TEXT: shadow of the demon lord
  The shadow of the Demon Lord lengthens. It deepens. 
  Nowhere is this more true than the blighted lands east of 
  the Troll Mountains, so very close to the Desolation itself. 
  Swarming undead and savage trolls have humanity on the  
  run. Worse still, ever-bolder cultists openly murder whole 
  villages, sacrificing the innocent to honor their dark master.
   There is, however, a glimmer of hope. Deep in the 
  wilderness lies a doorway to a redoubt just outside the 
  confines of the mortal world. Some legends say this refuge 
  is ruled by a kindly faerie king, while others speak of a holy 
  knight offering succor in an otherworldly fortress safe from  
  the growing darkness. 
   Don’t believe everything you hear.
   The Star’s Refuge is an adventure for expert characters, and 
  will be best appreciated by players who love roleplaying and 
  tough moral dilemmas. Whether on behalf of the people of  
  the nearby villages or for reasons of their own, the characters 
  seek the entrance to a fabled extradimensional refuge. Once 
  they find it, they must gain entry and decide whether to pay 
  the dark price required by the master of the refuge to enjoy  
  the safety it promises. 
  ~Credits~
  WRITING: Monte Cook
  dEVELOPMENT and art direction: rOBERT j. sCHWALB
  EDITING: Scott Fitzgerald Gray
  GRAPHIC DESIGN: hal mangold
  LAYOUT: kara hamilton
  ILLUSTRATIONS: Eric Lofgren and Britt Martin
  The Star’s Refuge is ©2015 Schwalb Entertainment, LLC.  
  All rights reserved.
  Shadow of the Demon Lord, The Star’s Refuge, Schwalb Entertainment,  
  and their associated logos are trademarks of Schwalb Entertainment, LLC.
  Schwalb EntErtainmEnt, llc
  PO Box #12548
  Murfreesboro, TN 37129
  info@schwalbentertainment.com       www.schwalbentertainment.com
  
  shadow of the demon lord
  The Troll’s Fist
  The Troll’s Fist is a small area north of the Mistwood. East 
  of the Troll Mountains, it lies outside the protection offered 
  by the fastness of West Hold, which stands guard against 
  the Desolation’s many horrors. Once a land of magic and 
  elves, full of mysteries and wonders, Troll’s Fist has become 
  a place of horror and death. Incursions of undead from 
  the Desolation and trolls from the mountains threaten the 
  existence of the villages and farms that dot the region.
   The time for fighting in Troll’s Fist is done. It is time to 
  evacuate. Getting the locals to leave their homes and head 
  to West Hold is the obvious solution, but the fortress’s 
  resources are already taxed. Pulling south to the Mistwood 
  would simply expose the refugees to different dangers.
   Altruistic characters might come to Troll’s Fist to help, 
  having heard of the people’s plight. Others might do so for 
  pay from the officers in West Hold, who cannot spare any 
  troops and want the folk of Troll’s Fist led anywhere but to 
  the citadel. Alternatively, characters who have heard the 
  legend of the Last Refuge might have come looking for it 
  for their own reasons.
  Exploring the Region
  As the characters travel through the small villages and 
  hamlets of the Troll’s Fist, possibly in search of a safe place 
  to evacuate the area’s besieged people, they find numerous 
  farmsteads burned to the ground. Small settlements stand 
  eerily quiet, with strange and sinister symbols scratched 
  into the walls of now-empty buildings. Scattered across the 
  countryside, small groups of weary and broken people are 
  in great need.
   If they search for a defensible location for the refugees, 
  the characters come up empty. The few places with such 
  potential have already been used as such—and have clearly 
  failed, filled now with dead bodies and burned goods.
  The Legend
  Characters can learn the legend of the Last Refuge from 
  any number of sources. The people of the Troll’s Fist 
  have all heard it, and they share the information freely. 
  Magicians, sages, and priests outside the region have 
  records of the legend, and characters with associated 
  professions likely know of it.
   Hundreds of years ago, a human priestess of the Old 
  Gods prayed for a miracle. Her people needed refuge from 
  a rampaging demon that would consume them all. As she 
  prayed, a star literally fell from the sky, obliterating the 
  priestess and creating a huge crater in the ground. However, 
  the star carried with it strange energies that interacted with 
  the fading magic of the dead priestess. The result was a sort 
  of dimensional pocket that bubbled up from the crater. The 
  priestess’ son led the people of the land into this bubble, 
  where they found safety. Each month thereafter, under 
  the full darkness of the new moon, a shimmering doorway 
  opens to this extradimensional refuge. 
   The details of the legend change each time it is told, 
  including:
  • The beleaguered people were elves, not humans.
  • The priestess didn’t die but was transformed.
  • The priestess was male, not female.
  • The priestess was a wizard and summoned  
  the star directly.
  • The threat was not a demon but a horde of trolls,  
  or a plague.
  • The master of the place is not the priestess’s son,  
  but an aging knight looking to offer succor to all  
  who ask for it.
   Characters seeking the crater can talk to the locals, who 
  direct them to a desolate area near the mountains. The new 
  moon is a few days away, giving characters plenty of time to 
  reach the area.
  One-Eyed Troll
  On the way to the crater, the characters attract the attention 
  of a troll named Lugbeater. Lugbeater is a hunter who 
  knows the area well, and who specializes in following prey 
  by daylight while keeping to the safety of the shadows.
   Any watchful character notices Lugbeater trailing the 
  party by getting a success on a Perception challenge roll. 
  The characters can attempt to confront her directly or 
  lose her, but she makes no move herself until nightfall. 
  Confronting her results in combat. Losing the troll requires 
  that a character get a success on an Intellect challenge roll 
  to find a path well away from anywhere she might hide 
  from the sun. However, Lugbeater finds the characters 
  again the next day—or in the middle of the night.
   Lugbeater stands 11 feet tall and wears a patch over one 
  eye made from the flesh of a human face. She carries a 
  massive gnarled staff but uses her fists in combat, as she 
  likes the feeling of blood on her hands.
  2
  
  shadow of the demon lord
  The Crater
  The crater is almost a thousand feet across and more than 
  a hundred feet deep, although its sides slope gently enough 
  that descent is possible without climbing gear. A character 
  can descend the slope safely by rolling a success on a 
  Strength challenge. Climbing gear or a rope grants 1 boon 
  on the roll.
   When the meteor struck, it leveled the surrounding  
  areas with shock and fire. Now, nothing grows in the crater 
  and animals avoid it, becoming frightened if forced down 
  its slopes. 
  Shimmering Doorways
  As the sun sets and the darkness of the new moon blankets 
  the crater, four sparkling ovals of wavering light appear. 
  Each is located at a cardinal point within the crater, about 
  30 yards from its center.
   Each oval is a doorway 10 feet high and 4 feet across. 
  As soon as one creature enters a doorway, it winks out. 
  No more than one creature can enter a doorway at a time. 
  About 30 seconds after the last doorway disappears, all four 
  doorways reappear, ready to admit four more creatures.
   The doors endure for 2 hours, then vanish until the next 
  new moon.
  The Other Side
  Each character who passes through a doorway arrives  
  alone in a corridor composed of velvety flesh, with a thin 
  red mist playing along the floor. A character can choose to 
  turn back, emerging in the crater through one of the other 
  still-open doorways and causing that doorway to wink out. 
  (If all four doorways have disappeared, a character can’t 
  leave until the doorways reappear 30 seconds later.) When 
  the doorways close after 2 hours, characters cannot leave 
  until the next new moon.
   Each corridor is 30 yards long and ends at an alcove 
  occupied by a stone statue. This huge construct resembles 
  a stern but kindly father figure, 9 feet tall. A disembodied 
  voice resonates throughout the dead-end corridor, asking 
  the character the following questions:
  • Who are you?
  • Have you come here seeking refuge?
  • How much value do you place on a single life?
   Only the last question is of real importance, and the 
  statue is keyed to answers on both ends of the spectrum. 
  Those who value life highly and those who disregard it 
  completely are both indicative of the sorts of people willing 
  to pay the price to gain admittance to the refuge.
   If the character says that life is the most valuable thing 
  or that life has little value (or words to either effect), the 
  statue moves aside and a hidden door behind it opens to 
  give access to the refuge. Any unsure, unclear, or hesitant 
  answer causes the reddish mist along the floor to form 
  talon-like hands that grab the character, who is shunted  
  out into the crater.
  The Refuge
  Beyond the guarded doorways, characters who answered 
  to the construct’s liking can gather again. Regardless of 
  when characters entered the doorways or how long they 
  interacted with the statue, each character steps through 
  into the refuge through a single door, one after the other.
   The place the characters find themselves is a round 
  room with many circular windows. The view through 
  those windows suggests that the room is suspended 
  above a glittering city of glass and silver, lit as if by bright 
  moonlight. A small population of humans can be seen 
  moving about in this strange city—the people of the refuge, 
  who came here to find sanctuary and were willing to pay 
  the terrible toll to enter. 
   Within the refuge, mortals do not age. Some of those 
  who have found sanctuary here arrived hundreds of years 
  earlier. Food, water, and other necessities are provided by 
  mystical means. In short, the refuge truly is a sanctuary, 
  offering safety from the evils and dangers of the world.
  Glasandril
  Before the characters can make any effort at determining 
  how to get down to the city, a door opens and a man enters. 
  He is tall, thin to the point of gauntness, and has a hawkish 
  nose, prominent brows, and a well-trimmed beard. He 
  wears long robes of lavender and blue.
   He introduces himself as Glasandril and claims the 
  refuge is his to maintain. Time and grim horrors have 
  driven Glasandril quite mad, but he hardly lets it show—at 
  least at first. He speaks freely as he reveals that he is the son 
  of Evanalla, the priestess of legend. She sacrificed herself to 
  create the refuge, and Glasandril reveres and adores her. He 
  says that all moral beings are welcome here and explains 
  the benefits of the refuge. But before anyone can gain 
  admittance to the refuge, a price must be paid. “For every 
  soul I save,” Glasandril tells the characters, “I must sacrifice 
  one. I cannot save the world, but I can save half.”
   What Glasandril means is this: The refuge can be entered 
  only by people with no Corruption, but that entry comes 
  at a grim cost. For each suitable person admitted into 
  the refuge, another person with no Corruption must be 
  sacrificed to a being Glasandril calls “the Roiling Goddess.” 
  He does not explain why. He insists that this is simply the 
  way the refuge must work. The sacrifice must be made 
  immediately—thus, half the characters in any group 
  entering the refuge must die, their souls utterly consumed.
  3
  
  shadow of the demon lord
  Dark Options
  If the characters flee immediately, they can escape the 
  chamber before Glasandril has time to react, exiting 
  through the single doorway. The construct beyond the door 
  attacks anyone attempting to flee, but characters who defeat 
  or slip past it can escape from the refuge. Glasandril does 
  not pursue them. 
   If the characters argue with Glasandril or express their 
  horror at his suggestion, he simply states that the rules 
  of the refuge are sacrosanct. He doesn’t reveal any more 
  information, nor can he be swayed or coerced. A well-
  spoken character can convince Glasandril to allow the 
  party to leave the refuge so as to return with more people. 
  Doing so requires a success on a Will attack roll against 
  Glasandril’s Will if the character speaks the truth, or a 
  success on an Intellect attack roll against his Intellect if the 
  characters are bluffing and have no plans to return.
   Characters of precarious morality—or with a fatalistic 
  viewpoint—might well agree to Glasandril’s terms. In 
  the long run, saving half the innocent people in the 
  surrounding region might seem a better option than letting 
  them all die. Coldhearted characters could even decide 
  to let others pay the price for their own safety, leaving 
  and returning with an equal number of other people they 
  convince to come with them. However, the qualification 
  that only characters with no Corruption can enter the 
  refuge precludes savvy players attempting to sacrifice evil 
  characters or monsters to win entrance for themselves or 
  the villagers of Troll’s Fist (unless you decide otherwise).
   If the characters refuse to pay the price or attack 
  Glasandril, he uses the full power of his magic to strike 
  back. During any battle, he tells the characters that 
  defeating him gains them nothing. “The rules governing  
  the refuge remain unchanged. The Roiling Goddess will 
  take her sacrifices.”
   If a character with no Corruption dies at the hands of 
  Glasandril, the red mist rolls into the chamber through 
  small holes in the walls and utterly consumes the fallen 
  character. Glasandril then says, “One of you that remains is 
  now free to enter.” 
   The red mist that pervades the refuge, moving as if alive, 
  is the Roiling Goddess.  
  GLASANDRIL 
  DIFFICULTY 250
  Size 1 human
  Perception 15 (+5)
  Defense 19; Health 80
  Strength 10 (+0), Agility 13 (+3), Intellect 15 (+5), Will 15 (+5)
  Speed 10
  Warded Creatures make attack rolls against Glasandril  
  with 1 bane, and Glasandril makes challenge rolls with  
  1 boon to resist attacks.
  ATTACK OPTIONS 
  Eldritch Touch (melee) +5 with 2 boons (2d6 plus 
  Bafflement)
  Bafflement A living creature that takes damage from 
  Glasandril’s touch must roll a success on a Will challenge 
  with 1 bane or become dazed for 1 round.
  SPECIAL ACTIONS 
  Counterspell When a creature Glasandril can see attacks 
  him with a spell, he can use a triggered action to counter 
  it. The triggering creature makes the attack roll with  
  1 bane, and Glasandril makes the challenge roll to resist 
  the spell with 1 boon.
  Improved Spell Recovery Glasandril heals 20 damage and 
  regains two expended castings. Once he uses this action, 
  Glasandril cannot do so again until after he completes  
  a rest.
  MAGIC 
  Power 5
  Arcana arcane armor (6), magic dart (6), arcane shield (3), 
  arcane sight (3), empowered magic (2), arcane lightning (2), 
  destroy magic (2)
  Protection secure site (6), evade (3), force field (4),  
  globe of negation (1)
  Theurgy denounce (6), divine aid (2), wrath of god (2), 
  avatar (1)
  END OF THE ROUND 
  Epic Recovery Glasandril removes one affliction from 
  himself.
  Epic Adversary Roll 1d3 + 1 to determine how many actions 
  Glasandril can use during the next round. He can use 
  these actions during any turn and can do so before his 
  enemies act. Each time Glasandril uses an action, he can 
  move up to his Speed before or after the action.
  4
  
  shadow of the demon lord
  Down Into  
  the City
  Beyond the doorway through 
  which Glasandril entered the 
  chamber, a spiral walkway leads 
  down into the city. Many of the 
  people of the city are fearful, 
  untrusting, and self-centered. 
  (Remember, they sacrificed 
  someone else to get where they 
  are.) They refuse to help if the 
  characters want to do anything  
  that might jeopardize the refuge  
  or harm Glasandril or the  
  Roiling Goddess.
  The characters can freely 
  explore the city, but the city and 
  what secrets it holds are up to 
  you to create. Given the nature of 
  the peoples who have made the 
  horrifying decision, the group its 
  likely to find all sorts of individuals 
  of dubious virtue and individuals 
  with interesting knowledge or 
  possessions. Although every need 
  has been provided, the ambitious 
  might seek to oust the wizard 
  who forced the decision on them. 
  Others might form factions along 
  political or even religious lines. 
  Characters who earn the refuge 
  might find the paradise promised 
  to them to be as perilous as the 
  world outside.
  The Roiling 
  Goddess
  Characters appalled by the situation in the refuge might 
  want to confront Glasandril’s goddess in an attempt 
  to refuse the price and still make use of the refuge. 
  Alternatively, they might just want to see the Roiling 
  Goddess destroyed on principle.
   The problem is, Glasandril is entirely correct. The 
  Roiling Goddess sustains the pocket dimension that holds 
  the refuge, and without her, the dimensional bubble 
  collapses. The sacrifices made to her—which is to say, the 
  deaths of those who pay for entrance—are what give her 
  the power to maintain the refuge.
   The Roiling Goddess is a killing mist—the remains 
  of Glasandril’s vaporized mother, Evanalla. Destroying 
  the mist causes the dimensional bubble of the refuge 
  to collapse over the course of  3 minutes. All within are 
  ejected, and the refuge is gone forever.
  Difficult Ending
  The hard truth is that the Star’s Refuge is very likely the 
  best place to take the people of Troll’s Fist. The region  
  offers no other place of safe retreat. If the characters leave 
  the refuge intact and tell people about it, some might 
  choose to go there on the next new moon. These people 
  include parents willing to sacrifice themselves for their 
  children, the sick and infirm willing to give themselves 
  up for the healthy, and others wishing to save those they 
  love. The selfish and cruel might go as well, trying to trick 
  others into being their sacrifices. 
   If the refuge is destroyed or the characters keep its 
  existence to themselves, the characters are likely forced 
  to watch as trolls, undead, and cultists sack more villages, 
  kill more people, and eventually clear the region of 
  humanity. The hope offered by the legend of a mystical, 
  safe refuge might well prove to be their undoing.
  5
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Shadow of the Demon Lord/Adventures/Expert/SotDL - Star's Refuge (expert).pdf