four acolytes shared religious duties with 
  Perelir, but all four perished long ago during the initial 
  assault on the tower by the demons.
  Treasure: This room is also a storage area for religious 
  supplies. Within the cupboard are 20 pounds of incense 
  worth 40 gp per pound, along with two healing kits and six 
  bottles of blessed wine worth 200 gp apiece. Also within is 
  a beautiful statuette of Nethys made of ivory and onyx—yet 
  it has been broken at the waist into two pieces. This statue 
  broke and tumbled from the altar in area D26 when Allevrah, 
  formerly a priestess of Nethys, betrayed the Winter Council 
  and embraced the demon lord Abraxas as her new god. No 
  amount of magic or repair work can fix the statue as long as 
  Allevrah still lives and worships Abaraxas—if the PCs bring 
  the broken statuette with them into the Land of Black Blood 
  in the next adventure, though, it could give them a chance 
  to distract Allevrah long enough to turn the tide of the final 
  battle in their favor simply by causing her to hesitate before 
  attacking (see Pathfinder #18 for more details).
  D28. Perelir’s Chamber (EL 13)
  This bedroom is decorated with a black-and-yellow motif, and 
  the repetition of wasp imagery in paintings on the wall, statuettes 
  on desks and shelves, and even in the carvings along chair backs 
  and headboards is impossible to ignore. Thick fur rugs line the 
  floor along with numerous large cushions. A canopy bed sits in 
  the middle of the southeast wall.
  Creature: This is the bedchamber of Perelir, the only 
  remaining priest at Thorn’s End. One of the primary 
  item crafters for the Winter Council, Perelir spent long 
  hours trying to craft lasting relationships (both sexual 
  and otherwise) with other members of the organization 
  but as often as not found the elves of the Winter Council 
  and their guards to be unusually stoic and, in Perelir’s 
  words, “Afraid to feel good about themselves.” The only 
  true friendship she managed to make with the other 
  elves was with fellow priestess Allevrah, and even then 
  their conversations inevitably spiraled into frustrating 
  arguments over the nature of devotion, and whether one 
  could truly serve the spiritual needs of faith and still 
  serve the physical needs of one’s self. Perelir’s reaction 
  to Allevrah’s betrayal and transformation into a drow is 
  much less self-delusional than Malindil’s—she believes 
  that Allevrah’s denial of the elven need to experience 
  pleasure and enjoy beauty created a sickness in her, one 
  that caused her faith in Nethys to erode. Perelir is sorry 
  that Allevrah’s new faith seems to have taken her into the 
  arms of the demonic, but takes some small consolation in 
  
  39
  A Memory of Darkness
  the knowledge that, as a drow, at least her friend is now 
  free to allow herself pleasure now and then. 
  Perelir is a beauty, with flowing red hair, deep green 
  eyes, and a preference to wear her glamered magic armor 
  in a diaphanous robe that seems to be made partially 
  of stars and shadows. Since Allevrah’s betrayal and the 
  demon siege, Perelir has kept herself busy crafting wands 
  of create food and water, tending to disease and wounds 
  among the elves of Thorn’s End, and periodically sneaking 
  out to do what she can to organize guerilla-style attacks 
  on the demons from outside Thorn’s End. These strikes 
  are almost universally handled via planar allies, insect 
  swarms, and summoned monsters—Perelir is careful not 
  to risk her life in open combat, but she believes that these 
  periodic attacks on the demons from outside, while not 
  really useful at paring down their numbers or dedication 
  to the siege, keep them from accumulating to numbers 
  that would simply finally overwhelm the tower’s defenses.
  Of the four councilors, Perelir is the easiest to convince 
  to aid the PCs; she already thinks that the Winter Council 
  itself may have outlived its usefulness and would like 
  to see the society disbanded, but as of yet hasn’t had the 
  courage to push these views to the others. With the PCs’ 
  presence and support, she just might. As long as the PCs 
  don’t insult or attack her, they need make no Diplomacy 
  check to secure her aid.
  Perelir 
   
  CR 13
  Female elf cleric 13 (Calistria)
  CN Medium humanoid
  Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Listen +8, Spot +8
  DEFENSE
  AC 26, touch 14, flat-footed 24
  (+8 armor, +2 deflection, +2 Dex, +4 shield)
  hp 88 (13d8+26)
  Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +14 (+2 against enchantment)
  Immune sleep; SR 25
  OFFENSE
  Spd 40 ft.
  Melee +3 spell storing flail +13/+8 (1d8+4)
  Special Attacks turn undead 5/day (+4, 2d6+15)
  Spells Prepared (CL 13th; +11 ranged touch)
  7th—destruction (DC 23), insanityD (DC 24)
  6th—antilife shell, blade barrier (DC 22), heal, mislead
  5th—charm monsterD (DC 22), dispel evil, flame strike (DC 
  21), greater command (DC 22), spell resistance
  4th—air walk, confusionD (DC 21), dismissal, freedom of 
  movement, greater magic weapon, sending
  3rd—blindness/deafness (DC 19), dispel magic, magic 
  vestment (2), searing light, suggestionD (DC 20)
  2nd—bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, hold person (DC 19), 
  invisibilityD,  spiritual weapon, status (2)
  1st—command (DC 18), charm personD (DC 18), magic 
  stone, obscuring mist, protection from evil, remove fear, 
  sanctuary (DC 17)
  0—create water (2), detect poison, guidance, light, mending, 
  purify food and drink
  D domain spell; Domains Charm, Trickery
  TACTICS
  Before Combat Perelir casts magic vestment on her armor and 
  shield and greater magic weapon on her flail every morning. 
  Before any major event, she also casts air walk and freedom 
  of movement. She waits to cast bull’s strength, bear’s 
  endurance, and spell resistance until she’s relatively certain 
  that combat will soon occur—she certainly casts these 
  spells before she enters the council meeting room, since 
  Perelir
  
  40
  Second Darkness
  she suspects the meeting won’t last long before things turn 
  sour. She also casts status twice a day on the ghaele that 
  stands guard over the Maleficus Spike in area D20.
  During Combat Perelir never initiates an attack, preferring to 
  give potential enemies the opportunity to reach a peaceful 
  accord with her first. Once battle begins, though, she fights 
  with a furious wrath, opening with her spells against ranged 
  targets and forcing her enemy to come to her before she 
  engages in melee.
  Morale Perelir’s primary devotion is to her faith, and as long 
  as the shrine to Calistria still stands at Thorn’s End, she’ll 
  fight to the death to protect it.
  Base Stats hp 62; Fort +8; Melee +3 spell storing flail +11/+6 
  (1d8+2); Str 8, Con 10; Skills Concentration +16
  STATISTICS
  Str 12, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 22, Cha 14
  Base Atk +9; Grp +8
  Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wand, Martial 
  Weapon Proficiency (flail), Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus 
  (enchantment)
  Skills Concentration +18, Bluff +10, Knowledge (religion) +8
  Languages Common, Elven
  SQ spontaneous casting (cure spells)
  Combat Gear scroll of break enchantment, scroll of commune, 
  scroll of restoration, scroll of remove curse, scroll of remove 
  disease, scroll of remove paralysis, scroll of teleport, wand of 
  cure serious wounds (33 charges), wand of lesser restoration 
  (17 charges); Other Gear +1 glamered elven chain, buckler, 
  +1 spell storing flail (contains hold person), periapt of 
  Wisdom +4, ring of protection +2, augury beads and gems 
  worth 400 gp
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Charm Domain Once per day, Perelir can boost her Charisma 
  by 4 for 1 minute as a free action.
  D29. Treasury
  Both doors leading into this area are sealed with arcane 
  locks (both at CL 15th).
  This room is a riot of gold. Chests and coffers spill over with coins. 
  Bejeweled platters, goblets, and bowls lie in untidy piles. A host 
  of rings, combs, mirrors, and other baubles lie loosely wrapped 
  in linen cloths. Small idols from long-forgotten religions prop up 
  beautifully crafted, silver-bladed swords with golden hilts.
  Although the arrow slits in this room seem open, they 
  are in fact sealed with permanent walls of force, letting in 
  sunlight during the day but nothing else.
  Treasure: The contents of this room consists of 
  16,311 sp, 14,572 gp, and 932 pp. In addition, the treasury 
  contains 62 gold platters worth 100 gp each, 112 gem-
  encrusted goblets worth 50 gp each, and 44 jade bowls 
  worth 80 gp each. Each of the 106 baubles (rings, combs, 
  and other pieces of jewelry) are worth an average of 100 
  gp apiece, and the 12 silvered masterwork swords are each 
  worth 390 gp.
  D30. Arlindil’s Retreat (EL 14)
  This room seems to be someone’s bedchamber, although the 
  furniture has a somewhat haphazard feel to it. The “bed” is little 
  more than a mound of furs, and there are no chairs or tables 
  or other concessions toward civilization present—just a rickety 
  stand for a suit of armor and a few flat rocks that might make 
  impromptu seats.
  Creature: The druid Arlindil dwells here now, 
  after having lost his own quarters during the initial 
  siege against Thorn’s End. Of the four elves of the 
  Winter Council, Arlindil has been the most affected 
  emotionally—already a morose individual (as would 
  be any druid who lived at the heart of a corrupted 
  forest), Arlindil sees the recent siege as final proof that 
  Tanglebriar is a lost cause, and so might be the Winter 
  Council. His beloved animal companion, an enormous 
  raven named Meraka, was slain in that initial attack, and 
  he simply never bothered to bond with another. His faith 
  in nature is teetering, and only the companionship of an 
  almost equally distraught Malindil has kept his already 
  dangerous thoughts from straying too far into a complete 
  loss of faith or even suicide.
  Arlindil rarely leaves this room anymore, and spends 
  much of his time alone meditating. When the PCs arrive, 
  there’s a 50% chance Malindil is here trying to cheer the 
  druid up (this chance increases to 100% if the PCs already 
  visited area D16 and Malindil wasn’t there). Insults or 
  aggression quickly rile Arlindil to the point where he 
  attacks, but if the PCs simply speak to him, they find most 
  of his responses to be monosyllabic grunts. Mentioning 
  Allevrah, the demons outside, or the drow threat gets his 
  attention, and a cold hatred fills his eyes. He isn’t that 
  resistant to the idea of an emergency meeting of the 
  Council, but before he’ll agree to one, he asks the PCs 
  to prove to him that they’re worth the trouble—he asks 
  them to travel to the floor above this one and to kill the 
  vrocks that roost there, then bring him proof of the deed. 
  Arlindil has killed more vrocks above than he cares to 
  count in numerous attempts to reclaim his old quarters, 
  but has grown tired of the task—if the PCs can do this 
  for him, he’ll know that they’re capable heroes worth 
  listening to.
  Arlindil 
   
  CR 14
  Male elf druid 14
  LN Medium humanoid
  Init +6; Senses low-light vision; Listen +23, Spot +23
  
  A Memory of Darkness
  41
  DEFENSE
  AC 22, touch 12, flat-footed 20
  (+5 armor, +2 Dex, +5 natural)
  hp 80 (14d8+14)
  Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +13
  Defensive Abilities resist nature’s lure; Immune poison, sleep
  OFFENSE
  Spd 30 ft.
  Melee staff of the woodlands +12/+7 (1d6+2)
  Special Attacks a thousand faces, wild shape 5/day (Large, 
  Tiny, plant)
  Spells Prepared (CL 14th; +12 ranged touch)
  7th—fire storm (DC 21), heal
  6th—greater dispel magic, fire seeds (DC 20), wall of stone
  5th—baleful polymorph (DC 19), cure critical wounds, 
  stoneskin
  4th—air walk, antiplant shell, cure serious wounds, dispel 
  magic, freedom of movement
  3rd—cure moderate wounds, neutralize poison (DC 17), quench 
  (DC 17), sleet storm, spike growth (DC 17)
  2nd—barkskin, flame blade, fog cloud, resist energy (2), lesser 
  restoration 
  1st—cure light wounds (2), entangle (DC 15), goodberry 
  longstrider, produce flame
  0—create water (2), cure minor wounds, guidance, light, purify 
  food and drink
  TACTICS
  Before Combat Before a battle (or the council meeting), 
  Arlindil casts longstrider, barkskin, freedom of movement, 
  resist energy (fire), air walk, and stoneskin on himself.
  During Combat Once his battle blood is up, Arlindil’s 
  depression and morose attitude vanish. He prefers to fight 
  while wildshaped, opting for the form of a raven against 
  mobile foes that are more susceptible to magic, or the form 
  of a shambling mound against foes in melee.
  Morale Arlindil fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 8
  Base Atk +10; Grp +10
  Feats Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Staff, Improved 
  Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Natural Spell
  Skills Concentration +18, Handle Animal +16, Knowledge 
  (nature) +20, Listen +23, Spot +23
  Languages Common, Druidic, Elven, Sylvan
  SQ animal companion (none currently), nature sense, trackless 
  step, wild empathy +15, woodland stride
  Combat Gear staff of the woodlands (41 charges), lesser extend 
  metamagic rod; Other Gear +3 leather armor, 500 gp in 
  diamond dust
  D31. Magic Vault
  Like the room below, the door leading into this area is held 
  fast via arcane lock (CL 15th).
  This room is stacked with locked boxes of various sizes: about 
  a dozen, at a rough count. Each of the boxes is chained to a 
  separate iron ring set in the wall.
  As in area D29, the arrow slits in the wall here are sealed 
  by permanent walls of force.
  Treasure: The majority of the contents of the boxes and 
  containers here hold raw magical components used for 
  crafting magic items—there’s 22,000 gp of these various 
  components in all. In addition, several items are stored here, 
  including a +3 light wooden improved electricity resistance 
  shield; a rod of metal and mineral detection; a bottle of air; a 
  Arlindil
  
  Second Darkness
  42
  that means they’d have to share the fun of mutilating foes 
  with other demons from below, but as soon as at least two of 
  the vrocks are defeated, the remaining two use their screech 
  on their next action. One round later, additional demons 
  from area D2 below begin appearing here to investigate, 
  teleporting in at the rate of 1d4 per round.
  Vrocks (4) 
   
  CR 9
  hp 115 each (MM 48)
  D35. Arlindil’s Old Room
  This room looks to have once been a bedroom, but it’s been 
  completely destroyed. A huge amount of bones lie heaped along 
  the far walls of the room, and spatters of long dried gore and 
  bits of leathery flesh cling to the walls.
  Once Arlindil’s room, the vrocks nearby did their best 
  to trash the room but could only stand a few precious 
  moments within before the Maleficus Spike ward drove 
  them out. They periodically entertain themselves by 
  hurling bodies (particularly fiendish satyrs) into the 
  room, trying to stun them long enough to watch the ward 
  finish the job; the age of the bones and fragments in here 
  testify to the fact that the vrocks haven’t played this game 
  for a while.
  D36. Hialin’s Laboratory
  Clearly an arcane workshop, this room is filled with materials 
  used for testing the properties of magic items and potions, and 
  the center of the room is dominated by a long table topped by 
  a magnificent alchemist’s laboratory.
  Hialin uses this room as his laboratory and workshop 
  for creating magic items—originally, he allowed the other 
  councilors access to this room as well, but since the siege 
  he’s forbidden anyone else from entering this floor. There’s 
  a 20% chance he’s here when the PCs arrive, in which case 
  consult area D37 for his reaction and stats.
  Treasure: There are a number of partially completed 
  magic items and potions lying about this lab, including 
  a pair of gloves of Dexterity +4 that only require another 
  2 days of work to be completed. Four recently finished 
  potions of haste sit in a rack next to a bubbling cauldron of 
  foul smelling, used-up reagents. Sitting almost forgotten 
  on a shelf above the central workbench is a tiny bow and 
  a quiver of arrows—these belong to the pixie Estril (and 
  include a dozen cold iron arrows, 6 memory loss arrows, 
  and 3 sleep arrows). The real treasure here is the alchemist 
  lab itself—it provides a +8 circumstance bonus on Craft 
  (alchemy) checks and is worth 6,400 gp (but weighs 500 
  pounds in all).
  pearl of power (2nd level); an amulet of mighty fists +1; a dusty rose 
  prism ioun stone; a vial containing 6 doses of dust of illusion; a 
  wind fan; and a partially complete set of ivory goat figurines of 
  wondrous power (missing the goat of terror).
  D32. Scrying Room 
  The walls of this room hang with dark tapestries that glitter as 
  if tiny bits of gemstone were embedded in the fabric, creating 
  an effect not unlike that of a field of stars. Against the northern 
  wall stands a large mirror, nearly fifteen feet wide and about ten 
  feet tall, its frame a delicate wooden affair carved to resemble 
  twisting vines.
  Treasure: The mirror on this wall is a highly polished 
  silver mirror worth 4,000 gp, although transporting 
  such a large and fragile treasure could be a problem. The 
  Winter Council wizards use this mirror as a focus for 
  scrying spells.
  D33. Auramesties’ Room
  This bedchamber looks austure and well-organized, including a 
  massive canopied bed with thick velvet curtains, a large writing 
  desk and padded chair, and several partially finished crystal 
  sculptures of trees, animals, and elven buildings. Everything 
  in the room is covered with a layer of dust, and the air smells 
  musty and stale.
  This empty bedroom was once used by the wizard 
  Auramesties, once the most powerful of the Winter Council, 
  and now several years dead. He succumbed to a destruction 
  spell cast by Allevrah, an act that sealed her fate and resulted 
  in her transformation into a drow. All items of value once 
  kept here have been relocated to the vaults and treasuries—
  the elves haven’t entered this room in years.
  D34. Demonic Roost (EL 13)
  What once seems to have been several different rooms is now 
  nothing but a single ruin, left exposed to the elements. A partially 
  collapsed balcony hangs precariously to the north, and the 
  entire place is spattered with blood and bits of rotting flesh and 
  splintered bones. Two doors, their faces filthy but in remarkably 
  good repair, stand in the still-intact western walls.
  Creatures: As with area D25 below, this floor of the central 
  tower bore the brunt of the initial demonic assault. Once 
  the home of the druid Arlindil and his animal companion, 
  most of this entire floor has fallen into ruin. The fragments 
  of flesh and bone testify to the habits of the four vrocks that 
  have taken up residence here. These vrocks are loathe to use 
  their stunning screech or dance of ruin against foes, since 
  
  43
  A Memory of Darkness
  D37. Hialin’s Quarters (EL 15)
  This bedchamber is cluttered and disorganized, with piles of 
  clothing lying on the floor and on the canopy bed, and books, 
  scrolls, half-empty wine bottles, and half-eaten food covering 
  every horizontal surface. The walls are covered with shelves of 
  jars, vials, and bottles full of the kinds of macabre items arcane 
  spellcasters tend to collect. Narrow paths in the debris lead from 
  the door to the bed and to a chamberpot nearby.
  Creature: Before the betrayal, Hialin was poised to 
  inherit the mantle of high speaker for the Winter Council 
  once the then-current high speaker, Auramesties, stepped 
  down. Allevrah changed all that when she murdered him 
  and betrayed Thorn’s End to the demons. The Winter 
  Council had spent too much energy on secrets and inward 
  growth to survive such a catastrophic betrayal from 
  within, and now Hialin feels helpless while he watches the 
  society he’s belonged to for hundreds of years—and hoped 
  to one day use to lead the elven nations into a new time of 
  prosperity—crumble around him. He has not taken the 
  development well.
  Hialin has not been resting well since Allevrah betrayed 
  the Winter Council, and has grown increasingly careless, 
  sloppy, and self-centered. He barely bothers to clean up after 
  himself and has actively begun to hate the other Winter 
  Council elves. If they had shared Hialin’s sense of devotion 
  to the Winter Council, after all, this tragedy would never 
  have occurred. And with his hatred of the Winter Council, 
  Hialin’s inborn hatred of the elven nation, and particularly 
  of Queen Telandia and her “flighty, childish ways,” have 
  grown as well. Worst of all, his once-indomitable faith in 
  the order of things is eroding, and as he feels his mind 
  slipping away from order and into chaos, his sanity is 
  slipping as well. He has become obsessed with the nagging 
  dread that Allevrah’s transformation into a drow was, in 
  fact, the ultimate evolution of all elves and the unstoppable 
  fate for his people if they can’t pull themselves out of their 
  capricious and overly emotional ways. That he feels the 
  same unbridled emotions growing so strong in his own 
  soul is perhaps the most maddening part of it all.
  Recently, Hialin’s growing madness has taken a 
  decidedly dangerous turn. He now believes that it’s only 
  a matter of time before the wards of Thorn’s End fail and 
  the demons get in. The prospect of others taking over the 
  traditional fortress of the Winter Council sickens him, 
  but not quite as much as the idea of the “betrayers,” as he 
  has come to think of the other councilors, who have done 
  little in his mind to stem the erosion of their society. Best, 
  Hialin has come to feel, if Thorn’s End were allowed to 
  crumble to the dust, an unavoidable eventuality that to 
  Hialin not only symbolizes Treerazer’s triumph over the 
  elven people, but the loss of the final true link to the elves’ 
  traditional past. With the loss of Thorn’s End, the elves 
  are lost as well—and in such a case, a catastrophic erasing 
  of life is the only way Hialin can conceive of to preserve 
  the possibility of a new society, one that can rise from the 
  ashes of the old world and be shaped from the start by his 
  wisdom and will.
  In this way, Hialin has come to agree with Allevrah’s 
  plan to smite Golarion with a falling star, but his desire 
  isn’t to do so to wipe out a single race. He wants to wipe out 
  all of them. Or at least, the majority. He’s been building a 
  short list of his contacts and allies among Kyonin’s elite at 
  the same time he’s been studying the ancient texts Allevrah 
  left behind, hoping to predict when and where the end will 
  strike, and if there’s a method by which he can engineer an 
  increase to the devastation. Just before the end, he and his 
  allies will retreat again to Sovyrian, build a new empire 
  in that distant land, and then they shall return to rebuild. 
  The eleven nation’s error last time, Hialin believes, was 
  waiting too long to return. The time to return is a few 
  decades after the end, when there are no societies to fight 
  against, when the world is wiped clean and in need of fresh 
  hands to guide its new growth.
  The other councilors have no idea that Hialin has 
  slipped so far into madness—they know only that he has 
  retreated to his quarters and cut ties with the rest of them, 
  even more so than they have themselves. They assume 
  his worries and guilt are the same as theirs, not that he’s 
  following much the same path that Allevrah did herself.
  Hialin knows that his enemies are everywhere, and 
  when he first meets the PCs he does his best to maintain 
  his composure. A DC 20 Sense Motive check is enough to 
  get a hint of a powerful rage hiding behind his flashing 
  eyes and clipped voice. He acts impatient and insulted if 
  the PCs confront him, claiming that he’s working on a 
  solution for the siege facing Thorn’s End while the other 
  councilors wile away their hours wallowing in self-doubt 
  and maudlin sighs. No amount of threat or cajoling can 
  convince him to speak further or to attend an emergency 
  meeting of the Winter Council aside from the knowledge 
  that the other three councilors are going to be meeting. 
  Once he sees proof that Arlindil, Malindil, and Perelir are 
  convening a council meeting, he’ll have no choice but to 
  attend as well. This proof can be presented to him with a 
  DC 50 Diplomacy check (this is automatically successful if 
  the PCs bring proof, such as the spoken testimony of any 
  of the other elves in Thorn’s End) or a successful Bluff 
  check—but if he arrives in the council chamber and finds 
  it deserted, he’ll seek out and attack the PCs. 
  Hialin 
   
  CR 15
  Male gray elf wizard 15
  NE Medium humanoid
  Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Listen +5, Spot +3
  
  44
  Second Darkness
  DEFENSE
  AC 23, touch 16, flat-footed 20
  (+5 armor, +3 deflection, +3 Dex, +2 shield)
  hp 54 (15d4+15)
  Fort +12, Ref +11, Will +13 (+2 against enchantment)
  DR 10/adamantine; Immune mind-affecting effects, sleep; SR 27
  OFFENSE
  Spd 30 ft.
  Melee mwk cold iron spiked gauntlet +7/+2 (1d4–1)
  Spells Prepared (CL 15th, +10 ranged touch)
  8th—mind blank
  7th—quickened haste, prismatic spray
  6th—disintegrate, greater dispel magic, quickened mirror image
  5th—dismissal, feeblemind (DC 21), spell resistance, wall of 
  force
  4th—greater invisibility, ice storm, stoneskin, stone shape
  3rd—fireball (DC 19), fly, stinking cloud (DC 20)
  2nd—false life, glitterdust (DC 19), resist energy, see 
  invisibility, web (DC 19)
  1st—alarm, grease (DC 18), magic missile (2), protection from chaos
  0—dancing lights, ghost sound (DC 16), mage hand, 
  prestidigitation 
  TACTICS
  Before Combat Every morning, Hialin expends 24 levels of spell 
  slots to fuel the Maleficus Spike; he has fewer spells prepared 
  each day as a result. He also casts false life and mind blank on 
  himself and a mental alarm on the western entrance to area 
  D39. Before entering combat or the council meeting, he also 
  casts stoneskin and spell resistance on himself.
  During Combat Once the fighting starts, Hialin decides 
  to activate his final solution. He quickly moves to the 
  Maleficus Spike in area D20 and casts stone shape on the 
  surrounding wall, allowing him to pull the spike out with 
  ease. Once this occurs, the siege breaks (see Concluding 
  the Adventure). In battle, Hialin takes pains to keep his 
  distance from the enemy, casting fly and quickened haste 
  on the first round and then using his offensive spells 
  against foes at range.
  Morale Hialin tries to reach the Maleficus Spike if he can as 
  soon as combat begins; once he’s triggered it and suffered 
  his dark fate, his madness takes over completely and he 
  fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 8, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 22, Wis 13, Cha 8
  Base Atk +7; Grp +6
  Feats Alertness (as long as Eltiril is in arm’s reach), 
  Brew Potion, Craft Wand, Craft Wondrous Item, Forge 
  Ring, Great Fortitude, Greater Spell Focus (conjuration), 
  Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (conjuration), 
  Weapon Finesse
  Skills Concentration +18, Craft (alchemy) +14, Knowledge 
  (arcana) +24, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +24, 
  Knowledge (history) +14, Knowledge (the planes) +24, 
  Spellcraft +26
  Languages Abyssal, Common, Elven, Undercommon
  SQ summon familiar (rat named Eltiril)
  Combat Gear wand of displacement (33 charges), 
  wand of fly (19 charges), wand of lightning bolt 
  (CL 10th, 45 charges); Other Gear bracers 
  of armor +5, masterwork cold iron spiked 
  gauntlet, cloak of resistance +3, headband of 
  intellect +2, ring of protection +3, ring of force 
  shield, 750 gp of diamond dust, spellbooks (contains 
  all prepared spells, plus an additional 2d6 spells of each 
  level [save 9th] of your choice)
  Hialin
  
  45
  A Memory of Darkness
  D38. Archive Guardian (EL 13)
  Creature: This undecorated room looks similar to the 
  numerous other guard rooms found in Thorn’s End, yet 
  elves do not man this post. Instead, a highly polished iron 
  golem built to resemble a 13-foot-tall elf stands sentinel 
  here. Built by a long-dead member of the Council, the 
  creature recognizes only the four surviving members of 
  the Winter Council as allies, and immediately assumes a 
  defensive posture if anyone else enters the room. If the 
  intruder fails to leave immediately (or attempts any other 
  action other than leaving the room via the stairs), the 
  golem immediately attacks.
  Iron Golem 
   
  CR 13
  hp 129 (MM 136)
  D39. Lesser Archives
  The doors leading into this area are held fast via arcane 
  lock (CL 15th).
  This wide chamber is packed with a variety of items, from 
  tightly bound bundles of scrolls and moldy books to dusty bits 
  of equipment and assorted statuary.
  As in area D29, the arrow slits in the wall here are sealed 
  by permanent walls of force.
  The Winter Council stores all of their old records in 
  these archives. Most of it is worthless to anyone but a 
  historian—minutes of meetings, records of crop yields, 
  tallies of merchandise that was bought and sold hundreds 
  of years ago—but to a dedicated researcher, countless 
  examples of minor ways in which the Winter Council 
  has manipulated Kyonin’s growth, with some documents 
  dating back to well before Earthfall on magically 
  preserved scrolls, can be found here—although nothing 
  with direct relation to the current peril facing Kyonin 
  can be found.
  D40. Greater Archives
  The doors leading into this area are held fast via arcane 
  lock (CL 15th).
  The walls of this archive bear dozens of shelves, each heavy 
  with stacks of scrolls, books, and even stone tablets. Lower 
  freestanding bookcases sit on the floor throughout the room, 
  and at the room’s center is a single huge desk, its surface heaped 
  with what appear to be astrological charts, ancient books, and 
  several stone tablets bearing eerie-looking glyphs.
  As in area D29, the arrow slits in the wall here are sealed 
  by permanent walls of force.
  This chamber is where the Winter Council stored 
  the greatest secrets and records of its most clandestine 
  achievements and plots. The sheer number of documents 
  stored here is somewhat mind-numbing—you can 
  certainly seed any number of adventure leads or hooks 
  among these papers. To Queen Telandia, the information 
  to be found here is priceless, but to the PCs, the most 
  important documents sit on the central table.
  These documents are all that remain of the large number 
  of forbidden tomes, scrolls, and fragments of aboleth runes 
  recovered from the ruined aboleth city of Voshgurvaghol 
  after Allevrah made her escape. She brought the majority 
  of her research with her, but what she was forced to leave 
  behind has been gathered here by Hialin. He’s annotated 
  the collection extensively, and anyone who studies the 
  notes and makes a DC 25 Knowledge (arcana) check can 
  tell that his annotations are attempts to fill in the gaps and 
  determine how to duplicate the magic required to call down 
  stars from the sky. In particular, his annotations seem 
  to be focusing on how to expand the magic not merely to 
  something that would devastate a city or nation—but an 
  entire planet. That same DC 25 Knowledge (arcana) check 
  makes it relatively obvious that Hialin’s notes are doomed 
  to failure, fortunately, since key pieces of information 
  are missing. What is here, though, is certainly enough to 
  inform a person on how best to destroy or otherwise thwart 
  the glyph-based magic that causes these devastating events. 
  These notes will be invaluable to the PCs during the course 
  of the next adventure—see Pathfinder #18’s “Descent into 
  Midnight” for more information.
  The Council in Session
  If the PCs follow Armistril’s advice and manage to convince 
  the four remaining councilors to convene a meeting, 
  they gather in area D20 for the first time since Allevrah’s 
  betrayal. The PCs are invited to attend, but all others are 
  asked to stay outside—Perelir even goes so far as to dismiss 
  the ghaele guardian from her post. The councilors take 
  seats at the long table; enough chairs for all of the PCs have 
  been brought in as well. At first, the four elves say nothing. 
  They simply sit at the table, lost in their own thoughts or 
  glowering at each other or the PCs. If the PCs don’t take 
  the initiative, Hialin clears his throat and demands to 
  know why they’ve been gathered here when there’s so much 
  more important work to be done. This sets off a round of 
  arguments; each elf’s desires are summarized below, and 
  without the PCs to direct the conversation, the argument 
  lasts for several minutes until Hialin grows fed up enough 
  to end it, as detailed in Concluding the Adventure.
  •	 Arlindil: The downcast druid is despondent, claiming 
  that the Winter Council is dead and that they should 
  admit it, abandon the building to Tanglebriar, and 
  throw themselves before Queen Telandia for mercy.
  •	 Hialin: Hialin sees the other elves (and the PCs) as 
  symptoms of the Winter Council’s failure, and takes 
  
  46
  Second Darkness
  every opportunity to cast blame. He claims to be alone 
  in researching a method to solve the current problem, 
  and that he alone is honoring Auramesties’s memory. 
  He takes particular delight in mocking Malindil and 
  Arlindil’s relationship, saying that their antics do not 
  belie a proper member of the council, who should be 
  above the distractions of the heart and body.
  •	 Malindil: Malindil wants to recruit the PCs and her 
  fellow councilors in an assault on the demons. A solid, 
  swift blow to them and their nalfeshnee leader will show 
  them that the Winter Council remains strong, but she 
  quickly gets distracted by any perceived slight against 
  her lover Arlindil and swiftly and shrilly defends him 
  with insults and accusations of her own.
  •	 Perelir: Perelir believes that the only sane choice is to 
  contact the queen, to ask for her help, and to engage the 
  armies of Kyonin to begin a massive reclamation effort 
  against Tanglebriar, starting here at Thorn’s End. The 
  concept of giving up the Winter Council’s secrets to 
  the rest of the elven government is the only thing that 
  galvanizes the other three elves together in agreement, 
  and Hialin is quick to use the shift to lobby to have 
  Perelir exiled from the Council, a move that just as 
  swiftly estranges the others from his side.
  As the PCs interject and speak with the elves, keep in 
  mind that the Winter Council believes that they have 
  always acted in the best interests of their people. The 
  council feels that it is the responsibility of those with the 
  most experience to shepherd their respective cultures 
  through difficult times by making the decisions others 
  are not prepared to make—even when it means a few 
  innocents might suffer. By way of argument, they ask if 
  the PCs have ever had to make tough decisions with very 
  short deadlines—to decide between attacking an enemy 
  or healing an injured comrade, for example, or between 
  executing an enemy prisoner or deciding whether or take 
  him prisoner. “At those times, you had to make a choice 
  between a moral or ethical solution and a practical one. 
  Rulers—like Queen Telandia—must always appear both 
  moral and ethical, or risk being overthrown by their 
  subjects. We have foregone that luxury, and so can make 
  the choices that any elf would agree are right, if not 
  necessarily just.”
  Accusations 
  that 
  the 
  Winter 
  Council 
  sent 
  Shin’Rakorath agents against them do little to mollify 
  the elves—Hialin even admits that he personally 
  ordered the strike through his agents, and that had the 
  PCs left things well enough alone, none of this would 
  have been a problem. If the PCs bring up Allevrah or 
  the plot to call down devastation from the sky, though, a 
  strange silence settles over the elves. Malindil says “She 
  must have been ensorcelled or deceived,” which quickly 
  arouses the anger of both Perelir and Hialin. Perelir 
  accuses Malindil of being naive, while Hialin hisses to 
  her to not speak of such matters before the “guests.”
  Eventually (likely because the PCs push him too hard to 
  account for what happened to Allevrah, or confront him with 
  the documents in his handwriting from area D40), Hialin 
  snaps. He stands abruptly and shrieks, “You are all nothing 
  but fools! I alone see what Allevrah was trying to do, and 
  she had the right of it! Earthfall didn’t finish the job, and 
  that may be the greatest failing of history—but it is a failing 
  that can still be corrected!” At this bold proclamation, he 
  casts stone to flesh on the wall holding the Maleficus Spike—
  continue with Concluding the Adventure below.
  Ad-Hoc Experience Award: If the PCs manage to get 
  all four elves in the same room and convene the Council, 
  award them experience as if they had defeated a CR 14 
  creature in combat, regardless of how the council session 
  turns out.
  concluding the Adventure
  The culmination of the PC’s presence in Thorn’s End is an 
  event no less momentous than the transformation of an 
  elf into a drow.
  This adventure assumes that the PCs are successful in 
  gathering the Winter Council and that they confront its 
  members with what they’ve learned about Allevrah. At 
  some point soon thereafter, Hialin casts stone to flesh on 
  the wall around the Maleficus Spike and then races over to 
  it to pull it free. As he does so, the last remaining part of 
  him that is good dies, and the fury and wrath inside him, 
  fueled by having spent the last several years poring over 
  forbidden texts and plotting the end of the world, cause 
  him to undergo a shocking transformation—his skin 
  darkens to black and his hair bleaches silver. His eyes 
  film over to cold white orbs. The entire change takes only 
  seconds—where once stood an elf now stands a drow.
  If the other Winter Council elves are present, each of 
  them reacts differently. Malindil collapses in a fit of terror 
  and tears, convinced that she will be the next to change. 
  Arlindil roars in fury and attacks Hialin, realizing that he 
  has revealed the greatest secret of the elves to outsiders. 
  Only Perelir retains rationality; she comes to stand at the 
  PCs side and begs them to aid her in subduing Hialin and 
  restoring the Maleficus Spike.
  Of course, things might play out differently in your 
  game. The PCs might goad Hialin into attacking them 
  when they first encounter him, in which case he should 
  try to make his way to area D20 to release the spike 
  on his own; if the PCs prevent him, his anger at being 
  stymied does the trick and triggers his transformation 
  into a drow there and then. The PCs themselves might 
  even trigger the end by pulling out the Maleficus Spike, 
  in which case the Winter Council swiftly comes to area 
  D20 to try to set things right. Hialin arrives and does his 
  
  47
  A Memory of Darkness
  best to prevent that, and his act of defiance here triggers 
  his transformation. In the end, the important thing is 
  to have Hialin’s transformation occur when the PCs are 
  present, thereby giving them the final piece of the puzzle 
  they need to figure out what must have happened here at 
  Thorn’s End with Allevrah so many years ago.
  Once the Maleficus Spike is out, of course, the PCs have 
  another problem. All of the demons gathered in areas D2, 
  D25, and D34 seize the opportunity and teleport into the 
  tower. They can appear in any room with arrowslits, and 
  swiftly make their way through the ruins. At best, the 
  PCs have only 1d4 rounds before the first wave of demons 
  reaches their location; it’s best to have both Viggrizzur and 
  Quilindra in this initial wave, to give those two demons a 
  chance to clash with the PCs. Even with the aid of Arlindil, 
  Malindil, and Perelir, a fight against the demons and 
  Hialin is an EL 19 encounter, and one the PCs would have 
  little chance of surviving. If they don’t think of it, one 
  of the elves tells them that the Maleficus Spike must be 
  driven back into the stone of Thorn’s End. Doing so is a 
  standard action that requires a bludgeoning weapon and 
  that provokes attacks of opportunity; if the PCs have no 
  appropriate weapons, even an improvised weapon like a 
  club made from a chair leg will do. The Maleficus Spike is 
  an artifact, and it needs only a solid blow to sink deep into 
  the stone—of course, if Hialin still possesses the spike, 
  the PCs must first retrieve it from him before they can act. 
  Once the spike is driven into place, all of the demons in the 
  building are trapped—they’ll be prevented from fleeing 
  via teleportation, and must make Will saves every round 
  to avoid taking damage. Even Viggrizzur and Quilindra 
  won’t last long in this situation, and the surviving demons 
  lose all interest in the fight and devote every action to 
  escaping from the deathtrap.
  In any event, this adventure comes to an end as soon as 
  the PCs defeat Hialin and perhaps save the rest of Thorn’s 
  End from the demon host. Even if they’re forced to flee the 
  tower, as long as they do so with the notes from D40 intact, 
  they’ll be well-armed for the next adventure. If they’re 
  forced to leave those notes behind, they may be able to get 
  hold of them anyway if they report their findings to Queen 
  Telandia at the start of the next adventure—she’ll certainly 
  be interested to know the exact location of Thorn’s End and 
  that there may be the answers to countless government 
  cover-ups and scandals hidden within. Exactly how the 
  queen welcomes the PCs back, and what lies in store for 
  them, continues in the final Second Darkness adventure: 
  “Descent into Midnight.”
  
  48
  Second Darkness
  Kyonin
  O
  n the eve of Starfall, faced with planetary 
  catastrophe and panicked hordes of shorter-lived 
  races, the elves left Golarion to travel magically to 
  the mysterious realm known as Sovyrian. For thousands 
  of years, only a few scattered remnants held their ground 
  and went into hiding or walked among the other societies. 
  It wasn’t until 2632 ar, when the exiled demon Treerazer 
  attempted to corrupt the power of a potent elven artifact, 
  the Sovyrian Stone, that the elves came flooding through 
  their magical gateway to wage war, forcing the demon 
  back to the southern edge of the Fierani Forest. When 
  the war had been fought to a standstill, the elves paused 
  to look around them, and in doing so discovered that 
  humanity had advanced significantly during their long 
  absence, and could now be treated as semi-civilized 
  beings. In a vast homecoming that was by turns joyous 
  and violent, the elves began retaking their ancestral 
  lands, resuming their rightful place among the oldest 
  and wisest of Golarion’s races.
  At the heart of the Inner Sea region, Kyonin stands as 
  the largest and most renowned of the elves’ holdings, home 
  of the Sovyrian Stone and bastion of elven culture. Within 
  its borders, elves work to repopulate cities evacuated 
  millennia ago and cleanse the land of Treerazer’s taint. 
  Ruled from illusion-shrouded Iadara by Queen Telandia 
  Edasseril and her councils of advisers, the elves of Kyonin 
  maintain a respectful distance from the outside world, 
  mingling with humans and other races only on their own 
  terms and in established locations like Greengold. For 
  most, it is enough to simply learn and play in their ancient 
  and half-remembered home, hunting the giant insects of 
  the Fierani Forest or studying Golarion from the golden 
  fields and pastoral mountain glades. Still, Queen Telandia 
  knows that if the elves hope to retain their power in the 
  
  49
  current age, they must emerge from their shells and engage 
  the younger races, and every year more ambassadors are 
  allowed to pass through the elves’ deadly borders and 
  witness the wonders of Kyonin firsthand. Presented herein 
  are several of the most famed and mysterious locations 
  within the elven nation.
  Arabrecht: This was once the site of a stately manor 
  house known as Arabrecht, home of Archmage Aelthian, 
  one of the greatest elven wizards Kyonin had ever seen. 
  When the rest of the elves fled Golarion 10,000 years ago, 
  Aelthian couldn’t be bothered to interrupt his studies and 
  elected to stay behind, confident in his home’s magical 
  wards. For thousands of years he did just that, mastering 
  the secrets of eternal life and occasionally surveying 
  the few acres of forest around his home but otherwise 
  allowing the world to go its own way. When the elves 
  returned from Sovyrian to wage war on Treerazer, they 
  pleaded with Aelthian to help. Already deep inside the 
  demon’s territory and enraged at the fiend’s audacity, the 
  wizard attempted to single-handedly banish the demon 
  and his minions with one spell of incredible power. Yet 
  something went awry. Though many demons died in the 
  subsequent release of energy, the elves of Kyonin found 
  themselves unable to contact Aelthian. To this day, scouts 
  who brave the Tanglebriar find a grassy, bowl-shaped 
  clearing carved out of the ground where Arabrecht once 
  stood, and floating above it a strange sphere of utter 
  darkness. Trees and plants on all sides of the clearing 
  bend to point toward the sphere, and a steady whistling 
  wind blows inward toward it from all sides, as if the sphere 
  were slowly sucking it in. Beyond this, little is known 
  about the site, as no scout who’s attempted to study the 
  sphere up close has ever returned.
  The Berm: Just across the Endowhar River to the 
  north, Razmiran’s acolytes of the Living God watch 
  Kyonin’s fertile land and lush forests with hungry eyes. 
  Far more difficult to intimidate than other neighboring 
  nations, Razmiran’s citizens pose a constant threat to 
  Kyonin’s borders, sending raiders deep into the Fierani 
  and fighting tooth and nail to annex more of the valuable 
  southern riverbanks. To this end, in 4683 ar numerous 
  elven druids banded together with the Fierani treants to 
  create the Berm, or the Dancing Forest. This rustling, 
  miles-long grove of semi-sentient trees stands guard along 
  the river’s bank, and is capable of shifting its position 
  with astonishing speed, though no one in Razmiran has 
  ever recorded exactly how this occurs. Similarly, those 
  who enter the grove without Kyonin’s blessing are rarely 
  seen again, though the occasional blood-soaked piece 
  of clothing might be found downriver. More than fear 
  of elven warriors, the sudden appearance of the Berm, 
  emerging from the morning fog where only plains lay the 
  night before, keeps greedy soldiers from Razmiran from 
  crossing the border lightly.
  Caruskei: Here seven narrow, treeless avenues spiral out 
  from a central clearing, in the middle of which stand the 
  half-crumbled remains of a columned, crystalline temple. 
  Although the structure seems to have at one time stretched 
  twice its height in an imposing spire of blue gemstone, 
  the tower has long since been shattered, scattering shards 
  across the clearing as if blown out by an explosion. At 
  the far end of each arm of the clearing stand 10-foot-tall 
  obelisks of amber that each encase a single bone. Normally 
  dormant, on stormy nights the obelisks seem to draw 
  lighting from the sky, sending it crackling horizontally 
  in great bolts to converge on the fallen temple, making 
  shards dance and producing great balls of blue flame that 
  roll across its damaged facade before dissipating. Yet if the 
  vast amounts of energy ever served a productive purpose, 
  it seems to have disappeared with the temple’s destruction. 
  The few identifying markings remaining on the temple’s 
  worn columns do little to suggest which god it might have 
  been devoted to, showing instead only the faint outlines of 
  men with great bird wings.
  The Century Root: The elves of Kyonin might be 
  the nation’s most visible residents, but they’re not its 
  oldest. Long before the first elves set foot within its 
  borders, the treants of the Fierani Forest moved slowly 
  and purposefully among their trees, tending the leagues 
  of wild growth as shepherds to their flock. For the last 
  several years, however, the treants have been gathered at 
  the Century Root, the half-mile-wide stump of what must 
  Elves? Aye, I’ve trucked with elves—can’t sail this side of the lake without it. They’re a decent enough sort, so 
  long as you follow their rules to the letter. Still, I say you can’t trust ’em, not really. Any one of ’em’s got a memory 
  stretching back farther than your family tree, and you can bet they’ve picked up some tricks along the way. No 
  matter how good a deal you think you’ve made, be sure you’re on the losing end. You’ll live and die in the time it 
  takes one of their ladies to buy a new dress, and ain’t a one of them going to give you a second look, so when we get 
  to Greengold, you keep your head clear and your pants up. Whatever you do, don’t leave the town, or they’ll send 
  you back fuller of arrows than a straw man at festival time.
  —Captain Aphis Treagal, of the Encarthan free vessel Summation
  
  50
  Second Darkness
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  51
  Kyonin
  once have been the greatest tree Golarion has ever seen. 
  This spot, sacred to the tree people, is the site of the great 
  meetings called “moots,” in which treants from all across 
  the forest gather and slowly converse in times of joy or 
  strife. While many elves are curious, as such a meeting 
  hasn’t occurred since Treerazer’s arrival 2,000 years ago, 
  the solemn treants have so far remained polite but silent 
  as to what is being discussed.
  The Cicatrix: This wasteland, on the border between 
  the Five Kings Mountains and the southern end of the 
  Fierani Forest, was once part of the Tanglebriar. It was 
  here that the returning elves, finding their magic and 
  strength of arms insufficient to rout Treerazer from his 
  entrenched position in the swamps, sought to burn out 
  the demon’s infection with cleansing flame. Although 
  they succeeded in forcing the demon out, their victory 
  brought them little joy. Centuries later, shattered trunks 
  and stumps charred black are all that stand on the dead, 
  open ground. Oozes, camouflaged to resemble the barren 
  earth, creep along its dusty borders, consuming elves and 
  Treerazer’s demonic minions with equal indifference. 
  Though the scar, beyond even the elves’ power to heal, 
  is universally avoided by Kyonin’s residents, rumors 
  whisper of noble Galtan treasure hidden here for 
  safekeeping during that country’s political upheaval, and 
  of cultists and smugglers sneaking into the elven nation 
  by traversing the treacherous badlands.
  Coralesian: The natural beauty that draws elves to settle 
  in a given location is not exclusive to forests, and the town 
  of Coralesian is a perfect example. Here, on windswept 
  peaks at the edge of the Five Kings Mountains, many 
  elves have chosen to build their homes among the austere 
  grandeur of snowcapped stone and solitary evergreen 
  trees. Some of these elves live in small cabins in the area’s 
  few mountain glens and alpine meadows, while others 
  band together to create cliff dwellings of ladders, bridges, 
  and tunnels in the mountains’ faces. Although spread 
  thin and made up primarily of elves who seek a simple 
  existence, the community of Coralesian still works 
  together to ensure that all of its residents have enough 
  supplies and protection to weather the dark, hard winters 
  and the hungry mountain cats and worse beasts that stalk 
  the nights.
  The Endless Cairn: While many elves prefer to be laid to 
  rest through more natural means, such as mummification 
  in a bog or a quiet forest grave beneath a sapling, for 
  some the rarity of death raises its significance, leading 
  them to choose interment in tombs or mausoleums so 
  that they might be better remembered. Of these tombs, 
  the most famous is the Endless Cairn. A vast island of 
  stone in the middle of a swamp, this squat circular tower 
  holds numerous noteworthy elves lost to war, disease, and 
  other unfortunate ends. What makes this mausoleum 
  unique, however, is the fact that it remains unfinished, 
  its layers constantly sinking and being subsumed by the 
  bog’s muck. Over the course of decades or centuries, the 
  base sinks below the surface, at which point the elves 
  continue the construction of a new level, connected to the 
  one beneath by shafts and passages. No one alive today 
  knows how many levels lie perfectly sealed and preserved 
  beneath the bog’s rich soil, but records from before the 
  elves’ exodus from Golarion indicate that the tradition is 
  already millennia old.
  Erages: Tolerated but hardly accepted, half-elves native 
  to Kyonin are a social quandary. Small wonder, then, 
  that many would seek the company of their own kind. 
  Thus Erages was formed. Here, on the shores of Lake 
  Encarthan, the almost entirely half-elven village lives 
  in peace, drawing its living from fishing and occasional 
  smuggling for merchants unwilling or unable to go 
  through Greengold (something Kyonin’s government 
  suspects, but allows). The village itself is constructed 
  among the ruins of several great stone towers of ancient 
  elven origin, most of which have crumbled to just a few 
  stories above the ground, their blocks scavenged for 
  use as building material. Entrances beneath the rubble 
  suggest that the towers may be connected to each other via 
  subterranean passages, but after a few curious explorers 
  went missing, most townsfolk saw fit to let any secrets 
  stay buried. Of late, rumors speak of a group of radical 
  Demons 
  of 
  Kyonin
  Although centuries have passed since the elves returned 
  to Golarion, the reclamation of their homeland remains 
  incomplete. The Abyssal encroachment upon their ancient 
  forests lingers still, though now largely driven back to the 
  region known as Tanglebriar. Yet a potent demonic taint still 
  lurks within the woodlands and even the best trained elven 
  hunters don’t dare the wilds alone.
  Demons: The denizens of the Abyss, in all their horrifying 
  forms, stalk the wildernesses in and near Tanglebriar. Although 
  most of these fiends serve the demon Treerazer, many have 
  mad ambitions and cruel objectives of their own.
  Fiendish Satyrs: Many of Kyonin’s resident fey have fallen 
  into corruption with the desecration of their homes. The satyrs 
  of the nation’s southern forests have suffered most, with whole 
  groups having succumbed to the demons’ depredations. 
  What once were roving bacchanals of rowdy and lusty fey have 
  become dangerous gangs indulging in wanton violence and 
  the desecration of the lands they once held dear.
  Treerazer: The Lord of the Blasted Tarn rules Tanglebriar 
  from his fortress of Witchbole, where he endlessly schemes 
  to bring about the annihilation of Iadara and the defiant elven 
  nation. Treerazer is fully detailed on page 88.
  
  52
  Second Darkness
  half-elves using the tunnels to plan rebellion against 
  Kyonin’s rigid, traditionalist nobility.
  Erithiel’s Hall: Winding for several miles through the 
  western edge of the Fierani Forest, the serpentine mound 
  known as Erithiel’s Hall has been the subject of folklore 
  for ages. Ancient even before the elves’ initial arrival, the 
  long, grassy hill ranges from 20 feet across to near 100 
  at its widest point, and its rounded crest rises several 
  stories above the forest floor. The most popular legends 
  hold that the prehistoric earthworks stem from a fey hero 
  of the First World named Erithiel, who fought the great 
  primordial earth-serpent Garukresh in a battle which left 
  deserts and seas in its wake, finally slaying him here and 
  digging a long barrow-palace inside his corpse. Although 
  the story seems quaint to some modern ears, to date 
  no one has stepped forward with a better explanation. 
  Those elves who have attempted to excavate portions of 
  the serpent mound find themselves plagued with bad 
  luck and earning the enmity of the local fey, and if there 
  are indeed subterranean chambers somewhere along the 
  mound’s vast length, they remain undisturbed.
  Greengold: Few nations can survive with completely 
  closed borders. To this end, Queen Telandia has 
  implemented a number of progressive policies designed 
  to keep her otherwise isolationist nation from being 
  completely cut off and left behind by younger, more 
  frenetic races. The most ambitious of these policies was 
  the establishment of Greengold. The only port in Kyonin 
  where merchants of other races and nationalities are 
  invited to trade freely, Greengold is a constant bustle 
  of activity, its mostly human visitors watched over by a 
  cadre of trusted half-elven and elven overseers. In its 
  tree-lined streets, those non-elven ambassadors seeking 
  audiences or permission to travel within the country may 
  plead their cases, and adventurous elves may mingle with 
  the short-lived outsiders to their hearts’ content. While 
  many traditionalists in Kyonin are uncomfortable with 
  allowing other races a foothold within their haven, none 
  can deny the vast influx of wealth the trading community 
  brings in.
  The House of Sky: From their original arrival in 
  Kyonin millennia ago, the elves have maintained a firm 
  alliance with the giant owls that hunt the Fierani Forest. 
  Although naturally suspicious of humanoids, the owls 
  quickly realized the benefits of such an arrangement, and 
  the rise of Treerazer and other dark creatures has only 
  strengthened their bond. Ruled by Winglord Kreiagh, 
  the Breath of the Mountain, most of the owls make their 
  roosts in a stone aerie high atop imposing cliffs in the Five 
  Kings Mountains. Both this citadel and its residents are 
  known collectively as the House of Sky, and within vast 
  chambers burrowed into the forbidding stone the owls 
  hoot and scream in vast counsels, with every word taken to 
  foReiGn ReLATions
  In spite of Queen Telandia’s recent efforts to reach out to the 
  younger races via the establishment of Greengold and the 
  acceptance of more ambassadors inside her borders, Kyonin 
  retains an overwhelmingly isolationist attitude. The elves 
  hold that good fences do indeed make good neighbors, and 
  Kyonin’s fences are backed up by the finest archers the Inner 
  Sea has ever seen. That said, not all outsiders are equally 
  shunned, and residents of different bordering nations prompt 
  widely varying reactions.
  Andoran: With their staunch belief in both order and 
  democratic equality, Andorens are the most respected of 
  Kyonin’s neighboring nationalities, and more of its diplomats 
  make their way into Iadara than any other border nation, and 
  vice versa. As a result, most of the half-elves born in Kyonin 
  are of Andoren heritage.
  Druma: While hardly poor themselves, the elves have never 
  understood the Kalistocracy of Druma’s obsession with amassing 
  great stores of personal wealth. During the elves’ long absence, 
  the merchants to the south enjoyed reaping the Fierani Forest’s 
  valuable resources, and though a few decisive border disputes 
  taught the Drumish not to push the elves, many of those close 
  to Kyonin’s border watch the land with hungry eyes, eager for 
  the elves to grow careless or leave once more.
  Galt: Although the elves have a certain amount of pity for 
  the harried refugee camps just across the river in Galt, that 
  nation’s constant upheaval is a perfect illustration of the 
  chaos the short-lived races call civilization. Its example only 
  strengthens the elves’ resolve to keep outsiders from entering 
  Kyonin unbidden, and the necessity of lethal force in stemming 
  the human tide before it can roll over their homeland.
  Iomedaean Crusaders: The Sellen River along Kyonin’s 
  eastern border is a primary route for crusaders and pilgrims 
  on their way north to the Worldwound to help combat the 
  region’s demonic hosts. Embroiled in their own war against 
  Treerazer, the elves fully support the crusaders, and are happy 
  to trade with them and help respectful passersby so long as 
  the pilgrims don’t attempt to land on their shores.
  Razmiran: The farce that is the Living God is a constant 
  thorn in Kyonin’s side. Left to themselves, the elves would be 
  content to wait out the strange pageant taking place to the 
  north—a relatively brief interlude, to elven thinking—but 
  Razmiran’s constant attempts to “punish elven heresy” by 
  launching raids into Kyonin has forced the elves to divert 
  significant forces from the fight against Treerazer in order to 
  defend the border.
  River Kingdoms: The speed with which regimes turn over 
  in the River Kingdoms makes it impossible for elves to take 
  them seriously. Thanks to the quick and effective manner in 
  which the elves have put down bandits and invaders from the 
  tiny nations in the past, most residents of the kingdoms view 
  the elves as little better than demons themselves.
  
  53
  Kyonin
  heart by their leader. Although the royal house of Kyonin 
  and several other select individuals who have personally 
  won the owls’ respect may summon representatives by 
  means of enchanted whistles, all others who seek audience 
  must either possess the ability to fly or brave the long, 
  dangerous mountain ascent, climbing sheer cliffs and 
  narrow chimneys of rock while the owls look on and judge 
  the petitioners’ resolve.
  Iadara: The capital of Kyonin is a place of breathtaking 
  beauty, a shimmering array of silvered crystal spires 
  and strange, arcing avenues that manage to somehow 
  remain in harmony with the twining trees and grassy 
  hills that make up its foundations. Even more expressive 
  than its architecture, however, are the layers upon layers 
  of artistically wrought illusion which shroud every 
  wall and tower, changing hourly to reflect the 
  whims of the city’s illusionists and making it all 
  but impossible for enemies to locate the city during 
  times of strife. It was here that the elves used the power 
  of the Sovyrian Stone, hidden somewhere far beneath the 
  city, to flee to their mysterious homeland on the eve of 
  Starfall, and it is from here that Queen Telandia and her 
  coterie of advisors meet with elven representatives from 
  all walks of life to plan their race’s movements, from 
  the aquatic elves in their Endowhar-flooded district 
  to the half-elves and Forlorn in the ghettoized Lesser 
  Quarter. Yet even those elves who visit the famed City 
  of Silver Spires would do well to remember that, just as 
  its architecture blurs the line between fantasy and reality, 
  few things in Iadara are exactly as they seem.
  The Moonpool Causeways: The passage of time is 
  something elves understand well, making the strange 
  properties of the Moonpool Causeways that much more 
  intriguing to the Fair Ones. Here the forest thins out to 
  accommodate dozens of glistening silver pools, ranging 
  in size from a few feet to half a mile. Bridging these 
  spring-fed ponds and their connecting streams are an 
  equal number of ornate footbridges, no two wrought 
  from the same material. Stories have long told that, on 
  tranquil nights and by the glow of unnaturally bright 
  moonlight, time flows at different rates among the 
  pools and islands. During such rare occasions 
  those who dare cross a bridge risk reappearing 
  hours or centuries later. While most avoid the area 
  for this reason, there are always elves who seek to 
  investigate or explain the pool’s storied effects, with 
  enough such investigators having vanished in the 
  region to keep tales of the magical waters alive.
  Yet elves are not the only creatures that find the 
  Moonpool Causeways fascinating. In addition to an 
  assortment of naiads and other fey who flit between the 
  islands, the bronze dragon Ekhazarean long ago claimed 
  the tranquil waterways as his lair. Polite but standoffish, 
  the dragon tolerates intrusions into his domain so long 
  as the visitors do not interrupt his studies, and Kyonin’s 
  rulers have been known to occasionally call upon his 
  wisdom in times of great need.
  Omesta: During the elves’ long absence from Golarion, 
  many races moved in to claim the abandoned elven 
  settlements, yet none quite so creatively as the gnomes 
  of Omesta. Instead of inhabiting the existing structures 
  of this forest village, the gnomes instead opted to create 
  a second town of tree houses and zip-lines, winches and 
  baskets, in the canopy above. When the elves returned, 
  
  54
  Second Darkness
  they found a full-fledged gnome community cheerfully 
  oblivious to any question of trespassing—after all, 
  they hadn’t technically set foot in the elves’ settlement. 
  The elves, amused by the gnomes’ audacity and already 
  struggling to populate many of their existing holdings, 
  allowed the tree-village of Omesta to continue unmolested 
  as a smaller, less formal version of Greengold’s experiment 
  into interracial communities, and a few elves now live in 
  the buildings on the forest floor. The experiment is not 
  without occasional strain.
  Riverspire: Even with a slow birth rate, creatures 
  with life spans as long as the elves can eventually 
  spawn great clans, living to see half a dozen generations 
  residing in the same ancestral home. Such was the case 
  of Riverspire, among the largest of several interrelated 
  communities. Originally a single stone tower housing 
  a family of elves known as the Morgethais, a blessing 
  of unusual fertility saw the family quickly needing to 
  expand their structures, and children worked alongside 
  great-grandparents to expand the tower and its 
  outbuildings until the simple ivy-coated spire came to 
  resemble a proper town. Elves marrying into the family 
  frequently moved to the compound, bringing members 
  of their own clans with them, and today the town is host 
  to a bustling community of which roughly two-thirds 
  are related somehow to the original Morgethai family. 
  Many of the residents still live inside the original tower, 
  which stands astride a picturesque waterfall at the edge 
  of the Fierani. Far-spread rumors claim that several 
  of the family’s ancient founding members yet survive 
  at the heart of the community’s central tower, but the 
  Morgethais dismiss such gossip as nonsense.
  Shevaroth: In the days before Starfall, Shevaroth was 
  one of the most populous cities in Kyonin, and housed the 
  largest temple to Calistria the Inner Sea region had ever 
  seen. With Treerazer’s arrival, however, the depopulated 
  city was caught completely defenseless, and despite 
  several attempts on the part of Kyonin’s government to 
  liberate the city, Shevaroth continues to remain staunchly 
  within the Tanglebriar’s borders. Demons and vengeful, 
  corrupted ghosts whisper and wander the empty streets 
  as the unmaintained buildings around them slowly wear 
  down to nothing. Only the temple itself is inhabited—
  here, a group of Rovagug cultists have repurposed the 
  temple for their own ends, making use of Treerazer’s 
  taint to work their own dark magics in a foul mockery of 
  Calistria’s sacred rites. While information is sparse, as 
  new cultists attempting to reach Shevaroth are generally 
  slain on sight by elves and demons alike, rumors speak 
  of the once-grand cathedral now filled with countless 
  cocoons and chrysalises resulting from the cultists’ 
  unholy embraces, each larger than a man, waiting for 
  some unspecified time to crack open and disgorge their 
  profane contents.
  Tanglebriar: Although the returning elves fought 
  hard against Treerazer’s corruption, in the end, not 
  even the combined might of their nation could roust 
  the demon completely from his entrenched position in 
  the stagnant swamps that make up the southern reaches 
  of the Fierani Forest. Over the centuries, this area grew 
  darker and more twisted, and today the Tanglebriar, 
  as it is known, is a sinister and brooding place, where 
  looming trees block out all but the faintest sunlight. In 
  this gloom, evil fey consort with Treerazer’s demons, and 
  the beasts of the forest themselves are twisted and tainted 
  beyond recognition. Many elven rangers make it their 
  lives’ work to stalk the cordon and keep the Tanglebriar 
  from expanding, but even so, Treerazer’s minions still 
  regularly sally forth into the surrounding areas, with 
  horrific results.
  The Walking Man: Not even the most scholarly residents 
  of Kyonin can say for sure where the Walking Man came 
  oTHeR ResiDenTs
  Along with elves, gnomes, and the smattering of other civilized 
  humanoids allowed inside Kyonin’s borders, the Fierani Forest 
  plays home to several other intelligent races who have dwelt 
  there just as long, and with whom the elves have generally 
  positive relations.
  Fey: Creatures of the First World abound in Kyonin, both 
  benign fey, such as the dryads and nymphs which cavort with 
  the forest’s resident satyrs, and malicious sprites such as 
  redcaps or normally neutral fey twisted by the magic of the 
  Tanglebriar. Due to all fey creatures’ slightly alien natures, 
  the elves treat most such beings with respect and caution, 
  generally electing to live and let live.
  Giant Owls: The owls of the House of Sky are mighty 
  hunters, slipping through the midnight trees on wings silent 
  as clouds. Though not as interested in playing custodians 
  of the forest as unicorns or treants, the owls loathe demons 
  and other unnatural creatures, and are as likely to feast on 
  their flesh as the deer and giant insects which make up their 
  normal prey.
  Treants: Although they interact too seldom to actually be 
  called friends, the treants appreciate the elves’ long-term 
  perspectives and concern for the natural environment. They 
  particularly respect the elves’ efforts to reclaim the Tanglebriar 
  from Treerazer’s taint.
  Unicorns: Several of these magical creatures gallop 
  through the forest, slaying demons and often appearing just 
  in time to aid good-aligned creatures in trouble. Although 
  they occasionally deign to ally with elves who take the time to 
  court them, even going so far as to carry warriors into battle, 
  the unicorns are mysterious and mercurial creatures, and tend 
  to pursue their own unknown designs.
  
  55
  Kyonin
  from, though its composition suggests elven origin. Thirty 
  feet high, this roughly man-shaped topiary structure is a 
  singular mass of woven vines and tree trunks, evergreen 
  throughout the winter and flowering magnificently in 
  the summer. What makes the Walking Man truly special, 
  however, is his movement. Every year, on the summer 
  solstice, the giant takes a single step to the west. How long 
  he’s been traveling or what his course portends remains 
  a mystery, though the oldest elven records state that he 
  was once on the eastern edge of the Fierani Forest, and 
  many are curious what will happen when he eventually 
  reaches the shores of Lake Encarthan, noting as well that 
  his course seems to be leading him straight to the broken 
  towers of Erages.
  The Wandering Spheres: Once upon a time, this 
  enormous orrery must have been a magnificent sight. 
  Taking up a glen hundreds of feet across, several of the 
  man-sized spheres representing planets would have 
  risen above the treetops, perhaps orbiting slowly in 
  time with the motions of the heavens. Now, however, the 
  mechanism lies shattered, the great metal beams and 
  rings which supported the planets bent and twisted, 
  with some of the hollow spheres staved in or wrenched 
  free to roll across the meadow. Overgrown with moss in 
  several places, the mystery of the spheres’ destruction 
  is matched only by the fact that, while the device was 
  obviously designed to model the orbit of planets around 
  a central star, none of the carefully embossed and 
  detailed spheres appear to match Golarion’s own sister 
  planets in number or appearance.
  The Witchbole: This gigantic twisted thorn tree 
  serves Treerazer as a palace. Enormous and bloated, the 
  Witchbole squats on raised roots like a mangrove, its oily 
  black bole gouged and blistered with the many rooms 
  of the demon’s citadel. On its great writhing roots, this 
  living fortress lurches ponderously through the woods, its 
  shattered crest sometimes twisted into the vague outline 
  of a face and its branches lined with the impaled corpses 
  of brave elves who sought to confront the demon directly. 
  While the exact nature of the Witchbole is the subject of 
  much debate, the shamed silence of the Fierani treants on 
  this matter has led some to believe that it may have once 
  been a member of their order, since demonically perverted 
  beyond all recognition.
  
  56
  Second Darkness
  Calistria
  C
  alistria (ca-LIS-tree-ah) is an old deity and 
  the most widely worshiped elven goddess in 
  Golarion—mysterious, alluring, temperamental, 
  passionate, and with a long memory for old slights. 
  Although most of her worshipers are elves, she is popular 
  with other races as well, for at some point almost everyone 
  has an interest in lust, trickery, or revenge. She is not so 
  much a spiritual guide for the elven people as a cornerstone 
  for their culture, never pushing them to act but always 
  ready to assist when the time comes for action.
  Calistria is sultry, attracting men and women with raw 
  sexual magnetism, manifesting everything in elves that 
  attracts other races to them. Although she is beautiful, 
  beauty is never the first word that comes to mind when 
  describing her, being typically characterized as sensual, 
  desirable, arousing, and countless more vulgar words. 
  Seeing her clothed makes viewers wonder what she looks 
  like naked, and seeing her naked makes them wonder more 
  explicit things. Although she considers herself female, she 
  has been known to take the shape of a male from time to 
  time, and in this guise she is every bit as attractive as her 
  female form, enough to make any mortal weak in the knees 
  and flushed all over.
  She is mischievous, perplexing, devious, and silver-
  tongued, able to complement her most powerful rivals 
  with pretty words that only after careful reflection 
  reveal themselves as base and humiliating insults. She 
  “surrenders” to enemies by convincing them to hand over 
  their weapons, leads suitors on for decades with hinted 
  promises of outrageous rewards, and outwits the most 
  brilliant mortals as an afterthought. She is not a goddess of 
  silly jokes or crude pranks, as she considers them beneath 
  her station. She can convey an hour’s speech in one small 
  gesture and a lifetime of emotion with a careful look. Lies 
  are her meat and drink, half-truths are her favorite wine, 
  and double entendres are a luscious dessert.
  
  57
  She is merciless, patient, and unforgiving, willing to 
  punish someone who offends her to the seventh generation. 
  She enjoys a quick resolution to petty affronts but takes a 
  longer approach to more serious offenses. To her, revenge 
  is a dish best served cold, scraped from the plate onto a 
  midden, rained on for a decade, planted within a vineyard, 
  made into wine, aged a century, and served as a minor part 
  of an elaborate steaming feast of vengeance for your foe 
  and his friends, loved ones, and offspring. Calistria does 
  not forgive, she does not forget, and any evidence otherwise 
  is part of her plan to sting you in the most painful way 
  possible when you least expect it.
  Calistria is welcoming and personable to those who wish 
  her no ill will and haven’t made the mistake of drawing her 
  ire. That said, she is fickle, changing loyalties as her needs 
  and whims suit her. She doesn’t do this to be hurtful, she just 
  never lets her interest become too strong or too emotional, 
  as she believes anyone who does otherwise is a fool. Those 
  who paired with her in the past are usually smart enough 
  to accept this and move on, but the duller ones sometimes 
  persist in the chase after she has tired of being the prey, and 
  then the claws come out. She feels no guilt for taking an 
  eye for an eye, or even more; she is a goddess of vengeance, 
  not justice, and if vengeance pushes beyond an appropriate 
  response, that should be a lesson to those who get in her 
  way. She has no interest in love and sees it only as a weakness 
  and a needless byproduct of physical pleasures. 
  Calistria welcomes the worship of any mortal who lusts, 
  relies on trickery, or seeks revenge on another. She doesn’t 
  care if the person is good, evil, unjustly accused, selfish, 
  moral, criminal, or love-struck. She may not agree with 
  an individual’s methods or motivation, but if it has to do 
  with her demesne she is interested in the outcome and 
  willing to help achieve it. This means at any one time her 
  worshipers are a very diverse lot, though most of them are 
  transitional, only seeking her aid when they need her. This 
  satisfies her and she asks for no more.
  Because of this attitude, many accuse her of being evil, 
  but in truth she is just amoral—she eschews right and 
  wrong and fairness because she knows the world is not a 
  fair place. Is it right that the whole world suffered the Age 
  of Darkness because of the Azlanti? Is it right that Shelyn’s 
  brother became the plaything of unknowable horrors? Is it 
  right that a leader-by-birth can tax his peasants-by-birth 
  into starvation? Calistria is beyond these questions, and 
  uses her abilities to survive. If others choose to follow her 
  path, so be it. And if others get 
  hurt as a consequence, so be it, as 
  every creature has the right—and the 
  responsibility—to avenge their injuries.
  Typical long-term worshipers of Calistria 
  are prostitutes, spies, gossips, hedonists, 
  addicts, enchanters, and illusionists. Those 
  who carry a grudge pray for her favor, as do rare 
  non-evil assassins pursuing a justified blood debt. 
  Most of her worshipers are elves, not because of an 
  excessive prurient interest in flesh but because she 
  represents independence from commitment and the 
  freedom to pursue what you desire. These tenants 
  offer a welcome relief to a race that lives hundreds 
  of years and might consider remaining with the 
  same partner for life worse than a prison sentence. Some 
  crusaders, particularly elven ones, pray to Calistria to help 
  achieve holy vengeance on their targets. Very few dwarves 
  worship her, even those avenging a slight against clan or 
  kin, for Calistria’s habit of disproportionate responses is 
  generally too excessive for the lawful-minded dwarves. A 
  fair number of halflings (especially those associated with 
  shady merchant guilds) venerate her trickery aspect, and 
  former slaves sometimes pray to her for vengeance against 
  their cruel masters. Calistria is not a popular deity among 
  the gnomes, largely because their trickery proves more 
  whimsical and most prefer to live their lives rather than 
  dwell on old slights and vengeances.
  Calistria shows her favor among the faithful with 
  sudden runs of luck in attempts to find companionship, 
  heightening of physical pleasures, and finding easy marks 
  for schemes or acts of vengeance. Those who displease her 
  often find themselves plagued by impotence, failure to 
  achieve sexual satisfaction, schemes failing disastrously, 
  or angry wasps with an unerring ability to sting in 
  sensitive places. Sometimes her ire is evidenced by several 
  positive events culminating in a horrible failure, such as 
  having the first outing with a long-pursued paramour go 
  terribly wrong.
  Calistria’s avatar is a beautiful elven woman wearing 
  a slinky black dress or gown accented with gold, often 
  with a black or golden silk drape falling from her arms 
  or drawn seductively across her face. Her eyes are dark 
  and mysterious, sometimes flashing gold with passion 
  or anger. She is commonly shown with giant wasps, her 
  favorite creature—unlike bees, wasps can sting again 
  and again without dying. In male form she looks like a 
  slightly masculine version of her normal shape, wearing 
  black leggings and a loose golden jerkin and cape, eyes 
  smoldering with barely contained passion.
  Formal clothing for her clergy is very scant, typically 
  dark leather or yellow silk that covers little and conceals 
  even less, often augmented with henna dyes on the palms of 
  “Savor the three stings of passion, 
  guile, and vengeance. No food you ever 
  taste, no thing you ever build, will satisfy 
  you as much as my gifts.” 
  —The Book of Joy
  
  58
  Second Darkness
  pace until something provokes them. Most people see the 
  priests of Calistria as providers of comfort to those in need 
  of solace, whether physical or emotional. They open their 
  doors to those brimming over with lust, needing advice 
  on embarrassing a rival, or seeking aid in striking back at 
  those who have hurt them. Some dabble in divine magic 
  but focus on other talents that express the illegal or semi-
  legal aspects of Calistria’s interests, whether burglary, 
  spying, extortion, or even murder.
  Ceremonies honoring Calistria may involve ritual sex 
  but not always the orgiastic excess described in salacious 
  stories by those outside the church. A typical ritual might 
  consist of quiet chanting, blessed wine, and perhaps a 
  few passionate kisses among interested parties. In others, 
  priests tell how they deceived others or enacted elaborate 
  revenge plots. There are no formalities regarding where 
  ceremonies should take place, and most elven rituals occur 
  outdoors in the natural settings that elves prefer, though 
  meetings involving the telling of secrets or plans might be 
  held behind securely closed doors. The ritual of a new priest 
  to the faith usually involves sex with another member of 
  the church, performed in a private antechamber unless the 
  initiate wishes otherwise; priests often court an intriguing 
  new initiate for this privilege, with the expectation that 
  the priest will look after the initiate in the early part of his 
  or her career.
  The church puts little stock in the formalities of 
  marriage. While it serves a valuable function in society, 
  most of the worshipers don’t have a strong urge to settle 
  down with one person (especially given elven longevity) 
  and they usually don’t confuse physical attraction with 
  emotional affection (which is seen as a weakness by members 
  of most non-good churches). The faithful consider any 
  relationship that lasts more than a few months to be a 
  “marriage,” though this confers no legal rights. Ending a 
  relationship has no stigma, though these ends are often 
  the start of long feuds if one person feels slighted. Some 
  do see the appeal of long, committed relationships, though 
  even these tend to be tolerant of other partners or even 
  polyandrous or polygynous. Lacking the weight of law in 
  their relationships, most expect inheritance and similar 
  matters to go to blood relatives rather than the mutable, 
  tenuous passionate relationships.
  Temples and shrines
  A typical temple has many rooms with lockable doors 
  for privacy, and many are converted mansions or large 
  homes. Because of their association with sex, temple 
  priests are known for assisting with births, giving advice 
  on contraceptive herbs, and taking in unwanted infants. 
  Each temple tends toward good, evil, or neutrality, and 
  this influences the activities that take place there. These 
  philosophical differences are the source of many inter-
  the hands and in narrow bands on the arms. Some priests 
  like to add other accent clothing like a wasp’s colors but 
  eventually grow out of this habit, as the insect represents 
  the goddess but is not inherently divine or worthy of 
  emulation. Adventurer-priests favor gold jewelry, gold 
  decorations on their armor, or (in the case of metal armor) 
  gold plating or magically-hardened gold throughout. 
  Church paraphernalia is usually slender wood or fine gold, 
  often including erotic carvings or sculpture.
  Calistria is chaotic neutral and her portfolio is trickery, 
  lust, and revenge. Her favored weapon is the whip. Her 
  holy symbol is three daggers pointing outward from a 
  circle (representing her three aspects), and because of this 
  many of her priests carry a dagger. Her domains are Chaos, 
  Charm, Knowledge, Luck, and Trickery. Most of her priests 
  are clerics or bards, though in some places more exotic 
  spellcasters are the norm for her clergy, and there are a few 
  non-spellcasters who have reached moderate status in the 
  priesthood. Her titles include the Savored Sting, the Lady 
  in the Room, and the Unquenchable Fire, as well as many 
  vulgar epithets bestowed by disparagers outside the faith.
  As a group the clergy is a reactive force more than a 
  proactive one, content to let the world progress at its own 
  A HAven for 
  HAlfbreeds
  Children of mixed races rarely have an easy life. Constantly 
  reminded of their differences, they often end up on the fringe of 
  their society, living on their wits and exotic looks, and frequently 
  with a deep hatred for those who mistreated them. These factors 
  make Calistria’s faith very appealing to mixed-raced folk. 
  This is not to say that all halfbreeds are miserable or vengeful. 
  In more tolerant societies they may be welcomed, but even 
  these folk are drawn to the Savored Sting. Some of them owe 
  their very existence to her, whether from the lustful acts that 
  created them or their mothers leaving them on the doorsteps of 
  Calistria’s temples. The church usually accepts these unwanted 
  infants and raises them in the faith, but they have also been 
  known to let them die of exposure. Although a church’s attitude 
  reflects its community, in general they are much more tolerant 
  of mixed-race people, which unfortunately tends to reinforce 
  the stereotype that halfbreeds are whores and liars.
  Given the goddess’s promiscuity, gender-mutability, 
  and variable tastes (and her divine servants’ desire to follow 
  her lead), it is entirely possible that a significant number of 
  “halfbreeds” are actually descended from her in some way, 
  whether first-generation or something more distant. Certainly 
  it is not unheard of for an entirely human couple to have a 
  part-human child, though fairies or evil spirits are usually 
  blamed. Calistria shows these offspring no special favor, and 
  rarely do they ever find out their divine ancestry, though the 
  dream of being the goddess’s “secret favorite grandchild” is 
  shared by many foundlings of the church.
  
  Calistria
  59
  temple feuds, some going back hundreds of years with 
  bloodshed on both sides.
  Good temples try to serve the community and usually 
  function as a brothel with sacred prostitutes, as they believe 
  that the relief of sexual needs eases other tensions that 
  might lead to violence. Regular visits by customers usually 
  mean the temple is a hotbed of gossip and clandestine talks 
  about double-dealing and revenge. Evil temples are much 
  like thieves’ guilds, a place to hear news, seek evidence of 
  unfaithful lovers, and make shady plans, only sometimes 
  while enjoying a lover. Neutral temples (and elven temples 
  in particular) try to mix both, casually entertaining the 
  lonely and lusty while avoiding the more violent plans for 
  vengeance. 
  Many temples encourage wasps to nest on the exterior 
  of the building. Guided by magic, the insects leave 
  the residents alone but react angrily to trespassers. 
  Wealthier temples may employ giant wasps as guardian 
  creatures and spider eaters as flying steeds (evil ones 
  may bind abyssal wasp swarms to guard the temple as 
  well). Some use a church-created method of harvesting 
  venom from the wasps, which is typically used by the 
  temple guards or sold.
  The church has few shrines, as Calistria’s interest is 
  in the nature and actions of people rather than places. 
  Ancient standing stones at the site of old temples might 
  bear phallic or yonic carvings, or a flat stone might be 
  carved with the name of some great vengeance that took 
  place at the site, but beyond these the church prefers to 
  remember things in stories and warnings.
  a priesT’s role
  Many priests work as or with prostitutes, always in a 
  manner that assures the safety of those in that profession; 
  the church does not make its priests into victims, as they 
  are people with power who greatly enjoy what they do for 
  a living. All clergy undergo extensive training in the arts 
  of conversation, body language, and seduction. Even the 
  most ugly or disagreeable priest knows how to turn on 
  the charm at the right time, surprising those who witness 
  the change. Others may work—alone or in groups—as 
  spies, investigators (for individuals or the government), or 
  smugglers of exotic materials suitable for strange interests. 
  Because of their varied concerns and areas of expertise, 
  there is no “typical day” for priests of Calistria unless they 
  work for a temple, their faith being a driving force but not 
  a defining force in their daily activities.
  If a temple has guardian wasps, the priests might 
  be responsible for caring for or magically influencing 
  them, or this duty might fall to a layperson (similar to a 
  beekeeper). This frequent association with wasps means 
  many become used to stings and resistant to venom (either 
  through Great Fortitude or a similar feat-enhancing 
  
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  Second Darkness
  temple and customized for the recipient, such as “of the 
  Gentle Hands,” “the Heartless Avenger,” “of the Hundred 
  Faces,” or “the Shameless.”
  Because of the different areas of interest of her good, 
  neutral, and evil factions, most temples focus on local 
  issues and ignore what their counterparts are working 
  on (barring old vendettas). The church is organized 
  democratically, with every full priest having a vote in her 
  temple’s affairs. For rare decisions requiring input from 
  several temples, each sends a priest to represent that 
  temple’s opinions and interests.
  Priests of good temples may work as sacred prostitutes 
  or look after the health of these workers. Others priests 
  in good temples work as confessors and gossip-brokers, 
  buying and selling information that might be useful. 
  They address the goddess’s vengeance aspect by listening 
  to complaints and assisting them in finding legal 
  compensation for their issues, though the priests have 
  been known to resort to public shaming of guilty parties 
  when the offense is inconsiderate rather than illegal, 
  such as broken engagements, shoddy business practices, 
  adultery, or slander. To a small extent they work as 
  matchmakers, though usually for sexual interest rather 
  than marriage.
  Priests in evil temples engage in seedier work. They 
  may seduce someone in order to blackmail them later 
  as compensation for some wrongdoing (against them or 
  a client), exchange valuable secrets as if they were exotic 
  spices, and make plots to unseat an influential leader or 
  leverage a reluctant merchant. A few work as thieves or 
  assassins for the church or even the highest bidder, acting 
  anonymously or under a pseudonym. They walk in the path 
  of shadow, using their seductive talents to get what they 
  want and destroy those who stand in their way. The most 
  alluring members make the best sacred prostitutes, though 
  they usually demand payment in secrets, and it is these 
  who often lead double or triple lives as spies in extensive 
  secret plots. Evil priests tend to be very competitive with 
  each other, trying to outdo their rivals in feats of intimacy, 
  trickery, and vengeance, and as a result many are forced to 
  wander for their own safety.
  Priests of neutral temples might perform the same 
  duties as a counterpart in a good temple or an evil one, or 
  mix aspects of both as is their preference. In most cases, 
  when asked for help with revenge, they push the person 
  to first find non-injurious recompense for the petitioner, 
  though if the offense is great enough they are not adverse to 
  giving advice or explicit aid in fulfilling a debt of blood. In 
  some communities there might only be one priest greatly 
  respected and feared for what he knows and the careful 
  web of peace he brokers with flesh and promises.
  Alchemy, herbalism, and potion-making are common 
  pastimes among priests, and some make a living selling 
  poison resistance). Some keep unusually large common 
  specimens (up to 4 inches long) as pets for good luck, and 
  a few are known within the church for their cat-sized pet 
  wasps with abilities similar to a mage’s familiar.
  The church hierarchy is very casual, with priests valued 
  more for their ability to persuade others (or feared for 
  their history of revenge) rather than their magical power. 
  Of course, a powerful priest might be able to persuade or 
  frighten more than a weak one, but an inexperienced priest 
  who pulls off an elaborate revenge plan, creates a new 
  profitable financial scheme, or develops a new seductive 
  technique receives much respect from her peers despite 
  her other shortcomings. There are few titles in the church 
  used by all temples. A priest who is known for calmness 
  despite all circumstances might be given the title “the 
  Serene.” The high priestess of a temple is cheyim or cheyos, 
  feminine and masculine forms of an Elven word meaning 
  “revered one” respectively. Individuals might earn various 
  honorifics based on deeds, assigned by the head of the 
  Holy TexT
  Although Calistria’s followers recommend several works 
  of theater and literature as shining examples of the perfect 
  seduction or revenge, they only hold one text as sacred.
  The Book of Joy: This tome is a guide to many passions; 
  some include illustrations of sexual positions, guides on 
  reading and manipulating others’ emotions, or collected 
  anecdotes on satisfying revenge schemes for various offenses. 
  Some conservative cities actually make it illegal to possess or 
  display a copy, fearing that the information within will corrupt 
  the morals of its citizens. Mischievous members of the church 
  like to print portions of the book as one-page “penny bibles” 
  showing the most erotic portions of the manuscript, hoping 
  to elicit curiosity in the reader.
  Allies of CAlisTriA
  Calistria’s priests can use summon monster spells to summon 
  the following creatures in addition to the normal creatures 
  listed in the spells.
  Summon Monster I
  Giant bee (N)
  Summon Monster II
  Tiefling rogue 1 (CN)
  Summon Monster V
  Spider eater (N)
  Summon Monster VIII
  Hellwasp swarm (CE)
  
  61
  Calistria
  poisons, aphrodisiacs, love potions, contraceptives, 
  abortifacients, and their counteragents. Even good priests 
  are known to sell poisons, though usually nonlethal 
  kinds designed to embarrass or humiliate the target 
  (such as laxitives, those that simulate drunkenness, and 
  so on). Some become so skilled at their duties that just 
  by looking at a target they can tell how much of a drug is 
  required to affect them for a certain period of time and 
  the best way to administer it in food or drink. Of course, 
  the followers of Norgorber carefully watch Calistria’s 
  priesthood to make sure they aren’t overstepping their 
  bounds or undercutting prices.
  Calistria’s church is not known for its altruistic healing, 
  though its priests have been known to sell cures for 
  money or favors. Sometimes they heal without demanding 
  payment, saying only that they will collect a service at 
  some point in the future.
  Priests concerned with the goddess’s lustful side are 
  usually skilled at Balance, Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, 
  Escape Artist, Intimidate, Sense Motive, or Tumble. Priests 
  more attracted to her vengeful aspect study methods that 
  make them more effective in finding their targets, such 
  as Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Intimidate, 
  Knowledge, and Sense Motive. Priests attracted to her 
  role as a trickster usually focus on skills appropriate to 
  thieves, deceivers, or diplomats, depending on the type of 
  deception they enjoy.
  A typical day for a temple-based priest involves waking, 
  having sex or shooing out last night’s partner, ritual 
  washing, breakfast, and prayer. They spend most of the 
  day doing the work of the church. Evenings are a time to 
  eat with friends, share stories, and enact plans that are 
  best hidden from the light of day. Those who prefer to be 
  up at night (or work at night, such as sacred prostitutes) 
  have a shifted schedule, waking in the evening for a meal 
  and socializing, then working, secret activities in the early 
  hours before dawn, prayer in the morning, then sleep.
  Two myThs
  Passed in whispers, the holy tales of Calistria often 
  straddle the border between dire warnings and subtle 
  encouragement.
  The Blooded: The inspiration for a series of myths—
  mostly pertaining to the inspirational facets of lust, 
  performance seduction, and grandiose revenges—the 
  likely mythic civilization known as the Blooded supposedly 
  rose after Azlant and lived and breathed the ideas of lust, 
  trickery, and vengeance. Several great passion plays are 
  attributed to this people. The noble houses of the Blooded 
  supposedly fought each other with petty intrigues and 
  used their influence for various gains and losses. After 
  Starfall they allegedly perished, but plays attributed to 
  them are popular among priests of all ages, and several 
  famed pieces of Taldan opera are said to draw influence 
  from this storied people.
  The Coldest Dish: Calistria is an old goddess and 
  was dealing with opponents in the days before the first 
  mortal civilization. In the unfathomable past, three of 
  her enemy deities died before she could gain satisfaction 
  from them. Even now, once a year, these three dead gods 
  claw themselves out of whatever oblivion holds them and 
  travel to her realm. These three shades of fallen, forgotten 
  powers kneel before her and beg her forgiveness and ask 
  that she abandon her yet-unfulfilled vengeance planned 
  for them. Every year she just smiles and waits.
  aphorisms
  To punctuate their vengeful desires, Calistria’s worshipers 
  circulate several bitter sayings and deadly sentiments.
  I Stab Thee With My Heart: When a careful plan of 
  vengeance comes to fruition, the satisfaction of it is as 
  exhilarating as any intimate act. Whether whispered 
  during an actual stabbing, or left as a note explaining 
  the target’s downfall, the faithful use this saying when 
  they succeed at a particularly juicy vengeful act. Oddly, 
  in the rare cases where members of the church pursue 
  a genuine love, couples often use this as a form of vow 
  between them to indicate the strength and sincerity of 
  their feeling.
  Love the Food, Not the Chef: This is used as an 
  admonition against falling in love with the target of your 
  lust. It is also a reminder to not become consumed by 
  vengeance to the exclusion of all other things. There is 
  more to life than just revenge, and there are many joys one 
  can experience even while seeking retribution.
  holidays
  Each temple has its own set of holidays based on avenging 
  old slights, great conquests, and so on. The entire church 
  has only one common holiday.
  The Ritual of the Whip Sting: The church recognizes 
  that sometimes a long-standing feud can be harmful to 
  a community, and while the goddess doesn’t believe in 
  forgiveness, she does believe in adequate satisfaction for 
  an offense. When priests intervene in a dispute to protect 
  the community, they negotiate with both sides until they 
  reach an agreement on an appropriate act of vengeance, 
  usually performed publicly. Once this vengeance is 
  carried out, the matter is considered settled by both 
  parties and any further retaliation is forbidden. Normally 
  this vengeance is humiliating (such as revealing an 
  embarrassing truth, tarring and feathering, and so on) 
  and may even be painful (such as a whipping or being 
  locked naked in a pillory for a day) but rarely deadly, as 
  anything serious enough that a reasonable person calls 
  for murder is usually best handled with a trial. The name 
  
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  Second Darkness
  of the ritual originates from when it was always a public 
  whipping, but now the whip is mostly symbolic and both 
  parties swear their oath on it.
  relaTions wiTh oTher 
  religions 
  Calistria’s interactions with other gods are complex and 
  strewn with contradictions and fabrications. Some paint 
  her as a good god’s lover, others as an enemy. One tale has 
  her figuratively and literally in bed with an archdevil, while 
  others describe her taking centuries to enact vengeance 
  for a minor slight by such a being. Some stories suggest 
  the creation or destruction of certain deities. Each temple 
  has its own idea about which stories are true and which 
  are false, and these differences only escalate the conflicts 
  between factions. What is known is the other gods treat 
  her very carefully and respectfully, as they fear her reprisal 
  for an unintended slight.
  In general, she and Shelyn get along tolerably well, as 
  erotic love leads to sex and common lust can turn into 
  love, though Calistria believes Shelyn’s insistence on 
  love is a weakness and Shelyn hates how people pretend 
  to be in love so they can get sex. Calistria covets her 
  romantic counterpart, but Shelyn refuses these advances 
  as she knows the Savored Sting’s affections are purely 
  carnal. Calistria doesn’t like Urgathoa much but respects 
  her lust for life, and as long as they respect the border 
  between their interests there is no trouble between them. 
  Norgorber intrigues her with his mystery and they have 
  worked together for a common interest, though he is 
  never quite sure if he is somehow being manipulated. She 
  respects Desna but thinks she’s a little too hung up on 
  her failures and setbacks. She and Cayden Cailean are on 
  very friendly terms.
  new divine spells
  Clerics of Calistria may prepare rage as a 3rd-level spell and 
  suggestion as a 4th-level spell (though those with the Charm 
  domain have access to it earlier). Her followers have two 
  additional spells only available to those of the faith.
  Lover’s Vengeance
  School enchantment (compulsion) [mind-affecting]; Level bard 3, 
  cleric 3, sorcerer/wizard 3 
  CaStIng
  Casting time 1 minute
  Components V
  EffECt
  Range touch
  target 1 living creature
  Duration up to 1 day/level (D) or until discharged
  Saving throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes 
  (harmless)
  DESCRIptIon
  You inspire yourself or another to enter a vengeful rage upon 
  entering combat with an enemy chosen at the time of the spell’s 
  casting. Upon entering battle with the intended foe, the target 
  automatically gains the benefits of a rage spell. If the target is a 
  creature other than you, the spell does not inform the target of 
  who will provoke the rage effect. Once triggered, the rage effect 
  lasts for 1 round per level. This spell counts as a contingency  
  spell on the target for the purpose of multiple contingent effects. 
  Secret Speech
  School divination; Level bard 1, cleric 2, sorcerer/wizard 2
  CaStIng
  Casting time 1 standard action
  Components V, S
  EffECt
  Range touch
  target creature touched
  Duration 10 minutes/level
  Saving throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance no
  DESCRIptIon
  This spell grants the creature touched the ability to send secret 
  messages within normal speech. This is similar to the ability of 
  the Bluff skill, but no check is needed; the speaker’s intended 
  target (or targets) always perfectly understands the message, 
  and other listeners cannot perceive the message at all. The 
  subject can only send one message at a time, though it can be 
  to multiple listeners. The secret message is considered to be 
  in the same language the speaker is speaking, and intended 
  targets hear and understand the actual speech and the secret 
  message. The subject can make itself understood as far as its 
  voice carries.
  For example, at a fancy noble’s wedding, a jealous former 
  suitor casts this spell on himself before making a speech. 
  Everyone hears his glowing words of praise, but he includes a 
  secret message for his allies to attack the groom.
  priesTs of CalisTria
  Whether embraced for their comforting company or 
  shunned as vengeful villains, the clergy of Calistria receive 
  mixed receptions in their travels—rightly so considering 
  their goddess’s tempestuous nature. The following are but 
  two adherents of Calistria who PCs might encounter in 
  their adventures.
  Avoros Grimblade (CE male elf fighter 5/bard 7) is a 
  handsome elf with cruel eyes and a tendency to laugh 
  mockingly at those he considers beneath him. Only 2 
  centuries old, he has traveled much of Avistan on foot 
  (he dislikes horses) and learned about many different 
  races and cultures, though he found something to 
  dislike about almost all of them. Now he travels for 
  the opportunity to stir up trouble in foreign lands. 
  Sometimes he sings offensive songs about neighboring 
  
  63
  Calistria
  lands, hoping to arouse diplomatic tension. Other 
  times he makes a point of seducing or dueling the 
  adult children of people who annoyed him 20 years 
  ago, usually setting up everyone for public humiliation. 
  Avoros is amoral, and might quest with a group of PCs 
  on a lark if one of his old enemies is in the direction 
  they’re traveling, or if one of them is the son or daughter 
  of someone he wants to punish.
  Longfingers (CN doppelganger cleric 6) 
  has a network of friends and allies in the 
  church, all of whom it knows well enough 
  to impersonate flawlessly. It keeps a neutral 
  role in inter-temple rivalries and prefers to spend 
  its time spying on enemies of itself, its friends, 
  and its associated churches. Its only known 
  identity that isn’t a duplicate of another 
  person is a male tiefling-looking rogue 
  named Longfingers; in this shape it bears 
  a familial resemblance to Lavender Lil of 
  Riddleport (who is also one of its friends). 
  When introducing itself to potential 
  allies, it usually claims to be a close friend 
  or relative of one of its networked friends, 
  especially if the people it’s talking to 
  know of that person (or have met it in 
  that guise). Longfingers is an information 
  broker and likes to help interesting people 
  with their problems, especially if this help 
  advances its or the church’s agenda.
  Neirein Vodintheil (CG female half-elf 
  cleric 2/rogue 1) lives in Kyonin’s human-
  maintained city of Greengold where she 
  and her sisters Faisine and Tayce serve as 
  the 
  community’s 
  unofficial 
  welcoming 
  committee. Having lived in the city most 
  of their lives, the sisters maintain far-
  reaching 
  connections 
  through 
  the 
  social strata. They eagerly approach 
  newcomers, offering tours of the 
  city, lessons in elven custom, and 
  perhaps even introductions to 
  prominent 
  local 
  figures—for 
  the right prices. The slyest of 
  the 
  three 
  sisters, 
  platinum-
  haired Neirein knows several 
  noteworthy figures among the 
  city’s smuggling and political 
  community, using her training as 
  an adherent of Calistria to cultivate 
  a variety of crushes and useful would-
  be suitors. While she garners 
  invitations to nearly every 
  social event that takes place 
  in town she secretly longs for a more adventuresome life 
  far from the eyes of leering diplomats and possessive 
  criminals. Only her devotion to her sisters ties her to 
  Greengold, as her “extra-legal” connections have helped 
  the trio out of all manner of dangerous situations.
  planar allies
  The following creatures are well-known supernatural 
  servitors of Calistria, suitable for conjuring with 
  planar ally or similar spells. On rare occasions 
  she sends her herald, the Menotherian (see 
  page 86), to further her causes.
  Threv: This frog-like shapechanging 
  sorcerer 
  has 
  gray 
  skin 
  and 
  strangely 
  expressive eyes. Obsessed with vengeance, he is 
  often the agent of Calistria’s ire in the mortal 
  world when she isn’t angered enough to send 
  her herald. He works for mortals as well, and 
  cheaply for acts of revenge; some mortals 
  have made the mistake of lying to him to get 
  a discount, which usually makes them his 
  target once he finds out. He prefers payment 
  in the form of magic or poisons that let him 
  kill at a distance. He is chaotic neutral.
  Tordurbar: Though most chaos beasts 
  alternate between horrible forms, this strange 
  thing usually looks like a large fleshy mass, 
  with heads, mouths, eyes, hands, hair, and 
  various organs sprouting randomly and being 
  reabsorbed in short order. Though it accepts 
  payments for services in coin or magic, it prefers 
  sexual favors, whether the summoner is 
  male or female. In battle it takes on 
  dangerous shapes like others of its 
  kind. It does not speak (except to coo 
  and moan), preferring telepathic 
  communication.
  Velvet Wing: Easily confused with 
  a succubus, this beautiful seductress 
  looks like a tan elven woman with 
  slightly ragged insect wings (the 
  goddess has many such creatures 
  serving her, whom she calls 
  her “vengeance demons”). Her 
  kisses and other intimate acts 
  drain Intelligence, Wisdom, 
  or Charisma (her choice). She 
  can change her appearance 
  to any humanoid creature 
  and is adept at mimicking 
  a specific person’s voice 
  and mannerisms. She is 
  chaotic neutral.
  
  64
  Second Darkness
  D
  eep inside the Fierani Forest lies the ruin of 
  a solar observatory, a center of ancient elven 
  astronomy on Golarion. Before Earthfall, this 
  was a popular retreat for elven astronomers and stargazing 
  artists alike. Yet despite its popularity, the observatory 
  known as Sun Dagger’s Crown was forgotten when the 
  elves abandoned the world.
  Recently, life stirred again in the halls of Sun Dagger. A 
  hezrou called Vodzur, on orders from Treerazer, the Lord 
  of Blasted Tarn, claimed the shattered halls for his dark 
  master, establishing it as a redoubt to subtly corrupt the 
  elves of Greengold and Iadara. In the past weeks, through 
  nefarious promises and outright lies, Vodzur gathered a 
  cult of revenge-driven elves and outcasts. Now the demon 
  and his cultists gather their resources to spread Treerazer’s 
  corruption to the four corners of Kyonin, ushering in 
  a new era of darkness and pushing their brethren once 
  again from this world.
  “Sun Dagger’s Crown” is a dungeon–based adventure 
  for four 11th-level characters. In addition to working as 
  a stand-alone adventure, this Set Piece can be used to 
  supplement this month’s Adventure Path installment, “A 
  Memory of Darkness,” or any other campaign. 
  Adventure Hooks
  GMs who choose to send their PCs into Sun Dagger might 
  use any of the following plot hooks. Adventure possibilities 
  marked with an asterisk might be especially useful to GMs 
  running “A Memory of Darkness.”
  Gathering of Cultists: Nisirvis Baradna, a leading 
  constable of Greengold, is unsettled by rumors of recent 
  attacks on caravans traveling the Queen’s Road and of a 
  growing demonic influence in the northern Fierani Forest. 
  She’s been warranted to offer 2,000 gp to any adventurers 
  who would travel the Queen’s Road and put an end to any 
  demonic influences that have taken root along its length.
  set PIeCe
  Sun Dagger’s Crown
  
  65
  *Path of the Stars: In their travels from Iadara to 
  Tanglebriar the PCs’ path leads them to the supposedly 
  abandoned ruins of an ancient elven observatory. When 
  they arrive, however, they find the ruins are far less lifeless 
  than they expected.
  A Scholar’s Search: Setherell, a stargazing elven scholar, 
  has uncovered scraps of research collected from Sun 
  Dagger in centuries past. The notes reveals the location 
  of Sun Dagger, leading Setherell to finance an expedition 
  to the site located in central Kyonin. He offers 8,000 gp 
  worth of rare elven lore, histories, and artistic artifacts to 
  any group able to guide and guard him as he investigates 
  the ruin.
  *Travails in Tanglebriar: Upon arriving in Tanglebriar 
  the PCs’ seductive companion suggests they meet with her 
  allies. Upon reaching her former redoubt of Sun Dagger, 
  it becomes obvious that their ally’s former minions 
  have changed their allegiance, taking up the worship of 
  Treerazer’s minion Vodzur, who proves none too interested 
  in competing for his follower’s obedience.
  sun dAgger observAtory
  Once a center of celestial study and astrology, Sun Dagger 
  rose above the tree line to offer the scholars and seers within 
  an unimpeded view of the heavens. In the millennia since the 
  Age of Darkness, though, the observatory has fallen into ruin, 
  the grand magical orrery that once adorned its heights having 
  toppled into the forest below and its irreplaceable libraries 
  having rotted long ago. Today little more than the ruins of 
  an open bunker and halls carved with esoteric runes remain, 
  an eerie crown for a severe tor jutting from the depths of the 
  Fierani Forest. Read or paraphrase the following as the PCs 
  near Sun Dagger.
  Atop a tree-shrouded tor of exposed rock perches a squat, 
  cylindrical structure carved of polished granite. Although 
  obviously ancient, much of the weathered building remains, its 
  facade covered over in vines and creeping vegetation. Although 
  no entrance to the structure presents itself from a distance, a 
  narrow path coils around the severe hill, leading to a gaping 
  hole puncturing the rocky wall, a mound of finely crafted rubble 
  evident below. 
  While our peers concern themselves with the shudders of celestial dust, the rotation of 
  unreachable debris, and the ephemera of light, my investigation looks past the charts and 
  figures traced and retraced since the days our fathers were young. Rather, I look to the 
  unmarked places of the heavenly bower and hope to glimpse what wonders lie beyond. We 
  do not look upon the great paueliel tree and assume merely because we see only the lowest 
  branches that higher, more magnificent boughs don’t exist—branches that possibly hold 
  aloft wonders and terrors beyond our earthbound minds’ prowess to imagine.
  —Joinitiel Airenidor, Seeing Between the Stars 
  Modular 
  Cults
  This adventure was designed so GMs should have no problem 
  replacing the cult currently rooted in Sun Dagger with any other 
  nefarious zealots of their choosing. Even the location could easily 
  be revised and transplanted, perhaps making it a sinister circle 
  of standing stones, the keep of a ruined fortress, or a wholly 
  underground hideout. Here are a few alternative possibilities 
  for those who want to tinker with the specifics of this Set Piece. 
  Check out the Pathfinder Chronicles accessory Gods and Magic 
  and Pathfinder #18’s “Demon Lords of Golarion” for more 
  details on unholy enemies and their fiendish followers.
  The End March: High atop Mount Cray in the Aspodell 
  Mountains lurks a cult of Groetus worshipers devoted to 
  bringing about the end of everything. Monthly, on the night of 
  the full moon, they raise faces painted as skulls to the heavens 
  and beseech their apocalyptic lord to make them the instruments 
  of his grand destruction. Thus far they’ve received no sign from 
  their dark god, but this never prevents their dwarven leader, Vaun-
  Thal, from claiming to receive a vision of what nearby village or 
  community they’ll next attempt to raze in their lord’s name.
  The Mysteries of Orreia: Gathering amid the burnt-
  out floors of Oppara’s Veirnorine Tower, the adherents 
  of Orreia’s mysteries gather to participate in the bloody, 
  orgiastic ceremonies of their demigoddess of the deserving. 
  Unfortunately for the cultists, Orreia does not exist, merely 
  being a persona of their shrewd erinyes high mistress, Aierro.
  The Pale Kiss: Within a nameless outcropping of 
  Thassilonian ruins outside Veldraine gather cultists of the 
  vermin lord Ghlaunder, demigod of parasites and infection. 
  Within the bowels of the ancient ruins they cultivate a nest 
  of sizable, poisonous stirges, readying to release the vermin 
  upon those who don’t rightly fear their disgusting god.
  Within, the structure remains in good condition, with 
  every doorway being an intricately carved arch, open and 
  clear since the wooden doors long ago rotted away. Unless 
  otherwise noted, the ceilings within the living quarters 
  are 12 feet high.
  During the day, cracks and fissures throughout 
  the structure light the living quarters with shadowy 
  
  66
  Second Darkness
  illumination, while the roofless observatory is lit by the 
  sun alone. At night, lanterns light any rooms with residents 
  and ceremonial braziers illuminate the upper level.
  1. Rising Path
  A narrow path winds up the side of the rocky tor. Although 
  scrub-covered and crumbling in places, there are relatively few 
  places where the steep trail has slid away to any significant or 
  dangerous extent. 
  This is the main path leading to the ruins of Sun 
  Dagger. From this trail there are three entrances into 
  the ancient observatory, the main entryway at area 2 
  and a pair of deeply shadowed fissures in the walls high 
  above the main trail—one 20 feet above that leads into 
  area 11 and requires a DC 22 Spot check to notice, and 
  another 15 feet above that opens into area 12 and takes 
  a DC 24 Spot check to notice. While the entrance into 
  area 11 can admit any Medium or smaller climber, the 
  gap leading to area 12 is barely a window, requiring even 
  Small creatures to squeeze to gain admittance. Although 
  obscured from the trail below, a large opening in the 
  wall of area 6 might admit any character with the power 
  to fly or the tenacity to explore the hillock by climbing, 
  requiring DC 20 Climb checks to traverse.
  Creatures: The path is rarely guarded, but there is still 
  20% chance of encountering the cultists from area 2. 
  2. Entryway (EL 8)
  Twin stone archways face each other across this dilapidated 
  entrance hall, their surfaces etched with moons traveling 
  through the sky. Dominating the chamber’s center is a fifteen-
  foot-tall statue of a grandiose elven scholar in flowing robes 
  adorned with celestial designs. In his left arm he holds a 
  thick tome, while his right is raised to point eastward, as if in 
  anticipation of the rising sun. The sculpture’s head has been 
  defaced and where might have once hung a nameplate is now 
  just a scored depression in the stone.
  This hall once served as a greeting place for visitors to 
  the observatory, though the sturdy doors that once barred 
  entrance have long since rotted away. Those who examine 
  the statue find that weather and vandalism have made it 
  unrecognizable as anything besides an elven scholar.
  Sun Dagger 
  Observatory 
  Living Quarters 
  One square = 5 feet 
  150 feet 
  side view 
  N 
  Path  
  Down 
  1
  14
  5
  4
  2
  3
  12
  10
  9
  8
  11
  6
  13
  Sun Dagger 
  Observatory 
  Living Quarters 
  One square = 5 feet 
  150 feet 
  side view 
  N 
  Path  
  Down 
  1
  14
  5
  4
  2
  3
  12
  10
  9
  8
  11
  6
  13
  77
  
  67
  Sun Dagger’s Crown
  Creatures: Two cultists guard this room, though they 
  aren’t particularly mindful of their duties. At any given 
  time they are gossiping or wandering down the pathway 
  for a brief walk (potentially leading to encounters with 
  them in area 1). Due to their constant distractions, they 
  take a –2 penalty on all Spot and Listen checks.
  Cult Warriors (2) 
   
  CR 6
  Elf warrior 7
  CE Medium humanoid
  Init +8; Senses low-light vision; Listen +2, Spot +2
  DEFENSE
  AC 25, touch 16, flat-footed 22 
  (+6 armor, +3 deflection, +3 Dex, +3 shield)
  hp 31 (7d8)
  Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +3 (+5 against enchantment)
  Immune sleep
  OFFENSE
  Speed 20 ft.
  Melee +1 rapier +11 (1d6+2/18–20)
  TACTICS
  Before Combat If aware of the PCs, the cultists drink their potions 
  of shield of faith +3.
  During Combat The cultists attempt to flank one PC at a time and 
  beat them down, all the while shouting for aid.
  Morale The cultists are fanatics and fight to the death.
  Base Statistics AC 22, touch 13, flat-footed 19 
  STATISTICS
  Str 12, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 9, Wis 0, Cha 8
  Base Atk +5; Grp +7
  Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
  Skills Intimidate +3, Jump +1, Listen +2, Search +1, Spot +2
  Languages Common, Elven
  Combat Gear potion of cure serious wounds, potion of shield of faith 
  +3; Other Gear +1 breastplate, +1 heavy steel shield, +1 rapier, 
  cloak of resistance +1, 10 gp
  3. Hallway
  Arms of a dusty, rubble-strewn hallway stretch to the north, 
  south, and west. The floor looks as though it was once paved 
  with colorful tile, but such decoration has mostly been broken 
  or swept away. Every several steps, slender iron hooks are 
  mounted on the walls for lanterns, though none currently 
  hang here. Missing too are doors, nearly a dozen empty frames 
  yawning along the hall’s length, though a shimmering velvet 
  curtain obscures much of the westernmost hall.
  The main artery through Sun Dagger’s living quarters, 
  these stony halls barely divide the ruin’s various open 
  rooms. A DC 12 Spot check is enough for a character to 
  notice large clawed footprints in the dust amid numerous 
  other soft booted tracks.
  If combat occurs in the hall, the commotion 
  immediately puts all of the nearby rooms on alert. Only 
  the cultists in area 4 respond immediately, while the 
  others prepare for combat. Two heavy curtains cover the 
  arches that lead to area 13.
  4. Barracks (EL 10)
  This cramped, smelly room lies in complete chaos. Several 
  dirty bunks stand against one wall, while piles of dirty laundry, 
  discarded food, and filthy dishes circle the chamber. Along the 
  eastern wall are two foul-smelling privies, flies spreading from 
  them into the larger room.
  Although cramped and dirty, this chamber serves as 
  the resting place for the cult’s more martially trained 
  members. Several sizable crates bearing the marks of elven 
  merchants from Greengold—Erinwai Trades and Elnwood 
  Merchants—serve as furniture, though the clutter of past 
  meals covers them and spills across the floor. 
  Creatures: Four cult warriors rest here at all times. As 
  the door opens out into area 3, these warriors serve as a 
  second line of guards and can hear most of what goes on 
  in area 2 and have a chance to see strangers entering the 
  hallway.  
  Cult Warriors (4) 
   
  CR 6
  Elf warrior 7
  hp 38 each (see area 2)
  5. Storeroom 
  This storeroom is filled to the ceiling with crates, barrels, sacks, 
  and piles of miscellaneous supplies. The overpowering scent of 
  brine and salted meat pervades the room, having drawn a haze 
  of buzzing insects.
  This room contains many items stolen recently from 
  various merchant caravans traveling between Iadara and 
  Greengold. Most of the supplies are of the military variety: 
  cases filled with a total of 20 elven-made longswords, 10 
  green-tinged chain shirts, a dozen barrels filled with dried 
  and pickled meat, 15 casks of wine, 7 sealed crates of salt, 
  and a stack of winter blankets and bed rolls. Most of the 
  fabrics stored here reek of brine, the troll cultist One-Claw 
  having overturned a barrel of poorly pickled pork several 
  days ago.
  6. Observation Room (EL 10)
  A massive, circular hole dominates this room’s northern wall, 
  offering a breathtaking view of the surrounding forest. Opposite 
  the opening, hundreds of lines are drawn on the wall in perfect 
  
  68
  Second Darkness
  Jardim 
  “Jinglefingers” 
  Wyvel
  arcs, most of which are faded or barely discernible. A large stain 
  of dried blood mars the northwest corner of the room near two 
  pallets of straw and heavy blankets.
  This room once served as a secondary observation point, a 
  place from which elven astronomers could focus their lenses 
  upon the star-strewn heavens. Although the walls once 
  bore elaborate depictions of the heavens visible from this 
  vantage, time and weathering have worn this knowledge 
  into a few meaningless scratches. The ledge rises 50 feet 
  above the trail, a slight lip hiding the large opening 
  from the path. 
  Creatures: This is the lair of Jinglefingers, 
  Vodzur’s first servant. Jinglefingers was once 
  merely the stage name of Jardim Wyvel, an 
  actor on retainer to an Iadaran noble family, 
  serving in payment for a massive debt 
  accrued decades ago. While traveling 
  from Iadara to Greengold with 
  his master, Vloat Ridiermai, 
  Wyvel’s 
  caravan 
  came 
  under attack from the 
  fiend 
  Vodzur, 
  who 
  massacred the noble’s guards. Wyvel, long 
  embittered by his demanding masters and 
  demeaning service, dropped to his knees before 
  the demon, pledging his loyalty in exchange for 
  mercy and one other thing: ownership over his 
  lord, Vloat Ridiermai. Amused by the slight elf’s 
  request, the demon granted his wishes and brought 
  him to Sun Crown. 
  In the months since meeting Vodzur, the elf has 
  become increasingly corrupted by the hezrou’s 
  presence and abandoned his life as Jardim 
  Wyvel, recreating himself as the manic, would-be Lord 
  Jinglefingers. He regularly casts charm monster upon Lord 
  Ridiermai, turning the tables by keeping him as a servant 
  and personal entertainer.
  Jardim “Jinglefingers” Wyvel  
  CR 10
  Male elf bard 10
  CE Medium humanoid
  Init +7; Senses low-light vision; Listen +6, Spot +4 
  DEFENSE
  AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 12 
  (+2 Dex, +3 armor)
  hp 37 (10d6)
  Fort +3, Ref +10, Will +7 (+9 against enchantment)
  Immune sleep
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee kukri +6 (1d4–1/18–20)
  Ranged +1 light crossbow +11 (1d8+1/19–20) 
  Special Attacks bardic music 10/day (countersong, fascinate, inspire 
  competence, inspire courage +2, inspire greatness, suggestion)
  Spells Known (CL 10th)
  3rd (3/day)—charm monster (DC 16), confusion (DC 16), crushing 
  despair (DC 16), gaseous form 
  2nd (4/day)—blur, cure moderate wounds, glitterdust (DC 15), 
  silence (DC 15)
  1st (4/day)—disguise self, grease, hideous laughter (DC 14), 
  ventriloquism
  0 (3/day)—dancing lights, daze (DC 12), ghost 
  sound, message, prestidigitation, resistance
  TACTICS
  Before Combat If 
  Jinglefingers is aware the 
  PCs are coming, he casts 
  heroism on Lord Ridiermai, then 
  casts blur on himself.
  During Combat Jinglefingers uses 
  Ridiermai as a shield, ordering his pet 
  aristocrat to attack the nearest PC—
  not bothering to give his charmed 
  ally the benefit of his bardic music 
  abilities. If his spells don’t regularly 
  affect the PCs, he changes to his wand 
  and crossbow. 
  Morale Once Ridiermai starts looking 
  significantly wounded or he runs low on spells, 
  Jinglefingers uses his elemental gem and drinks 
  his potion of invisibility, attempting to flee to 
  Vodzur’s side. If dropped below 10 hit points 
  ,Jinglefingers casts gaseous form and flees out the 
  opening in the wall and up to area 14.
  STATISTICS
  Str 8, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 17
  Base Atk +7; Grp +6
  Feats Combat Casting, Dodge, Mobility, Improved Initiative
  Skills Balance +16, Bluff +16, Concentration +9, Diplomacy +5, 
  Disguise +3 (+5 acting), Gather Information +5, Intimidate +5, 
  Knowledge (arcana) +10, Knowledge (local) +14, Listen +6, 
  Perform (comedy) +16, Search +3, Spot +4, Use Magic Device +16
  Languages Common, Elven, Halfling
  SQ bardic knowledge +11
  Combat Gear elemental gem (air elemental), potion of cure serious 
  wounds, potion of invisibility, wand of magic missile (CL 7th); 
  Other Gear +2 studded leather armor, +1 light crossbow with 30 
  bolts and one screaming bolt, kukri
  Vloat Ridiermai 
  CR 6
  Same stats as cult warrior (see page 67)
  hp 38
  Treasure: A DC 16 Search check reveals a pack amid 
  Jinglefinger’s sheets containing his personal effects. This 
  
  69
  Sun Dagger’s Crown
  includes an entertainer’s outfit, 3 days’ worth of rations, a 
  signet ring of the Ridiermai family (worth 15 gp), a bent 
  bronze flute, a pouch containing 260 gp, two scratched 
  pieces of amber worth 80 gp each, and a deck of illusions. 
  Ad Hoc Experience Award: If the PCs don’t kill Lord 
  Ridiermai and free him from Jinglefinger’s charm monster 
  spell, grant them experience for a CR 8 encounter.
  7. Treasure Room
  Carefully stacked crates fill this cramped supply chamber. The 
  numerous cases and chests here run the gamut of sizes, though 
  most appear sturdy. Several bear simple decorations ranging 
  from stylized names and elegant runes to graceful trees and 
  shimmering towers. 
  This room contains many items stolen recently from 
  various merchant caravans traveling between Iadara 
  and Greengold. Much of the finery here was stolen from 
  Ridiermai’s caravan weeks ago. 
  Treasure: Supplies include 2,700 gp worth of fine clothes, 
  tapestries, and simple men’s jewelry.
  8. Library
  Tall, stone shelves dominate the middle of what might have 
  once been a library. While the shelves are barren and relatively 
  clean, in the rear of the room lie the piled remains of moldering 
  leather book spines, rotted pulp, and birds’ nests.
  Although this room was once a library, no knowledge 
  from Sun Dagger’s ancient past has survived. The remains 
  of the library’s collection lie in a pile of rot at the back of the 
  room, all symbols of meaning having long since faded from 
  the once ornate bindings and gold-inlayed spines. Now the 
  room waits to be used as further storage space, with only a 
  small percentage of its shelves used to bear only 5 flasks of 
  alchemist’s fire and 4 sizable jugs of lantern oil.
  9. Star Chamber (EL 10)
  The walls of this hall merge overhead to create a dome of dark 
  stone. Elaborate depictions of stars, constellations, and other 
  planetary bodies cover the walls from approximately waist-level 
  up, etched to portray the heavens in starkly contrasting details.
  Having weathered the centuries quite well, this 
  sculpted star map depicts the heavens of centuries past 
  and remains largely accurate to modern times. Anyone 
  who attempts to make a Knowledge (nature) check 
  regarding the heavens in this room and spends 10 
  minutes referencing the sculpted celestial bodies gains a 
  +2 circumstance bonus on their check. 
  Creatures: Two cult sorcerers spend their time here 
  studying the map and hoping to glean some insight into 
  the mystical secrets of the heavens.
  Cult Sorcerers (2) 
   
  CR 8
  Elven sorcerer 8
  CE Medium humanoid
  Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Listen +3, Spot +3
  DEFENSE
  AC 23, touch 15, flat-footed 21
  (+4 armor, +2 deflection, +3 Dex, +4 shield)
  hp 19 (8d4)
  Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +5 (+7 against enchantment)
  Immune sleep
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee dagger +1 (1d4-–1/19–20)
  Spells Known (CL 8th, ranged attack +6)
  4th (3/day)—ice storm (DC 17)
  3rd (5/day)—lightning bolt (DC 16), slow (DC 15)
  2nd (6/day)—darkness, glitterdust (DC 14), scorching ray (DC 15)
  1st (6/day)—expeditious retreat, magic missile, mage armor, ray of 
  enfeeblement (DC 13), shield
  0 (6/day)—acid splash (DC 12), detect magic, detect poison, 
  message, prestidigitation, touch of fatigue (DC 12)
  TACTICS
  Before Combat If they hear combat, both sorcerers cast mage 
  armor and shield on themselves and then join in.
  During Combat The sorcerers stay in the background, using 
  scorching ray and then magic missile to good effect.
  Morale These cultists flee to warn Vodzur of invaders if reduced 
  to fewer than 5 hit points or as soon as they run out of useful 
  spells to cast.
  STATISTICS
  Str 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 14
  Base Atk +4; Grp +3
  Feats Combat Casting, Improved Initiative, Spell Focus (evocation)
  Skills Concentration +4, Knowledge (arcana) +4, Listen +3, Search 
  +2, Spellcraft +8, Spot +3
  Languages Common, Elven
  Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds (3), scroll of wall of 
  fire; Other Gear ring of protection +2, 100 gp
  10. One-Claw’s Room (EL 10)
  This stuffy room stinks of decay. To the south rests a large straw 
  pallet covered in shredded blankets, while opposite that lies a 
  pile of trash that, along with its mundane contents, includes 
  dozens of gnarled, green, severed right arms.
  Once a classroom, now this chamber belongs to a troll 
  named Kekkanark, whom the other cultists call One-
  Claw. Anyone who examines the arms and makes a DC 
  
  70
  Second Darkness
  14 Knowledge (nature) check can discern that the limbs 
  come from a troll and have all been hacked off by a bladed 
  weapon. Investigating also reveals that the arms at the 
  bottom of the pile are obviously more decayed than those 
  on top. A DC 20 Search check reveals a few elven remains 
  amid the gruesome pile, including one still bearing a bit 
  of treasure.
  Creatures: The troll Kekkanark was a solitary hunter 
  before he encountered Vodzur. Seeing the potential 
  usefulness of a creature well-trained in ambush and 
  knowledgeable of the area, the fiend convinced Kekkanark 
  that he had cursed the troll’s arm with a demonic taint that 
  would spread unless the hunter served him. Kekkanark 
  attacked the demon and was soundly defeated, surviving 
  only by acquiescing to Vodzur’s demands. Now the troll 
  grudgingly serves the hezrou to stave off the demon’s 
  fictional curse. Every morning Kekkanark chops off his 
  right arm in hopes of preventing the fiend’s corruption 
  from spreading to the rest of his body, even though the 
  arm regenerates daily. Called One-Claw by Vodzur and 
  Sun Dagger’s other residents, the troll guides the demon’s 
  minions on raids and ambushes, though he has little care 
  for his supposed allies. Currently One-Claw and four 
  cultist warriors plan their next caravan ambush here.
  Kekkanark, “One-Claw”  
   
  CR 4
  Troll (MM 247 with the following changes)
  hp 63
  OFFENSE
  Melee claw +9 (1d6+6) or
  claw +9 (1d6+6) and bite +4 (1d6+3)
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Modified Rend (Ex) If One-Claw hits with both his claw and 
  bite attack, he latches onto the opponent’s body and tears 
  the flesh. This attack automatically deals an additional 1d6+6 
  points of damage.
  Cult Warriors (4) 
   
  CR 6
  Elf warrior 7
  hp 38 each (see page 67)
  Treasure: Amid the pile of severed limbs lies a ring of 
  counterspells One-Claw unknowingly left on the finger of 
  an elven wizard he ate a few weeks back. The ring currently 
  stores a hold person spell.
  11. Collapsed Chamber
  This chamber has partially collapsed, spilling loose rock and 
  debris across the flagstone floor. Rising in two piles against 
  the west and east walls, a gap amid the earth has been 
  cleared, revealing a striking view of the forest below. A more 
  architecturally sound hall leads to the north.
  Once the office of Sun Dagger’s eldest scholar, no 
  evidence currently remains to suggest the chamber’s 
  former use. The rubble-strewn gap to the south opens into 
  a gap high on the cliff outside, dropping 20 feet to the trail 
  (area 1) below. 
  12. Kitchen
  The stench of past meals and unwashed dishes pervades these 
  connected stone chambers. Evidence of crumbling stonework 
  suggests several more walls once divided this space, but now the 
  hall stands split into a simple kitchen and larger dining area. While 
  stained tables, low benches, and scattered clay dishware fill much 
  of the northern dining place, the kitchen consists merely of a small 
  cooking brazier set upon a wooden crate, an open barrel of water, 
  a collection of knives, and a food-stained hole in the wall.
  Here the cult prepares and takes simple meals. The 
  southeastern wall partially crumbled away long ago and 
  a 5-foot-wide hole now looks outside—the cult members 
  largely use this opening to toss food scraps through. The 
  hole is 10 feet above the path (area 1).
  Treasure: An investigation of the cutlery here reveals that 
  several of the knives are actually well-used bladed weapons, 
  one of which is a fat-smeared +2 dagger.
  13. Torture Chamber (EL 11)
  The stench of stinging chemicals fills this wide chamber, an 
  overwhelming reek like a sewer-soaked mire. Four large, 
  bloodstained stone slabs fill the center of the hall, while dangling 
  manacles hang from the western wall. A stone staircase winding 
  upward lies to the room’s south.
  To keep the cult occupied while he awaits Treerazer’s 
  orders, Vodzur has convinced his followers to offer him 
  bloody sacrifices amid elaborate rituals. Such living 
  offerings are kept and tortured here while they are made 
  fit for the demon’s consumption in the observatory above. 
  Currently the cult has no prisoners, having dispatched 
  their last sacrifice two evenings ago.
  Creatures: Five bored cult warriors sit here and wait for 
  Vodzur’s orders, sharpening their blades and fantasizing 
  over what they’ll do after Vodzur rules the realm.
  Cult Warriors (5) 
   
  CR 6
  Elf warrior 7
  hp 38 each (see page 67)
  14. Vodzur’s Throne Room (EL 13)
  A powerful wind swirls through this sizable, roofless chamber. 
  Weathered and partially crumbled stone walls form a cracked, 
  
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  Sun Dagger’s Crown
  Vodzur
  circular ruin. To the south of the ancient structure stands an 
  ornate stone dais, upon which rises an intimidating, wet-looking 
  throne of dark rubble, twisted metal, and humanoid bones. 
  Opposite the throne, far across the hall through a crumbling 
  hole in the wall, a plain stone altar stained in blood and red wax 
  squats at the edge of the tor’s steep cliffs. 
  Once a great observatory where the scholars of Sun 
  Dagger studied the heavens, this wide open chamber now 
  serves as the lair and throne room of Vodzur, arrogant 
  servant of the demon Treerazer. At his direction, the entire 
  observatory was turned into a place where his deluded 
  followers would pay him nightly worship. The altar bears 
  evidence of past sacrifices and is scrawled over and over 
  with the demon’s name in Elven.
  If the PCs are here looking for an elfgate, it stands behind 
  Vodzur’s throne.
  Creatures: Vodzur lounges here upon his throne while 
  four of his cultists wait soundlessly, terrified of attracting 
  the demon’s attention but ready to fulfill his slightest whim. 
  As several dozen feet of stone separate the observatory from 
  the living quarters below, only significant noises alert the 
  demon and his servants to the PCs’ invasion.
  Vodzur 
  CR 11
  Hezrou (MM 44)
  hp 138
  TACTICS
  During Combat Upon noticing intruders, Vodzur orders 
  his minions into battle while he attempts to summon 
  dretches to aid them. He also uses chaos hammer early 
  in the battle to test its effectiveness against invaders, 
  using it frequently if it obviously causes his enemys 
  significant pain. Should the battle go poorly for his 
  cultists, the hezrou wades into battle, careless of his 
  stench’s effect on his underlings.
  Morale Vodzur fights until reduced to 20 or fewer 
  hit points, after which he uses greater teleport to 
  escape back to his master’s realm.
  Cult Warriors (2) 
   
  CR 6
  Elf warrior 7 (see page 67)
  hp 38 each
  Cult Sorcerers (2) 
   
  CR 8
  Cult sorcerer (see page 69)
  hp 19 each
  Treasure: Those who investigate the altar at the north 
  end of the chamber discover two magical candles—a chaotic 
  evil candle of invocation crafted to look like a demonic skull 
  and a candle of truth carved to look like a stack of eyeballs—
  and a curved, black-bladed assassin’s dagger. 
  ConCLudIng tHe Adventure
  “Sun Dagger’s Crown” concludes when Vodzur and all of 
  his cult followers are either destroyed or routed. Should 
  the demon survive, he vows that the PCs’ disruption of his 
  plot won’t go unpunished. Unfortunately, the hezrou likely 
  has to suffer his own punishment for failure first. Even if 
  the Lord of the Blasted Tarn decides to destroy Vodzur for 
  failing, the demon lord won’t let the PCs’ insult against him 
  go unanswered for long.
  Regardless of why the PCs headed to Sun Dagger, rooting 
  out the demon worshipers completes the most dangerous 
  portion of their quest—though they might still have some 
  research to conduct in the area. Defeating the cultists and 
  rediscovering a significant elven holding likely puts the 
  party in the good graces of several local elven groups and 
  might lead to further adventures in defense of the elven 
  homeland or in service to its people.
  
  72
  Second Darkness
  01 Kuthona, 4707 ar
  The rain pounded like the throb of my heartbeat in my 
  ears. Lightning seared across the sky, and thunder echoed 
  my relentless, silent vow.
  I will catch him.
  I’d already been chasing Belzig for a week, ever since 
  I clawed my way out of the Darklands just northeast of 
  Gallowspire. His trail hadn’t been easy to find, and it took 
  me two precious hours to make certain I was following 
  his true tracks and not a false trail. For days I tracked 
  him south and east, around the edge of the Hungry 
  Mountains, sleeping as little as I dared and pressing 
  myself as hard as I could without risking exhaustion. The 
  last thing I needed was to cripple myself just as I came 
  within striking distance.
  Now this blasted thunderstorm threatened to hamper 
  my progress further. Up ahead, on the side of the road, sat 
  a lonely hostel. Stone walls to blot out the thunder, heavy 
  shutters to mask the lightning, and a stout wooden door 
  to close out the rain. A sign rattling in the gusting wind 
  proclaimed it the Sturdy Bedpost. It was as much as I could 
  hope for in this dismal stretch of Razmiran.
  Away from home, anything that looks too good to be 
  true probably is—and even at home, such things are likely 
  to cut your throat and steal your purse. But I digress.
  I pounded on the door between rolls of thunder. It opened 
  suddenly, and despite myself I took a step backward. The 
  man in front of me was tall and well built, with white hair 
  spilling over the contoured iron mask which covered his 
  face with that of his god, the holy Razmir. Through holes 
  in the metal visage, bright eyes peered out at me. Throwing 
  the door wide, he ushered me inside.
  “A terrible night to be out.”
  “I thank you for your hospitality.”
  The priest’s hair spoke of his age, but he moved with 
  easy grace. A second priest, similarly masked, stepped 
  forward and took my cloak. Together they escorted me into 
  the dining room.
  A Thousand Miles to Absalom
  
  73
  “We will prepare a meal for you and provide you with a 
  bed for the night. Any donation you can make in return is 
  humbly appreciated.”
  “Again, I thank you,” I said. “Your hostel is a godsend for 
  those out in such weather.”
  The priest’s blank metallic expression was impossible to 
  read, and despite his hospitality I understood immediately 
  why so many avoid Razmir’s chosen. 
  “A godsend indeed,” he said. “We will speak more of that at 
  dinner, when our other guest can join us.”
  “Other?” I echoed. The word slipped out as I stepped 
  through an archway into a gloomy dining hall. A table, 
  bowed with the weight of past feasts, held a few small 
  platters. A fire glowed dully in the hearth. Silhouetted 
  against the flames, a figure turned to face me. 
  “Indeed, it is a night for travelers,” the priest said. 
  Of course.
  Belzig.
  I saw my first instinct reflected in Belzig’s stare. The desire 
  to fly across the room and slam my dagger, fists, anything 
  into his soft flesh again and again. A third priest, smaller 
  and apparently younger than the other two, set wine out 
  on the table.
  Too many witnesses. Too many innocents. My blade 
  stayed where it was, and I affected a smile. “A warm greeting 
  on this cold night.”
  “To you as well,” Belzig replied. 
  “You know each other?” the priest who had admitted  
  me asked.
  “But a little,” Belzig said. “You came through Ustalav, 
  did you not?”
  “I did,” I said. “That is a perilous land. Fortunately, I 
  possess friends in the area. As I traveled through Varno, 
  one ally approached me and told me the town ahead was 
  poised to ambush me, having heard that I brought ill 
  fortune in my shadow.”
  I took a seat at the table. Belzig sat opposite me, his dark 
  gaze never leaving my face. The priests sat as well and 
  dished out the cold slices of meat and slabs of bread.
  “The superstitions of Ustalav are well known in these 
  parts,” Belzig said mildly. “Frustrating and pitiful. Were 
  you forced to detour very far?”
  “Oh no,” I said. “I know the superstitiousness of 
  Ustalav as well. With a borrowed dress and shawl and 
  a change of tone, I entered town as a crone, a Varisian 
  fortuneteller. I ‘foretold’ that the people there had been 
  misled, and that I saw a cursed future for all children in 
  the village unless the one who set the town against me 
  was repaid in kind.”
  The first priest, who I now took to be in charge, gave a 
  chuckle that echoed through his mask. “Astounding. Such 
  guile is admirable.”
  Belzig’s smile wavered, and he rubbed his shoulder. I 
  had hoped the people of Ustalav would turn on him and 
  slow his progress enough for me to catch up. Apparently 
  they did. 
  Belzig and I ate in silence for a time while the priests 
  talked. The white-haired one droned on in praise of 
  Razmir, who had obviously guided us here, and about 
  what a great blessing it was that we found this place. 
  Through the haze of hatred surrounding me, his words 
  began to penetrate. I don’t trust a lot of gods, but from 
  everything I’d heard Razmir was crazier than most. The 
  only thing more fickle than a god or a king is the two of 
  them combined.
  It suddenly occurred to me that I might be in great danger. 
  Fortunately, that meant that Belzig was in danger, too.
  “Indeed,” I said, breaking in on the priest’s diatribe, 
  “tales of Razmir’s greatness have drifted along the river 
  currents all the way to Absalom, where I first heard them. 
  My friend here”—I tilted my knife toward Belzig—“has 
  often listened to my tales of Razmir’s glory. Though he 
  follows a different path, he was forced to admit that they 
  were interesting stories.”
  “Stories!” The priest turned his fixed expression on 
  Belzig.
  The Pathfinder all but gnashed his teeth. “My respect 
  for the tales was great.”
  “They are not mere tales.” The priest turned to me once 
  more. “Do you follow the word of Razmir, then?”
  My ability to spin a good story almost always serves 
  me well. I launched into a rousing description of how 
  Razmir’s deeds have long inspired me. Belzig stammered 
  and stuttered, allowing me to talk smoothly overtop of 
  him. I looked great. 
  The fire was almost out and the food was stone cold. The 
  old priest stood and said, “Truly you display uncommon 
  knowledge and reverence for Razmir. And your stories 
  mark you as a man of skill and poise.”
  “Thank you,” I replied.
  “Tonight you sleep in our finest suite. Tomorrow you 
  must accompany us to the Exalted Wood, where we shall 
  teach you more about the glory of Razmir. Your friend, 
  unfortunately, has neither the instinct nor drive for 
  such training.” 
  Behind him, Belzig smirked at me.
  “Still,” the priest continued, “he may find his calling in 
  time, and the priests that instruct there are always in need 
  of additional servants. He will come as well.”
  We both protested, all enmity momentarily set aside 
  in the face of greater peril, but the priests insisted, in 
  the process introducing us to several of their hulking 
  brethren who helped tend the inn. In the Exalted Wood, 
  I’d learn so much. I’d find my place in Razmir’s plan. On 
  the morrow, I’d understand everything.
  
  74
  Second Darkness
  me, as if set to bar my passage. The rain-swollen clouds 
  hang so thick and heavy they blot out the sun. 
  I struck out southeast from the hostile hostel in 
  Razmir, hoping to come across Belzig’s tracks on my 
  journey. I lost him several times in the River Kingdoms, 
  but fortunately I appeared to have as many friends in this 
  area as he did. I dropped in on a companion from years 
  ago, now a bandit queen, who ferried me speedily across 
  her small realm and relayed rumors of a traveler fitting 
  Belzig’s description. Within a day I’d picked up his trail, 
  curving south into the near reaches of Galt. By noon the 
  next day I was slogging through the steaming rain and 
  boot-sucking mud.
  I was hours into my journey when I saw my first splash of 
  color, a puddle of blood in the road ahead turning the mud 
  a sickening, clotted pink. As I drew closer I could make 
  out the body from which it stemmed, its face turned away. 
  His build was a shade too small but I convinced myself it 
  could be Belzig. The cloak was the same, the boots mud-
  stained enough. I told myself that he met an untimely and 
  grisly end on this gray path, and thus saved me the trouble 
  of tripping on his footsteps all the way to Absalom. The 
  words had the force of a prayer.
  I approached the corpse slowly, not knowing what 
  surprises it might hide. I knelt next to the form, one hand 
  on my blade, and turned the body over.
  It wasn’t Belzig. And, as it turned out, it wasn’t dangerous.
  That quality belonged solely to the armed men who 
  suddenly rose up from the muck all around me.
  I attempted to backpedal and make a run for it, but 
  the nearest one knocked me sprawling over the corpse. I 
  tried to roll with it, but the slick gray mud thwarted me 
  and I skidded over to another assailant, who kicked me 
  in the head.
  There were six of them, all shouting, their voices muddled 
  and foreign. I caught the occasional word: “sympathizer,” 
  “traitor,” “crimes.” I dragged my sword out of its sheath 
  and lashed at the nearest attacker. He fell back, crying out 
  and clutching his stomach. I forced myself up on my knees 
  and flailed to keep the mob back, but the mud sabotaged 
  me again. As a group of three pressed forward, one beat 
  my blade hard with his staff, and the slick hilt flew from 
  my hand. 
  I tried to use the distraction to get to my feet and run—
  find higher ground, find a weapon, find out what the hell 
  was going on.
  Only one attacker directly blocked my path, but he 
  had a cudgel and knew how to use it. I had barely started 
  toward him when he brought the beam crashing down on 
  my sore head. 
  I fell. Eyes open, I stared at the expanse of mud pressed 
  against my cheek until black stole in to replace the gray 
  and take away the pain.
  I’ve heard plenty of tales of the Exalted Wood. No one 
  who goes there comes back the same. 
  I did say my ability to spin a good story almost always 
  serves me well.
  I stayed awake until the moon had crossed the peak of the 
  sky and the storm had begun to lessen. The priests were 
  so committed to my training they’d stationed a guard 
  outside my room, to ensure my rest was undisturbed. A 
  few arcane syllables sent him tumbling to the ground in a 
  deep sleep. I picked the lock, dragged his body inside my 
  room, and began my painstakingly slow creep through 
  the hallways to the stairs.
  At the top of the stairs, I sensed movement down a 
  corridor and whirled, drawing my sword. Frozen mid-
  creep, Belzig stared back at me.
  I took a step forward, but Belzig stopped me with a 
  raised hand. “Start something now, Kline, and you’ll bring 
  every zealot in this place down on our heads.”
  “Maybe it’s worth it.”
  “Really? Well then—be my guest.” He spread his arms 
  wide and waited.
  He was right, of course. I put my weapon away. Belzig’s 
  death would be satisfying, but it wasn’t worth my own. 
  Still, the look of satisfaction on his face almost made me 
  change my mind. Shoulder-to-shoulder, we skulked down 
  the stairs and into the shadowed dining hall.
  Another guard waited there, ready to raise an alarm. 
  As he drew breath, Belzig leaped forward and grabbed for 
  his throat. The guard flinched back, and I spun around 
  behind him, pinning him between me and Belzig. I 
  brought my fist down on his head, and he went down with 
  a squeaking sigh.
  We were halfway through the foyer when Belzig dropped 
  a pellet I didn’t even know he had hidden in his hand. It 
  exploded with a flash and a bang, accompanied by a cloud 
  of smoke that choked and burned. A door banged open, 
  and shouts went up throughout the building. Tears poured 
  from my eyes as I staggered forward, sword drawn. Two 
  shapes rushed at me through the smoke, and I fought 
  them just long enough to wedge myself out the front door. 
  Shutters opened on the upper level and I heard chanting 
  through the hiss of rain. With Belzig nowhere to be seen, 
  and no time to look for him, I put my head down and 
  pumped hard for the relative safety of the forest. So much 
  for a warm bed.
  13 Kuthona, 4707 ar
  I‘ve found beauty in the murderous peaks of Belkzen, the 
  fire-baked Storval Plateau, and even in the chill depths of 
  the Darklands. But Galt is never-ending gray to me.
  The dank, warm rain pounds the colorless ground into 
  sticky mud. Leafless trees hang their gray branches before 
  
  75
  Pathfinder’s Journal
  I didn’t really expect to wake up, and when I did it seemed that 
  I might have slipped into another dream. How else to explain 
  the coarse rope binding my hands behind my back, the howls 
  of a crowd hammering in my ears, the warped boards mottled 
  with old bloodstains bumping beneath my feet?
  I blinked several times and my eyes watered freely, 
  washing away the crust of mud on my eyelashes. Strong 
  hands held my arm and half-carried, half-dragged me 
  up the flight of steps. The ropes cut into my wrists and 
  forearms so tightly I couldn’t even bend my arms. A cold 
  drizzle misted my face. I raised my head a little and saw the 
  platform to which I was headed. 
  Two men stood upon it. One shouted at the crowd, a litany 
  of my crimes. Apparently I was an enemy sympathizer, sent 
  to infiltrate and betray their town.
  The other man wore simple robes and a hood of gray silk 
  for a mask. He stood next to the guillotine.
  I’d heard of the “final blades” of Galt before, tools of 
  execution that drained and imprisoned their victims’ 
  souls, but like all the other stories of paranoia, violence, 
  and pogroms to come out of Galt, I’d assumed a certain 
  degree of exaggeration. I was wrong.
  The stock was made of solid oak, heavy and impassive. 
  The track ran eight feet straight up, held steady by an 
  oaken crossbar. The blade sat at the top of the track, its 
  edge glinting in the gray light.
  It hung there, waiting.
  “What’s going on?” I asked, my voice thick. My captor 
  stood me upright on the platform while the speaker 
  whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Heavyset and ugly, he 
  carried my rucksack over one meaty shoulder.
  “You’ve a date with Razor Mary.” The grip on my arm 
  tightened. “You stopped to help a wounded Chelaxian, 
  ’stead of passing by or running him through for good 
  measure. Maybe he was even a friend of yours, yeah?”
  “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. I didn’t even 
  know he was Chelish.”
  “Yeah, well, we heard about your plans here. You won’t 
  be seeing ’em through.”
  He shifted his grip on my elbow and I glanced down. A 
  jeweled ring, strangely ostentatious in this drab land, sat 
  sparkling on his fat, heavy finger.
  Belzig.
  All hope of talking my way out of the situation evaporated. 
  Given the state of the crowd, it’s possible Belzig’s word 
  alone would have turned the town against me. But if he’d 
  cemented the deal with gold…
  The speaker appeared to be building to a climax. Razor 
  Mary drew my gaze—she seemed to strain against the slim 
  bit of wood that held her blade aloft. My mind spun.
  Purchased allies often remain stubbornly loyal—it’s 
  better for business—so I knew I only had seconds. I 
  whispered quickly.
  “Look here—I know Belzig gave you a token of good faith 
  to show you his word was true.” I felt my captor stiffen. “The 
  truth is, I have just as much wealth as he does. And I can be 
  even more generous if you listen to what I have to say.”
  The crowd wasn’t going to wait much longer for my 
  justice. My head throbbed, my arms ached, and sweat 
  collected around my neck where Razor Mary longed to 
  strike. My captor whispered back, his voice harsh and 
  suspicious. “I ain’t setting you free, no matter how much 
  you pay me.”
  “I wouldn’t expect you to. I just want you to loosen 
  these ropes.” I heard him start to protest and I talked over 
  him. “Just a bit, you don’t have to let me free. I only want 
  to go to my death with honor, not bound and bent like 
  a dog. And in return, I’ll tell you where my share of the 
  treasure lies.”
  The crowd screamed a final demand for my blood. 
  The speaker gestured, and my captor shoved me ahead. 
  I could all but feel his resolve struggling with his greed.  
  No monster is as dangerous  
  as a righteous man. 
  
  76
  Second Darkness
  I affected a limp, making myself seem as weak and 
  helpless as I could.
  “Don’t let me die with such dishonor,” I urged. I 
  stumbled over a warped board and the crowd strained 
  against the platform.
  My captor pushed against my back. I felt my bonds 
  loosen a little, just enough for me to flex my wrists and 
  straighten my arms. “There. Die as you like. Now tell me 
  where my reward lies.” 
  He didn’t have time to act before I splayed my fingers 
  in relief and whispered an incantation. The crowd 
  howled something unintelligible and my captor jerked 
  on my arm, sensing a trick, but it was too late. Flicking 
  my hand as much as the bonds allowed, I cast a blob 
  of dark liquid across the platform and directly into the 
  silk mask of the executioner. Screaming, he clawed at 
  the sizzling, popping ooze burning through the cloth, 
  staggering backward and catching himself on Razor 
  Mary’s sturdy frame.
  My captor cuffed me on the side of the head, managing 
  to find the exact center of my existing bruise, but I gritted 
  my teeth and remained conscious. The speaker screamed 
  for help, the executioner struggled to get his footing, and 
  I concentrated just hard enough to trigger the tiniest and 
  simplest of my tricks—the same spell I’d used to thread 
  a rope through the counterweight-trap weeks ago. The 
  conjured force tapped aside the block that held Razor 
  Mary’s thirsty blade aloft.
  The executioner had time for a single scream before the 
  blade cut him in half. The crowd surged back from the 
  spray of blood, panicked, and the shouting began as those 
  in the back fell under the crush of bodies from the front. 
  My captor cuffed me again and I heaved with all my might, 
  swinging him around just enough to hit the puddle of 
  greasy viscera. I tore free as he fell in the mix of blood and 
  offal, stripping my pack from him in the process.
  The speaker charged, and I kicked him square in 
  the chest, knocking him back off the gallows and into 
  the crowd. Then I turned, leaped from the back of the 
  platform, and ran full-speed into the drizzling mist 
  beyond, my gear flopping awkwardly behind me. The 
  panicked shrieks of the crowd followed me for some 
  time. Even when I had put the town long behind me and 
  stopped to wriggle fully from my bonds, I couldn’t stop 
  shivering. In my hasty flight, I’d brushed right up against 
  Razor Mary. She was warm.
  Purring.
  16 Kuthona, 4707 ar
  Once again Belzig sought to lead me into a trap, and 
  once again I’d barely escaped with my life, fleeing into 
  the wilderness.
  Once again, it’d done me not a bit of good.
  I tracked Belzig west, back toward the net of rivers that 
  would take us straight down to the Inner Sea and Absalom. 
  At a fishing village I traded a gem from the serpent city 
  for a new sword and a brace of daggers. When I reached 
  the slippery, twisting stream of the Sellen River, though, I 
  found Belzig’s tracks continued on the other side, traveling 
  up the banks of Kyonin.
  I spent precious time ensuring that the tracks were 
  genuine. Once again, Belzig passed up the direct route 
  in order to—what? Leading me into a trap seemed the 
  most likely action. But on the chance that he knew some 
  shortcut, I followed the trail across the water and into the 
  green glades of the elves.
  Everyone in Avistan has heard stories of how keenly 
  they elves of Kyonin guard their secrets, and the 
  penalties they exact from trespassers. Perhaps this was 
  his plan—to risk capture outright in the hopes that 
  I’d be less fortunate. Yet by this point I had practically 
  forgotten our mutual goal in my desire to come to 
  grips with him, to repay him blow for blow for Galt and 
  Razmiran. I followed the trail on into the cool trees, 
  misted with glimmering dew.
  Peace radiated from those trees. Forest creatures rustled 
  in the undergrowth; once or twice a sleek, fat rabbit hopped 
  across my trail. They looked at me with round, fearless 
  eyes, perhaps never having seen a human before. Birds 
  whispered and sang overhead. It would have been a lovely 
  place to lie down and dream away my worries. Instead I 
  forged ahead as quickly as I dared while maintaining 
  caution. I knew Belzig was leading me this way for a reason, 
  and I wasn’t going to be caught off-guard again.
  I found the trap not far into the forest. “Getting close, 
  aren’t I?” I muttered as I bent to inspect the snare. “Could 
  you be getting nervous, Belzig?”
  It was a simple net trap, but masterfully made and 
  concealed. Had I not been quite so alert I would have 
  blundered straight into it. The tiny string of bells caught 
  my attention most of all. If the trap was alarmed, that 
  meant Belzig was waiting for the signal.
  Somewhere close.
  I set up a blind of my own, working quickly to shade 
  my chosen location with branches and undergrowth. Then 
  I had only to wait until the next calm, trusting rabbit 
  hopped by. I grabbed it around its middle and directed it 
  into the net.
  Kicking and whimpering, the rabbit shot up in the air. 
  The string of bells jingled in the quiet forest. I ducked 
  behind my blind, dagger out, waiting. 
  Belzig crashed through the undergrowth and fired at 
  the net, the bolt flying past the rabbit and burying itself 
  in a tree trunk. He cursed as he saw what struggled in the 
  net. Then he yelled in pain and surprise as I rose up and 
  loosed my dagger.
  
  77
  Pathfinder’s Journal
  His reflexes were good. He turned at the last second, 
  and the knife scored his shoulder, not his heart. I drew my 
  sword as he charged. The world slowed, his thudding boots 
  muffled by the mossy forest floor, and I brought my blade 
  into line. My blood was on fire. Neither of us spoke—that 
  time was behind us.
  Suddenly a flight of arrows soared out of the trees 
  and thudded into the ground before Belzig. He halted 
  awkwardly, spinning around and scanning the trees for 
  this new foe. I did the same, boiling with frustrated rage.
  “That was a warning, poachers,” a sibilant voice 
  whispered from the trees. “There will not be another. 
  Kill each other elsewhere, or we’ll save you the trouble.”
  Belzig swore, turned on his heel, and ran. A thousand 
  thoughts raced through my mind: explaining my side 
  of the story, protesting my innocence, soliciting aid in 
  my quest.
  From the brush came the tiny, rasping slither of an 
  arrow being nocked.
  I ran. Stumbling, crashing through the trees, hearing 
  the soft whiff of arrows behind me to spur me on my way. 
  When I broke from the trees and stumbled into the river, I 
  scanned the bank desperately up and down.
  There was no sign of Belzig.
  Cursing roundly, I floundered through the waters and 
  struck out to the southeast. Belzig had played me well—I 
  could have been miles ahead by now, had I not let my 
  emotions get the better of me. From here on out, I would 
  play it smart, rather than trying to finish Belzig personally. 
  No more detours. No more traps. Nothing but this final 
  race to the Inner Sea, and from there, to Absalom.
  I prayed I would make it in time. 
  For all our sakes.
  22 Kuthona, 4707 ar
  The trip down the Sellen was anticlimactic after my 
  desperate race across Avistan. Save for the trouble I had 
  securing transportation—most of the traffic on the river 
  was headed the other direction, sailors ferrying generous 
  soldiers north to the Worldwound—my journey was swift 
  and uneventful. I finally hit upon a small sailing ship 
  traveling back down to the Inner Sea for another load 
  of crusaders and paid for passage. Properly paranoid, I 
  worried that Belzig might have hired assassins among 
  the few passengers, wild-eyed and broken warriors fresh 
  from the fray, but their personal demons consumed them. 
  I don’t think gold would have roused them from whatever 
  dark memories cycled round in their minds.
  Finally, this morning, the Sellen spilled into the Inner 
  Sea. The dark blue waters surged and frothed around 
  our ship. My heart leaped as I saw once again the port 
  settlement of Cassomir, its cosmopolitan cityscape just a 
  sliver of what waits for me on the Isle of Kortos. Within this 
  city, I’ll be able to board a ship bound for Absalom, the City 
  at the Center of the World. I’ll walk through the markets, 
  the beggars, the hawkers and aristocrats, and come at last 
  to the Grand Lodge. The end of my journey. And there I’ll 
  do everything in my power to hide my discovery.
  Outside the windows of my inn, the gulls are calling, 
  the salt spume frosting the air. I am suddenly very weary. 
  It seems like decades since I stepped onto these docks, 
  so much younger, so inexperienced and trusting. I came 
  here as a boy, eager for knowledge. And again as a man, a 
  Pathfinder, fresh from Absalom and ready to ply my craft. 
  And now, at last, I am here again... but as what?
  I’m not sure I know anymore.
  Galt’s justice is as swift  
  as it is questionable.
  
  78
  Second Darkness
  T
  he monsters presented in this month’s 
  bestiary are inspired primarily by the elven 
  nation of Kyonin, a place of great beauty 
  with a grisly secret buried in its southern expanse, the 
  swampy reaches of Tanglebriar. Here, the minions of the 
  exiled demon Treerazer hold sway, with corrupted plants 
  and beasts replacing saner life. Yet peril can hide even 
  in gentler elven lands, particularly in the form of the 
  banshee, a cursed elf who succumbed to a death terrible 
  enough to transform her soul into an enemy of all things 
  living. Of course, this month’s article about Calistria 
  wouldn’t be complete without her herald, the wasp-
  like seductress known as the Menotherian, and finally 
  we round things out with Pathfinder’s third epic-level 
  threat—the Lord of the Blasted Tarn: Treerazer himself!
  Random EncountERs
  The denizens of Tanglebriar are both powerful and 
  deadly. Wandering monsters encountered therein can 
  be fiendish vermin, creatures like man-eating plants, or  
  slavering demonic beasts. Some encounters are more 
  complex, and these are summarized below.
  Demonic 
  Host: 
  Many 
  of 
  Treerazer’s 
  demonic 
  commanders lead patrols through Tanglebriar. These 
  encounters should include a single demon of CR 13 or 
  higher with a group of smaller demons that brings the 
  total EL of the encounter up to 15. Typical encounters are 
  with a glabrezu and a dozen babaus or a nalfeshnee with 
  three vrocks. If you have Pathfinder #5, consider replacing 
  the nalfeshnee with a shemhazian.
  Fiendish Vermin: Fiendish vermin are the primary 
  scavengers and low-end predators of Tanglebriar. This 
  encounter is with one of the following: 1d6 fiendish giant 
  stag beetles, 2d4 fiendish Huge monstrous centipedes, or 
  1d4 fiendish Huge monstrous spiders.
  Green Hag Covey: This encounter is with a covey of 3 
  green hags accompanied by 1d6 troll minions. If you have 
  access to Pathfinder #5, they could instead be accompanied 
  by a single marsh giant. The trolls or giant are not 
  magically controlled, but are nonetheless docile and 
  Bestiary
  
  79
  somewhat afraid of their greenhag mistresses, and obey 
  their commands without question.
  Hungry Fungus: Numerous types of deadly fungus 
  inhabit Tanglebriar. If you roll this encounter, the PCs 
  are attacked by 2d4 violet fungi. If you have access to the 
  Tome of Horrors, this encounter could instead be with 
  1d4 ascomoids (ToH 21), 1d4 basidironds (ToH 29), or 1d6 
  phycomids (ToH 293).
  Shin’Rakorath Scouts: While the elves as a whole have 
  left Tanglebriar to its own devices, patrols of Shin’Rakorath 
  elves sometimes steal into the sinister woodland to scout 
  it out and keep abreast of developments within. A group 
  of Shin’Rakorath encountered in Tanglebriar consists of 
  six 6th-level fighters (see page 12); they assume that any 
  others they encounter are disguised demons, and unless 
  the PCs try to be friendly and make a DC 25 Diplomacy 
  check or can otherwise prove they’re not demons, the 
  scouts attack, retreating back to Kyonin as soon as one of 
  them is slain.
  Treerazer: Although the Lord of the Blasted Tarn 
  spends the majority of his time in his palace of Witchbole, 
  he periodically wanders the wild of Tanglebriar. Treerazer 
  is a deadly opponent, so you should give the PCs ample 
  warning of his coming; the sound of immense footsteps 
  approaching, a sudden writhing and decay of plant life as 
  his aura draws near, or even the sound of his roars as he 
  punishes an errant victim. An encounter with Treerazer 
  should be handled more as a visual threat than anything 
  else. If he does confront the PCs, he may only send his 
  demonic minions after them while he hangs back to watch 
  the battle. If the PCs flee, Treerazer does not pursue. If 
  the PCs insist on attacking him, though, the demon won’t 
  hesitate to ruin them.
  Tanglebriar Hazards
  An additional danger hides in the filthy undergrowth of 
  Tanglebriar—hazards. Dangerous mold like brown mold 
  and yellow mold, and hideous other growths like green 
  and olive slime are quite common in the darker parts of 
  the corrupted woodland, growing in places where the 
  tangled canopy is dense enough to block all sunlight. 
  Unlike monsters, these hazards are not mobile—they 
  I had initially thought the corruption of Kyonin to be vile enough, yet as we made our way deeper into 
  Iadara I learned just how limited my imagination could be in such venues as depravity and cruelty. 
  What had been wrought upon our city was beyond the sane mind’s comprehension, and I shall not 
  repeat what we found there. Yet of the beast we encountered at the city’s heart, the titanic blasphemy 
  responsible for the slaughter of the Seventh Sovyrian Legion, I have learned all too much. He is known 
  as Treerazer, the Lord of the Blasted Tarn, and it is he who has brought this terrible doom to us.
  —From the report of Verinias Soseshtian, sole survivor of the Iadara Massacre of 2511 ar
  Random 
  EncountERs 
  in 
  tanglEbRiaR
  d% 
  Encounter 
  Avg. EL Source
  01–04 
  1 shambling mound 
  6 
  MM 222
  05–07 
  1 tendriculos 
  6 
  MM 241
  08–14 
  Hungry Fungus 
  7 
  Variable
  15–17 
  1 black pudding 
  7 
  MM 201
  18–20 
  1 yellow musk  
  7 
  Tome of Horrors 
    
  creeper and 2d4 
   
  Rev.  374 & 414 
    
  zombies
  21–26 
  Fiendish Vermin 
  8 
  MM 108 & 284–289
  27–31 
  1d6+6 dretches 
  8 
  MM 42
  32–35 
  2d4 ettercaps 
  8 
  MM 106
  36–40 
  2d6 boggards 
  8 
  Pathfinder #2
  41–42 
  1 witchfire 
  9 
  Pathfinder #5
  43–47 
  1d6 babaus 
  9 
  MM 40
  48–50 
  1d6 will-o’-wisps 
  9 
  MM 255
  51–52 
  1 bebilith 
  10 
  MM 42
  53–55 
  1d12 leucrottas 
  10 
  Pathfinder #17
  56–59 
  2d4 trolls 
  10 
  MM 247
  60–62 
  2d6 mandragoras 
  10 
  Pathfinder #17
  63–64 
  Green hag Covey 
  10 
  MM 143
  65–71 
  2d6 Tanglebriar satyrs 11 
  Page 26
  72–73 
  Shin’Rakorath Soldiers 11 
  Page 12
  74–75 
  1d4 mobogos 
  12 
  Pathfinder #12
  76–80 
  1d6 vrocks 
  12 
  MM 48
  81–82 
  1 banshee 
  13 
  Pathfinder #17
  83–84 
  1 froghemoth 
  13 
  Tome of Horrors  
    
   
   
  Rev. 208
  85–86 
  1 glabrezu 
  13 
  MM 43
  87–90 
  1d4 hezrous 
  13 
  MM 44
  91–95 
  2d4 marsh giants 
  13 
  Pathfinder #5
  96–97 
  1 adult green dragon 13 
  MM 68–88
  98–99 
  Demonic host 
  15+ 
  Variable
  100 
  Treerazer 
  25 
  Pathfinder #17
  work best not as random encounters but perils to throw 
  the player characters’ way in between fights as needed to 
  spice up the journey.
  Brown mold, yellow mold, and green slime are detailed 
  on page 76 of the DMG. Olive slime is detailed on page 
  419 of the Tome of Horrors Revised.  
  
  80
  Second Darkness
  BanshEE
  A spiteful twist to the face mars the extraordinary beauty of 
  this translucent elven woman. The phantom floats scant inches 
  above the ground, and is clad in an elegant dress of glimmering 
  silver cloth. A veil of pale hair drifts through the space behind 
  her like a wave of stardust, but then her face churns into a knot 
  of hideous rage and an unearthly wail issues from the yawning 
  gape of her mouth.
  Banshee 
  CR 13
  CE Medium undead (incorporeal)
  Init +15; Senses darkvision 60 ft., hear heartbeat; Listen +24, Spot +7
  DEFENSE
  AC 26, touch 26, flat-footed 21
  (+5 deflection, +11 Dex)
  hp 161 (14d12+70)
  Fort +4, Ref +17 Will +14
  Defensive Abilities incorporeal traits, undead traits; 
  Immune ability drain, critical hits, death effects, disease, 
  energy drain, exhaustion, fatigue, mind-affecting effects, 
  nonlethal damage, paralysis, poison, sleep, sonic, stunning
  Weakness sunlight powerlessness
  OFFENSE
  Spd fly 60 ft. (perfect)
  Melee touch +18 (3d6 negative energy plus fear)
  Special Attacks wail
  TACTICS
  During Combat A banshee generally attempts to swoop in 
  to afflict a target with her fear touch, then on her next action 
  wails in an attempt to strike the essence of death into her 
  frightened victim’s soul.
  Morale A banshee retreats only in the face of natural 
  sunlight—otherwise, she fights to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str —, Dex 32, Con —, Int 5, Wis 20, Cha 21
  Base Atk +7; Grp —
  Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Lightning 
  Reflexes, Mobility
  Skills Listen +24, Spot +7 
  Languages Elven
  SQ unholy fortitude
  ECOLOGy
  Environment any
  Organization solitary
  Treasure standard
  Advancement 15–30 HD (Medium)
  Level Adjustment —
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Fear (Su) The touch of a banshee infuses the living with 
  overwhelming waves of fear. Any living creature that is 
  damaged by the banshee’s touch attack must make a DC 22 
  Will save or become paralyzed with fear for 1d3 rounds. This 
  is a mind-affecting fear effect. Creatures that are naturally 
  immune to fear are immune to this attack, but if the banshee 
  strikes a target that is protected from fear effects by a spell 
  (such as heroes’ feast or mind blank), the banshee’s touch 
  targets that spell effect with a greater dispel magic (CL 14th). 
  If the protective spell is dispelled, the victim must then make 
  his saving throw to resist the fear effect as normal. If multiple 
  spells are in effect that grant immunity to fear, the banshee’s 
  touch only attempts to dispel the highest-level effect. It must 
  touch the target again to attempt to dispel other effects in 
  place. The save DC is Charisma-based.
  Hear Heartbeat (Ex) A banshee can sense the beating hearts of 
  living creatures with horrific ease. Treat the banshee as having 
  tremorsense to a range of 60 feet against creatures with 
  heartbeats; this sense can detect creatures not in contact with 
  the ground, unlike the limitations on standard tremorsense.
  Sunlight Powerlessness (Ex) A banshee is powerless in natural 
  sunlight (not merely a daylight spell) and flees from it, typically 
  
  81
  Bestiary
  by hiding within a solid object. A banshee caught in sunlight 
  cannot attack or use its wail and can take only a single standard 
  or move action in a round.
  Unholy Fortitude (Ex) A banshee gains bonus hit points equal 
  to its Charisma modifier times its Hit Dice, and a bonus on 
  Fortitude saves equal to its Charisma modifier.
  Wail (Su) A banshee’s wail is its most notorious and devastating 
  attack. Once a minute a banshee may wail as a full-round 
  action. This wail lasts until the beginning of her next turn. All 
  creatures within 40 feet of the banshee when she begins her 
  wail, and all creatures that end their movement for their turn 
  within this radius, must make a DC 22 Fortitude save (this 
  save is only required once per wail, so a creature in the area of 
  effect who then moves on his turn but is unable to escape the 
  area does not have to save a second time). Those who succeed 
  on this saving throw become sickened for 1d6 rounds. Those 
  who fail the save are immediately reduced to –1 hit points and 
  are dying. Creatures in the area of effect of a banshee’s wail 
  who are already dying and who fail this save are immediately 
  slain. Although a banshee’s wail is not a fear effect, creatures 
  that are under the effects of any type of fear effect suffer a 
  –4 penalty on their saving throw to resist a banshee’s wail. 
  If a wailing banshee is damaged during the round in which 
  she’s wailing, she must make a Concentration check (DC = 
  10 + the damage dealt) to maintain the wail, otherwise it is 
  disrupted for the remainder of the round. Banshee wails are 
  supernaturally powerful, and penetrate the effect of any 3rd- 
  or lower-level spell that creates magical silence. A banshee’s 
  wail is a sonic death effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
  Skills A banshee has a +2 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.
  A banshee appears as a translucent elven woman made of 
  pale vapor or mist. Her clothing and hair are generally 
  long and flowing, billowing as if in a strong wind.
  Ecology
  A banshee is the undead spirit of an elven woman who, in 
  her last moments of life, either committed some sort of 
  heinous betrayal of her friends and family or was herself 
  dealt a soul-shattering, torturous death at the hands 
  of those she thought were her allies and loved ones. In 
  either event, the spirit of the slain elf rises with the next 
  sunset as a creature of indiscriminate vengeance whose 
  hatred of the living targets both innocent and guilty with 
  equal ferocity. Only the cleansing rays of true sunlight, 
  a symbol of healing, renewal, and forgiveness, evokes 
  anything resembling fear in these nearly mindless 
  harbingers of death.
  Habitat & Society
  As undead elves, banshees are generally found in regions 
  where elves are prominent, yet elves find banshees to 
  be shameful and hideous curses, and swiftly mobilize 
  to destroy those that appear within elven society. As a 
  result, most banshees dwell in regions where elves once 
  dwelt but, for whatever reason, were forced to abandon. 
  These are invariably remote locations with ill reputations, 
  such as ruined buildings deep in Tanglebriar, forgotten 
  graveyards and ghost towns in Ustalav, or the trackless 
  northern moors and tundras of Irrisen. Curiosly enough, 
  banshees rarely if ever rise from the drow—the right mix 
  of catalysts in a dying drow’s soul simply aren’t tragic 
  enough when compared to an uncorrupted elf who falls to 
  betrayal or mortal sin.
  Greater Banshee
  When a female elven bard of at least 10th level perishes 
  under conditions that would normally transform her 
  spirit into a standard banshee, she instead becomes a 
  much rarer and more dangerous variant of the banshee. 
  Known variously as dread banshees, white women, 
  caoineags, or simply as greater banshees, these spirits have 
  the abilities of standard banshees, but with the following 
  three additional abilities. 
  •	 Improved Wail: Those who fail to save against a greater 
  banshee’s wail are slain immediately rather than being 
  reduced to –1 hit points. Any female elf slain by a greater 
  banshee’s wail rises in 1d4 rounds as a banshee under the 
  control of the greater banshee who slew her. These newly 
  created banshees are always standard banshees—a greater 
  banshee cannot spawn another greater banshee.
  •	 Intelligent: Greater banshees retain their minds and are 
  capable of executing long and complex plots to spread 
  death and dismay. A greater banshee has an Intelligence 
  score of 16 rather than 5, and gains additional skill points 
  as appropriate for her intelligence score. She gains Bluff, 
  Intimidate, Knowledge (any), and Perform as class skills.
  •	 Bardic Magic: A greater banshee casts spells as a 10th-level 
  bard. A typical greater banshee knows the following spells.
   
  4th (1/day)—dimension door, hallucinatory terrain (DC 19)
   
  3rd (3/day)—crushing despair (DC 18), dispel magic, fear (DC 
   
      18), slow (DC 18)
   
  2nd (4/day)—darkness, minor image (DC 17), shatter (DC 17), 
   
      whispering wind
   
  1st (5/day)—animate rope, lesser confusion (DC 16), silent 
   
      image (DC 16), unseen servant
   
  0 (3/day)—dancing lights, ghost sound (DC 15), mage hand, 
   
      message, open/close, prestidigitation
  A greater banshee is a CR 15 monster, although many 
  of them are advanced in Hit Dice beyond the standard 
  banshee, increasing their CR by 1 for each additional 4 
  Hit Dice gained. The most powerful greater banshees also 
  have additional bard levels—these bard levels stack for the 
  purposes of determining what caster level and additional 
  spells the greater banshee has access to.
  
  82
  Second Darkness
  LEucRotta
  This ferocious monstrosity is a cloven-hooved beast the size of 
  a horse. Its mouth opens back almost as far as its ears to reveal 
  jaws lined not with teeth but razor-sharp ridges of bone. With 
  the haunches and hooves of a stag, the tail and body of a lion, 
  and a head resembling that of a badger, this patchwork horror is 
  as gruesome as the shrill laughing bark that issues from its maw.
  Leucrotta 
  CR 5
  Usually CE Large magical beast
  Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Listen 
  +10, Spot +10
  DEFENSE
  AC 18, touch 10, flat-footed 17
  (+1 Dex, +8 natural, –1 size)
  hp 57 (6d10+24)
  Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +4
  Immune disease, poison
  OFFENSE
  Spd 80 ft., climb 50 ft.
  Melee bite +10 (2d6+7/19–20) and
  2 kicks +5 (1d6+2)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
  Special Attacks lure, powerful bite, voice mimicry
  TACTICS
  Before Combat A leucrotta prefers to scout and observe its victims 
  before attacking, listening to the names and the voices of its prey 
  for up to several days before it strikes so it knows which of its 
  victims to take in order to maximize the distress and sorrow 
  in not only its chosen victim, but among the victim’s friends 
  and family. If it can, it waits until an opportune moment 
  to lure an enemy away from its allies, repeating this tactic as 
  often as it can before the remaining enemies catch on.
  During Combat Once engaged in combat, a leucrotta charges 
  its closest opponent with a bite attack. It continues to bite, 
  using its kick attacks against other foes if anyone attempts to 
  get in the way.
  Morale A leucrotta is a cruel, hate-filled creature, but it’s also 
  highly intelligent. If faced with a foe that it has difficulty hitting 
  or who reduces it to less than 25 hit points, a leucrotta flees and 
  hides, hoping to track the foe and then lure him to his doom at 
  a later time.
  STATISTICS
  Str 21, Dex 12, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 17
  Base Atk +6; Grp +15
  Feats Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Bluff), Stealthy
  Skills Bluff +15, Hide +8, Listen +10, Move Silently +11, Spot +10 
  Languages Common
  ECOLOGy
  Environment temperate or tropical forests and hills
  Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3–12)
  Treasure standard
  Advancement 7–14 HD (Large), 15–18 HD (Huge)
  Level Adjustment +3 (cohort)
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Lure (Su) A leucrotta can use its voice to create a powerful 
  compulsion to approach it if the listener isn’t aware of the 
  danger. At any point that the target is unaware of the leucrotta 
  (such as if the leucrotta is hiding or concealed in darkness), the 
  leucrotta can call out to the target using its voice mimicry. The 
  target must be in line of sight and within 60 feet. When the 
  leucrotta calls out, the target must make a DC 16 Will save or 
  fall under the effects of a suggestion to approach the leucrotta. 
  This effect functions identically to a suggestion spell with a 
  caster level equal to the leucrotta’s Hit Dice. A creature that 
  saves cannot be affected again by the same leucrotta’s lure 
  for 24 hours. Lure is a language-dependant effect, and if the 
  leucrotta uses the victim’s name during the lure, the victim 
  suffers a –4 penalty on his saving throw. This is a sonic mind-
  affecting charm effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
  
  83
  Bestiary
  Powerful Bite (Ex) A leucrotta’s bite is powerful indeed, capable of 
  slicing through metal and cutting through bone with terrifying 
  ease. It gains 1.5 times its Strength modifier to all damage rolls 
  made with its bite attack, and threatens a critical hit with its 
  bite on a roll of 19–20. Against objects, a leucrotta’s bite treats 
  the object as having a hardness of 5 less than the object’s actual 
  hardness rating.
  Voice Mimicry (Ex) A leucrotta can perfectly imitate the voice 
  of any creature it has heard talking. It makes a Bluff check 
  when using voice mimicry—listeners may oppose this Bluff 
  with Listen checks to see through the mimicry, although if 
  the listener isn’t familiar with the voice of the person being 
  mimicked, he suffers a –8 penalty on his Listen check to 
  oppose the leucrotta’s Bluff. Leucrotta find it difficult to 
  mimic the voices of creatures more than one size category 
  smaller or larger than themselves, and take a –8 penalty on 
  their Bluff checks to mimic the voices of such smaller or 
  larger creatures.
  Skills A leucrotta has a +8 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.
  The leucrotta is a vile, untrustworthy creature that roams 
  in packs through desolate forests and plains. Though the 
  leucrotta has a fondness for blood and violence, it is not a 
  mindless savage, but rather a a shockingly intelligent beast 
  capable of speech and complex plans.
  A typical leucrotta stands just over 5 feet tall at the 
  shoulder and weighs 800 pounds. Its body appears to be 
  an odd combination of lion, stag, and badger. Its light fur 
  is usually covered with dried, foul-smelling muck.
  Ecology
  It is said that the first leucrotta were born from Lamashtu 
  after she took a particularly virile hyena as a mate long ago. 
  Certainly, most leucrottas venerate the Demon Queen as 
  their mother and maintain small skull mounds in their 
  lairs as personal shrines. A leucrotta is highly intelligent, 
  yet many of its behavior patterns mimic those of a cruel-
  minded predator—as if the leucrotta uses its intelligence 
  only as a tool to trap foes and to enjoy the pain and torment 
  it inflicts. The creature certainly shows a boundless 
  enthusiasim and creativity in the methods of securing its 
  meals and entertainments.
  The leucrotta’s jaws are fantastically powerful, capable 
  of shearing through bone and the hardest of scaly hides 
  with ease. A leucrotta’s metabolism is equally powerful, 
  and the creature’s digestive process is so swift that it is in 
  a constant state of hunger. The leucrotta creates no waste 
  as a by-product of feeding—its stomach and intestines 
  process every ounce of consumed matter. A leucrotta can’t 
  digest metals, stone, or other hard, inorganic substances, 
  forcing it to periodically disgorge such materials in foul-
  smelling masses it often picks through to find objects of 
  value to aid in luring foes into its clutches.
  Habitat & Society
  The leucrotta is a social creaure and generally travels in 
  packs that consist of an elder male, a younger male, and 
  several females and pups. The two males often spar in 
  combat, though not to the death. As long as the elder male 
  remains dominant in these battles, it remains the pack 
  leader. Once the younger male starts to win the majority of 
  these fights, it assumes the mantle of pack leader, and the 
  elder male leaves to travel on its own. This almost bestial 
  pack-mentality doesn’t seem to mesh with the creature’s 
  considerable intellect, but the leucrotta appears not to 
  mind, saving its intelligence for setting ambushes, spying 
  on villages for new victims, coming up with new methods 
  to torment victims, or enjoying the desperate pleading and 
  begging of their food before eating it alive.
  A leucrotta pack stays close to rivers and to lakes when 
  possible, since such regions are far more likely to attract 
  prey. A favorite leucrotta ploy is to wait near an abandoned 
  boat or shack along the water and then lure good-natured 
  and foolish souls into their trap. “Having a leucrotta’s 
  tongue” is a well-known phrase throughout the realms 
  of Golarion, refering to those rogues who would double-
  cross an unsuspecting victim.
  Leucrottas have been known on occasion to ally 
  themselves with tribes of gnolls. They refuse to be used 
  willingly as beasts of burden, but sometimes allow favored 
  gnoll compaions to ride them as steeds into battle. The 
  leucrotta in a gnoll pack often thinks of itself as a leader, 
  and treats the established gnoll leader poorly in an attempt 
  to goad the gnoll into attacking it. Those leucrottas who 
  manage to slay the gnoll leader usually seize control of the 
  tribe. A tribe of gnolls led by a leucrotta is generally much 
  more aggressive than one that is not, since the leucrotta 
  often demands its gnolls spread out and raid for more and 
  more victims as it grows content in its position of power.
  Crocotta
  Not all leucrottas are intelligent, magical beasts. Some, 
  known as crocottas, are much more feral than their 
  intelligent kin. A crocotta has the same statistics as a Large 
  5 HD hyena and gains the Improved Natural Attack (bite) 
  feat as a bonus feat. A crocotta looks similar to a leucrotta 
  but with shorter back legs, giving it a hunched, more hyena-
  like appearance. Its badger head, wide jaws, and strangely 
  human-sounding yips and cackles belie its more sinister 
  nature. Leucrottas tend to view crocottas with disdain and 
  even shame, but it’s not unusual to find these large hyena-
  like beasts in close proximity to a leucrotta pack. Crocottas 
  are popular attractions in traveling carnivals and other 
  roadside attractions in rural areas, where unscrupulous 
  con artists bill them as cursed unfortunates who have been 
  magically transformed into beasts, leaving them only with 
  a crude echo of what was once a voice.
  
  84
  Second Darkness
  mandRagoRa
  Clumps of damp earth drop away from this small humanoid figure 
  as it wrenches itself free from the loam. The creature resembles 
  a small fat child made from leaves, coiled vines, tree bark, and 
  pallid tubers. Its limbs are short and end in writhing tendrils and 
  twitching roots, while its vestigial head sports little more than a 
  pair of beady yellow eyes and a thorn-filled mouth.
  Mandragora 
  CR 4
  CE Small plant
  Init +6; Senses low-light vision; Listen +1, Spot +1
  DEFENSE
  AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 11
  (+6 Dex, +1 size)
  hp 37 (5d8+15); fast healing 3
  Fort +7, Ref +9, Will +2
  Immune critical hits, mind-affecting effects, sleep, stunning, 
  paralysis, poison, polymorph; Resist acid 5, cold 5, electricity 10
  Weakness vulnerable to darkness
  OFFENSE
  Spd 40 ft., burrow 10 ft., climb 40 ft.
  Melee 2 vine whips +10 (1d4+3 plus poison) and
  bite +5 (1d4+1 plus blood drain)
  Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with vine whips)
  Special Attacks shriek
  TACTICS
  During Combat A mandragora attacks unarmored opponents 
  first, biting them with its thorny maw. While it continues to 
  bite its primary victim, it lashes out at any other potential 
  attackers with its long vines, attempting to poison them so it 
  can settle in on its chosen foe to drink its blood
  Morale Mandragora are tenacious combatants that do not 
  understand the concept of fear and thus fight to the death.
  STATISTICS
  Str 17, Dex 22, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 10
  Base Atk +3; Grp +2
  Feats Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Finesse
  Skills Hide +14 (+22 in verdant areas), Move Silently +10 (+18 in 
  verdant areas)
  Languages Abyssal, Common
  ECOLOGy
  Environment cold or temperate forest
  Organization solitary, pair, or grove (3–12)
  Treasure standard
  Advancement 6–9 HD (Small), 10–15 HD (Medium)
  Level Adjustment —
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Blood Drain (Ex) A mandragora drains blood, 
  dealing 1 point of Strength damage, whenever 
  it successfully bites a victim. A mandragora that 
  drains blood from a target with 0 Strength instead inflicts 
  1d4 points of Constitution damage as its blood drain draws 
  upon the target’s final reserves and life blood.
  Poison (Ex) The mandragora’s vines are covered with tiny, 
  razor-sharp thorns that carry an unusual poison. Anyone hit 
  by a mandragora’s vine whips must make a DC 15 Fortitude 
  save or become confused for 1 minute. If, at any time during 
  that minute, the confused creature receives a confusion 
  result of “act normally,” the confusion effect ends. As 
  soon as the confusion effect ends (either after a minute or 
  as a result of the confused creature acting normally), the 
  creature must make a second DC 15 Fortitude save to avoid 
  becoming fatigued.
  Shriek (Su) Once per day as a standard action, a mandragora 
  can give voice to an unsettling shriek that sounds not unlike 
  the cry of a frightened baby. All creatures within 30 feet of 
  a shrieking mandragora must make a DC 15 Will save or 
  become nauseated for 1d4 rounds. This is a sonic, mind-
  
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  affecting effect. The save DC is Constitution-based. 
  Vulnerable to Darkness (Ex) In areas of utter darkness (including 
  those created by deeper darkness but not by darkness), a 
  mandragora loses its fast healing and becomes slowed, as per 
  the spell.
  Skills A mandragora gains a +8 racial bonus on Hide and Move 
  Silently checks made in areas of heavy plant growth.
  An odd and mercifully reclusive dweller of the woods, 
  the mandragora is a small, plant-like creature known 
  for its viciousness and toxic properties. This horrid 
  creature wanders through wild forests, keeping itself 
  hidden until it encounters an unsuspecting victim 
  that it can attack and feed upon. Fortunately for most 
  civilized creatures, the mandragora tends to shun 
  open areas of land and the congested sprawl of villages 
  and cities, preferring to keep to itself among its plant 
  brethren in the woodlands.
  When a mandragora attacks, its “fingers” take on a 
  hideous life, growing into whipping, thorny vines nearly 
  10 feet long and extending the plant’s reach significantly. 
  An advanced Medium mandragora’s vines grant it a reach 
  of 15 feet. The typical mandragora stands at just over 3 feet 
  tall and only weighs 30 pounds. However, its size hides the 
  creature’s fantastic strength and brutality.
  Ecology
  The mandragora is not a creature of nature. Spawned in 
  woodland regions that have been infused with demonic 
  essence, such as Kyonin’s Tanglebrair, a mandragora 
  rises spontaneously from a mandrake root that has 
  drawn nutrition from soil fertilized by the corpse or 
  ichor of a demon. It is possible to artificially induce the 
  transformation from mandrake root into mandragora via 
  alchemical means (a process that requires a day of work, a 
  single root, several pints of ichor or the body of a demon of 
  no less than CR 6, and a successful DC 25 Craft [alchemy] 
  check), although a freshly created mandragora feels little 
  compassion toward its creator. In the wild, a mandrake 
  root exposed to demonic nutrients has only a 2% chance of 
  spontaneously awakening as a mandragora within a day of 
  first supping upon the tainted fertilization.
  A mandragora is a cruel, brutal creature who typically 
  assaults its opponents with reckless abandon, giving little 
  thought to the potential success or failure of its attack. 
  However, a mandragora can recognize druids and the 
  authority that they can wield over the wild, and though it 
  has no qualms about attacking or killing a druid’s allies, 
  a mandragora won’t initiate an attack on a druid or her 
  animal companion. Against druids that deign to attack it, 
  on the other hand, a mandragora spares no mercy.
  Although it is a plant and is capable of subsisting entirely 
  on photosynthesis, the hunger for blood often drives a 
  mandragora out of its lair in search of prey. A mandragora 
  denied blood for several weeks doesn’t die, but does grow 
  listless and functions as if under the effects of a slow spell 
  until it manages to feed on fresh blood.
  Habitat & Society
  Most mandragoras wander through the forests alone, 
  but they have also been known to form small tribes upon 
  rare occasions. A typical mandragora tribe consists of no 
  more than a dozen creatures. Should the tribe grow larger, 
  mandragoras turn on one another, attacking the weaker 
  members of the tribe in order to cull their numbers.
  A mandragora makes its lair amid large tangles of roots 
  or low-growing brambles and vines. It rarely strays far 
  from its lair, roaming no more than a mile or so when the 
  urge to feed on blood grows too strong to resist. However, 
  mandragoras may spend several weeks wandering around 
  the outskirts of their lairs in search of prey or small shiny 
  baubles to claim as their own. A mandragora tends to 
  remain in a single forest throughout its entire lifetime and 
  rarely travels beyond the trees of its homeland. Though 
  they show no mercy in attacking the other denizens of their 
  forests, mandragoras are oddly protective of their homes, 
  and may even ally themselves with other forest creatures 
  if they feel their woodland territories are threatened. 
  Should a forest burn or fall prey to the advances of man, 
  the mandragoras of that forest are sometimes forced to 
  adapt to dwelling in slums or in and around farmlands, 
  but these creatures seldom live long.
  Mandragora Blood
  When the poison dripping from a mandragora’s thorny 
  vines is mixed with the thick, gooey sap that serves as their 
  blood, a curious alchemical event occurs. The mixed ichors 
  and fluids from the mandragora’s body coalesces into a 
  small, clear pool, allowing one skilled in the magical arts 
  to briefly glimpse events occurring elsewhere. Preparing 
  a bowl of this fluid requires 1,000 gp in additional 
  alchemical reagents, an hour’s work, and a DC 30 Craft 
  (alchemy) check. The fluid, once created, persists for only 5 
  minutes, but for the duration of that time the user can use 
  the fluid to scry on any target. The fluid itself works as the 
  focus component for the scrying spell as well, and if used as 
  such the target being scryed takes a –4 penalty on his Will 
  save to resist being scryed.
  Mandragora Familiars
  A mandragora can function as a familiar, although the 
  size and relative strength of a mandragora as compared to 
  other improved familiars like quasits or pseudodragons 
  means that a spellcaster must be even higher level. To gain 
  a mandragora as a familiar, the spellcaster must take the 
  Improved Familiar feat and be at least caster level 9th.
  
  86
  Second Darkness
  mEnothERian
  This bear-sized creature looks like a gangly black wasp. Its wings 
  are large and delicate, and fine hairs cover its joints and feet. Its 
  front-most legs end in graceful articulate hands, and its jagged 
  abdomen terminates in a wicked pair of stingers as long as a 
  man’s arm. Though its alien face has no human-like expression, 
  intelligence gleams in its eyes.
  Menotherian 
  CR 15
  Always CN Large outsider (chaotic, elf, extraplanar, shapechanger)
  Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Listen 
  +23, Spot +23
  DEFENSE
  AC 33, touch 14, flat-footed 28
  (+5 Dex, +19 natural, –1 size)
  hp 189 (14d8+126)
  DR 15/lawful; Immune disease, poison; Resist electricity 10, fire 
  10; SR 30
  Fort +17, Ref +16, Will +13
  OFFENSE
  Spd 50 ft.; climb 20 ft., fly 50 ft. (poor)
  Melee sting +22 (2d10+9 plus poison) and
  2 claws +20 (1d4+4) and
  bite +20 (1d8+4)
  Space 10 ft; Reach 5 ft.
  Special Attacks alluring scent, mind control
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 14th)
  At will—dimension door, dispel magic, lover’s vengeance (DC 18, 
  see page 62), message, neutralize poison, rage, secret speech 
  (DC 17, see page 62) 
  5/day—crushing despair (DC 19), cat’s grace, cure moderate 
  wounds (DC 17), remove disease, suggestion (DC 18), summon 
  swarm, telekinesis, teleport, wall of thorns
  1/day—heal (DC 21), insect plague, scrying (DC 19)
  TACTICS
  Before Combat The Menotherian prefers to let her alluring scent 
  seduce her opponents. If she anticipates a battle she uses cat’s 
  grace on herself.
  During Combat If facing weaker opponents that aren’t a threat to 
  her, the Menotherian likes to use rage to end the battle quickly. 
  Against more dangerous opponents, she uses suggestion to 
  send enemy spellcasters away from the battle, crushing despair 
  to weaken melee fighters, summoned swarm or insect plague 
  to harass ranged attackers, and dimension door to avoid being 
  flanked or captured.
  Morale The Menotherian is willing to surrender or flee if 
  necessary, as she knows that sometimes vengeance must 
  wait for the right opportunity.
  STATISTICS
  Str 28, Dex 20, Con 28, Int 18, Wis 18, Cha 20
  Base Atk +14; Grp +27
  Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, 
  Multiattack, Power Attack
  Skills Balance +15, Bluff +22, Climb +14, Concentration +18, 
  Diplomacy +26, Gather Information +10, Heal +14, Intimidate 
  +24, Jump +26, Knowledge (history) +9, Knowledge (nature) 
  +14, Knowledge (the planes) +14, Listen +21, Move Silently +15, 
  Perform (dance) +10, Sense Motive +21, Spellcraft +14, Spot +21
  Languages Abyssal, Common, Elven
  SQ telepathy 100 ft.
  ECOLOGy
  Environment any
  Organization solitary
  Treasure standard
  Advancement 15–20 HD (Large), 21–42 HD (Huge)
  Level Adjustment —
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Alluring Scent (Ex) The Menotherian constantly exudes intoxicating 
  pheromones that cause creatures in her vicinity to grow relaxed 
  and react favorably toward her. Any creature within 30 feet of her 
  must make a DC 26 Fortitude save or adjust its attitude one step 
  closer to friendly; the creature makes a save on the first round of 
  exposure and every minute thereafter. Creatures with the scent 
  ability take a –4 penalty on their saving throws. The Menotherian 
  prefers to let this ability take effect before trying to negotiate 
  with others, though it works even in combat (in long-term 
  battles, opponents have been known to ask to parlay with her 
  
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  Bestiary
  after sufficient exposure). A creature ceases to attack her once its 
  attitude shifts away from hostile (but if she attacks it again, its 
  attitude resets to hostile). This is a mind-affecting poison effect. 
  The save DC is Constitution-based.
  Alternate Form (Su) The Menotherian can change into her elf-like 
  form or back again at will as a move-equivalent action. In her 
  elf form she cannot use her natural attacks, implant swarms, 
  or mind control, but can still use her spell-like abilities and 
  alluring scent. She can also take the form of a giant wasp or a 
  normal wasp, though she normally only uses these shapes as 
  disguises rather than for battle.
  Implant Swarm (Ex) Once per day as a standard action, the 
  Menotherian can use her stinger to implant a cluster of eggs 
  in a target. The affected creature must make a DC 26 Fort save 
  to avoid implantation; this DC is Constitution-based. The eggs 
  gestate in 2d4 rounds, during which the target is nauseated. 
  When the gestation period ends, the eggs hatch into a chaotic 
  neutral hellwasp swarm with a hive mind. The swarm swiftly 
  consumes the victim’s innards, killing the host immediately, 
  then inhabits and animates the body as a zombie-like creature. 
  A remove disease spell rids a victim of the eggs during the 
  gestation period, as does a DC 30 Heal check made as a full-
  round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.
  Mind Control (Su) The Menotherian can inject a concentrated 
  form of its alluring scent directly into the brain of a helpless 
  or willing humanoid creature. If the creature fails a DC 26 
  Fortitude save, the herald can control the target for the next 
  24 hours as if using dominate person, though the Menotherian 
  must verbally give the target instructions.
  Poison (Su) Injury, Fortitude DC 26, initial damage 2d6 Dex, 
  secondary damage 1d6 Dex. The save DC is Constitution-based.
  The Menotherian is a personification of lust, vengeance, 
  and trickery. She is the chief immortal agent of Calistria in 
  the mortal world —bereft of morals, she seduces, tricks, or 
  murders any creature necessary to complete her mission. 
  In her true form she is a great wasp-like creature weighing 
  just over 1,400 pounds. Though she can fly, her wings 
  create a loud buzzing noise audible from over 500 feet 
  away, so when she must be stealthy she walks or climbs. 
  The Menotherian needs no armor, for her exoskeleton is as 
  hard as adamantine. She observes her environment with 
  an alien detachment, missing no detail but only acting 
  when she feels the time is right.
  When subtlety is necessary, she can take the shape of 
  an exotic elf of either gender, a giant wasp, or a normal 
  wasp. Her humanoid form is almost a caricature of elven 
  beauty, with long ears, narrow cheekbones, and long 
  graceful limbs—if elves look more elven than half-elves, 
  the Menotherian looks even more elven than true elves, as 
  if elves are near-perfect mortal copies of the “true” elven 
  ideal. In this form she lacks most of her combat ability, but 
  can still seduce with her wits and good looks, or even use 
  her pheromones on reluctant targets. The Book of Joy refers 
  to hundreds of transparent, sealed chambers in Calistria’s 
  palace, each containing a sleeping creature resembling 
  the Menotherian’s elven form; the goddess awakens one 
  of these any time she needs a new herald or wants to create 
  another one of her succubus-like avengers.
  Ecology
  A supernatural spirit clad in immortal ageless flesh, the 
  Menotherian does not need to eat, drink, or rest, though she 
  enjoys these activities as much as any elf. Her interests are 
  elven interests—pleasant company, fine wine, savory food, 
  and intricate music. She can conceive and give birth, though 
  it is rare for her to do this as she must remain in elven form 
  for the duration of her pregnancy and Calistria dislikes 
  having her herald unavailable for extended periods. Her 
  offspring are usually mortal elves resembling feytouched, 
  aasimar, or tieflings, though some have enough magic in 
  them to be born as young vengeance demons (Velvet Wing 
  is one of the Menotherian’s direct offspring, see page 
  63). Church heretics and mad elven wizards suggest the 
  Menotherian could breed with insect-like outsiders, but she 
  has shown no interest in such things, particularly as most 
  of them have sub-human intelligence or contrary agendas.
  Habitat & Society
  The Menotherian is a singular creature; Calistria is 
  only known to have one in existence at any time, so the 
  herald usually socializes with the goddess’s succubus-
  like “vengeance demons” and other servitor entities. 
  The Menotherian is very curious about mortal elven 
  society, regardless of the elf’s social status, homeland, 
  or relationship with other elves or even other races. Her 
  interest in non-elves is similar but less ardent; she has 
  been known to watch a particular elf (usually disguised 
  as a common wasp) off and on for years, while non-elves 
  rarely keep her attention for more than a few days. The 
  Menotherian is a creature of spirit but has a physical body, 
  and sometimes seeks attractive elves (using her elven form) 
  to satisfy her carnal desires; this is a sign of great favor 
  among the devout, though the experience is usually so 
  overwhelming that the lucky partner cannot articulate 
  its full extent. The Menotherian has a long memory and 
  has been known to bear a grudge to the second or third 
  generation against an elf that offended her or one of her 
  predecessors (it is unknown whether the Menotherian 
  receives the memories of the heralds that came before her, 
  but her behavior indicates this is likely). She sometimes 
  attends the goddess as a handmaiden (in elven form) or 
  silent observer (in insectoid form). Calistria has been 
  known to send the Menotherian to meetings disguised as 
  the goddess herself, especially when she is unsure of the 
  other party’s motivations.
  
  88
  Second Darkness
  tREERazER,  
  LoRd of thE BLastEd taRn
  The demon’s bulk shoulders aside the trees as he lumbers into 
  view, a twenty-foot-tall saurian demon, mouth agape to reveal 
  rows of sharp teeth, eyes ablaze with fury. Draconic wings stretch 
  from bony shoulders, fearsome talons tear at the earth, and 
  diseased mushrooms grow and melt into corruption with horrific 
  speed in his wake. Clutched in his hands is an axe that seems to 
  have been hewn from obsidian, and from its chiseled edge drips 
  thick, steaming acid.
  Treerazer 
  CR 25
  CE Huge outsider (demon, native)
  Init +14; Senses darkvision 60 ft., true seeing; Listen +41, Spot +41
  Aura corruption (120 feet), unholy aura (DC 25)
  DEFENSE
  AC 46, touch 22, flat-footed 36
  (+4 deflection, +10 Dex, +24 natural, –2 size)
  hp 573 (31d8+434); regeneration 15 (fire or holy damage)
  Fort +31, Ref +27, Will +24
  Defensive Ability freedom of movement; DR 15/cold iron and 
  good; Immune disease, electricity, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 
  10, fire 10; SR 38
  OFFENSE
  Spd 60 ft., fly 40 ft. (good)
  Melee Blackaxe +42/+37/+32/+27 (3d6+23/19–20/×3 plus 1d6 acid) and
  claw +35 (1d8+11) and
  bite +35 (2d6+11) and
  2 wings +35 (1d8+11)
  Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft.
  Special Attacks defoliation, summon demons
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th)
  At will—antiplant shell, contagion (DC 21), desecrate, detect 
  good, detect law, greater dispel magic, greater teleport (within 
  Tanglebriar only), telekinesis (DC 22), unholy aura, unholy 
  blight, water breathing
  3/day—wall of thorns, control plants (DC 25), quickened greater 
  dispel magic
  1/day—horrid wilting (DC 25), symbol of death (DC 25), time stop
  TACTICS
  Before Combat Treerazer maintains detect good, detect law, unholy 
  aura, and water breathing at all times
  During Combat Treerazer begins most combats by casting time 
  stop and raising an antiplant shell to prevent plant creatures 
  and any other creatures under the effect of his aura of 
  corruption from approaching. If he has time during the time 
  stop, he also creates walls of thorns and summons demons. If 
  engaged in melee, he gleefully takes up Blackaxe and makes 
  full attacks against the closest foe. The first 3 rounds of 
  combat, he targets obvious spell effects with quickened greater 
  dispel magic as well.
  Morale If Treerazer is reduced to less than 150 hit points, he 
  teleports back to his fortress of Witchbole to recover and plan 
  his revenge.
  STATISTICS
  Str 36, Dex 30, Con 38, Int 21, Wis 24, Cha 25
  Base Atk +31; Grp +52
  Feats Awesome Blow, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Improved 
  Bull Rush, Improved Critical (battleaxe), Improved Initiative, 
  Multiattack, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (greater 
  dispel magic), Spell Stowaway (time stop), Track
  Skills Concentration +48, Hide +36, Intimidate +41, Knowledge 
  (arcana) +39, Knowledge (nature) +43, Knowledge (the planes) 
  +39, Listen +41, Move Silently +44, Sense Motive +41, Spellcraft 
  +43, Spot +41, Survival +41, Swim +47
  Languages Abyssal, Common, Elven, Sylvan; telepathy 300 ft.
  Gear Blackaxe
  
  89
  Bestiary
  ECOLOGy
  Environment Tanglebriar
  Organization solitary or group (Treerazer plus 1d4 shemhazians or 
  nalfeshnees and 2d4 hezrous)
  Treasure triple standard
  Advancement —
  Level Adjustment —
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Aura of Corruption (Su) Treerazer exudes an aura of corruption to 
  a radius of 120 feet. This aura causes plants to twist and grow 
  hideous, sprouting thorns and twisting branches. Creatures 
  with woodland stride or freedom of movement can move through 
  this fungal bloom with ease. Living creatures within reach of 
  Treerazer’s aura of corruption must make a DC 39 Fortitude save 
  each round or their flesh grows pasty and clammy as tendrils 
  of diseased plant matter and fungal growth sprout from it. 
  This condition persists as long as the creature remains within 
  Treerazer’s aura of corruption and for 1 minute thereafter. While 
  suffering the effects of this aura, a living creature is treated 
  as a plant for the purposes of spells and effects that harm or 
  otherwise inconvenience plant creatures more than other 
  creatures. A living creature would thus be subject to antiplant 
  shell, blight, additional damage from horrid wilting or a plant bane 
  weapon, and could be affected by control plants. The corruption 
  does not otherwise impart creatures with plant traits. The save 
  DC is Constitution-based. 
  Defoliation (Su) As a standard action once every 1d4 rounds, 
  Treerazer can exude a pulse of defoliating energy in a 30-foot-
  radius spread. This appears as a wave of sickly green energy, 
  and causes all plants and plant creatures in the area to blacken 
  and wither. Such creatures take 20d6 points of damage, or 
  half with a successful DC 39 Fortitude save. A plant that isn’t a 
  creature (such as a tree or a shrub) doesn’t receive a save and 
  immediately withers and dies. Treerazer can choose to exclude 
  any number of plants in the area from this effect, and generally 
  does so to save twisted and corrupted plants and fungus. The 
  save DC is Constitution-based.
  Freedom of Movement (Su) Treerazer constantly uses this ability, 
  as the spell (CL 20th).
  Spell Stowaway This epic feat attunes Treerazer to the spell 
  time stop. If another spellcaster within 300 feet of him uses 
  this spell, Treerazer immediately gains the spell’s effect as if 
  it had been used on him by the same caster. Treerazer must 
  have direct line of effect to the spellcaster in order to gain 
  the benefit of the attuned magic (though he does not have to 
  know the spellcaster is present, and he can be flat-footed). The 
  magic’s duration, effect, and other specifics are determined by 
  its original caster’s level.
  Summon Demons (Sp) Once per day, Treerazer can automatically 
  summon 1 shemhazian (see Pathfinder #5) or 1d6 hezrous. This 
  ability functions as a 9th-level spell.
  True Seeing (Su) Treerazer constantly uses this ability, as the spell 
  of the same name (CL 20th).
  Treerazer, the self-styled Lord of the Blasted Tarn, was 
  once the favored minion and lieutenant (some even say 
  child) of Cyth-V’sug, Demon Lord of Fungus and Parasites. 
  After a failed attempt to wrest that crown away from Cyth-
  V’sug, Treerazer fled to the Material Plane. Cyth-V’sug 
  was unable (or perhaps only unwilling) to pursue, but took 
  steps to ensure that Treerazer would remain by exiling 
  him, transforming him into a native outsider and severing 
  Treerazer’s bond to the Abyss—if the Lord of the Blasted 
  Tarn is slain, his animus will not return to the Abyss and 
  reform. Death to Treerazer is a permanent thing.
  Treerazer arrived on Golarion near the end of the Age 
  of Darkness, and found the savaged planet much to his 
  liking—so much so that the sting of exile was somewhat 
  ameliorated. He spent many centuries wandering the 
  remote corners of Golarion before finally coming upon the 
  abandoned elven nation of Kyonin in 2497. In the Sovyrian 
  Stone, he found an artifact that he believed he could use to 
  reinstate his Abyssal link and, perhaps, even uproot the 
  entire nation and refocus the portal from Sovyrian to the 
  Abyss, thereby reclaiming his position there and taking one 
  more step toward revenge against Cyth-V’sug. Yet the elves 
  sensed his tamperings and returned to confront the demon. 
  A terrific battle resulted, and while the elves were able to 
  drive Treerazer out of Iadara and into southern Kyonin, they 
  were unable to slay him or force him out completely—they 
  merely concentrated his power in a smaller region. Instead, 
  the elves “walled off” this region, a perverted realm known 
  today as Tanglebriar. Treerazer lurks at Tanglebriar’s heart 
  to this day, the greatest boogeyman in elven mythology and 
  a very real and constant threat to the nation’s security.
  Treerazer’s Cult
  Cults of Treerazer are quite rare beyond Kyonin, where 
  secret cabals of cultists venerate him. Treerazer’s symbol is 
  a bleeding dead tree that’s been split in half. His clerics have 
  access to the Domains of Chaos, Destruction, Evil, and Plant. 
  His favored weapon is the battleaxe.
  blackaxE
  Treerazer’s favored weapon is Blackaxe, a Huge +5 plant bane 
  greataxe carved from obsidian but as strong as adamantine 
  (the weapon is treated as an adamantine weapon for the 
  purposes of overcoming hardness and damage reduction). 
  Blackaxe constantly weeps acid, and inflicts +1d6 acid 
  damage on a hit. On a successful critical hit, it inflicts +2d10 
  acid damage. Once per day, the wielder can heal himself by 
  striking a tree with Blackaxe—this act causes the tree struck 
  to wither to ash in a heartbeat. Treerazer can call Blackaxe to 
  his hand as a free action, despite any intervening distance, 
  as long as Blackaxe is not kept in an area that prevents 
  teleportaion effects from occuring.
  
  90
  Second Darkness
  Sajan
  Lini
  Male HuMan Monk 12
  FeMale GnoMe DruiD 12
  str
  str
  defense
  HP 93
  AC 29
  touch 23, flat-footed 25
  Fort +11, Ref +12,  
  Will +10 (+2 against  
  enchantment)
  Special Defenses 
  improved evasion, slow 
  fall 60 ft., still mind; 
  Immune nonmagical 
  disease, poison
  defense
  HP 93
  AC 18
  touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+4 
  bonus against giants)
  Fort +13, Ref +7, Will +15 
  (+2 against illusions)
  Special Qualities immune 
  to poison, low-light 
  vision, nature sense, 
  woodland stride
  offense
  Melee unarmed strike +14/+9 
  (2d8+3/19–20) or
  greater flurry of blows 
  +14/+14/+14/+9 (2d8+3/19–20) or
  +1 temple sword +12 (1d8+3/19–20)
  Base Atk +9; Grp +11
  Special Attacks abundant step 1/
  day, ki strike (lawful and magic), 
  stunning fist 13/day (DC 16), 
  wholeness of body (20 hp/day)
  offense
  Melee mwk sickle +9/+2 (1d4–2)
  Ranged +1 sling +12/+7 (1d3–2)
  Base Atk +9; Grp +3
  Special Attacks gnome spell-like 
  abilities, wild shape (Tiny to 
  Large, plant) 4/day
  Spells Prepared (CL 7th; +9 ranged)
  6th—fire seeds (DC 21), wall of stone
  5th—animal growth, death ward, 
  trans. rock to mud, wall of thorns
  4th—air walk, dispel magic, flame 
  strike (DC 19), freedom of mvmnt.
  3rd—call lightning (DC 18), neutralize 
  poison (DC 18), remove disease, 
  quench (DC 18)
  2nd—barkskin (2), cat’s grace, lesser 
  restoration, resist energy
  1st—cure light wnds. (2), entangle (DC 
  16), longstrider, produce flame (3)
  0—cure minor wnds. (4), light, mending
  skills
  Climb 
  +17
  Escape Artist 
  +19
  Jump 
  +35
  Sense Motive 
  +17
  Tumble 
  +21
  feats
  Deflect Arrows, Dodge, 
  Exotic Weapon Proficiency 
  (temple sword), Improved 
  Critical (unarmed strike), 
  Improved Trip, Mobility, 
  Spring Attack, Stunning 
  Fist, Weapon Finesse
  skills
  Concentration 
  +18 
  Craft (alchemy) 
  +2
  Handle Animal 
  +16
  Knowledge (nature) 
  +17
  Listen 
  +7
  Ride 
  +16
  Survival 
  +7
  Wild Empathy 
  +13
  feats
  Augment Summoning, 
  Mounted Combat, Natural 
  Spell, Ride-By Attack, Spell 
  Focus (conjuration)
  animal ComPanion
  Droogami (snow leopard; 
  MM 274)
  Combat Gear potion of fly; Other Gear +1 temple sword, amulet of mighty fists +1, bracers 
  of armor +4, dusty rose ioun stone (+1 insight bonus to AC), incandescent blue ioun stone (+2 
  Wisdom), pink rhomboid ioun stone (+2 Constitution), gloves of Dexterity +2, ring of protection 
  +3, ring of force shield, monk’s belt, wooden holy symbol, belt pouch
  Combat Gear rod of lesser quicken metamagic, wand of flame blade (50 charges), wand of cure 
  moderate wounds (50 charges); Other Gear +2 wild leather armor, masterwork sickle, +1 sling with 10 
  bullets, cloak of resistance +2, ring of protection +2, periapt of Wisdom +2, belt pouch, mistletoe, spell 
  component pouch, rations (2 days), collection of special de-barked sticks, 5 gp
  align LN 
  init +4 
  sPeed 70 ft.
  align N 
  init +1 
  sPeed 20 ft.
  dex
  dex
  con
  con
  int
  int
  wis
  wis
  cha
  cha
  14
  6
  19
  12
  16
  16
  10
  10
  14
  20
  8
  13
  abilities
  abilities
  Lini always seemed to possess a certain affinity with various creatures of the woodlands near where 
  she grew up—particularly with larger predators like bears and snow leopards. In the years since her 
  departure from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, Lini has collected more than a dozen sticks—one 
  from each forest or wood she visits.
  Sajan Gadadvara and his twin sister Sajni were separated when the lord they served was shamed 
  and forced to cede half his army to the victor—among them Sajan’s sister. Sajni was taken away 
  from Vudra by her new master, and Sajan abandoned his own responsibilities to follow. He spent 
  years trying in vain to find her, but has not yet given up. Sajan knows he cannot return to Vudra, 
  for the padapranja there would execute him as a deserter. He cares not for his home country, 
  however, and continues to seek out any clue that might point him toward his sister.
  deity: Irori   
  Homeland: Vudra
  deity: Green Faith 
  Homeland: Land of the Linnorm Kings
  
  91
  Characters
  SeLtyieL
  amiri
  Male HalF-elF  
  FiGHter 1/evoker 5/elDritcH kniGHt 6
  FeMale HuMan BarBarian 12
  str
  str
  defense
  HP 79
  AC 23
  touch 17, flat-footed 18
  Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +4; 
  +2 against enchantment; 
  immune to sleep effects
  Special Qualities low-
  light vision
  defense
  HP 131
  AC 19
  touch 13, flat-footed 17
  Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +7
  Special Defenses trap 
  sense +4, improved 
  uncanny dodge; DR 2/—
  offense
  Melee +2 flaming b. spell st. longsword 
  +13/+8 (1d8+3/19–20 plus 1d6 fire)
  Ranged +1 flaming comp. longbow 
  +15/+10 (1d8+2/×3 plus 1d6 fire)
  Base Atk +9; Grp +10
  Spells Prepared (CL 10th, +14 
  ranged touch, 10% spell failure)
  5th—teleport, wall of force (2)
  4th—dimension door, fire shield, still 
  lightning bolt (DC 17), stoneskin
  3rd—dispel magic, fireball (DC 17), 
  fly, still scorching ray
  2nd—bull’s strength, glitterdust (DC 
  14), still magic missile (3), mirror image
  1st—enlarge person, burning hands 
  (DC 15), magic missile (3), shield
  0—flare (DC 14), light, mage hand, 
  ray of frost, prestidigitation
  Prohibited Schools enchant., necro.
  offense
  Melee Large +2 frost bastard sword 
  +20/+15/+10 (2d8+12/17–20 plus 
  1d6 cold)
  Ranged +1 comp. longbow 
  +15/+10/+5 (1d8+8/×3)
  Base Atk +12; Grp +19
  Special Attacks greater rage 4/day
  Special Qualities fast movement, 
  illiteracy
  barbarian rage
  HP 167; AC 17, touch 11, flat f. 15
  Fort +15, Ref +6, Will +10
  Melee Large +2 frost bastard 
  sword +23/+18/+13 (2d8+17/17–20 
  plus 1d6 cold)
  Str 30, Con 24
  raging Power attaCk
  Melee Large +2 frost bastard sword 
  +11/+6/+1 (2d8+41/17–20 +1d6 cold)
  skills
  Concentration 
  +15
  Craft (alchemy) 
  +15
  Diplomacy 
  +2
  Gather Information 
  +2
  Intimidate 
  +4
  Knowledge (arcana) 
  +15
  Listen 
  +0
  Search 
  +3
  Spellcraft 
  +15
  Spot 
  +0
  feats
  Combat Expertise, Craft Magic 
  Arms and Armor, Dodge, 
  Greater Spell Focus (evocation), 
  Mobility, Scribe Scroll, Spell 
  Focus (evocation), Still Spell, 
  Weapon Focus (longsword)
  familiar
  Dargenti (bat)
  skills
  Climb 
  +20
  Intimidate 
  +14
  Jump 
  +20
  Listen 
  +16
  Spot 
  +3
  Survival 
  +16
  feats
  Exotic Weapon Proficiency 
  (bastard sword), Improved 
  Bull Rush, Improved Critical 
  (bastard sword), Iron Will, 
  Power Attack, Weapon Focus 
  (bastard sword)
  Combat Gear potion of barksin +4 (2); Other Gear +4 leather armor, +2 flaming burst spell storing 
  longsword (contains vampiric touch), dagger, +1 flaming composite longbow (+1 Str) with 20 arrows 
  and 3 human slaying arrows, amulet of health +2, gloves of Dexterity +4, ring of protection +2, flask of 
  fine absinthe worth 50 gp, gold holy symbol worth 75 gp, diamond dust (500 gp), spellbook, 8 gp
  Combat Gear potion of barkskin +3 (2), potion of fly; Gear +3 hide armor, Large +2 frost bastard 
  sword, +1 composite longbow (+7 Str), javelins (2), throwing axe, amulet of health +4, belt of giant 
  strength +6, gloves of Dexterity +2, ring of protection +1, 20 gp 
  align LE 
  init +5 
  sPeed 30 ft.
  align CN 
  init +2 
  sPeed 30 ft.
  dex
  dex
  con
  con
  int
  int
  wis
  wis
  cha
  cha
  12
  24
  20
  15
  16
  18
  15
  10
  8
  12
  10
  8
  abilities
  abilities
  Amiri never quite fit in with the expected gender roles of her tribe, and when the tribe attempted to send 
  her on a suicide mission, she returned with an enormous trophy—a frost giant’s sword. She has since 
  abandoned her people, and has come to value her oversized sword (even though she can only truly wield 
  it properly when her blood rage takes her). She never speaks of the circumstances that forced her to flee 
  her homeland. Some things are better left unsaid.
  Born from a dead mother amid screams and disgrace, Seltyiel grew up surrounded by shame and abuse. 
  Before he came of age, his stepfather attempted to murder him, but after Seltyiel turned the tables, he fled 
  into the wild. Since then, his life has been a cruel series of betrayals and pain. His brief reunion with his 
  true father (a notorious bandit) ended with the half-elf being betrayed and imprisoned.
  deity: Asmodeus  
  Homeland: Cheliax
  deity: Gorum  
  Homeland: Realm of the Mammoth Lords
  
  Next Month in
  TM
  92
  Second Darkness
  The Land of BLack BLood
  by Wolfgang Baur
  Far beneath the surface lies the Land of Black Blood, a 
  world within the world teeming with strange creatures, 
  festering pools, and unnatural jungles. Discover a strange 
  new Darklands wilderness from which few return.
  and More!
  In Absalom, the City at the Center of the World, Eando 
  Kline must defend his discoveries before the mysterious 
  leaders of the Pathfinder Socieity, the Decemvirate. Don’t 
  miss the thrilling conclusion of Eando’s 18-part adventure, 
  plus stats for the daring Pathfinder himself, a new Set 
  Piece adventure, the Pathfinder Bestiary, and more!
  SuBScriBe To PaThfinder!
  Don’t miss out on the world-shaking finale of the 
  Second Darkness Adventure Path! Venture to paizo.com/
  pathfinder and subscribe today! Have each Pathfinder, 
  Pathfinder Chronicles, Pathfinder Companion, and 
  GameMastery product delivered to your door! Get every 
  Second Darkness adventure or pick up volumes of past 
  Adventure Paths online!
  deScenT inTo MidnighT
  by Brian Cortijo
  Deep below the earth, the drow ready the final stage of 
  their apocalyptic plot! In the savage underground realm 
  known as the Land of Black Blood, devastating magics 
  forgotten for millennia again take shape. Do the PCs 
  dare to return to the Darklands and brave a hidden world 
  feared even by the dark elves? And can they prevent the 
  arcane armageddon prepared by Allevrah, drow prophet, 
  worshiper of the demon Abraxas, and would-be usher of 
  the end of everything?
  deMon LordS of goLarion
  by James Jacobs
  Gaze into the foulest pits of the multiverse and behold 
  the lords that peer back! From the most fundamentally 
  profane bowels of reality rule the demon lords of the 
  Abyss, fiends of god-like might with plots and powers 
  beyond the comprehension of mortals. Learn of these 
  Abyssal warlords, their perverse cults, and the foul 
  powers they offer to those insane enough to seek their 
  unholy favor.
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  93
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  and organizational overviews to help players flesh out their character 
  backgrounds and to provide players and Game Masters alike with new 
  sources for campaign intrigue. Every Pathfinder needs a friend – get by with 
  a little help from ours.
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  Pathﬁnder is your monthly Pathﬁnder Chronicles campaign setting Adventure Path source. Each volume explores new locations, unveils new monsters 
  unique to Golarion, and gives Game Masters another entry in a complete campaign. Adventures, wealth, and fame wait within!
  Pathﬁnder #7 Curse of the Crimson Throne: “Edge of Anarchy” 
  $19.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder #8 Curse of the Crimson Throne: “Seven Days to the Grave” 
  $19.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder #9 Curse of the Crimson Throne: “Escape from Old Korvosa” 
  $19.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder #10 Curse of the Crimson Throne: “A History of Ashes” 
  $19.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder #11 Curse of the Crimson Throne: “Skeletons of Scarwall” 
  $19.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder #12 Curse of the Crimson Throne: “Crown of Fangs” 
  $19.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder #13 Second Darkness: “Shadow in the Sky” 
  $19.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder #14 Second Darkness: “Children of the Void” 
  $19.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder #15 Second Darkness: “The Armageddon Echo” 
  $19.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder #16 Second Darkness: “Endless Night” 
  $19.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder #17 Second Darkness: “A Memory of Darkness” 
  $19.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder #18 Second Darkness: “Descent into Midnight” 
  $19.99 
    
   
   January, 2009 
   
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  Golarion is the world of Paizo’s Pathﬁnder Chronicles campaign setting. Previously only explored via Pathﬁnder and the Pathﬁnder 
  Modules, these evocative accessories give Game Masters exciting new looks into previously unexplored locales. Don’t miss out on a single  
  one—it’s your world now.
  Pathﬁnder Chronicles: Guide to Korvosa 
  $17.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder Chronicles: Gazetteer 
  $17.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder Chronicles: Classic Monsters Revisited 
  $17.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder Chronicles: Guide to Darkmoon Vale 
  $17.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder Chronicles: Campaign Setting (Hardcover) 
  $49.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder Chronicles: Gods & Magic 
  $17.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder Chronicles: Into the Darklands 
  $17.99 
    
   
   
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder Chronicles: Guide to Absalom 
  $17.99 
    
   
    
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder Chronicles: Second Darkness Map Folio 
  $14.99 
    
   
   January, 2009 
   
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  Each Pathﬁnder Companion explores a major theme in the Pathﬁnder Chronicles campaign setting, with expanded regional gazetteers, new player 
  character options, and organizational overviews to help players ﬂesh out their character backgrounds and to provide players and Game Masters 
  with new sources for campaign intrigue.
  Pathﬁnder Companion: Second Darkness 
  $9.99 
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder Companion: Elves of Golarion 
  $9.99 
   
   
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  Pathﬁnder Companion: Osirion, Land of Pharaohs 
  $9.99 
   
   
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  Every good Game Master needs good game accessories and Paizo’s GameMastery line has exactly what you need to enhance your Second Darkness 
  Adventure Path experience!
  GameMastery Critical Hit Deck 
  $9.95 
   
   
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  GameMastery Critical Fumble Deck 
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  GameMastery Combat Pad 
  $16.95 
   
   
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  GameMastery Flip-Mat: Darklands 
  $12.99 
   
   
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  GameMastery Map Pack: Elven City 
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  GameMastery Map Pack: Ancient Forest 
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  ���������
  ™ 
  ™ 
  All trademarks are property of Paizo Publishing®, LLC ©2008 Paizo Publishing.  
  Permission granted to photocopy this page.
  ™ 
  
  The exciting world of the Pathfinder™ Adventure Paths and Pathfinder Modules comes alive in 
  this massive 256-page full-color hardcover tome primed and ready to go for your new campaign! 
  Detailed sections on more than 40 nations provide a full picture of the world of the Pathfinder 
  Chronicles™ campaign setting, with new rules, new magic and spells, detailed descriptions of 
  more than twenty gods, and a gorgeous poster map detailing the entire campaign setting.
  Written by  
  Keith Baker, Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb, James Jacobs, Mike McArtor,  
  Erik Mona, F. Wesley Schneider, and more than twenty additional authors,  
  including mini-essays on world creation by R.A. Salvatore and Robert J. Kuntz.
  Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting:
     
  Available Now  ◆  $49.99
  Golarion Needs Heroes
  paizo.com/pathfinder
  All trademarks are property of Paizo Publishing®,
   LLC. ©2008 Paizo. All Rights Reserved
  
  Flauros
  Nocticula
  Abraxas
  Zura
  Shax
  Haagenti
  Jubilex
  Andirifhhu
  Areshkagal
  Cyth-V’sug
  Socothbenoth
  Mazmezz
  Demon Lord Runes
  
  paizo.com/pathfinder
  Printed in China. PZO9017
  W
  ith the end of everything looming among the stars, the time has 
  come for decisive action among the races of the surface world. 
  But old prejudices die hard, and not all in the elven nation 
  of Kyonin believe the dire portents of doom from the heavens. 
  Among the stoic court of the queen of the elves, lies and schemes 
  run rampant, and some would rather see a second Age of Darkness 
  than the revelation of their conspiracies. Can the PCs root out the 
  corruption that festers inside the elven homeland and dare the 
  demon-haunted forest that shelters a secret now threatening to 
  destroy the entire world?
  This volume of Pathfinder includes: 
  ◆  “A Memory of Darkness,” an adventure for 12th-level 
  characters, by J. D. Wiker.
  ◆  A gazetteer of Kyonin, the mystery-shrouded homeland 
  of the elves, by James L. Sutter.
  ◆  A look into the clandestine secrets of the church  
  of Calistria, goddess of lust, revenge, and trickery,  
  by Sean K Reynolds.
  ◆ 
  A race to the headquarters of the Pathfinder Society 
  puts Eando Kline at odds with a fellow adventurer in 
  the Pathfinder’s Journal, by Amber E. Scott.
  ◆ 
  Five new monsters by Mike Ferguson,  
  James Jacobs, Hal Maclean, and Sean K Reynolds.
  A Conspiracy of Shadows
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Pathfinder/1st Edition/Adventure Paths/PF013-018 - Second Darkness/Second Darkness - 05 - A Memory of Darkness.pdf