TEXT: 1
  
  Dragon Warriors
  2
  In From The Cold is a collection of classic 
  articles from the golden age of RPGs, when 
  Dragon Warriors creator Dave Morris was the 
  foremost writer for White Dwarf magazine—so 
  prolific that he used pseudonyms to disguise the 
  sheer volume of his output. This book collects the 
  very best of his articles and adventures from the 
  1980s, fully revised and expanded to fit the rules 
  and world of Dragon Warriors.
  In From The Cold features two major articles 
  and six complete adventures for Dragon Warriors 
  player-characters of all levels, including:
   Dealing with Demons: Demonologists as 
  a playable profession, with complete rules for 
  summoning and binding the inhabitants of the 
  abyss, new spells and rituals, a chapter of new 
  minor demons and rules on using the game’s 
  existing demon races, plus full descriptions of the 
  powerful and terrifying Demon Princes.
   The Unquiet Grave: rules and instructions 
  for giving undead and ghosts the properly 
  chilling effects on PCs that they deserve.
  In From The Cold is a supplement for the Dragon 
  Warriors role-playing game,  designed in the united 
  kingdom and published by Magnum Opus Press. this 
  digital edition is available exclusively from www.
  drivethrurpg.com
  isbn 978-1-906402-14-3.
  Those who forget the past are doomed
   A Box of Old Bones, a fan-favourite scenario, 
  set in Osterlin Abbey where the bones of Saint 
  Giles are attracting unwelcome attention; 
   The Lone and Level Sands, wherein an 
  ancient tomb long buried in the desert proves to 
  have some unexpected contents;
   The Serpent’s Venom, in which a chance 
  remark gives the party an opportunity to beat a 
  band of rivals to a treasure, if they move fast;
   A Ballad of Times Past, an adventure from 
  the history of the Lands of Legend, when magic 
  worked strangely and required powerful patrons;
   Temple of the Lost God, an excursion deep 
  into the Mungodan jungle to search a cursed 
  ancient temple for a frankly bizarre prize; 
   and the classic Key of Tirandor, an epic quest 
  for a forgotten city, a world of dreams and the 
  ultimate power within.
  An essential collection, In From The Cold has 
  something to offer every Dragon Warriors player 
  and GM. The book also features great new art 
  from Jon Hodgson, Steve Dismukes, Gordon 
  Napier and Scott Neil.
  For the latest news on Dragon Warriors and our 
  other rpgs visit www.magnumopuspress.com
  
  1
  By Dave Morris 
  with Oliver Johnson and Mike Polling
  In From        
  The Cold
  Contained in this grimoire of ancient 
  knowledge are quests that will lead 
  those who dare to crumbling temples, 
  labyrinthine tombs, sand-swept pyramids 
  and vast mountain halls. Here are demons 
  and gremlins, ghosts and traitors, the 
  ways and means to reach fabled cities and 
  mayhap escape with your life. Also etched 
  within are words of warning and counsel 
  for those who would follow the demonic 
  arts; tales of how to summon and banish 
  infernals and setting a good price for one’s 
  soul in a bargain with a lord of the Abyss.
  
  Dragon Warriors
  2
  Cover
  Jon Hodgson
  Interior artwork
  Jon Hodgson
  Scott Neil
  Gordon Napier
  Cartography and diagrams
  Steve Dismukes
  Dragon Warriors logo
  Mark Quire
  Written by
  Dave Morris
  with Oliver Johnson and Mike Polling
  Editing, revisions 
  and additional material
  Ian Sturrock
  James Wallis
  Beth Lewis
  Layout & Publishing
  James Wallis
  Beth Lewis
  DRAGON WARRIORS: IN FROM THE COLD
  Digital edition. isbn 978-1-906402-14-3.
  All text is copyright © 1983, 1984, 1986, 2010 by Dave 
  Morris and Oliver Johnson/Mike Polling/Fabled Lands 
  LLC/Magnum Opus Press. All art and maps are copyright © 
  2010 the individual creators. All other elements of design are 
  copyright © 2010 Magnum Opus Press. All rights reserved. 
  Dragon Warriors is a trademark of Fabled Lands LLC, used 
  under licence by Magnum Opus Press. 
  The authors have asserted their moral rights to be identified as 
  the creators of this work.
  Published by Magnum Opus Press. A print edition is available 
  from Mongoose Publishing: stock code MGP 6171; ISBN 
  978-1-907218-94-1.
  Magnum Opus Press
  29a Abbeville Road, London SW4 9LA
  United Kingdom
  hello@magnumopuspress.com
  For more information on the Dragon Warriors game and game-
  world, its creators, forthcoming products for it, and other 
  exciting games and game-related books, visit the Magnum 
  Opus Press website at http://www.magnumopuspress.com
  In From The Cold
  
  3
  CONTENTS
  Introduction  
   
   
  4
  1. Dealing with Demons 
   
  6
   
  The Demonologist profession 
  7
   
  Demonic Familiars  
   
  12
   
  Demonologist spells  
   
  13
  2.  The Lesser Demons 
   
  16
   
  Those demons often summoned 
  16
   
  Additional lesser demons 
   
  20
  3.  The Demon Nobility 
   
  22
   
  The Gifts 
   
   
   
  22
   
  The Nobles  
   
   
  23
  4.  The Lone and Level Sands 
  29
   
  The Tomb Complex  
   
  33
  5.  A Box of Old Bones 
   
  40
   
  The Abbey  
   
   
  42
   
  The Adventure timeline 
   
  44
   
  Dramatis Personae  
   
  46
   
  Epilogue 
   
   
   
  48
  6.  The Unquiet Grave 
   
  51
  7.  The Serpent’s Venom 
   
  55
   
  The journey to the temple 
   
  57
   
  The temple complex  
   
  58
   
  Leaving the temple  
   
  61
  8.  Temple of the Lost God  
  62
   
  The abandoned temple 
   
  64
   
  The pyramid 
   
   
  67
   
  The caverns  
   
   
  68
  9.  A Ballad of Times Past  
  70
   
  The cast 
   
   
   
  78
  10. The Key of Tirandor 
   
  80
   
  Player characters 
   
   
  81
   
  The campaign 
   
   
  84
   
  The mansion of Dorganath  
  86
   
  The Anak stronghold 
   
  90
   
  Inside the city 
   
   
  96
   
  The fortress of dreams 
   
  99
   
  The eight paths of life 
   
  103
  Hand-outs 
   
   
   
  107
  Afterword 
   
   
   
  112
  Maps and diagrams
   
  Demon-summoning flowchart 
  11
   
  The Tomb of Gutheron of Org 
  32
   
  Osterlin Abbey 
   
   
  43
   
  The Temple (Serpent’s Venom) 
  56
   
  Temple of the Lost God 
   
  66
   
  Beorsca 
   
   
   
  72
   
  The Kingdom (Key of Tirandor) 
  85
   
  The House of Dorganath 
   
  87
   
  Anak Stronghold 
   
   
  91
  
  Dragon Warriors
  4
  IN FROM THE COLD is a collection of articles 
  and adventures that originally appeared in the pages 
  of White Dwarf magazine, most of them over the 
  course of a single year: from August 1983 to August 
  1984. This was in the heyday of White Dwarf, the 
  period often referred to as its golden years. Although 
  these articles appeared under a variety of authors’ 
  names including Phil Holmes and Liz Fletcher and 
  were written for RPG systems including AD&D, 
  Runequest and Empire of the Petal Throne, they were 
  all, bar one, the work of Dave Morris, and all display 
  the fantasy sensibility which a year later would reap-
  pear in the first books of the Dragon Warriors series, 
  at the heart of the Lands of Legend.
   
  We’ve converted them from the systems they 
  were originally written for, re-siting them within 
  Legend, and adding new text when the original 
  seemed to have been constrained by the tight word-
  limits of White Dwarf.
  The Articles
  Dealing With Demons (White Dwarf 44, 45 & 46) 
  is rightly regarded as a true classic, one of the defini-
  tive interpretations of demons and how to deal with 
  them in fantasy RPGs. It is an almost perfect fit 
  with Dragon Warriors, slotting alongside the game’s 
  existing hierarchy of infernal creatures. While not 
  ideally suited to being player characters, demonolo-
  gists may become powerful allies, occasional col-
  laborators, or arch-villains of devastating impact. Of 
  course, being able to summon and bind the beings 
  of the abyss potentially gives a character enormous 
  power, and some people have asked what PCs can 
  do to counter that directly. We look forward to 
  answering that question in the near future.
  The Lone and Level Sands (White Dwarf 48) was 
  written as a follow-up to ‘Dealing with Demons’, 
  and features several of the themes and demons 
  from it. It was written by Dave Morris and Oliver 
  Johnson together, and was originally dual-statted 
  for AD&D and Runequest/Questworld, although its 
  Dragon Warriors-ish sensibilities should be obvious 
  from the outset.
  The Key of Tirandor (White Dwarf 49 & 50) is the 
  only piece in this book not written by Dave Mor-
  ris. Instead it was created by Mike Polling, a friend 
  of Dave’s and a regular in his game-group at the 
  time. The adventure was printed with Advanced 
  Dungeons & Dragons stats but had originally been 
  played using a protoype version of the Dragon War-
  riors rules as far back as 1981. Dave describes it as 
  “a seminal influence on Dragon Warriors”, and Mike 
  has agreed to let us include it in this anthology.
  A Ballad of Times Past (White Dwarf 51) was 
  written by Dave Morris under his own name, origi-
  nally for AD&D. While its flavour is unmistakably 
  Dragon Warriors-esque, it needs to redefine some of 
  the rules of magic in order to work as a story—see 
  the Special Notes section below.
  The Serpent’s Venom (White Dwarf 52) was writ-
  ten by Dave under the pseudonym ‘Liz Fletcher’, 
  an irregular alter-ego whose White Dwarf career 
  up to that point had mostly involved doing AD&D 
  conversions of the monsters from ‘Dealing with 
  Demons’. 
  INTRODUCTION
  
  5
  Temple of the Lost God (White Dwarf 54) origi-
  nally appeared as ‘Temple of the Doomed Prince’, an 
  adventure for the Empire of the Petal Throne RPG by 
  ‘Phil Holmes’, another one of Dave’s pseudonyms. 
  The Doomed Prince is a specific deity within the 
  world of Tekumel so we thought it best to change 
  the name and resite the adventure to Mungoda, 
  where it fits extremely well.
  The Unquiet Grave (White Dwarf 55) was Phil 
  Holmes’s second and last contribution to White 
  Dwarf. Originally written for Runequest, it works as 
  a way to make sure that undead retain their super-
  natural chill in your games. As such it’s an excellent 
  fit for Dragon Warriors. 
  A Box of Old Bones (White Dwarf 71) is the excep-
  tion to the introduction above. It originally appeared 
  in November 1985, and was the only Dragon War-
  riors adventure that the magazine ever published. 
  It’s been out of print ever since, though clandestine 
  copies have been circulating among the game’s fans.  
  Not only is its action set in the middle of Baron 
  Aldred’s fief, at the heart of many campaigns—
  Osterlin Abbey is marked on the map on page 219 
  of the Dragon Warriors rulebook—but it also gives 
  important insights into the organisation and work-
  ings of the True Faith, particularly its institutions 
  such as abbeys and monasteries. We’re glad to see it 
  properly back in print at last.
  It must be said that these were not all the articles that 
  Dave Morris wrote for White Dwarf in this time, 
  they are just the ones that have the biggest cross-
  over with Dragon Warriors. In fact the main reason 
  for the existence of Liz Fletcher and Phil Holmes 
  was to disguise quite how much of the magazine’s 
  content he was responsible for each issue—and that 
  despite being a freelancer, not a member of staff. 
  Now at last these pieces have been brought together, 
  carefully re-engineered to fit with Dave and Oliver’s 
  own RPG rules and game-world, and we hope you 
  enjoy the result.
  Special Notes
  Two of the adventures in In from The Cold are set in 
  places that are not established parts of the Lands of 
  Legend. This is intentional.
   
  The two adventures in question are ‘A Ballad of 
  Times Past’ and ‘The Key of Tirandor’. The first is 
  set in Beorsca, a country that is superficially much 
  like the Lands of Legend, particularly the kingdoms 
  of Ellesland, but differs from them in one important 
  aspect relating to magic and spellcasting. ‘The Key 
  of Tirandor’ takes place in a slightly different but 
  equally magic-light land, and is supplied with pre-
  generated characters if you don’t want to bring your 
  regular Dragon Warriors PCs to this place.
   
  There are various ways that you can integrate 
  these strange new lands into your existing version 
  of the Lands of Legend. They could simply be ter-
  rae incognitae, unknown lands—think how little of 
  our world was known to the people of the middle 
  ages. There are any number of ways to get a group 
  of PCs to these new locations, from a demon’s curse 
  or a horribly mis-cast Astral Gate spell to having 
  the characters set out on an epic journey, quest or 
  pilgrimage of thousands of miles across the world, 
  encountering these places along the way (or, in the 
  case of Tirandor, at the end of their quest.) 
   
  ‘A Ballad of Times Past’ could easily take place in 
  the history of Legend. Perhaps the PCs have acti-
  vated an ancient and arcane trap that throws them 
  back through time to the moment the trap itself was 
  set, and only a boon from Talionis will restore them 
  to their proper era. Alternatively you could run it as 
  a one-off, with ancestors of your group’s usual PCs 
  as the adventuring party. An inventive GM could 
  use that to set up all kinds of interesting story-
  threads for characters in the present day... and of 
  course Talionis and Protervus may still be alive.
   
  The solution I personally prefer is for the player-
  characters to be on a sea-voyage and caught in a 
  strange storm that blows them weeks off course, 
  finally stranding them on the distant shores of 
  an unknown country. (Perhaps they previously 
  offended a local weather-spirit, or demon, or fairy 
  lord, or went against a local superstition, or were 
  cursed, or are unlucky.) This could be either Beorsca 
  or Brontir—the two countries could be adjacent, or 
  you could roll them into one—and ‘Key to Tirandor’ 
  could provide the route home; or alternatively the 
  PCs might then have to make their own way home, 
  Oddyssey-like, in an epic journey filled with strange 
  encounters and unknown perils. 
   
  Ultimately, so long as you’re having fun then 
  however you play Dragon Warriors is the right way.
       –James Wallis
  introDuction
  
  Dragon Warriors
  6
  Demon Magic
  TO THE SUPERSTITIOUS, a demon is any 
  obviously powerful supernatural being. In the pre-
  cise sense, however, a demon is a being which usu-
  ally abides in Hell, but which is capable of acquiring 
  a physical presence in the lands of Legend. 
   
  It is fairly well known among those with more 
  than a passing understanding of the subject that 
  the demonic hierarchy consists of sundry demon 
  races ruled by ascending ranks of nobility up to the 
  demon princes, each of whom may reign over sev-
  eral different planes of existence. 
   
  The categorization, study, and control of the 
  many demonic types is the area of expertise of the 
  demonologist, a sorcerer who specialises in sum-
  moning, binding, and bargaining with demons.
  Becoming a Demonologist
  You cannot just walk into a college and enrol in 
  demon magic classes, obviously. Demonologists 
  tend to be scarce and reclusive for several very 
  good reasons. One is the fact that they occasion-
  ally indulge in human sacrifice and other odious 
  practices. Another is the very high risk taken by the 
  habitual summoner. Most telling of all, the clergy 
  consider demonology synonymous with demon 
  worship, a threat to their own authority, and so the 
  practice is universally frowned upon if not actually 
  outlawed.
   
  How then is a character to learn the demonic 
  arts? There are two ways: either collect the rare 
  books and study them; or else seek out one of the 
  few reclusive Masters of this dark art and convince 
  him that he needs an apprentice. 
   
  Any sorcerer of up to 4th rank may switch pro-
  fessions and become a demonologist, as long as has 
  access to such a book or Master (and either should 
  be extremely difficult to get access to in-game). In 
  most regions where the True Faith holds sway, even 
  sorcerers and elementalists are viewed with suspi-
  cion verging on outright hostility. A demonologist 
  will be the target of every right-thinking person. 
  Potential teachers of the art will be highly reluctant 
  to reveal their profession to anyone, let alone to take 
  on apprentices. Books on demonology are scarce in 
  the extreme, and very much in demand, more by 
  those who want to see them destroyed than those 
  who want to study them.
   
  The GM should carefully consider whether 
  to allow player-character demonologists at all. If 
  they’re to be permitted, it makes sense to give sor-
  cerers who are interested in learning demonology a 
  chance to find a teacher or book, somewhere around 
  3rd or 4th Rank, though such a chance will involve 
  an epic adventure in its own right. The sorcerer may 
  need to steal a tome from the well-guarded library 
  of a more powerful mage or a branch of the True 
  Faith that specialises in combating the occult. Any 
  prospective teacher will first need to be found, then 
  Chapter 1
  DEALING WITH 
  DEMONS
  
  7
  persuaded that the sorcerer is a genuine seeker after 
  dark wisdom, rather than a spy for a hostile Church, 
  and finally convinced that it is in her best interests 
  to take on a new apprentice.
   
  Once the would-be demonologist has found a 
  book or willing teacher, it will take two months of 
  game-time for him to switch professions from sor-
  cerer to demonologist. During this time, he retains 
  his existing sorcerous powers, but does not yet have 
  access to demonologist powers.
  The Demonologist Profession
  A demonologist has access to first-level, second-
  level, third-level and fourth-level sorcerer spells 
  exactly as does a sorcerer of the same rank. How-
  ever, after 4th rank, the demonologist gains no new 
  sorcerer spells, and fewer new magic points, as fol-
  lows:
  Demonologist Magic Points
  Demonologist’s rank  
   
  Magic Points
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  usable per day
   
  1st  
   
    
   
   
    
  4
   
  2nd  
   
     
   
   
   
  8
   
  3rd  
   
   
   
   
   
  12
   
  4th  
   
   
   
   
   
  15
   
  5th  
   
   
   
   
   
  18
   
  6th  
   
   
   
   
   
  21
   
  7th  
   
   
   
   
   
  24
   
  8th  
   
   
   
   
   
  27
   
  9th  
   
   
   
   
   
  30
   
  10th 
   
   
   
   
   
  33
   
  (and + 3 MPs per rank thereafter)
  Demonologist Character Advancement
  +1  to both attack and defence when the character 
  reaches 4th rank, then +1 at 7th rank, +1 at 10th rank.
  +1 to the character’s Health Points score when he reaches 
  2nd rank, 4th rank, 6th rank, etc.
  +1 to both magical attack and magical defence each 
  time the character increases in rank.
  +1 to evasion on reaching 5th rank, then another +1 on 
  reaching 9th rank.
  +1 to the character’s stealth and perception on 
  reaching 4th rank, then another +1 on reaching 7th 
  rank, and a further +1 on reaching 10th rank.
  Demonic Specialism
  A demonologist is particularly effective at magi-
  cally attacking and defending against demons. He 
  gets a +1 bonus to magical defence and magi-
  cal attack against all Infernal Creatures from the 
  Dragon Warriors Bestiary (pp 67–73), all the demons 
  in this book, and any other creatures that the GM 
  logically decides are demonic in nature (that is, 
  summoned from Hell). This bonus increases to +3 
  at 7th level, and to +5 at 12th level.
  Demonology
  A demonologist is an expert in demonic lore. 
  Demonology is a chancy, inexact science, full of 
  rumour and myth, and so the demonologist can 
  never be entirely sure his information is accurate. A 
  demonologist has a Demonology Skill equal to his 
  Rank, with bonuses or penalties dependent on his 
  Intelligence, as follows:
  Intelligence      
   
   
   
  Demonology Skill
   
  3-5  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  -2  
   
   
   
  6-8  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  -1
   
  9-12   
   
   
   
    
   
  No effect 
   
  13-15   
   
   
   
   
   
  +1
   
  16-18  
   
   
   
   
   
  +2
    
  To the demonologist, knowledge is most definitely 
  power. Any novice demonologist will know the 
  names and general skills of common demons such as 
  those listed here, but their exact strengths and vul-
  nerabilities can only be found out through exhaus-
  tive study and calculation. For example, a 4th-level 
  demonologist would know that B’krath are stealth-
  ful killers who operate to best effect in shadow—but 
  it is hardly common knowledge that these demons 
  do not barter, and will only serve in exchange for a 
  precise quantity of gold.
   
  Demonology rolls are usually made by the GM 
  on the character’s behalf, so that the character can 
  never be entirely sure that his information about a 
  demon is correct until he has actually tested it out. 
  Information is broken down for convenience into 
  five categories:
  1. The demon’s full game statistics. A successful 
  Demonology roll means that each ability is known to 
  within ±25% (randomly determined by the GM).
  2. Special wards against the demon, if any.
  3. The demon’s probable requirements in bargaining.
  4. The demon’s bonus to magical defence against 
  Summoning. A successful Demonology roll lets the 
  character know this to within ±2.
  5. The demon’s bonus to magical defence against 
  Binding. A successful Demonology roll lets the 
  character know this to within ±2.
  Dealing With Demons
  
  Dragon Warriors
  8
  Characters trying to discover these facts for a partic-
  ular type of demon check for them after every 2–20 
  days (roll 2 d10). This represents the time taken in 
  research and meditation. The check is made for each 
  of the five information categories separately. In each 
  case, if the GM makes the character’s demonology 
  roll, then he gives the character the correct informa-
  tion—within the limits given above. On a roll of 20, 
  the GM gives the character completely erroneous 
  information. Any other result on the Demonology 
  roll simply means that the character has turned up 
  nothing useful and will need to spend another 2-20 
  days in study.
   
  A character might want to double-check his 
  results: he can go on devoting study time to a demon 
  as long as he wants. 
  Example
  Hajpool the Wary is a student with a Demonology skill 
  of 6, trying to find out about Storm Demons. Hajpool’s 
  master has told him most of what he wants to know, 
  but insists that as an exercise he determines for himself 
  any wards that can be used. After his first study period, 
  Hajpool is informed by the GM (correctly, because a 5 
  was rolled) that the appropriate ward is a fence of sharp 
  copper rods around the perimeter of the pentacle. Want-
  ing to make sure, Hajpool spends another 2-20 days in 
  his master’s library. This time he turns up no further 
  information. After six more study periods Hajpool has 
  twice been told that copper rods are the proper warding, 
  four times drawn a blank, once been told to use garlic 
  and once that the proper ward is a gold Life Rune. He 
  realises that the last two must be incorrect results from 
  rolls of 20, and that the two answers which agree are 
  almost certainly the right answer.
  Note that Demonology requires an extensive library 
  of books on demonology to be fully effective. The 
  demonologist should be constantly seeking out new 
  and rare works on the subject; if he does not, the 
  GM should consider not increasing his Demonol-
  ogy skill when he goes up a rank. Likewise, a demo-
  nologist without his full library (for example, out on 
  an adventure, with only a couple of his most valued 
  books in a backpack) has a temporary –2 penalty to 
  his Demonology skill. 
  
  9
  The Pentacle of Protection
  In case a demon turns out to be hostile, the Pentacle 
  of Protection is a useful defence for the demonolo-
  gist. The Pentacle must be drawn out with various 
  substances on some hard surface around the demo-
  nologist. This takes several minutes and so must be 
  prepared before the Ritual of Summoning is begun. 
  When the Pentacle is complete, the demonologist 
  expends one Magic Point, thus activating it for the 
  next hour. So long as another MP is cast into the 
  design before the hour has passed it will remain 
  active. Once the Pentacle’s power is allowed to lapse, 
  the design smoulders away into fine ash.
   
  A hostile demon cannot cast spells into nor 
  enter an active Pentacle. Neither can it use sum-
  moned minions of its own to attack the summoner. 
  There are minor design differences between Pen-
  tacles according to the type of demon the Pentacle 
  is intended to ward against. If the wrong demon 
  materializes, the Pentacle is useless.
   
  Any demonologist of 4th Rank or higher may 
  draw a Pentacle.
   
  Once drawn, a Pentacle has a magical defence 
  score of its own, equal to that of the demonolo-
  gist, against the demon type chosen. A demon may 
  attempt to cross it. If the demon overcomes the 
  Pentacle’s magical defence, there must have been 
  some minor error in the design, and the Pentacle is 
  useless. If the demon fails to overcome the Penta-
  cle’s magical defence, that particular Pentacle will 
  always repel that demon type, so long as the caster 
  continues to expend a MP each hour.
   
  Remember that the demonologist won’t know 
  whether he has drawn out the Pentacle correctly 
  until a hostile demon tries to violate it. Also, one 
  Pentacle cannot be drawn inside another, so char-
  acters cannot ‘double their insurance’ that way. 
  Pentacles are not the demonologist’s last line of 
  defence, by any means. Common sense and experi-
  ence can provide a beleaguered demonologist with 
  further wards (special herbs, words and spells that 
  the demon will retreat from, etc.) to slow an enemy 
  demon’s attack until it can be dispelled.
  The Ritual of Summoning
  Obviously, summoning is the form of magic most 
  people would think of in connection with demon-
  ology. The Ritual of Summoning is known to any 
  demonologist of 4th rank or higher.
   
  The Ritual of Summoning takes fifteen minutes 
  to perform and requires several rare components 
  such as incense, chalks, paints and certain powders 
  and distillations. These components are used up in 
  the Ritual and must be prepared for each summon-
  ing, at a cost of 2d4 × 10F. As the demonologist 
  completes the incantations he makes a magical 
  attack roll against the demon’s magical defence 
  to see if it appears. If he rolls exactly 20, some other 
  demon than the one intended will appear.
   
  Bringing the demon into being causes a ter-
  rible drain on the demonologist’s life force. At 
  the moment of completing the Ritual he loses ld3 
  points from his Strength score, later recovering at 
  the rate of one point per week. Once the demon has 
  been evoked, it remains on this plane of existence 
  for 1-4 hours and then fades back to its own world. 
  Only the Ritual of Binding (see page 13) will pre-
  vent this.
   
  Simply evoking a demon does not give the 
  demonologist any control over it, and if he does not 
  use the Ritual of Binding he will have to bargain for 
  its services. In this case, the GM should treat the 
  demon like any other NPC, though bearing in mind 
  its demonic nature, of course. It could be hostile to 
  the demonologist, or it could take an immediate lik-
  ing to him, or any reaction between. Ideally the GM 
  should prepare a few notes about the demon’s per-
  sonality and quirks in advance, but if this is impos-
  sible, either come up with a response on the fly, or 
  roll 1d10 on the Demon Response Table.
  Hajpool the Wary finished 
  laying out his third row of 
  copper rods. ‘No Storm Demon’s 
  going to heatshock me!’ he 
  exclaimed. His master paused 
  in mid-ritual, and turned 
  incredulously to his apprentice. 
  ‘But we’re summoning 
  a B’krath, you idiot!’, he 
  screamed.
  Dealing With Demons
  
  Dragon Warriors
  10
  Demon Response Table
  Roll 
  Response
  1   
  Aggressive and hostile; will attack immediately.
  2-4  
  Antipathetic; will need a lot of convincing to do 
   
   
  anything other than attack.
  5-9  
  Surly; may serve, if offered a good deal.
  10   
  Friendly.
  Note that some demons may have different Response 
  Tables; if so, new tables are listed in their entries.
   
  A demon which takes an active dislike to its 
  demonologist will attempt to kill him; if thwarted 
  in this (by a Pentacle of Protection, for example, or 
  if the demonologist is obviously too powerful) it will 
  depart. An antipathetic or surly response indicates 
  that the demon may be willing to serve, but may 
  drive a hard bargain; if offered significantly less than 
  it would normally expect, it may become enraged 
  and attack, or simply depart. A friendly demon will 
  probably settle for a deal close to the demonologist’s 
  first offer, as long as this is not wildly short of its 
  expectations. The GM should take the demon’s role 
  and haggle.
   
  Once the deal has been agreed and the demon 
  has received its payment, the demonologist must say, 
  ‘Here then are my wishes...’ and go on to describe 
  the service he wants the demon to perform. This 
  must be concisely and carefully worded. Demons 
  are adept at twisting the meaning of a casual phrase 
  and at following the letter of an agreement in order 
  to discommode their summoner. 
   
  The demon will then embark on the task set 
  and continue until it has done what was asked of it 
  or until the time limit on its summoning runs out 
  whichever comes first. Demons are typically quite 
  happy to undertake suicidal missions, because the 
  destruction of their physical form only returns them 
  prematurely to their own plane. If the demon’s spirit 
  or freedom of action is endangered, however, it will 
  become considerably less enthusiastic about com-
  pleting the task set. If it voluntarily backs out of an 
  agreement, the demon must return 90% of its pay-
  ment to the summoner.
   
  The lesser demons are usually called upon to kill, 
  spy or steal in their evocator’s service. Although the 
  demons may have special skills which make them 
  excellent for such activities, it is after all much the 
  same sort of thing for which common thugs or mer-
  cenaries might be hired. Demon lords and princes 
  will not stoop to menial annihilations and the like, 
  but may be persuaded to use their grand supernatural 
  forces sometimes to the summoner’s lasting benefit. 
  The demonic Lord Kesh, for example, can teach a 
  character to brew venoms and acids. The exact ser-
  vices available from the various demons, and the 
  payments they might ask in return, are described in 
  the next two chapters.
  Banishing a Demon
  For a number of reasons the summoner of a demon 
  may want to banish it before it would normally fade 
  from this plane of reality. Banishment requires the 
  demonologist to chant a mystic phrase; this takes 
  five Combat Rounds (30 seconds), during which 
  time he can defend himself, but not attack or cast 
  spells. When the chant is completed, the summoner 
  makes a magical attack roll against the demon’s 
  magical defence to see if his attempt is success-
  ful-if so, the demon immediately vanishes.  
   
  Only one attempt at banishment can be made—
  if that fails, other means must be used to destroy the 
  demon.
   
  A demonologist will also be able to use banish-
  ment against a demon summoned by someone else, 
  but will have a penalty of –2 on the roll. As before, 
  the character has only one chance to make the ban-
  ish roll.
   
  There is no Magic Point expenditure to banish a 
  demon.
  The Pact of the Dark Companion
  After successfully bargaining with a demon its sum-
  moner can, instead of requesting a service, offer the 
  Pact of the Dark Companion. This applies only to 
  lesser demons—demon lords will not even consider 
  making the Pact with any except the mightiest 
  human heroes.
   
  For the demon to accept, the GM must have 
  decided the demon is very well-disposed towards 
  the character, or have rolled a Friendly reaction on 
  the demon response table. The Pact is then sealed in 
  any of several revolting ways, the result of which is 
  that the evocator gives the demon some of his own 
  life and soul; his Magic Points and Health Points 
  both drop permanently by 1 point. After sealing the 
  Pact, the demonologist receives the demon’s mark 
  and the creature departs.
   
  Thereafter, the demonologist can call on his 
  Dark Companion at any time. The normal sum-
  moning procedure is unnecessary. There is a 20% 
  chance each round of calling the demon’s name that 
  
  11
  Dealing With Demons
  
  Dragon Warriors
  12
   
  Demonic Familiars
  At 6th level, a demonologist can bind a sum-
  moned demonic spirit into a small, previously 
  ordinary animal, turning it into a demonic 
  familiar. The following animals from the Dragon 
  Warriors Bestiary are suitable: bat, dog (hunting), 
  snake (python), and spider (tarantula). Alterna-
  tively a cat, toad, raven, or ferret may be used.
   
  A familiar retains the basic game statistics of 
  the original animal, but thereafter it increases its 
  attack, defence, magical defence, health points, 
  evasion, stealth, and perception at the same rate 
  as its master increases his own.
   
  The familiar can understand the same lan-
  guages as the demonologist, and can reply, if close 
  by, in whispers only he can hear. The demonic 
  spirit within it makes it about as clever as the 
  average human (Intelligence 10), so it can recog-
  nise specific people, understand motivation, and 
  so on, making it an excellent spy.
   
  It must be fed nightly on human blood (1d3 
  Health Points’ worth), either the demonologist’s, 
  or another’s. If unfed, it will lose 1 Health Point per 
  night. Demonologists who regularly feed familiars 
  this way will grow an extra nipple for the task.
   
  Familiars generally stay close to their human 
  masters, and smaller ones may live in their clothes. 
  They will do their masters’ bidding to the best of 
  their ability but on their own terms—they will 
  not twist their master’s wishes like their greater 
  demonic brethren, but neither are they com-
  pletely under their master’s control.
   
  Though largely loyal to their demonologist 
  masters, most familiars have other masters too, 
  within the demonic hierarchy—ultimately, each 
  one will be under the command of a Demon 
  Prince (see chapter 3), intending someday to 
  persuade its more human master to summon that 
  prince and agree to some form of service (pref-
  erably a Greater Gift). Much of the content of 
  the familiar’s whispers to the demonologist will 
  probably be suggestions of evil acts that he might 
  do, as the familiar’s ambitions for advancement 
  are best served by encouraging the demonologist 
  down his own fell path.
   
  If a familiar is killed, its master the demonolo-
  gist immediately loses as many Health Points as 
  the familiar had at full health. He also perma-
  nently loses 1 Magic Point.
  Cat
  Attack 11, Bite (d3, 1) 
   
  Armour Factor 0
  Defence 9  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 12m (25m)
  Magical Attack – 
   
   
  Evasion 6
  Magical Defence 3  
   
  Stealth 19
  Reflexes 17  
   
   
   
   
  Perception 15 (elfsight)
  Health Points 1
  Rank-equivalent 1st
  Domestic and feral cats are similar in game terms, with
  neither posing a significant threat to humans, at least in
  their natural states.
  Ferret
  Attack 12, Bite (d3, 2) 
   
  Armour Factor 0
  Defence 8  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 12m (25m)
  Magical Attack – 
   
   
  Evasion 6
  Magical Defence 2  
   
  Stealth 18
  Reflexes 17  
   
   
   
   
  Perception 14 (elfsight)
  Health Points 1
  Rank-equivalent 1st
  Ferrets are small predators, particularly effective in tunnels. 
  They are able to squeeze through the tiniest of gaps with 
  no loss of speed. 
  Raven
  Attack 10, Bite (d3, 1) 
  Armour Factor 0
  Defence 9  
   
   
   
  Movement 5m (flying―25m)
  Magical Attack – 
   
  Evasion 6
  Magical Defence 2  
  Stealth 15
  Reflexes 15  
   
   
   
  Perception 15
  Health Points 1
  Rank-equivalent 1st
  Ravens are carrion birds, larger and more aggressive 
  than crows.
  Toad
  Attack  –  
   
   
   
  Armour Factor 0
  Defence 9  
   
   
   
  Movement 5m
  Magical Attack – 
   
  Evasion 5
  Magical Defence 3  
  Stealth 20
  Reflexes 13  
   
   
   
  Perception 10
  Health Points 1
  Rank-equivalent 1st
  Toads are rarely seen by humans, being small in size & 
  naturally camouflaged. They have the reputation of 
  being connected with devils and demons, due to their 
  baleful appearance and foul-smelling exudations.
  
  13
  it will hear and come to aid him. It will always serve 
  to the best of its abilities, but cannot remain on this 
  plane for a total of more than twenty-one Combat 
  Rounds in a single day. If slain, it vanishes and can-
  not rematerialize that day.
   
  The Dark Companion must slay at least one 
  sentient being each month, as it feeds on the release 
  of life-energy. If this is prevented it will end the 
  Pact and then seek to slay the demonologist before 
  returning to its own world forever. The demonolo-
  gist can thus force a conclusion to the Pact by with-
  holding victims. Other methods are to try banish-
  ing the demon or else to destroy it with the Curse of 
  Asterion (see p. 15).
   
  A character can have only one Pact operating at 
  any given time. A demonologist learns the Pact of 
  the Dark Companion at 7th Rank.
  Demonologist Spells
  5th level 
  The Ritual of Binding
  Binding eliminates the necessity of bargaining with 
  a demon but it has its drawbacks in that attempting 
  to bind a demon without its consent will certainly 
  enrage it.
   
  Match the caster’s magical attack with the 
  target demon’s magical defence. If the character 
  succeeds then the demon is bound in his service. 
  Instead of vanishing after a few hours, it remains on 
  this plane until killed or banished. A bound demon 
  cannot directly harm the one who bound it, nor 
  can it deliberately kill itself in order to escape from 
  this plane. The binder can give it one command of 
  up to thirteen words, and the demon will obey this 
  command literally. Commands such as ‘Obey all my 
  future commands’ or ‘Serve me loyally’ are not effec-
  tive, and immediately free the demon if tried. That 
  is, the command must specify particular services 
  and actions rather than establishing conditions or 
  attitudes for future behaviour.
   
  A character cannot have more than seven 
  demons bound on this plane at one time; if he tries 
  to bind an eighth, all are freed.
   
  Some demons have a special resistance to bind-
  13
  ing, which increases their magical defence solely 
  against this spell.
   
  Binding can in some cases be to the demon’s 
  advantage. It may want permanent residence on 
  this plane. Demon lords invariably desire to return 
  to their realms as soon as possible, but some of the 
  lesser demons lead a difficult existence in their own 
  world and would prefer being bound to this plane. 
  The problem is one of trust—there is nothing to 
  prevent a summoner from agreeing to bind a demon 
  ‘as a favour’ and then giving it any order he likes. 
  There is thus only about a 1% chance of a demon 
  asking to be bound—if you then actually keep your 
  word and bind it without giving it a command, you 
  will have that demon’s eternal gratitude.
  6th level
  Possession by Eldyr
  Range: 1m
  Duration: Spell Expiry Roll applies
  The possession spells are a group of enchantments 
  for possessing people (usually the caster’s compan-
  ions) with the spirit-essence of a demon lord. The 
  demon is not summoned by the spell. 
   
  Unlike most normal spells, Possession by Eldyr 
  takes five Combat Rounds to cast. 
   
  To cast the Possession by Eldyr spell one must 
  also have the talisman appropriate to the demon 
  lord invoked—this may be a mask, wand, bell, gong, 
  censer or one of several other items. The caster must 
  prepare talismans for any demon lords he wishes to 
  invoke, at a construction cost of 3d6F each. Alter-
  natively, he can buy or otherwise obtain talismans 
  prepared by another demonologist. The character 
  must make a Demonology roll to see whether he has 
  properly prepared a particular demonic talisman—a 
  Possession by Eldyr spell will always fail (still with an 
  expenditure of Magic Points) if the talisman used is 
  defective.
   
  Up to three people are affected by a single casting 
  of Possession by Eldyr. To be affected they must be 
  conscious but passive—the spell cannot be applied 
  to a character in combat. Possession can be directed 
  at subdued or magically charmed enemies of the 
  caster, but he must match his magical attack 
  against their magical defence for the spell to 
  take effect. Also, Possession by Eldyr does not give 
  the caster control over the spell’s recipients—the 
  Dealing With Demons
  
  Dragon Warriors
  14
  14
  possessed characters retain their own normal aims 
  and motives. However, they cannot under any cir-
  cumstances harm the caster so long as he carries the 
  proper talisman.
   
  Note that two different Possession by... spells 
  cannot be combined. Possessed characters are also 
  unaffected by the following spells: Enslave, Enthrall, 
  and Pacify.
   
  The possessed characters have magically charm-
  ing voices and demeanours. Any characters of 3rd 
  rank or below who listen to them speak for one 
  Combat Round or more will be affected by the pos-
  sessed characters as though they had cast a Com-
  mand spell (see the Dragon Warriors rulebook, p. 
  82). Looks scores are raised to 19.
  Possession by Kesh 
  As per Possession by Eldyr, except the following 
  applies instead of the final paragraph:
   
  The possessed characters have an aura of terror 
  about them. If anyone attempts to come within 5m 
  of one of them, he pits his magical attack against 
  the magical defence of the approacher. If he suc-
  ceeds, the possessed character is so terrifying that 
  the victim may not approach any closer, and may 
  not attack the possessed character by any means.
  7th level
  Possession by Tsienra
  As per Possession by Eldyr, except the following 
  applies instead of the final paragraph:
   
  The possessed characters gain +2 to attack and 
  +1 to defence, and have their Reflexes scores raised 
  to 19.
  Possession by Kojuro
  As per Possession by Eldyr, except the following 
  applies instead of the final paragraph:
   
  The possessed characters gain +2 to attack and 
  +2 to defence, and gain a +1 bonus to damage and 
  to all armour bypass rolls in mêlée combat.
  8th level
  Possession by Akresh
  As per Possession by Eldyr, except the following 
  applies instead of the final paragraph:
   
  The possessed characters gain +2 to defence, a 
  +1 bonus to any armour worn (or natural armour 2 if 
  no armour is worn) and an increase of +2d6 Health 
  Points. Damage is removed from the bonus Health 
  Points first.
  Possession by Hragahl 
  As per Possession by Eldyr, except the following 
  applies instead of the final paragraph:
   
  The possessed characters gain +2 to magical 
  attack and +2 to magical defence, and have 
  their Psychic Talent scores raised to 19.
  9th level
  Possession by Engala
  As per Possession by Eldyr, except the following 
  applies instead of the final paragraph:
   
  The possessed characters have their Strength 
  scores raised to 19, and gain an increase of +3d6 
  Health Points. Damage is removed from the bonus 
  Health Points first.
  Possession by Sarasathsa
  As per Possession by Eldyr, except the following 
  applies instead of the final paragraph:
   
  The possessed characters gain +6 to magical 
  defence, are immune to Fright Attacks, and have 
  their Intelligence scores raised to 19.
   
  Sarasatha’s possession is double-edged, in that 
  the recipient could become sunk into lethargy and 
  pensive introspection (roll Psychic Talent or less on 
  2d10 when coming out of possession to avoid this). 
  A lethargic character will be unwilling to take any 
  action that involves effort. He may attempt another 
  Psychic Talent roll after every hour of lethargy to 
  throw off the effects.
  10th level
  Possession by Kyrax 
  As per Possession by Eldyr, except the following 
  applies instead of the final paragraph:
   
  The possessed characters gain +4 to stealth 
  and perception.
  Possession by Umalu 
  As per Possession by Eldyr, except the following 
  applies instead of the final paragraph:
   
  Roll 1d20 for each possessed character:
  1 
  Grows 2 extra arms; may wield either two, two-handed 
  weapons, or two shields and two one-handed weapons, 
  attacking or defending with all (this will allow a 
  character to make 2 attacks, and potentially attempt 2 
  
  15
  shield parries, per combat round).
  2 
  Thick, armoured plates all over. The character gains 
  an Armour Factor of 6 (not cumulative with other 
  armour). Furthermore, any attack that does penetrate 
  his armour does 1 point less damage than usual.
  3 
  Catlike quickness. The character’s Reflexes increases 
  to 19, his movement is increased by half as much 
  again, his evasion increases by +2 and his attack and 
  defence increase by +2.
  4 
  Venomed claws, horns, or other natural weapons. The 
  character may make an unarmed attack that is d10, 5, 
  and inflicts a strong poison attack on the target.
  5 
  Huge pincers, or club-like arm, or similar. The 
  character may make a d12, 7 unarmed attack.
  6 
  Terrifying appearance. The character gains a Gaze 
  Attack (Dragon Warriors rulebook, p. 123). He 
  matches his magical attack against the targets’ 
  magical defence. If he succeeds, they are paralysed 
  with terror for 1d6 Combat Rounds, unable to move 
  or perform any actions.
  7 
  Wings. The character’s movement doubles, and he 
  may fly, with all that that entails.
  8 
  Chameleonic skin. The character’s stealth increases 
  by +6, and defence by +4.
  9 
  Flaming flesh. Anyone who is in mêlée combat with 
  the character suffers an automatic hit each combat 
  round, with d6 armour penetration and doing 4 
  damage.
  10 Flaming breath. The character may breathe flame 
  each round, with a range of 20m, doing 5d6 damage 
  to anyone who cannot evade its speed of 15 (armour 
  worn reduces the damage by 2, regardless of type).
  11 Acid blood. Anyone who successfully wounds the 
  character in mêlée combat must dodge a speed 16 
  attack, or suffer 6d6 damage (armour does not offer 
  any protection, and indeed has a 25% chance of being 
  melted and rendered useless).
  12 Death touch. The character’s right hand becomes cold 
  and lifeless, imbued with necromantic energy. If he 
  manages to touch an opponent in combat (normal 
  attack versus defence roll applies), the victim suffers 
  1d6 damage (armour does not protect) and must roll 
  equal to or less than his Strength on 2d10 or die on 
  the spot.
  13 Living shadow. The character becomes immune to 
  damage from non-magical weapons, which simply pass 
  through him without harm. His own attacks ignore 
  non-magical armour.
  14 Giantism. The character’s Strength increases to 19, 
  and he gains an increase of +5d6 Health Points. 
  Damage is removed from the bonus Health Points 
  first.
  15 Webbed feet, withered legs, or tentacles instead of 
  legs; movement is halved, and the character has a –2 
  penalty to stealth. 
  16 One arm (determined randomly) withers away, or is 
  replaced by a non-functional claw or other appendage. 
  The character may not use a shield or 2-handed 
  weapon.
  17 The character’s sight is interfered with, perhaps with 
  the eyes being replaced with insectoid eyes, or perhaps 
  with a flap of skin hanging over them. –2 penalty to 
  perception, defence, and attack.
  18 The character’s whole face is hideously warped and 
  disfigured. Looks score is reduced to 1.
  19 The character’s bones become brittle and thin; all 
  damage he suffers in combat is increased by +1.
  20 The character’s brain becomes soft and mushy, or is 
  exposed to the air by part of the skull drawing back to 
  reveal it. His Intelligence and Psychic Talent scores are 
  each reduced by –6 (to a minimum of 1).
  10th level
  The Curse of Asterion
  Also called the Curse of Binding Energy, this is a 
  technique for dispelling a particular demon for all 
  time. It is usable only once in a character’s lifetime 
  (for reasons which will become obvious), and in fact 
  only two cases of its use are recorded—once when 
  the noble Asterion employed it to save his daughter’s 
  life, the other when the lunatic mage Athat turned 
  it against a demon lord in a moment of arrogant 
  pique. 
   
  A fairly short phrase, the Curse is only effective 
  if the character follows through the complex logical 
  arguments associated with it as he speaks the words 
  of the Curse; this is represented by the demonolo-
  gist rolling under his Intelligence score on three six-
  sided dice. 
   
  The procedure is as follows: the character must 
  touch and grapple with the demon (represented by 
  a successful attack against its defence) as he (or 
  she) activates the Curse of Asterion. If successful, 
  both the demon and the character disappear forever 
  from this world. Are they both disintegrated by the 
  power of the magic? Or transported to a dimension 
  of their own where they battle on together through-
  out Eternity? The truth is unknowable.
  Dealing With Demons
  
  Dragon Warriors
  16
  THE FOLLOWING SECTION presents the 
  lesser demon races and their abilities and weak-
  nesses, the ways in which they should be dealt with 
  and the ‘benefits’ they can give the summoner. 
   
  It is a rash student of demonic magic who expects 
  to start his career by summoning the great demon 
  lords and princes. Such a career would be short-lived. 
  It is best to begin with lesser demons, even though 
  their services are scant beside their masters’ powers.
  Those Demons Often 
  Summoned
  In the descriptions below, the first paragraph is 
  general information about the demon that any 
  demonologist would know or that could be found 
  in some demon bestiary or other work of reference 
  on the subject. The second paragraph is specialized 
  information that can only be discovered through the 
  right Demonology roll.
  B’krath
  B’krath are slender, prowling killers—roughly 
  humanoid in appearance but with musculature and 
  stance reminiscent of a jaguar. The jet-black fur of 
  a B’krath makes it particularly adept at stalking in 
  shadows (its defence and stealth abilities are 
  halved in bright light). B’krath fight with their long 
  powerful talons and needle-sharp teeth.
   
  Specialized knowledge: B’krath when sum-
  moned always appear in groups of three. The sum-
  moner thus temporarily loses 3d3 points of Strength! 
  The three B’krath are identical in their character-
  istics, reaction to the summoner, etc., and are in 
  permanent mental rapport (a telepathic mind-link) 
  with one another so that they hunt and fight as a 
  team. B’krath will not haggle over payment for their 
  services—indeed, they never communicate with 
  humans except to receive their instructions. B’krath 
  will undertake only assassinations, and must be paid 
  3,000F-worth of gold dust for this.
  B’krath
  attack 23, claws (d10, 6)  
  Armour Factor 4
  defence 12 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 15m (30m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 9
  magical defence 11  
   
  stealth 23
  Reflexes 16  
   
   
   
   
  perception 14 (darksight)
  Health Points 2d6+20
  Rank-equivalent: 8th
  magical defence bonuses: +3 vs Summoning; +2 vs 
  Binding.
  Porphyrs
  Vampiric blue-skinned demons, porphyrs are very 
  tall and gaunt and have all the normal powers of a 
  Dragon Warriors vampire (see the Bestiary, p. 84). 
  They have bald, veined heads, eyes of limpid yellow 
  and long seemingly delicate nails. Over its robes a 
  Porphyr will wear a silver cuirass with intricate 
  designs worked upon it.
  Chapter 2
  THE LESSER 
  DEMONS
  
  17
   
  Specialized knowledge: Porphyrs have all the 
  vulnerabilities of a vampire. They have great diffi-
  culty controlling their passionate thirst. Fresh garlic 
  flowers are even more effective against a Porphyr 
  than against regular vampires, causing it a –2 pen-
  alty to its attack for 2d6 rounds against any char-
  acter so protected. The Porphyr will demand at least 
  one sentient living creature as payment. From this 
  it will drain all blood, destroying it. Porphyrs can 
  be as varied in game statistics as human vampires, 
  but most will be equivalent to barbarians of around 
  6th-8th rank.
  magical defence bonuses: +2 vs summoning; +3 vs 
  binding.
  Amorphs
  An Amorph is an oozing blob of grey-mauve pro-
  toplasm, full of eyes and chattering mouths. It will 
  occasionally extrude temporary appendages.
   
  Specialized knowledge: Amorphs are best used 
  as guards in dank places or assassins where there are 
  moats and rivers to be crossed, as they travel freely 
  through water. Fire causes an Amorph 50% extra 
  damage (round up). Amorphs take 2d6 damage if 
  they cross a line of eucalyptus oil, so this makes an 
  excellent warding material. 
   
  Amorphs serve in exchange for a pint of snake 
  venom, on which they feed.
  Amorph
  attack 19, appendage  
   
  Armour Factor 3
  (2d6, 8)
  defence 13 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 5m 
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 2
  magical defence 12  
   
  stealth 17
  Reflexes 11  
   
   
   
   
  perception 16 (panoptical)
  Health Points 2d6+30
  Rank-equivalent: 7th
  magical defence bonuses: +1 vs summoning; +1 vs 
  binding.
  Qarînah
  These are demons of carnality. In their natural form 
  they are bat-winged, tall, evil yet beautiful human-
  oids, with fangs and talons. They can appear to vic-
  tims as human beings of perfect beauty. They then 
  match their magical attack against the victim’s 
  magical defence. Success means that the victim 
  succumbs to seduction.
   
  Specialized knowledge: What makes these 
  demons particularly hazardous to summon is the fact 
  that, if hostile, they may turn their charms against the 
  demonologist and convince him to leave his Pentacle 
  of Protection. The demonologist should thus chain 
  himself (or herself) within the Pentacle’s bounds 
  and have some trusted servant take the keys. Wear-
  ing a silver ankle chain gives the demonologist a +3 
  bonus to his magical defence against the charms 
  of a Qarînah. Another defence is to drink the juice 
  of limes, which further increases the demonologist’s 
  magical defence for charming purposes by +1.
    Qarînah barter for payment of any kind—jewels, 
  spell potions, etc.—to a value of about 900F. When 
  they sleep with a victim they can drain him or her of 
  1d8 Strength (which recovers at the rate of one point 
  a week). A male Qarînah has a 3% chance of impreg-
  nating a female victim, who will later give birth to a 
  demon child with its father’s powers.
  Qarînah
  attack 17, talon (d8+1, 5)  
  Armour Factor 3
  defence 10 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 15m (25m)
  magical attack 23 
   
   
  evasion 5
  magical defence 11  
   
  stealth 15
  Reflexes 13  
   
   
   
   
  perception 6 (panoptical)
  Health Points 1d6+12
  Rank-equivalent: 6th
  magical defence bonuses: +2 vs binding.
  Sraim
  Sraim have a giant maggot’s body on four long 
  spidery legs, with a face which is lumpish and mis-
  shapen as though made of putty. They can detect 
  items that the demonologist has lost and will lead 
  him towards such an item.
   
  Specialized knowledge: Sraim serve in return 
  for at least one dose of Strong poison. In addition to 
  biting in combat, a Sraim can also spit acidic venom 
  (normal strength poison) up to 10m, at speed 14.
  Sraim
  attack 20, bite (2d4+1, 7)   
  Armour Factor 4
  or spit venom (speed 14) 
  defence 14 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 12m (25m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 6
  magical defence 11  
   
  stealth 18
  Reflexes 15  
   
   
   
   
  perception 9 (darksight)
  Health Points 2d6+12
  Rank-equivalent: 7th
  magical defence bonuses: none.
  lesser Demons
  
  Dragon Warriors
  18
  Melechs
  These demons are tall, muscular, bronze-skinned 
  humanoids, with malevolent but not unhandsome 
  features and dancing flames for hair. They can 
  breathe fire up to 10m.
   
  Specialized knowledge: Melechs make particu-
  larly useful servants because of their powers of illu-
  sion (they can cast Illusion or Phantasm spells at will, 
  with no MP cost) and their unusual resistance to 
  magic (as well as their high magical defence, they 
  are completely unaffected by spells spells that cost 1 
  MP or 2MP). 
   
  Melechs require payment of about 750F-worth 
  of ivory. 
   
  Offering a drink of water brought from an oasis 
  causes a Melech to become more tractable (+1 on 
  the Demon Response Table on p. 10). 
  Melech
  attack 19, flaming two-  
  Armour Factor 3
  handed sword (d10+1, 6) 
  or breathe fire (speed 13, 
  2d8 damage, any armour 
  reduces damage by 2) 
  defence 10 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 18 
   
   
  evasion 5
  magical defence 11  
   
  stealth 18
  Reflexes 15  
   
   
   
   
  perception 9 (darksight)
  Health Points 2d6+12
  Rank-equivalent: 7th
  magical defence bonuses: none.
  Stalkers
  Stalkers are the premier demonic assassins. They 
  can pass freely through wood, stone, etc. (although 
  they are tangible to metal and magical materials), 
  and have excellent stealth. Stalkers appear to 
  be vaguely humanoid, hunched inside their dusty 
  robes, but have withered brown skin like tree bark 
  and a cowled vulture’s head.
   
  Specialized knowledge: A Stalker’s abilities are 
  not bought cheaply. The demon will require at least 
  one minor magical item, and may often barter for 
  significantly more powerful items. 
   
  The only ward against a Stalker is to blow a silver 
  whistle on which protective sigils have been etched 
  (at a cost in materials of 5d10 florins); for as long 
  as the whistle is blown within 5m of the Stalker its 
  attack is halved. 
   
  If a Stalker wounds its foe it matches its magical 
  attack against his magical defence, with success 
  costing the opponent two points of Strength, which 
  later recovers at one point per hour. 
   
  Every fifth round a Stalker can cast bolts of 
  white light up to 10m with a speed of 18, dealing 
  1d20 points of damage (armour offers no protection 
  against this damage).
  Stalker
  attack 22, claws (2d6, 6)  
  Armour Factor 5
  defence 13 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 12m (25m)
  magical attack 20 
   
   
  evasion 10
  magical defence 12  
   
  stealth 23
  Reflexes 17  
   
   
   
   
  perception 14 (panoptical)
  Health Points 2d6+22
  Rank-equivalent: 9th
  magical defence bonuses: +4 vs summoning; +4 vs 
  binding.
  Rult
  Rult have large, hunched bodies with dry, shred-
  ding flesh, a large head like that of a fly and skeletal 
  wings draped with a torn web of skin.
   
  Specialized knowledge: Rult must be sum-
  moned at the place of execution of a man who has 
  murdered more than once. They will haggle for 
  gold, silver and gems—a Rult usually requires about 
  1,000F. 
   
  Rult have two special abilities. First, they can 
  teleport over distances of up to 2 miles, with the 
  restriction that some living or once-living body 
  which they have encountered is at each end of the 
  teleport. 
   
  Secondly, Rult can breathe a poisonous vapour 
  (weak poison), affecting everyone within 2m; dam-
  age from this poison cannot be healed with magic. 
  A demonologist may create an amulet (at a cost in 
  materials of 2d10F) that gives the wearer a +1 bonus 
  to his magical attack against a Rult.
  Rult
  attack 18, claws (1d6, 5)  
  Armour Factor 4
  defence 12 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 15m (30m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 6
  magical defence 9 
   
   
  stealth 12
  Reflexes 11  
   
   
   
   
  perception 8 (darksight)
  Health Points 2d4+13
  Rank-equivalent: 6th
  magical defence bonuses: +3 vs summoning; +3 vs 
  binding.
  
  19
  Demon Steed
  These large, black demon horses are usually sum-
  moned as a mount for the demonologist, as they can 
  cross any terrain at 20 miles an hour.
   
  Specialized knowledge: Demon steeds can 
  only be evoked after sunset, and dissolve into mist 
  if exposed to sunlight. There is no other special 
  defence against them. 
   
  A demon steed will require a pint (equivalent 
  to ld8 Health Points) of the summoner’s blood in 
  return for its services.
  Demon Steed
  attack 18, kick (1d12, 7)  
  Armour Factor 4
  defence 7  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 15m (30m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 6
  magical defence 8 
   
   
  stealth 12
  Reflexes 11  
   
   
   
   
  perception 8 (darksight)
  Health Points 1d6+18
  Rank-equivalent: 6th
  magical defence bonuses: +1 vs summoning; +1 vs 
  binding.
  Storm Demons
  These creatures of living lightning can only be 
  evoked in the midst of a thunderstorm. They appear 
  as flickering, electrical humanoid figures up to twice 
  the size of a man.
   
  Specialized knowledge: Storm Demons are 
  resistant to non-magical weapons. 
   
  A Storm Demon can hurl bolts of energy up to 
  20m at a speed of 16; these inflict four 1d8 wounds 
  on the target (non-metal armour reducing the dam-
  age from each wound by 1, but metal armour giving 
  no benefit). Alternatively, it can attack an opponent 
  in mêlée, dealing 7 damage (again, with non-metal 
  armour reducing the damage from a touch by 1, but 
  metal armour giving no benefit) and having a 20% 
  chance of setting the victim’s hair or clothing afire 
  (additional 1d6 damage per round, with armour 
  giving no protection, till the victim can spend a full 
  Combat Round putting out the flames). 
   
  A paling of sharp copper rods will cause 3d6 
  damage to any Storm Demon which tries to cross it 
  and will deflect lightning bolts cast by the demon so 
  lesser Demons
  
  Dragon Warriors
  20
  that anyone behind the paling gains a +4 bonus to 
  evasion against them. 
   
  Storm Demons require 800F worth of sapphire 
  dust for their services.
  Storm Demon
  attack 18, touch (n/a, 7) or  Armour Factor 6
  hurl bolts (speed 16, four 1d8  (but only 2 vs magical
  wounds) 
   
   
   
   
   
  weapons)
  defence 10 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 5
  magical defence 10  
   
  stealth 5
  Reflexes 11  
   
   
   
   
  perception 10 (panoptical)
  Health Points 1d6+10
  Rank-equivalent: 7th
  magical defence bonuses: +1 vs summoning; +2 vs 
  binding.
  Gremlins
  These are small (two and a half feet tall), thin 
  humanoids with elongated toes and fingers like a 
  lizard’s and a globular head perched on a narrow 
  neck. They have pale green skin and their large, 
  saucer-shaped eyes give them a rather comical look. 
  Gremlins are demons of (bad) luck.
   
  Specialized knowledge: Gremlins are ineffec-
  tive fighters, but their special ability is that anyone 
  within 8m of a Gremlin suffers bad luck—any rolls 
  that the character makes, or that target him, are 
  adjusted by 2 so as to be less favourable to him. 
   
  Gremlins have excellent natural camouflage in 
  all surroundings, and utilize this to skulk near their 
  victims and bring down upon them the vicissitudes 
  of disaster. 
   
  If forced to fight, Gremlins use long straight-
  bladed knives. Gremlins will require a minimum 
  payment of 350F. 
   
  They cannot harm anyone who currently has a 
  Warding spell cast on them (see Dragon Warriors, p. 
  81).
  Gremlin
  attack 14, claw (d6,4)  
   
  Armour Factor 2
  defence 9  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 12m (25m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 7
  magical defence 6 
   
   
  stealth 25
  Reflexes 11  
   
   
   
   
  perception 14 (darksight)
  Health Points 1d6+6
  Rank-equivalent: 2nd
  magical defence bonuses: none.
  Additional lesser demons
  The following Infernal Creatures (see the Dragon 
  Warriors Bestiary, p. 67) may also be summoned as 
  lesser demons. 
   
  This list of demons is not intended to be exhaus-
  tive. GMs are encouraged to shift abilities around 
  and invent demons of their own to prevent player-
  characters from becoming complacent.
  Hell Hound, and Hell Hound, Greater
  Large, black dogs or wolves with red eyes. They 
  have excellent tracking skills and are best employed 
  as hunter-killers.
   
  Specialized knowledge: There are two distinct 
  kinds of Hell Hound, the standard ones and the 
  Greater ones. All Hell Hounds have an especial 
  hatred for a certain pungent-scented marsh herb 
  known as stinkweed. A Hell Hound will be at –1 to 
  magical attack against any Pentacle that incor-
  porates stinkweed in its design, and at –1 to attack 
  against any character carrying stinkweed about her 
  person. The minimum payment for a Hell Hound’s 
  services is a blood sacrifice; in the case of a Greater 
  Hell Hound, this must be a sentient being, though 
  standard Hell Hounds may be summoned with 
  the sacrifice of a small animal. It’s just as easy to 
  summon a pack of either kind of Hell Hound as 
  a singular one—simply perform more blood sacri-
  fices. The entire pack of demons can be affected by 
  the same Summoning, Binding, Pentacle, etc., but 
  the demonologist will still lose 1d3 Strength points 
  for each demon summoned. Hell Hounds must be 
  summoned by night. 
  magical defence bonuses: none.
  Hellion
  These demons exist solely to corrupt good humans, 
  and gather the souls of evil ones for their internal 
  masters.
   
  Specialized knowledge: A Hellion can be sum-
  moned only by destroying a sacred object of some 
  kind—preferably a holy relic, but an altar or crucifix 
  stolen from a popular and pious church would do 
  at a pinch. This acts as its payment. Summoning a 
  Hellion is extremely risky, even compared to sum-
  moning other demons: a demonologist is, by defini-
  tion, a wicked person, and thus the perfect target 
  
  21
  for a Hellion’s attentions. If the Pentacle fails, the 
  Hellion will always attack its summoner in hopes of 
  sending his soul to Hell, whatever the result on the 
  Demon Response Table. In a few rare cases of failed 
  summonings the Hellion is reported to have pos-
  sessed the body of the unfortunate demonologist, 
  though the mechanism by which it achieves this is 
  not understood.
   
  A demonologist usually summons a Hellion 
  to attach itself to one specific individual, either to 
  beguile him into servitude to a demonic lord (per-
  haps the same lord the demonologist serves) or to 
  attack him in the hope of destroying him utterly. It 
  will only target a genuinely evil victim (GM’s dis-
  cretion), and a Hellion instructed to slay a non-evil 
  target will simply ignore its instructions, revelling in 
  a chance to go after the nearest truly evil victim it 
  can find. Hellions are vulnerable to both relics and 
  crucifixes (Bestiary, p. 70). 
  magical defence bonuses: +3 vs binding.
  Nightmare
  The nightmare is another demon usually sum-
  moned to wreak havoc on the demonologist’s 
  enemies, destroying or possessing them by entering 
  their dreams.
   
  Specialized knowledge: A nightmare will 
  demand a Potion of Dreams as payment. A night-
  mare who has been summoned but neither bound 
  nor bargained with successfully will not attack the 
  demonologist immediately, but will appear to van-
  ish; in fact, it is waiting nearby, planning to invade 
  his dreaming mind, either the next time he slumbers 
  or at some future date, after it has amused itself with 
  the dreams of unfortunate travellers first. Anyone 
  can protect against a nightmare by wearing gold 
  on his head somewhere—a circlet or earring being 
  common. A character wearing gold jewellery in 
  this way gains a +4 bonus to his magical defence 
  against Nightmares, and a +4 bonus on his roll to 
  wake up.
  magical defence bonuses: +1 vs summoning; +1 vs 
  binding.
  Succubus
  Succubi are demon thugs and assassins, much-
  prized for their ability to pass through walls.
   
  Succubi are generally quite willing to serve demo-
  nologists (+1 on the Demonic Response Table); 
  they are quite low on the demonic hierarchy, and so 
  working for a human master makes a change from 
  being ordered around by demon lords. A succubus 
  will serve for rubies (1d4 × 100F value) and red meat 
  (around 1kg of it). If their task takes more than one 
  day, they will require the same amount of gems and 
  meat each day. They can regenerate wounds from 
  non-magical weapons, but are vulnerable to relics 
  (see Bestiary, p. 72).
  magical defence bonuses: none.
  Sufiriad
  These demons cannot be summoned by demonolo-
  gists. But while the Sufiriad cannot be summoned, 
  since they already exist in the Land of Legend, it is 
  possible for a demonologist to bargain with them, 
  if he can find one. They cannot be bound, being 
  already in effect bound to their temples. However, 
  a demonologist with plenty to offer—usually great 
  treasure (for example, a magical weapon, or at least 
  2,000F in gems or gold) and a number of sentient 
  victims (at least 3) for the Sufiriad to destroy—may 
  be able to persuade the Sufiriad to let him into their 
  ruined temple, where he is almost certain to find 
  great demonic lore and perhaps strange artefacts. 
  magical defence bonuses: none.
  White Lady
  These demons cannot usually be summoned by 
  demonologists.
   
  It may be possible for a demonologist to sum-
  mon a White Lady if he is closely allied to or associ-
  ated with the Demon Lord Fengris, but the precise 
  mechanism for this is uncertain. As with the Sufiriad, 
  a White Lady might be bargained with, if encoun-
  tered elsewhere rather than summoned. Again, she 
  may not be bound (being, in effect, bound to her 
  tower), but could be persuaded to take the soul of 
  a specific foe of the demonologist’s. She will want 
  a two-for-one deal the demonologist makes her 
  earthly task a little easier by giving her two warriors 
  (2nd rank or above) for her to Enslave, and she will 
  then Enslave the victim of his choice, too.
  magical defence bonuses: none.
  lesser Demons
  
  Dragon Warriors
  22
  THE DEMON LORDS and princes of Legend 
  are individual beings of immense power who rule 
  the demon planes. They have, of course, been sum-
  moned far less frequently than the lesser demons, so 
  no exact canon of knowledge is available as with the 
  latter. A summoner who does some research may 
  find suggestions and theories as to how to deal with 
  the demon lords (“... Rokash the Pious records that 
  the powers of the Lord Eldyr are diminished by 
  bright tight...” etc.), but exact wards—if any—are a 
  matter of conjecture.
   
  Similarly there is some uncertainty as to the 
  precise levels of power of the demon lords. Tsienra’s 
  stats are given here as a guideline, but GMs must 
  design these creatures to suit their own campaigns. 
  They should be virtually impossible to over-
  come with raw power alone, and if your campaign 
  abounds with Rank 20+ characters, then the abili-
  ties of Tsienra and the others should be increased 
  accordingly. While some of the demon lords have 
  suffered defeats in the past, in almost all cases it has 
  been through the summoner’s quick wit and daring, 
  rather than from spells and swords.
   
  As a general rule all demon lords will have a 
  magical attack of at least 30, and can draw on 
  unlimited Magic Point reserves from their home 
  dimension for casting spells. They are hostile about 
  20% of the time and otherwise neutral. They will 
  only be friendly if there is a very good reason why 
  they should react favourably to the summoner—
  Umalu prefers demonologists of barbarian origin, 
  and so on.
  The Gifts
  While not precluding the possibility of striking com-
  pletely unique bargains with a summoned demon 
  lord, there are two types of deal which are ‘com-
  monly’ made. These are the Lesser Gifts—minor 
  exertions from the demon’s point of view, made in 
  exchange for a permanent reduction in Magic Points 
  from the demonologist—and the Gifts, which are 
  abilities bestowed on the summoner in exchange for 
  a soul-pledge. A soul-pledge means the summoner 
  gives the demon 1 Health Point point to seal the 
  bargain and promises him a further 3d10 Magic 
  Points later. These further points are intended to be 
  collected on the summoner’s death, but there is a 
  2% chance the demon will arrive if it feels the sum-
  moner’s life-force is burning low—in game terms, 
  whenever the character’s Health Points or Magic 
  Points reach 2 or less. 
   
  Once the demon arrives nothing can stop it from 
  devouring the Magic Points promised to it. These 
  Magic Points points are permanently lost to the 
  character; if he does not have enough, he perma-
  nently loses Health Points to make up the missing 
  amount. At this point the soul-pledge is ended, and 
  he loses the Greater Gift. If he survives the Magic 
  Point and/or Health Point loss, he can later bargain 
  again for a Greater Gift, with the same or a differ-
  ent demon lord. A character can buy any number of 
  Lesser Gifts from demon lords (if he can spare the 
  Magic Points), but it is only possible to have one 
  Greater Gift at a time. Note that to receive any gift 
  at least 4,000F or equivalent must also be offered.
  Chapter 3
  THE DEMONIC 
  NOBILITY
  
  23
  The Demons
  The important parameters for each demon lord are 
  his or her magical defence, and any bonuses or 
  penalties to magical defence against being sum-
  moned, being bound, and crossing a pentacle.
   
  There are a number of other demon-lords which 
  could not be listed here—among them Bakshuro 
  the Screamer, who inhabits a dimension so hostile 
  that only he can live there; Valladolyn of the Emer-
  ald Eye, who sees all; Fengris, the Eater of Souls, 
  who slavers constantly for the immortal souls of 
  men; and Lady Kleshkala of the Pit, whose face is 
  so terrible that merely to summon her is to court 
  insanity. 
   
  Balor, who is described in the adventure Prince of 
  Darkness, is not a demon-lord, but something more 
  primordial and elemental. He may not be summoned 
  by these means, and woe betide those who might try.
  The Lord Tsienra
  Screaming Metal Spirit, Demon of Ferocity
  Tsienra usually appears as a metallic figure, some-
  thing like a huge tiger armoured in intricately pat-
  terned plates of tarnished silver and with a violet 
  light burning behind his eyes and gaping maw. 
  He embodies the lightning attack, the unrelenting 
  ferocity of battle, the prowling spirit of savage death. 
  Possession by the spirit of Tsienra gives great speed 
  and grace to the recipient’s fighting prowess.
   
  Greater Gift: Tsienra can give the power of 
  ferocity. When a character with this power uses 
  it, his Strength and Reflexes are both effectively 
  increased to 19 for combat purposes, his attack 
  increases by +7, and his defence increases by +2. 
  The character expends two magic points to go into 
  ferocity and then another point for every minute he 
  keeps it going.
   
  Lesser Gifts: For the permanent sacrifice of one 
  Magic Point, Tsienra will teach his summoner the 
  new spell The Talons of Tsienra (see below). 
   
  For two Magic Points he will use his skill at 
  stalking between the planes to take the summoner 
  within a few miles of any location he specifies, now 
  matter how great the distance. 
   
  For three Magic Points he will enchant any 
  sword to become a +3 magic sword. 
  Tsienra
  All characteristics: 19
  attack 31, bite (2d6+2, 20)  
  Armour Factor 6
  or bolts (strike 2d6 characters 
  for 4d8 damage at speed 20; 
  armour does not protect) 
  defence 26  
   
   
   
   
  Movement: 15m (30m)
  magical attack 32
  magical defence 23   
   
  evasion 9
  Health Points 70   
   
   
  stealth 18 
  Rank-equivalent: 20th   
   
  perception 19 (panoptical)
  magical defence bonuses: +4 vs binding; +2 vs crossing   
  pentacle.
  The Talons of Tsienra
  6th-level demonologist spell
  Duration: Spell Expiry Roll applies
  This spell causes foot-long talons of red light to 
  spring from the caster’s wrists. They are used with 
  the demonologist’s normal attack, but ignore all 
  armour (even magical armour), cannot be parried by 
  shields, and cause the target’s defence to be halved 
  against them. They do 6 damage on a successful hit. 
  They are able to harm anything that has Health 
  Points, even if it is usually immune to some types 
  of damage.
  His Fell Highness Eldyr
  Prince of Deceit, Demon of Persuasion
  Eldyr is overlord of Qarînah, Succubuses and Grem-
  lins. He may pass in any guise he chooses, the better 
  to advance his wiles, but will always eventually cast 
  images aside to reveal his true (perhaps true) self. 
  In the Chronicles of the Conjunction, Eldyr’s own 
  description of himself is recorded: ‘My hair is like 
  black silk, my skin is burnished copper in the moon-
  light, my eyes are sapphires and my robe embraces 
  the starry night...’ This description was for the ben-
  efit of the elven sorceress Cordelia, who had wisely 
  blindfolded herself before the summoning. Without 
  defences such as this, all in time succumb to Eldyr’s 
  charms; the evocator must attempt to banish him at 
  once, therefore, if he begins to use his powers in a 
  hostile fashion.
   
  Greater Gift: Eldyr can give the power of har-
  monic spirit. This is a combination of charm and 
  blind luck. It costs nothing to activate this power, 
  but each morning the character must roll Psychic 
  the Demonic nobility
  
  Dragon Warriors
  24
  Talent or less on 2d10 to see if the power works 
  for that day; there’s a –3 modifier if the power was 
  working the previous day, and a +1 modifier if it was 
  not. The character re-roll one die roll per day. Fur-
  thermore, anything that would kill him outright (by 
  reducing his Health Points to –3 or by any other 
  means) has a straight 5% chance to simply fail. He 
  gets a Looks bonus of +4 and can seduce as though 
  he were a Qarînah. Finally, his magical attack is 
  affected by his Looks score as follows:
  Looks Score  
   
   
  Magical Attack
   
  3-5  
   
   
   
   
  -2
   
  6-8  
   
   
   
   
  -1 
   
  9-12   
   
   
   
  No Effect
   
  13-15   
   
   
   
  +1
   
  16-18  
   
   
   
  +2
    
  Lesser Gifts: For a sacrifice of one Magic Point, he 
  will aid a character in an attempt to persuade others 
  of something. Unless the target of the persuasion 
  attempt would be actively hostile to the idea, this 
  will work automatically. However, it never functions 
  against another demon prince or similarly powerful 
  supernatural creature. 
   
  For a sacrifice of two Magic Points, Eldyr will 
  give a luck ring. This silver ring has 20 charges 
  and each charge can be used to alter any die roll 
  (even one made by someone else) by +1 or –1. The 
  wearer must declare how many charges he is com-
  mitting before the roll is made. When all charges 
  are expended the ring permanently tarnishes and is 
  powerless thereafter. 
   
  For a sacrifice of three magic points, Eldyr will 
  give a character 1d4+1 succubi as servants; they will 
  work for him either until they die, or until each one 
  has performed d10+10 tasks (rolled in secret by the 
  GM), whichever happens first.
  magical defence bonuses: +6 vs binding; +2 vs crossing 
  pentacle.
  The Lord Umalu
  The Whip of Chaos, Demon of Pain
  The spirit of Umalu is that of glorying in the inflict-
  ing of pain. He is a fierce, powerful demon who 
  hates followers of the True Church with an intense 
  passion and is little better disposed towards other 
  religions. Umalu manifests himself as a 3-metre 
  tall muscular black giant with a long mane of white 
  hair, face perpetually contorted in hatred. He wields 
  a glittering whip which can horribly deform and 
  wither any victim, and an envenomed shortsword 
  which inflicts terrible wounds.
   
  Greater Gifts: Umalu can mutate a character, 
  giving him or her a permanently useful feature simi-
  lar to those listed under the Possession by Umalu spell 
  (see p. 14-15). He can also give the power of excru-
  ciation, so that any wound the character inflicts has 
  a 20% chance of dealing an extra 4 damage to the 
  victim’s hit point total owing to extreme pain.
   
  Lesser Gifts: In exchange for one Magic Point 
  he will teach a character to be an expert torturer, 
  giving them a 75% chance to torture useful infor-
  mation out of a helpless victim within 2d4 × 10 
  minutes of starting the torture. 
   
  For two Magic Points he grants the new spell 
  Curse of Anguish {see below). 
   
  For three Magic Points he will personally torture 
  a captive to obtain information on the summoner’s 
  behalf (100% chance of success, within 2d6 Combat 
  Rounds of commencing the torture).
  magical defence bonuses: +4 vs summoning; +2 vs 
  binding.
  Curse of Anguish
  5th-level demonologist spell
  Range: 30m
  Duration: Spell Expiry Roll applies
  The caster of the spell is able to inflict wrack-
  ing pain on a victim. Match the caster’s magical 
  attack against the target’s magical defence. He 
  can alter the victim’s health point total at will to rep-
  resent the pain, and can thus force the victim into 
  unconsciousness, vary the pain so that he must fight 
  at a disadvantage (up to –4 to attack and defence, 
  at the caster’s whim), or merely threaten him with 
  the effects. The Curse of Anguish cannot kill—its 
  victim will merely lapse into a coma if the pain level 
  is increased too far (awaking when the spell ends). 
  This spell does not affect undead, most creatures 
  of sorcery (see the Bestiary, pages 63–66), or other 
  creatures which do not actually experience pain.
  
  25
  His Demonic Majesty 
  Adelmar
  Lord of the Vaults of Eternity, Monarch of 
  Demons
  Summon the terrible Adelmar only when you plan 
  such grand designs of mayhem and destruction as 
  would make lesser demons quail, for he is a proud and 
  potent force and should not be summoned lightly. 
  Standing about three metres tall, he is ebony-black 
  with the lower body of a serpent, a human torso and 
  an armoured, horned head like that of a triceratops. 
  He wields enchanted scimitars in each hand—one 
  of which feeds on the blood of victims, the other 
  on their souls. Adelmar is said to dwell in a labyrin-
  thine castle on an island in an unknown lake; when 
  Adelmar is summoned, the demonologist and his 
  party {up to six others) are carried to this castle to 
  petition the demon.
   
  Greater Gifts: Adelmar has a limited power over 
  time itself, and can give the ability of temporal navi-
  gation. This enables a character to cross up to ten 
  years either into the past or future, arriving within 
  1–12 weeks either side of the required date. Each 
  use of temporal navigation costs the character 1d4 
  permanent Magic Points.
   
  Lesser Gifts: For a sacrifice of one Magic Point, 
  Adelmar will open the veils of Time to uncover 
  some secret at the summoner’s behest. 
   
  For three Magic Points he will send an army of 
  demonic warriors—equivalent to five thousand elite 
  cavalry—to fight in one battle beside the army of 
  the summoner (or his employer).
   
  Adelmar can also add to a character’s lifespan—
  two years for one Magic Point, four years for two 
  Magic Points, eight years for three Magic Points 
  and so on. A character can only petition for this gift 
  once. During the added years the character does not 
  age, but the deal must be phrased with exceptional 
  caution or Adelmar will surely twist things to the 
  summoner’s detriment.
  magical defence bonuses: +4 vs summoning; +4 vs 
  binding; +2 vs crossing pentacle.
  the Demonic nobility
  
  Dragon Warriors
  26
  The Lord Akresh
  Spirit of Thunder in the Mountains, 
  Demon of Invincibility
  Akresh represents steadfast strength of purpose, the 
  glowering look that intimidates a foe, the essence 
  of power that cannot be assailed. Possession by the 
  spirit of Akresh is called waiting-within-a-fortress; 
  it hardens the will, shields the body from harm and 
  augments the recipient’s physical might. Akresh 
  himself can only be evoked in mountains, where he 
  may appear as a shadow against the sky and a boom-
  ing echo between the peaks.
   
  Greater Gift: The power that Akresh can grant 
  is indomitability. A character with this power may 
  activate it at any time, at a cost of 1 Magic Point per 
  combat round. While indominable, the character 
  remains fixed in position waiting for attacks. He can 
  automatically sweep aside all attacks made by char-
  acters of below 6th rank, including missile attacks, 
  taking no damage; his Strength increases to 19; he 
  gets a +4 bonus to defence, and any non-magical 
  weapon used to attack him will shatter into pieces 
  on an attack roll of 20. Finally, any armour he 
  wears has a +1 to its Armour Factor (even if already 
  magical).
   
  Lesser Gifts: For a sacrifice of two Magic Points 
  he can enchant any shield so that whoever carries it 
  has a +2 bonus to defence. 
   
  For three Magic Points he will summon moun-
  tain storms that can throw whole armies into confu-
  sion, or block a pass with landslides.
  magical defence bonuses: +4 vs summoning; +6 vs 
  binding.
  Her Eldritch Highness 
  Sarasathsa
  Princess of Mystery, Demon of Paradox
  Sarasathsa has sovereignty over things impenetrable 
  or unknowable. Sarasathsa may have many forms, 
  but is often described as a very tall (3 metres), slen-
  der, graceful woman in blue and green robes. Her 
  skin is pale and mottled in a serpentine pattern, and 
  the right side of her face is concealed behind a fan-
  tastical mask in the form of an embryonic dragon. 
  All summoners describe her as cold and disdainful, 
  and rather draconic in temprament.
   
  Greater Gift: Sarasathsa can grant morphetic 
  counsel. Whenever the character has some problem 
  to solve or mystery to uncover she will whisper clues 
  to him in his dreams. The character can get clues to 
  the locations of lost objects (even artefacts lost for 
  centuries), hints as to the locations of fleeing fel-
  ons, insights into ancient history and myth, and so 
  on. The power also allows him important visionary 
  dreams. Of course, any such power must be at the 
  GM’s discretion, but it should be worthwhile, like 
  any other Greater Gift. He gains +2 Psychic Talent 
  as a side effect of the dreams.
   
  Lesser Gifts: For one Magic Point she will 
  answer any three yes/no questions about the past or 
  present with 99% accuracy. 
   
  For three Magic Points she grants a character a 
  permanent +2 increase in Intelligence.
  magical defence bonuses: +2 vs binding.
  The Lord Kojuro
  Who is One with the Sword, Demon of 
  Fighting Skill
  Kojuro appears as a slender man with greyish skin 
  and sharp white shark’s teeth. He wears white and 
  grey cotton robes and carries a number of swords 
  and throwing knives. His province is skill in combat, 
  particularly swordplay.
   
  Greater Gift: Kojuro can immediately improve 
  a character’s skill with swords, giving him a per-
  manent bonus of +6 to attack and +6 to defence 
  whenever he is wielding any sword or dagger.
   
  Lesser Gifts: For one Magic Point point Kojuro 
  will increase a character’s attack by +1. 
   
  For two Magic Points he give the wielder a 
  sword-shaped talisman that can be activated once 
  per week to cast a Vorpal Blade spell at no further 
  MP cost. 
   
  For three Magic Points he will increase the 
  attack of an entire army by +1 for a single battle.
  magical defence bonuses: +2 vs binding; +4 vs crossing 
  pentacle.
  
  27
  The Lord Kesh
  Jewelled Serpent, Demon of Confusion and 
  Terror
  Kesh embodies the transfixing gaze of a snake. He 
  causes awe by his presence alone, a massive bejew-
  elled, serpentine shape coiling about the Pentacle 
  and rearing up to the roof of the summoning cham-
  ber. Match Kesh’s magical attack of 32 with the 
  demonologist’s magical defence; if it succeeds, 
  the demonologist will agree to any bargain Kesh 
  proposes.
   
  Greater Gift: Kesh grants the power of intimi-
  dation. Given two Combat Rounds in which to 
  talk to foes before he fights them, a character with 
  this power can threaten with such unholy force that 
  he matches a magical attack against the magi-
  cal defence of those hearing him, reducing their 
  attack scores by half if he succeeds. The character 
  also acquires a mesmeric gaze identical to that of a 
  vampire (Bestiary, p. 84).
   
  Lesser Gifts: For one Magic Point Kesh will 
  reveal the location of an ancient treasure hoard 
  (treasure type: good—see the rulebook, p. 131). 
   
  For two Magic Points he will set a giant demonic 
  serpent to guard your treasure for you. 
   
  For three Magic Points he will teach you how to 
  brew all types of poison and venom (at an ingredi-
  ents cost of 10F for weak, 20F for average and 40F 
  for strong poison).
  magical defence bonuses: +6 vs binding; +4 vs crossing 
  pentacle.
  Demonic serpent (servant of Kesh)
  attack 23, bite (d10, 8)   
  Armour Factor 5
  (treat as strong poison)
  defence 13 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 15m
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 4
  magical defence 14  
   
  stealth 25
  Reflexes 17  
   
   
   
   
  perception 16
  Health Points 2d6+20
  The Lord Engala
  Gatherer of Darkness, Demon of the 
  Undead
  Engala is usually characterized as the zombie spirit, 
  embodiment of unrelenting attack, but in fact he is 
  the lord of all undead creatures. Engala appears as a 
  dull-eyed, expressionless man with dead white skin, 
  robed in grave-soiled black raiment. His movements 
  are slow and languid, like a corpse underwater, and 
  when he speaks his lips hardly move to his hollow, 
  emotionless tones. Those possessed by his spirit-will 
  fight until cut apart.
   
  Greater Gift: Engala can make a character into 
  a vampire or mummy. The customary pledge of 
  Health Points is useless to Engala because he is an 
  undead being, so instead of that pledge he imposes 
  a peculiar condition on his Gift. Every ten years the 
  character must find a champion to play Engala’s rep-
  resentative at a game not unlike chess. If the cham-
  pion loses, Engala drains him of all life and destroys 
  him. If the character cannot find a champion he 
  must play Engala’s representative himself—in this 
  case, if he loses, Engala will come and take the char-
  acter as one of his personal servants.
   
  Lesser Gifts: in exchange for a magical item 
  other than a potion, Engala will give a lead amu-
  let which grants the wearer some protection from 
  undead. No undead will ever attack him, and if he 
  encounters a more-or-less mindless undead, such as 
  a zombie, whose master is dead, he may be able to 
  take control of it by concentrating on doing so with 
  the amulet in hand (one combat round to make the 
  attempt; magical attack versus magical defence 
  to succeed). Occasionally Engala may give favoured 
  summoners a zombie or skeleton guard to serve 
  them.
  magical defence bonuses: +4 vs summoning; +4 vs 
  binding; +4 vs crossing pentacle.
  The Lord Kyrax
  Blizzard Flame, the White Lord, He Who 
  Descends from the Storm
  Kyrax is one of the oldest demons. He has the form 
  of a giant white wolf, or sometimes a man of feral 
  aspect. He is the master of stealth and guile, can 
  cause invisibility, blizzards and darkness, and par-
  ticularly aids those who were once mighty, for he is 
  the demon lord of regathering old powers.
   
  Greater Gifts: Kyrax can grant a character +8 to 
  stealth. Or he may personalty aid a character in a 
  single master plan.
   
  Lesser Gifts: For one Magic Point he will 
  the Demonic nobility
  
  Dragon Warriors
  28
  increase either stealth or perception by +2. 
   
  For two Magic Points he will give a one-use 
  power to summon thick mist in a 150m radius; the 
  caster can see up to 30m in this mist, but for others 
  the visibility is under 10m. 
   
  For three Magic Points he will summon a bliz-
  zard or turn a character invisible for eight hours.
  magical defence bonuses: +2 vs binding; +4 vs crossing 
  pentacle.
  His Excellency Hragahl
  Minister of Lightning, Demon of Intellect
  This bizarre and ancient demon lord is master of 
  all matters connected with logic and philosophy, 
  and if he is impressed by a summoner’s ability in 
  these areas he will have a friendly reaction to him. 
  Hragahl materializes as a giant (one-metre) bald, 
  fanged head with silvery-blue skin, incandescent 
  white eyes and giant wings springing from his tem-
  ples. He has a tongue of flickering lightning which 
  can snake out up to 20m.
   
  Greater Gift: Hragahl can transform a weapon 
  of the summoner’s so that it has powers of a Storm-
  blade.
   
  A Stormblade allows its user to summon storms 
  once a day. The storm will muster within one min-
  ute and will then last for up to fifteen minutes. The 
  main force of the storm is concentrated to a zone 
  150m around the sword; within this zone, visibility 
  drops to 6m, all movement is halved, normal com-
  munication is impossible and flying creatures must 
  roll Reflexes or less on 2d10 each round or be buf-
  feted helplessly by the winds. There is a clear zone 
  (the eye of the storm) for 3m around the sword. 
  While the storm rages, the user can cast lightning 
  bolts from the tip of the sword at the rate of one 
  every five Combat Rounds. These bolts leap for 1-8 
  beings within 16m, with a speed of 14. A bolt which 
  hits deals the target 4d6 damage; armour gives half 
  normal protection.
   
  Lesser Gifts: For one Magic Point he will sum-
  mon up a Storm Demon and place it under the 
  summoner’s control for fifteen minutes. 
   
  For two Magic Points he will give a +1 bonus to 
  Intelligence. 
   
  For three Magic Points he can increase a being’s 
  Intelligence by +2, or summon storms to confound 
  an enemy.
  magical defence bonuses: +6 vs binding; +2 vs crossing 
  pentacle.
  Final Notes
  A word of warning: campaigns where demon lords 
  get summoned up every weekend and every other 
  character has a Greater Gift are going to get dull 
  very quickly. Scenarios could involve a demon lord’s 
  influence without requiring him to make a personal 
  appearance—player characters could battle a small 
  cult worshipping one of these entities, or inadver-
  tently break a chain of events set in motion by a 
  demon lord long ago.
   
  Bear in mind that even the Lesser Gifts of a 
  demon lord are powerful and hard to come by. There 
  is (or should be, if GMed properly) a high risk factor 
  in any summoning, and the demon lord must have 
  a favourable reaction to the summoner if any deal is 
  to be struck. Few generals would care to swell their 
  army’s ranks with demon warriors, even if they can 
  seek out one of the demonologists powerful enough 
  to make such a bargain. Only three cases of military 
  use of demonic powers are recorded in the Land of 
  Legend’s history—each time by the extravagant, 
  whimsical Kaikuhuru, for whom normal caution 
  and logic seem meaningless.
   
  Lastly, words of thanks to everyone who might 
  have inspired or actively fed me with demonic 
  ideas—in particular, Steve Ditko, Richard Lupoff, 
  Miyamoto Musashi, Yvonne Newnham, Mike Poll-
  ing, Jack Vance, Oliver Johnson and William Bur-
  roughs. Vance’s short story ‘The Miracle Workers’ 
  directly supplied the idea of possessions, and gives 
  a vivid account of their effects. For a host of further 
  demons, Professor M A R Barker’s Book of Ebon 
  Bindings is recommended. It details, with many 
  colourful anecdotes, creatures for Barker’s Empire of 
  the Petal Throne game, but usable in any setting.
  
  29
  Chapter 4
  THE LONE AND 
  LEVEL SANDS
  Overview 
  The action begins in Ta’amar, a teeming desert town 
  on the border between the Sultanate of Opalar, the 
  Nomad Khanates and the Caliphate of Zhenir. 
   
  Ta’amar’s wealth comes from trade; it’s techni-
  cally just outside the borders of both Zhenir and 
  Opalar, and unclaimed by any Khans, so it can trade 
  officially with the nomads and Opalar, as well as 
  semi-officially with Zhenir. Opalari merchants use 
  Ta’amar as a base to get goods between all three 
  kingdoms, though officially anything going from 
  Zhenir to the Khanates or vice versa must first travel 
  over the border into Opalar. Ta’amar is still a hotbed 
  of intrigue and smuggling, though.
  Players’ Introduction
  ‘Be it known to you that in the earliest days the great 
  families of the Kaikuhrans lived as nomad tribes in the 
  desert lands west of where now stands the city of Sard-
  onyx. The gods were high above them then, not yet ready 
  to raise the Ancient Kaikuhrans to the heights of their 
  power, and each tribe carried with it its totem spirit, 
  guardian deities who intermediated between the tribes 
  and the celestial powers which guided their lives. In later 
  years, as the tribes unified into the Ancient Kaikuhran 
  Empire, built their mighty civilization and finally 
  began the slow fall into the decadence they know today, 
  these totem spirits became degraded into mere demon-
  lords. Akresh, Tsienra, Eldyr and the others—now they 
  seal bargains of eldritch power with those mighty enough 
  to summon them, but once they were deities themselves 
  and the greatest among them remember those days with 
  anguish and rage at the infidelity of the Ancient Kai-
  kuhran Race.’
  This scroll fragment from the one of the great temples in 
  Deliverance is shown to you by Astragard, a wandering 
  sorcerer you met three days ago in the Lying Monkey bar 
  in Ta’amar. He explains his plan: to travel south and 
  enter the tomb of an Kaikuhran noble called Gutheron 
  of the House of Org. Gutheron was a pure-blood descen-
  dant of the tribe which worshipped Akresh in prehistoric 
  times, and Astragard hopes to loot his tomb of many 
  treasures relating to Akresh’s powers. You ask about your 
  share? Astragard laughs and claps a meaty hand down 
  on the table—‘All the gold you can carry! There is vast 
  treasure for the taking, and in a few months we will all 
  return to Ta’amar town wealthy men!’
   
  You have a few days to buy whatever standard 
  items you need at Astragard’s expense. One lunchtime 
  you are joined by one of the wizened old men who seem 
  ubiquitous in Ta’amar. ‘If you are the ones employed 
  by Astragard,’ he says through toothless gums, ‘I have 
  a parchment which you may want. Only give me a 
  few coins for it so I can buy some food for my old belly.’ 
  After haggling he lets you have it for thirty florins, and 
  wanders off into the pressing crowd in search of wine 
  and opiates. The parchment is very, very old, written in 
  ancient Kaikuhran. You get it translated at a stall in the 
  bazaar for five florins: 
  ‘As I die, I leave a testament of my faithlessness. We built 
  An adventure for 4th–5th rank characters
  
  Dragon Warriors
  30
  our master’s resting place in the desert west of the great 
  city, I and the venerated Koram, chief architect of Lord 
  Gutheron of the House of Org. Above it we set a likeness 
  of She in the Sky, so that She might look down into the 
  place’s depths. In the final chamber we put reverently 
  the living statue of Thunder-in-the-Mountain—let 
  not Lord Eldyr’s son find it! Koram and I it was who 
  saw to it that our fellow builders slept the righteous sleep 
  next to our lord; after Nepthe’s phial Koram slit their 
  throats—but none feigned, all were in the Pleasant 
  Garden already. Climbing then to the top of the place 
  we blocked forever the ascending way so none will ever 
  disturb our master’s repose. We returned through the 
  dreadful place of sacrificed bones, protected by our lord’s 
  gift, the sign of Man, through the place of mirrors where 
  the shadows yet kept at bay, held by the Lady’s light that 
  we then shut out forever. With our sleeping friends we 
  stood at last, our hearts beating fast as we thought on the 
  journey to come, the phials in our trembling hands. 
   
  “Drink now,” Koram said, “and let us lie forever 
  over the gateway of death, my comrade”, and so saying 
  drank his draught to the dregs, but a fatal stay fell on my 
  hands and the phial fell from them as my dying friend 
  watched me betray my lord’s faith. At last Koram slept 
  in the Garden with our lord, but life in me still reigned. 
  I took a torch, my writing scrolls and left that place. Yet 
  by the demon whose eye I passed through I lost my way 
  in the desert, parched by the Lady’s now-merciless eye.’
   
  Pity my bones, dear friend, and bury them under the 
  drifting sands...’
  The translator will, for a further 3 florins, explain that 
  the script is written in a style typical of about 1000 
  to 1500 years ago, and will suggest that the ‘great 
  city’ is probably Sardonyx, capital of the Ancient 
  Kaikuhrans, and the allusions to ‘Thunder-in-the-
  Mountain’ and ‘Lady in the Sky’ refer respectively to 
  the demon lord Akresh and the Kaikuhran goddess 
  Cotalqueh.
  GM’s Introduction
  The parchment above reappears at the back of the 
  book, as a handout for you to give to the players.
   
  Gutheron died 1200 years ago. He used his sor-
  cerous and demonological powers to devise bind-
  ings to place on Akresh. He planned to use a holy 
  relic of his ancestors to channel his powers against 
  the demon lord and make himself invincible and 
  immortal, but the relic was in the possession of 
  Lord Eldyr’s half-human son (the man who now 
  calls himself Astragard, widely known as the Black 
  Serpent then), and Gutheron’s agents recovered 
  it too late. Gutheron died, then, and was buried. 
  Astragard intended to loot the relic from the tomb 
  at once, but then decided to leave it safely where it 
  was while he searched the length and breadth of the 
  land for the spells which would enable him to acti-
  vate the relic’s power. At last, after twelve centuries 
  of study and preparation for this single moment, he 
  believes himself ready. If he is correct, he has only to 
  reach the holy relic, recite the arcane formulae and 
  the unimaginable powers of a demon lord will be his 
  to command.
  Astragard 
  half-human son of Lord Eldyr; 
  6th-rank demonologist
  attack 16, two-handed  
   
  Armour Factor 3
  sword (d10, 5)
  defence 10 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 23 
   
   
  evasion 6
  magical defence 13  
   
  stealth 17
  Reflexes 18  
   
   
   
   
  perception 7
  Health Points 11
  Magic Points 21
  Treasure: +1 padded armour; The Ring of Negation; 
  eucalyptus oil; 2 doses of strong poison (for bargaining 
  with Sraim); miscellaneous components for summoning 
  demons; possession talismans for Engala and Tsienra; +1 
  two-handed sword with a gem in the hilt that allows the 
  wielder to Teleport (as the Mystic spell) once per day; 
  The Key of the Dark Labyrinth; Crystal of Sraim 
  Summoning (one use; automatically summons a Sraim 
  when shattered, with no need to match magical attack 
  against its magical defence to summon it).
  Astragard has special knowledge of history, lan-
  guage, theology, and myth. Given a few minutes to 
  converse with someone, he can attempt to Enslave 
  them (Dragon Warriors, p. 85) at no Magic Point 
  cost. 
   
  Astragard, the son of the demonic Lord Eldyr 
  and a human woman, is a tall young man of almost 
  androgynous beauty, but can appear in a number of 
  illusory guises, usually as a hearty, middle-aged sor-
  cerer with a huge red beard. He has demonic good 
  luck, making him immune to harm from gremlins 
  and allowing him to re-roll one die roll per day 
  (though he must accept the result of the re-roll). He 
  will not voluntarily handle silver (although it does 
  not harm him); his true form is reflected in any sil-
  ver mirror. He can see in the dark (darksight). Lord 
  
  31
  parentage; he is both larger and more powerful than 
  the typical demonic familiar. He grants Astragard 
  the same benefits as any other demonologist familiar. 
  If he bites a victim and inflicts any damage, he can 
  match his magical attack against their magical 
  defence. If successful, he drains 1d6 Intelligence 
  from them; this recovers at the rate of 1 point per 
  hour, but if the victim is reduced to 0 intelligence he 
  becomes unconscious.
  Gamesmaster’s Material 
  The Journey to the Tomb
  A week-long journey through a great flood plain 
  leads to a 15m bluff with a narrow wadi snaking its 
  way up to a plateau. An encounter should be rolled 
  for now and once more before the adventurers reach 
  the tomb complex; use the Desert Encounter Table 
  (Dragon Warriors Bestiary, p. 12), but assume that 
  any Adventurers rolled are in fact Bandits (3d6 in 
  number).
   
  The plateau is the Wastes of Gizen. It consists 
  Eldyr would react favourably to him if summoned 
  but Astragard has sworn to his mother that he will 
  never do this. Astragard is several thousand years 
  old, and may be naturally immortal, in that he will 
  not die of old age.
   
  Astragard plans to go to Gutheron’s tomb and 
  there summon a Sraim to locate the relic he seeks.
   
  Astute player-characters may realise from this 
  that Astragard must once have owned the relic him-
  self. He believes he can use the relic to bind Akresh. 
  Astragard, sadly for himself, failed his Demonology 
  skill roll and so miscalculated the magic formulae 
  involved—the relic will not allow him to control 
  Akresh, as he is simply not powerful enough.
  Keesha 
  cat familiar
  attack 13, bite (d6, 3)  
   
  Armour Factor 0
  defence 10 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 12m (25m)
  magical attack 12 
   
   
  evasion 7
  magical defence 4 
   
   
  stealth 19
  Reflexes 15  
   
   
   
   
  perception 16 (elfsight)
  Health Points 10
  Rank-equivalent: 3rd
  Keesha is a demon cat about the size of a lynx. Kee-
  sha serves Astragard by virtue of the latter’s demonic 
  the lone anD level sanDs
  
  Dragon Warriors
  32
  
  33
  up to the head because of the shifting sand is quite 
  hazardous (Difficulty Factor 15). However, because 
  of the cushioning effect of the sand, subtract 4 from 
  falling damage.
   
  The eyes (a type of sapphire, about 500F) of the 
  statue glitter in the sunlight and can be prised out 
  after about two hours’ labour. However, any weapon 
  (unless magical) used to extract the eyes will become 
  very blunt (-1 to Damage and Armour Bypass Roll). 
  No light will reach room 14 if they are removed, as 
  they focus the sunlight.
  3. The Mortuary Temple
  The single entrance in the east wall leads to a ves-
  tibule, the floor of which is covered with drifts of 
  sand and the imprints of many feet, some human 
  and some of an odd cloven shape. 
   
  A melech will be encountered here (see p. 18; 
  18 Health Points). The melech appears as an old 
  hermit. Its orders when bound were: ‘Misdirect 
  strangers and allow none to pass through the bronze 
  double doors.’ It may ask characters to bring it a 
  drink from the oasis, and if they succeed it will be 
  better disposed towards them—though it must fol-
  low its orders to the letter. If Astragard suspects it 
  is a demon (give the PCs a chance to spot this first) 
  he will try to banish it at once. The melech always 
  keeps in the shadows, as its own shadow would 
  reveal its true shape.
  4. The Open Courtyard
  The two double doors in the west wall are solid 
  bronze. The northern door is embossed with a swirl-
  ing pattern decorated with battling demonic bodies. 
  The southerly one is embossed with a skull and the 
  sigil of the Ancient Kaikuhran god Nebrovolent 
  (Astragard will recognise it). They are unlocked.
   
  Behind the middle of the three wooden doors 
  on the east wall lie two desiccated corpses in a state 
  of perfect preservation, in leather armour, seem-
  ingly cut by a sword in several places (actually the 
  melech’s sword). They have swords, javelins, shields 
  and about 20F scattered about. The melech will 
  try at all costs to stop the adventurers from enter-
  ing this room, although it will let them in the other 
  two (empty). Knowing that if the player-characters 
  discover the corpses he is likely to be slain and his 
  servitude finished, he has clawed a riddle in the 
  Ancient Kaikuhran tongue on the courtyard wall: 
  of enormous sand dunes, some as much as 20-30m 
  high. No tracks are visible; the sun beats down 
  remorselessly. From now on the party will consume 
  water rations at four times the normal rate—around 
  two waterskins’ worth of water per person per day.
   
  Note the party’s water supplies, and if the water 
  supply runs out, subtract the following per character 
  per day for days without water:
  -2 Strength; –2d4 Health Points; –2 Intelligence
  A character reduced to 0 Strength or Intelligence by 
  this will become unconscious. A character reduced 
  to negative Strength or Intelligence will die.
  The Tomb Complex
  Two days’ journey into the wastes is a broad pave-
  ment constructed of jagged stones. A mile further 
  on, it disappears into the side of an enormous dune, 
  with a gigantic head 15m up its side. To the right of 
  the pavement lies a low ruined building surrounded 
  by a ruined colonnade, disappearing into the dune.
  1, The Oasis
  To the left of the pavement is a shallow puddle of 
  stagnant water surrounded by stunted palm trees. 
  No recent footprints can be seen.
   
  Encounters (only if water is taken from the oasis). 
  Daytime: 25% Amorph (reroll every 15 minutes of 
  game time). Night-time: 100% Amorph (see p. 17; 
  35 Points).
   
  In the sludge underneath the water lie numer-
  ous human and animal bones. A 30-minute search 
  may reveal a silver sceptre worth 155F with curi-
  ous arcane inlays that increase its antique value to 
  about 500F. Because of the rotting corpses, treat the 
  water as a medium-strength poison. Anyone who 
  drinks has a 10% chance of catching Wasting Fever 
  (Dragon Warriors, p. 126).
  2. The Colossal Head
  The head is the tip of a 15m statue of the Goddess 
  Cotalqueh; only highly knowledgeable characters 
  (having a background of Priest, Scribe or Profes-
  sor; or perhaps a particularly scholarly and/or local 
  Sorcerer or Mystic) will recognise her. The climb 
  the lone anD level sanDs
  
  Dragon Warriors
  34
  followed the hapless architect (whose death note the 
  adventurers may possess,) and caused him to lose 
  his way in the desert.
  Gremlin  (see p. 20)
  11 Health Points
  Treasure: Ring of Dark Madness. This ring allows the 
  wearer to cast a Benight spell (Dragon Warriors, p. 105) 
  once per day with a magical attack of 13.
  7. Corridor of the Sleeping Ones
  Unlit with plain granite walls. The eight granite sar-
  cophagi are open, with 3-4 desiccated corpses piled 
  one upon another in each. Empty phials are littered 
  around each sarcophagus, and each of the corpses’ 
  throats has been cut. These are the builders’ graves 
  mentioned in the player’s Ancient Kaikuhran script. 
  The character with the highest perception score 
  will discover the hinged granite slab that leads to 9.
  8. Hollow Wall
  Gas-filled cavity. See area 5 for effect.
  9. Koram’s Wraith
  In here is a basalt sarcophagus with a phial of 
  amber-coloured strong poison. Inside is a corpse in 
  magisterial robes, an empty phial in one hand, and 
  an ornately covered dagger blackened with what 
  appears to be dried blood in the other. Its throat has 
  not been cut, and a horrible rictus grin is frozen on 
  its desiccated face. 
   
  Encounters: Koram’s Wraith at all times.
  Koram
  attack –  
   
   
   
   
  Armour Factor 0 (immune 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  to non-magical weapons)
  defence 4  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 15m
  magical attack 1d10 per 
  Combat Round attack is 
  delayed  
   
   
   
   
   
  evasion 4
  magical defence 11  
   
  stealth 10
  Reflexes 11  
   
   
   
   
  perception 13 (darksight)
  Health Points 15
  Rank-equivalent 5th
  Hidden Spots
  The bottom of the sarcophagus is a granite slab 
  that can be prised up to reveal a shaft leading 6m 
  downwards into the darkness with room for only 
  one average-sized humanoid at a time. A mould-
  ‘To find that which you desire seek out misfortune.’ 
  It refers to the gremlin statue in 6, which the adven-
  turers must pass to reach the tomb complex proper. 
  The pool here is now dry.
  5. Nebrovolent Shrine
  Set into the south side is a 1.5m-high altar. In 
  front of it is a large pewter plate with an offering of 
  extremely dessicated meat. A thin layer of dust cov-
  ers everything. There is script in Ancient Kaikuhran 
  etched into the plinth of the altar. ‘Lay yourself, 
  human, as a sacrifice on Nebrovolent’s altar’.
   
  The wall behind the altar is hollow (8) and is 
  a cavity filled with a hermetically sealed gas cloud 
  (strong poison); it is quite viscous, and will only 
  affect player-characters actually standing on the 
  altar; others will have time to move away. Survivors 
  may move through 8.
  6. The Demon Passage
  Long and unlit. Five slits just wide enough for a 
  large human to wriggle through stand about 2.5m 
  up on the south wall. Behind each slit stands a statue 
  of a demon associated with the tomb complex. They 
  are the b’krath, the rult, the stalker, the gremlin and 
  Akresh himself. Behind the statues, apart from the 
  gremlin, a narrow passage leads to a tiny offering 
  room in which gifts appropriate to each demon have 
  been placed. There is no offering behind the grem-
  lin’s statue; in fact, a corridor leads off to 7. None 
  of these gifts are necessary for the binding of the 
  demon; they are of merely ceremonial significance. 
  Statue 
  Gift
  The b’krath  
  A gold-covered wooden figurine of a 
   
   
   
   
  panther. 
  The rult 
   
  A skull made of mosaic tiles. 
  The stalker  
  A flute made from a human thigh-bone. 
  Akresh  
   
  Plates of precious metals, worth 850F. 
  A large statue (3m high) stands at the end of the 
  demon passageway of a warrior in ancient armour 
  wielding a war mace over the body of a fallen foe. 
  An inscription at its base (in Ancient Kaikuhran) 
  reads: ‘The Lord Gutheron of the House of Org’.
   
  As the player-characters pass the gremlin statue 
  a real gremlin will slip out of a concealed cubby 
  hole at the back and follow them doggedly through 
  the complex, keeping as well concealed as possible. 
  Originally there were two gremlins, but one of them 
  
  35
  the defence for two minutes. 
   
  The side chamber contents are as follows:
  a. A mahogany figurine of Gutheron on horseback, 
  armed for war. Artistic merit but no intrinsic value.
  b. A jewelled fan, worth 200F. Anyone fanning 
  themselves for more than one minute will enter a 
  trance-like state for one hour. This trance is intended 
  as a psychedelic diversion, typical of Ancient 
  Kaikuhran amusements, but is also quite refreshing 
  and enables the character to regain 2d4 Magic Points 
  (if he has any).
  c 
  A gold statue of Gutheron hunting, worth 2000F.
  d.. An alabaster sceptre. This functions as both a +1 
  Mace, and a Periapt.
  e.. A bronze coffer with gold and gems worth 5000F.
  f. 
  A bust of Gutheron’s wife, Yashara, in blue marble 
  streaked with white.
  g. A gold pectoral (worth 2500F) with an Ankh of Osiris 
  set into it.
  h. A rosewood throne set with gems and silver inlays, 
  total value of 12000F. Note: this item is very heavy.
  i. 
  Fourteen grey candles set in a vortex pattern. When lit 
  these summon one of Gutheron’s ancestors back from 
  the vortex of Nebrovolent (treat as a Wight; Bestiary, 
  p. 85), which will attack any intruders immediately. 
  The candles lose this power if moved.
  j. 
  Gutheron’s favourite bow, and a quiver with ten 
  arrows. The arrows are all +2 arrows.
  k. A number of staves of office, apparently all solid gold 
  but in fact merely wood covered in gold leaf.
  l. 
  A large shield with Nebrovolent’s symbol inscribed 
  upon it. This gives the user +2 defence.
  m. A silver mask inlaid with sapphires and jet, worth 3500F
  n. A large obsidian statue of Akresh, represented as a 
  muscular and heavily armoured warrior. 
  o. A silver truncated pyramid about two feet high. This is 
  hollow and when opened will be found to contain gold 
  and gems worth 6000F
  p.  An 8’ tall statue of a bulbous, roughly humanoid 
  warrior with spiked clubs in place of hands. There is 
  no Weaken/Fright Attack effect in this chamber, but 
  the moment anyone enters the statue animates.
   
  Animated Statue
  attack 18, club (d6+2, 5)  
  Armour Factor 4
  defence 13 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 4
  magical defence – 
   
   
  stealth 10
  Reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
  perception 13 (panoptical)
  Health Points 22
  Rank-equivalent: 6th
  The animated statue is unaffected by direct-attack 
  spells, and so has no magical defence score. When 
  there are no living creatures in the Pit of the Night 
  Demons (16), the statue will de-animate.
   
  Exits: Through 12. In addition, the character 
  ered bit of rope hangs from a metal stanchion and 
  disappears down to 10. If the old rope is used for the 
  descent it has a 10% chance of snapping (roll sepa-
  rately for each character using it), increased to 15% 
  for any character wearing armour of AF4 or AF5. 
  Remember that the gremlin will alter the chance of 
  falling if present.
  10. Funeral Corridor
  Totally unlit. The light of torches or lanterns will 
  reveal bas-reliefs etched on the walls—a large 
  funeral procession making its way towards a vast, 
  truncated pyramid across a desert. Some mourners 
  wear cloaks made of birds feathers, others masks 
  that resemble the faces of desert creatures such as 
  jackals and hyenas. Bas-reliefs further down the 
  corridor depict various ceremonies being performed 
  on a corpse by purple-robed figures. Over the corpse 
  as if hovering in mid-air is depicted a squatting, 
  rotund figure, its head surrounded by black clouds 
  and thunderbolts; in each hand he holds the top of 
  a mountain.
   
  Scholarly characters, or those from the local 
  area, will recognise the pyramid structure as a typi-
  cal ancient Kaikuhran noble tomb, the purple-robed 
  priests as priests of Nebrovolent, the ancient Kai-
  kuhran god of death. Demonologists will recognise 
  the mountain-shaking demon as Akresh (see p. 25). 
   
  Traps: a Shadowbolt spell will leap from a black 
  gem set in the wall and strike anyone who walks 
  within 2m of the Akresh relief.
  11.  The Gallery of Offerings
  The arches off the central corridor lead to rough-
  hewn chambers where gems and precious metals 
  glint in the torchlight. If any of the side chambers 
  are entered, as the first character steps through an 
  arch, translucent grey hands thrust down, out of 
  the stone ceiling and into his skull. At the same 
  moment, a terrible shriek will be heard which affects 
  anyone who hears it with a Weaken spell (magical 
  attack 18). The character attacked will suffer a 
  strength 8 Fright Attack, after which the ghostly 
  hands dissolve into thick acrid smoke. If still alive, 
  the character may be blinded by the fumes (treat as 
  a weak poison. If the roll is failed, he is blinded for 
  2d4 hours rather than killed. If the roll is successful, 
  there is no effect). Each treasure niche will have this 
  effect only once, and a Dispel Magic will suppress 
  the lone anD level sanDs
  
  Dragon Warriors
  36
  (1500F). If the eyes of the statue at 2 are still in 
  place then the gem, if left on the plinth, will focus 
  light down gallery 15, illuminating its entire length 
  so it can be seen. A few specks of what appears to be 
  gold dust may be seen to sparkle in the sunlight or 
  from the light of torches. 
   
  This room was used to summon the b’krath that 
  stalks 15. The summoner, however, nervous of fail-
  ure, arranged some protection for himself through 
  his light focusing mechanism. The gold-dust on the 
  floor is the remains of a supply the summoner had 
  ready in case he had to strike a bargain.
  15. The Corridor of Mirrors
  The entire length is covered by wall-mirrors. Char-
  acters looking at their images will find them dimin-
  ishing into infinite regress. It is frequently difficult 
  to recognise oneself in the images; it is as if they 
  were being subtly distorted. There is a slight down-
  ward gradient. 
   
  The door to 17 is made of wood and engraved 
  with serpentine forms, some of them patterned as if 
  in an ornate script. A mirror (2m × 2m) hangs over 
  the door lintel reflecting the whole length of the cor-
  ridor. It is made of enchanted silver (value 3000F) 
  and will reflect Astragard’s true form (that is, if the 
  other players notice in the confusion of the b’krath 
  attack). It will also reveal such things as stolen items 
  concealed on players, any disguises they may have 
  assumed, for example, invisibility. It is linked with the 
  sky goddess Cotalqueh, who in the ancient world was 
  a goddess of seeing the truth, among other things. 
  This symbol is engraved on its back. The mirror will 
  continue to reveal hidden secrets even if removed 
  from its present location. The script on the door in in 
  Ancient Kaikuhran and reads: ‘The last resting place 
  of Gutheron and the Thunder-in-the-Mountains, 
  beware lest men of deceit accompany you’.
   
  Encounter: B’krath at all times (see p. 16; 24 
  Health Points), but it will attack with less efficiency 
  if corridor is lit by the prism in room 14. 
   
  Hidden Spots: One of the mirrors towards the 
  end of the corridor swings in to reveal room 16.
  16. Pit of the Night Demons
  Just past the entrance is a 3m-wide marble platform. 
  The rest of the room is a 4m-deep pit full of swirl-
  ing mist, so that no pike, spear etc., can touch the 
  bottom from the platform. The mists muffle the 
  with the highest perception will notice that one of 
  the granite blocks of the walls is slightly protuber-
  ant compared to the rest of the wall. If this is prised 
  away, a low passageway will be seen leading to 14. 
  There will also be a faint glimmer of light.
  12. The False Door
  Like the other alcoves in 10, a Weaken/Fright Attack 
  will be made on anyone attempting to pass under 
  the archway of this niche.
   
  The adventurers will see a small snake slither 
  away through a crack in the far wall. This wall is of 
  thin plaster, and if broken down leads to a 10m-long 
  passageway. At the end is an ornate wooden portal 
  with skull bas-reliefs carved into it. It surrounds 
  double doors with life-size statuettes of strange cult 
  priests protruding from them. They open inwards. 
   
  When the first door is opened a complex pulley 
  system within the first statue is activated, a slab of 
  stone will drop down a slot behind the party in the 
  north wall, and a cascade of loose pebbles will fall 
  from an overhead shaft upon the backs of anyone in 
  front of the double doors (speed 12). Anyone struck 
  by the pebbles will receive d6 +3 damage, and must 
  roll Strength or less on 3d6. If this roll is failed the 
  character has been swept down a steep passage-
  way behind the doors to 13. Two more rolls (this 
  time rolling Strength or less on 4d6, or 5d6 for the 
  last one) are allowed before the character is swept 
  into a pit full of quicksand (13). There is about 3m 
  between the quicksand and the lip of the pit.
  13. Quicksand Pit
  A stalker (see p. 18; 24 Health Points) hides here. It 
  will not come forth until the adventurers reach 21. 
  The pit is about 10m across; on the other side of it 
  an ascending passageway disappears into the dark-
  ness (see 21 and 22).
  14. Summoning Room
  A glimmer of reddish light comes from an opening 
  6m up the north wall which is a shaft about 30cm 
  square leading to the eye gems of the statue at 2. If 
  these have been removed the light will be very dim. 
  A thin layer of dust covers a chalked pentangle that 
  encloses the marble plinth in here. On it is a brass 
  hand-bell with sun symbols on it. It has no clap-
  per inside it. Instead a precious gem lies underneath 
  
  37
  helmet is presently on Gutheron’s mummified body 
  (room 23).
   
  Jumping: because there is very little landing 
  space at the other side of the pit, leaping across it is 
  tricky (roll under Reflexes on 2d10).
  17. Room of the Cobras
  If the player-characters stop to listen, they will hear 
  a pronounced hissing noise coming from this room 
  before they enter it. 
   
  The steep flight of steps leads down into the low, 
  false burial chamber intended to fool plunderers. A 
  large unopened granite sarcophagus stands at the 
  foot of the steps. Other steps lead upwards on the 
  other side of the room to a wall painting.The high 
  ceiling is loosely raftered with cedarwood, and large 
  areas of disturbed rafters are visible. The roof is sup-
  ported by cedarwood pillars. Thousands of hissing 
  snakes cover the floor, stairways, pillars and rafters.
   
  The wall painting shows Gutheron with his 
  sound of anything thrown into them. Within the 
  mists dwell minor spirits. Anyone immersed more 
  than a foot into the mist will be subject to a magi-
  cal attack of 17; if effective, this attack causes 2d6 
  damage, which appears as livid bruising under the 
  character’s armour. The attacks will continue each 
  round until the character leaves the mist.
   
  In a niche on the other side of the pit is some 
  jewelled armour. It is black with a cobalt blue deco-
  ration and a three-pointed star symbol in sapphires 
  on the chest. It counts as +2 mail armour, with the 
  sapphire working as an Amulet of Sovereignty over 
  Violence.
   
  This was Gutheron’s famed Harmonic Armour. 
  It is enchanted so that it follows the actions of 
  whoever wears the matching helmet. Normally this 
  meant that Gutheron would wear the helmet and 
  armour together, thus effectively augmenting his 
  strength in combat because the armour follows the 
  helmet-wearer’s actions with its own strength of 
  19 (+2 to Armour Bypass Rolls and damage). The 
  the lone anD level sanDs
  
  Dragon Warriors
  38
  back to the chamber actually holding the sun in his 
  right hand. A tracery of fire stretches over his head 
  to his other hand. The sun in his right hand may 
  possibly indicate the only other exit to the room, a 
  movable granite block high up in the western wall 
  (6m). A heap of smashed wood lies in one corner 
  of the room; this used to be the ladder to this door, 
  but was smashed practically beyond recognition by 
  Koram and his accomplice.
   
  Encounters: Vipers, everywhere. Giant Vipers 
  hidden in the rafters will drop on anyone inspecting 
  the sarcophagus. 
  Vipers
  attack 12, bite (d3, 1),  
   
  Armour Factor 0
  poison
  defence 4  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 12m
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 3
  magical defence 1 
   
   
  stealth 19
  Reflexes 17  
   
   
   
   
  perception 8 (normal)
  Health Points 1d6+3
  Rank-equivalent: 1st
  Vipers are small snakes, typically no more than 1m 
  long, but quite venomous.
  Giant Vipers
  attack 13, bite (d3, 2), treat  Armour Factor 0
  as a strong poison
  defence 5  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 15m
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 2
  magical defence 1 
   
   
  stealth 18
  Reflexes 15  
   
   
   
   
  perception 9 (normal)
  Health Points 10, 10, 11, 12, 13, 13, 14
  Rank-equivalent: 2nd
  The sarcophagus holds the desiccated corpse of a 
  man dressed in antique robes. He holds an idol in 
  one hand. It is made of wood and depicts a squat-
  ting, malevolent-looking god or demon.
   
  Naturally it will not deceive Astragard, who 
  knows just what he is looking for. The idol will 
  detect as strongly magical but is in fact useless.
  18. The Judgement Room
  The room is carpeted with human bones and skulls, 
  in most places to a depth of nearly a metre. A throne 
  stands in the middle of the west wall on the dais. 
  Large bas-reliefs, apparently of Ancient Kaikuhran 
  gods, cover the walls on either side.
   
  Encounter: A rult (see p. 18; 19 Health Points) 
  will manifest itself through the bones along with 
  four Skeletons with shortswords.
  Skeletons
  attack 11, shortsword  
  Armour Factor 0 (2 vs 
  (d8, 3)  
   
   
   
   
   
  stabbing weapons)
  defence 5  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 3
  magical defence 3 
   
   
  stealth 13
  Reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
  perception 7 (gloomsight)
  Health Points 5, 6, 7, 7
  Rank-equivalent 1st
  The rult’s orders were: ‘Kill any who enter this 
  chamber after the tomb is sealed’. Whenever the 
  rult teleports it appears to dissolve into a grey fog 
  and merge with the body it is teleporting through.
   
  The throne bears an inscription in Kaikuhran 
  script: ‘Let no one sit here but Gutheron, who 
  Judges the People, Death will come to the usurper.’
   
  The whole throne is in fact a trap. Anyone sit-
  ting on it will activate a catch which will swing it 
  around activating a flight of javelins concealed at 19. 
  There are six of these, each of which will target a 
  randomly determined party member with a speed of 
  18. The mechanism will operate silently and a rep-
  lica throne with an identical inscription will appear 
  in its place on the far wall. This is the only way the 
  player-characters can reach 19 from here; by operat-
  ing the trap.
  19. Alcove
  Small alcove with six empty (or full if the PCs 
  approach from 13) arbalests on a frame. A cord 
  attached to the throne runs back down the corridor.
  20. Ceiling Entrance
  Concealed in the ceiling of this long corridor is the 
  way up. It is a large granite slab, 5m up, almost iden-
  tical to the others that line the ceiling. The character 
  with the highest perception score will spot it, if 
  the ceiling is examined.
  21. Portcullis
  This will be dropped by the gremlin at this point, 
  trapping any PCs descending the corridor. He will 
  also cast his Benight spell using his Ring of Dark 
  Madness. The portcullis itself is made out of incred-
  ibly hard stone and will require one man one week to 
  break through. The stone to either side of it is softer 
  and could be removed in 3 days, without magic.
  
  39
   
  Encounters: At some stage the stalker will rise 
  out of the pit (13), though it will conceal itself from 
  the party at first.
   
  The stalker’s orders were ‘Pursue any who loot 
  the tomb and slay them individually, then return’. 
  It may thus attack survivors of the party after they 
  have returned to Tamary and (they think) safety.
  22. Ascending Corridor
  Bas-reliefs on the walls of this gallery depict a num-
  ber of creatures—in progression; jaguars, snakes, 
  spiders, eagles and scorpions. An enchantment 
  causes anyone walking along the gallery to lose one 
  point from, in turn, Strength, Looks, Intelligence, 
  Psychic Talent, and Reflexes as they pass each of the 
  five creatures depicted. If the character walks up and 
  down the gallery he/she will lose points each time. 
  These characteristics later recover at the rate of one 
  point per hour. A Dispel Magic will suppress the gal-
  lery’s enchantment for two minutes, making it safe 
  to traverse.
   
  The passageway is blocked by a plaster wall. If 
  this is pierced a large granite block will begin slid-
  ing down the corridor. Total the party’s Strength; 
  they must roll under this on 12d6 to stop the block. 
  If there are three failures by the party, assume that 
  the block is now moving so swiftly that it cannot be 
  stopped. Do not forget to deduct further Strength 
  if the party are forced back past the jaguar glyphs. 
  The block will push any player-characters through 
  20. Anyone surviving the fall of 6m may be crushed 
  (and instantly killed) by the block when it falls at a 
  Speed of 12, unless they evade it.
  23. The Burial Chamber
  A sarcophagus rests in the exact centre of the room. 
  Ramps 4m across disappear into the darkness at the 
  four cardinal points. They slope steeply upwards 
  and have large round blocks lying at their ends. The 
  sarcophagus lies open. In it lies a human skeleton 
  with a jade sceptre in its right hand and wearing a 
  helmet of black metal, like 17. A squat rock idol of 
  a monstrous god/demon stands at the head of the 
  sarcophagus. A Kaikuhran inscription is etched into 
  the side of the sarcophagus: ‘Stand firm even in the 
  grip of death, O servitor of Akresh’. Anyone lifting 
  the idol will cause the following to happen:
  a. There will be a roar as if of distant thunder draw-
  ing swiftly near.
  b. The blocks plugging the ramps will give way at 
  exactly the same time and come hurtling down the 
  ramps. Characters can attempt to evade them (Speed 
  10), dying if they fail. Characters who remain firm 
  will find themselves merely enclosed in a neat frame 
  as the round blocks meet with a crash and come to 
  rest in a cloud of dust. The blocks are about 3m high 
  and can be vaulted easily. Sand will begin coursing 
  down the ramps, and as soon as the sand clears from 
  the top of the pyramid, sunlight (or starlight) will 
  be shining into the tomb chamber through the holes 
  left by the blocks in the outer casing.
  c. Gutheron’s skeleton will rise up as a mummy and 
  attack with a horrible cry of rage.
  Gutheron’s Corpse (Mummy)
  attack 19, sceptre (d8+1, 4) 
  Armour Factor 1
  defence 13 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (15m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 4
  magical defence 9 
   
   
  stealth 15
  Reflexes 12  
   
   
   
   
  perception 12 (darksight)
  Health Points 20
  Rank-equivalent: 7th
  Although 
  retaining 
  his 
  former 
  intelligence, 
  Gutheron does not retain full awareness of his condi-
  tion. He will fight single-mindedly to destroy those 
  who invade his tomb, and his primary aim will be 
  to protect the sacred relic. He recognises Astragard 
  (whom he knows as the Black Serpent) in any guise, 
  and will treat him as the principal foe. 
   
  If Gutheron is wearing the helmet for his har-
  monic armour (and he will be, unless the characters 
  have removed it), then the character wearing the 
  armour will immediately find the armour dupli-
  cating Gutheron’s own movements with an effec-
  tive Strength of 19. The link between helmet and 
  armour can be broken for two minutes with Dispel 
  Magic.
   
  Treasure: Idol for summoning of Akresh. This 
  relic negates Akresh’s magical defence bonuses 
  against summoning and binding, and reduces 
  Akresh’s magical defence against the wielder by 
  –2. Astragard has made some fatal miscalculations, 
  though, believing that the relic would enable him to 
  easily bind the demon prince, it would in fact, take 
  centuries to master the formulae needed to operate 
  the relic.
   
  Exits: Four ramps give onto the dune covering 
  the top of the pyramid.
  the lone anD level sanDs
  
  Dragon Warriors
  40
  DM’s Introduction
  THE LIFE OF an adventurer is constantly threat-
  ened by the powers of evil and darkness, and the 
  advantage of owning a relic is obvious. Relics—the 
  bodily fragments or personal effects of saints—pos-
  sess sacred power, and are physical evidence of the 
  truth and history of the religion. Monasteries prize 
  these items for another reason, however. Possession 
  of a relic gives the monastery status and prestige. 
  Still more mundanely, a monastery that owns a 
  renowned relic is more likely to attract notice, and 
  to receive the rich endowments that nobles hand out 
  in their pious moments. Men (even holy men) being 
  what they are, this means that fake relics abound, 
  and monasteries vie for ownership of the authentic 
  ones with a zeal that is often all too secular.
   
  This, then, is a tale of human greed.
   
  Osterlin Abbey houses a priceless relic: the mor-
  tal remains of Saint Giles. Great lords and ladies 
  come from far away to venerate the relic, often 
  bringing lavish gifts for the Abbey’s coffers. The 
  monks of Osterlin live well as a result.
   
  Recently, a knight called Notker of Balcorn was 
  engaged by the monks of a rival abbey who wish 
  to obtain the relic. They had already sent one of 
  their number to join Osterlin as a novice and thus 
  have a spy within the abbey walls. Their spy had 
  assessed the lay brothers whose job it is to guard the 
  relic. When the time was right, he bribed those he 
  deemed most venal so they would allow Notker to 
  enter the church at dead of night and substitute the 
  bones of some nonentity for those of the famous 
  saint.
   
  The plan is for Notker to visit the abbey for a 
  few days. One of the travelling-chests of his entou-
  rage will contain a skeleton which he can switch for 
  the true relic on the last night of his visit. The theft 
  should not be detected until he is long gone—if 
  indeed it ever is.
   
  But this elegant plan has developed a fatal flaw 
  at its outset. The spy misjudged the character of one 
  of those he tried to bribe; as soon as he pocketed 
  the money, this man went secretly to the abbot and 
  told him what had happened. Seeing a means to 
  embarrass the local monks, weed out untrustworthy 
  lay brothers, and even pick up a little cash from the 
  bribes the spy was offering, Father Eorwin instructed 
  him to give no indication that anything was amiss. 
  ‘Accept further bribes as they are offered, invent dif-
  ficulties for which you will need even more. Breathe 
  no word of this to any other lay brother, for others 
  may not have your own exemplary nature.’
   
  As the lay brother left (perhaps happily con-
  Chapter 5
  A BOX OF OLD 
  BONES
  An adventure for six characters of 1st-2nd rank
  
  41
  to wayfarers is scarcely less famous and perhaps this is 
  why, on your way to Hesard’s Ford (or any other des-
  tination), you consider it worth a slight detour to visit 
  the abbey.
   
  It is late in the afternoon as you approach. Sunlight 
  sparkles off the brook that provides the monks with 
  drinking water and a plentiful supply of fish. A few 
  peasants in shabby rags wander in a line through the 
  meadows. They have just collected pork and grain from 
  the abbey’s almonry. Lay brothers have been hard at 
  work tending the fields, but now they are hurrying back 
  for vespers.
   
  You are met by a slightly built monk who seems to be 
  the guest-master. ‘Alas!’ he says, shaking his head as you 
  approach. ‘We cannot take you in. Sir Notker of Balcom 
  and his retinue presently occupy the larger of our guest 
  houses, while the other must be kept ready for a group of 
  pilgrims who will be arriving shortly. I am sorry.’
   
  ‘What are you saying, Giraldus?’ calls out an elderly 
  monk who has been helping pass out the alms. ‘Would 
  you have these good people sleep in the fields, with this 
  cold wind coming down from the north? There are a few 
  pallets in the lay brothers’ dormitory, I’m sure.’
   
  Brother Giraldus complies at once. As he leads you 
  away towards the lay brothers’ dormitory, he tells you 
  that the elderly monk was Eorwin, the abbot.
  templating the advancement which he had surely 
  secured for himself), the abbot began to make plans 
  of his own. Calling the monks together in the Chap-
  ter House, he told them the whole story. Many were 
  outraged, demanding immediate expulsion of the 
  guilty lay brothers, and some form of action against 
  the rival order. Eorwin lifted his hand for silence. 
  ‘But if they want our relic so badly,’ he said with a 
  smile half saintly and half rather devilish, ‘we should 
  allow them to steal it...’
   
  The relic was quietly removed to the abbot’s 
  house for temporary safekeeping. Thus, unbe-
  knownst to Notker and his accomplices, they will 
  merely be switching their skeleton for another that 
  is no less sacred.
  Players’             
  Introduction
  You have often heard travellers mention Osterlin Abbey, 
  famous for the bones of St Giles the Martyr that are kept 
  in a reliquary in the church there. The hospitality shown 
  
  Dragon Warriors
  42
  The Abbey
  1. Smaller Guesthouse
  The guest-master, Brother Giraldus, and two assis-
  tants occupy a room here. The other rooms are 
  empty, awaiting the arrival of a pilgrim group on 
  the morrow.
  2. Larger Guesthouse
  This is where Notker and his companions have been 
  staying.
  3. Well
  4. Almonry
  5. Stables
  6. Fishpond
  7. Orchard 
  There are apple and pear trees here, and a number of 
  beehives clustered by the cellarium.
  8. Lay Brothers’ Dormitory 
  This occupies the top floor of the building above 
  the cellarium (store room) and lay brothers’ frater, or 
  living quarters. The player characters will be shar-
  ing it with the menials from Notker’s entourage, 
  and with fifty lay brothers and novices. Apart from 
  Cadric, all the NPCs here are normal men with no 
  combat experience.
  9. The Cloister 
  The hub of monastic life. The section adjacent to 
  the church constitutes the scriptorium. Here, in 
  bays called carrels, monks spend part of each day 
  reading and copying manuscripts.
  10. Water-Trough 
  This stone bowl has running water for the monks to 
  wash their hands before dinner.
  11. Kitchen
  12. Dining Hall
  13. Calfactory
  A fire burns here throughout the day in winter, so 
  that any monk who gets too cold while working in 
  the scriptorium can come to warm his hands.
  14. Monks’ Dormitory 
  The dormitory is over the monks’ frater (common 
  room), and extends above the chapter house and 
  library right up to the south transept of the church. 
  From here, the night stairs (24d) lead down into the 
  church. There are some twenty-five monks usually 
  resident in the dormitory, and none of these have 
  more than basic fighting skill.  
  15. The Abbot’s Lodging 
  This is Father Eorwin’s private house, usually also 
  occupied by a couple of monks or lay brothers who 
  act as his secretary and servant.
  16. Reredorter, or latrine 
  An ingenious sewage system leads underground 
  into the stream.
  17. Chapter House
  This is on the ground floor, under the monks’ dor-
  mitory. The monks assemble here daily to discuss 
  the running of the abbey and other secular business.
  18. Library
  This houses about two hundred scrolls and five 
  hundred books—many of the latter chained up. 
  Even if they could gain access (it is kept locked and 
  only the librarian, claustal prior and Father Eorwin 
  have keys) most adventurers would find the con-
  tents rather boring.
  
  43
  19. Chapel
  This small place of worship is attached to the infir-
  mary.
  20. Infirmary 
  This is for the treatment of of sick and elderly 
  monks. The infirmarian here is Brother Odilo, a 
  jovial fellow whose cheeks are often flushed with 
  drink. He sees to all medical treatment as well as 
  the blood-letting which every monk enjoys twice 
  yearly. In these tasks Odilo substitutes enthusiasm 
  and goodwill in place of medical skill.
  21. Infirmary Kitchen
  22. Barn
  23. Mill
  24. The Church 
  By night this is an eerie place, illuminated only by 
  the red glare of the sanctuary lamp and the moon-
  beams streaming through stained glass windows. 
  The first service of the day, consisting of Nocturns 
  and then the Lauds of the Dead, takes place a half-
  hour after midnight. The various parts of the church 
  are:
  a.  The nave
  b.  Rood screen: a large carved and painted screen 
  surmounted by an ornate crucifix.
  c.  A newel stairway that leads up to the belfry and down 
  to the undercroft. Several abbots and prestigious 
  benefactors are buried in the undercroft, while others 
  are in the graveyard outside.
  d.  Night stairs down from the monks’ dormitory. When 
  the PCs come upon Notker et al, the stairway will be 
  occupied by the ghostly manifestation of Adamnan’s 
  magic Whispering Hat.
  e.  Chancel with altar and decorated with ornate 
  panelling
  f.  Sacristy
  g.  Chantry chapel bequeathed by Gefmund, father of the 
  present baron.
  h.  Reliquary chapel. The cause of all the trouble is kept 
  here in a silver casket inlaid with mother-of-pearl and 
  supported by two partly gilded silver angels. Tonight, 
  of course, the remains of St Giles reside elsewhere and 
  the bones of an old peasant are accorded a temporary 
  honour.
  a box of olD bones
  
  Dragon Warriors
  44
  The Adventure: timeline
  Evening
  The player-characters and any companions they 
  have with them are given pallets in the lay brothers’ 
  dormitory. This is certainly unusual for persons of 
  any standing (presumably some of the characters, at 
  least, will be knights), but is sometimes necessary at 
  important abbeys such as this, which may have to 
  accommodate several groups at once. If any of the 
  group are wizards of any type, they would know to 
  keep quiet about it. Such folk, often thought pagan, 
  are rarely welcome at a monastery.
   
  Many of the lay-brothers were taken in by the 
  monks at a very early age and have spent their whole 
  lives around the cloister. Some were freemen who 
  joined in later life but these are still for the most 
  part young men. One is of the gentry—Cadric (see 
  stats); he is still learning to be humble and may 
  become very belligerent if the characters try to treat 
  him in an overbearing manner.
   
  Along with the lay brothers, they are sharing the 
  dormitory with the menials from Notker’s entou-
  rage. If they care to question these menials they will 
  soon discover they are not peasants from Notker’s 
  manor (as might be expected) but were hired at a 
  good rate from the village of Ashmore. Ashmore lies 
  some three days journey away on the far side of Hel-
  fax Wood. It seems that when Notker first arrived 
  there he was travelling with a group of monks. 
   
  If the characters are beginning to show an inter-
  est in their tale the menials will expect a few silver 
  pieces for the last tidbit: the monks who were with 
  Notker were not from Osterlin Abbey.
  Supper
  Supper follows vespers. Everyone, including guests 
  and lay brothers, eats together. The characters sit 
  at Father Eorwin’s table along with Notker and his 
  retinue, but no talking is permitted as one of the 
  monks is reading aloud from Barnabas’s Life of St 
  Giles. The long tables are a flurry of motion as the 
  monks converse in sign language, while the abbot 
  and his guests sit in quiet dignity.
   
  Their first impression of Notker is of an intense, 
  hard-faced knight in early middle age. He seems 
  always alert, watching like a hawk, assessing every-
  thing and everyone with sharp intelligence. Not a 
  man to cross. With him are four men and a woman. 
  Three of the men are obviously knights, while 
  the fourth—a short, pudgy fellow with short grey 
  hair—may be Notker’s personal priest. The woman 
  may be a nun, for she wears the black robes worn by 
  nuns or widows.
   
  Supper is frugal for all but the abbot and his 
  guests—but this is after all one of the more luxuri-
  ous monasteries. Most serve only one meal a day. 
  The meal over, the brothers and lay brothers file 
  off to the church for the short service of compline. 
  Most will then retire gratefully to their dormitories, 
  exhausted from their long day, though a few may 
  walk a while in the cloister, or spend half an hour 
  chatting in the parlour.
   
  Father Eorwin, with Giraldus the guest-master 
  and the claustral prior Willibrord, take all the guests 
  to the abbot’s lodgings. They are offered some of 
  the fine minty liqueur that the monks prepare, and 
  there is the chance for a little conversation. Astute 
  characters may notice a certain coldness between 
  Adamnan (the grey-haired tubby priest) and Lady 
  Marianna (the nun). Notker himself talks distract-
  edly, as if preoccupied. The three knights—Einhard, 
  Grest and Denchille—are glum military types who 
  keep themselves to themselves and seem uncom-
  fortable with small talk, though they can be drawn 
  into enthusiastic discussion on such subjects as 
  campaigning, warhorses, jousts and the finer points 
  of swordplay.
   
  Before very long, Notker gets to his feet. He 
  thanks the monks for their hospitality and, noting 
  their tiredness, bids them goodnight. All the guests 
  see this as the cue to turn in. Willibrord shows the 
  characters back to the lay brothers’ dormitory.
  Night-time
  You can approach this sequence in two ways: you 
  can simply tell a PC of your choice what happens, 
  or you can role-play through it, as they wake in the 
  middle of the night with a feeling of dread. Which-
  ever you choose, try to create a sense of strangeness, 
  of the world not being quite right, as if the character 
  is still half in a dream—perhaps the residual effects 
  of the Hand of Glory, or something more sinister.
   
  One of the characters comes awake to see a gro-
  tesque shadow looming over his pallet. He sits bolt 
  upright, but manages to stifle a cry of alarm when 
  he sees that it is just a shadow cast by one of the 
  stone figures that adorn the cloister roof. Sweating, 
  
  45
  he gets up and goes over to the window to breathe 
  in the fresh night air. The stone figure squats outside 
  the narrow window. Whimsically following its gaze, 
  he sees a strange thing: a man in a large cloak steps 
  furtively from the dark cloisters into the courtyard 
  below. Starkly visible for a moment in the light of 
  the moon, he dips his hand into the water-trough 
  and brings out a small item that was concealed 
  there. After a quick glance about, he darts back into 
  the enveloping shadows of the cloister.
   
  The GM should select a responsible and respon-
  sive player-character for this—one who will realise 
  that something suspicious is afoot and wake his com-
  panions. Attempts to wake the lay brothers will be 
  mostly unsuccessful. This is because Adamnan the 
  sorcerer is using his Hand of Glory, an occult talisman 
  which holds 0th-rank characters in deep sleep. If they 
  go around the whole dormitory, they will be able to 
  awaken only Cadric, Gondris the spy and three oth-
  ers whose monastic discipline makes them equivalent 
  to a ranked character. Of course, if Gondris is woken 
  then he will slip away at the first opportunity and 
  hurry straight to the church to warn Notker.
   
  Trying to wake the lay brothers would cost the 
  player-characters time that they may not wish to 
  waste. The same can be said of armouring up, and in 
  fact only the most wretchedly uncouth of characters 
  would don heavy armour in the monastery without 
  a very good and proven reason. The GM may allow 
  a boorish and timorous barbarian to pull on a mail 
  shirt if he insists on doing so, but others barely have 
  time to put on leather jerkins.
   
  After descending the stairs to the cloister, the 
  characters will notice a flicker of lantern light 
  beyond the scriptorium. This is quickly cut off by a 
  heavy door closing. Someone is in the church—and 
  there is no sign of the four lay brothers who should 
  be standing guard on the church steps.
  Interlude: Notker’s Plan
  By means of his bribes Notker has ensured that the 
  church keys would be secreted in the water trough 
  where he could easily obtain them. The four lay 
  brothers who should have been guarding the church 
  have been paid off. At Notker’s signal they fetched 
  out the two monks who normally stand watch 
  directly in front of the reliquary chapel, claiming 
  they had seen intruders crossing the lawn between 
  the infirmary and the graveyard. The monks (who 
  were pleased to go along with this diversion) took 
  two of the lay brothers on a tour of the abbey 
  grounds. The remaining two guards waited until 
  they saw Notker approaching and then hurried off 
  towards the orchard. If anything goes wrong with 
  the theft, they can later claim to have gone looking 
  for the others.
   
  At this point it is about a quarter to midnight—
  almost an hour before the monks are due to come 
  down to sing Nocturns. Notker’s intention was to 
  enter the church, have Adamnan place the Whis-
  pering Hat (q.v.) at the bottom of the night stairs 
  so no sleepless monk would overhear anything, 
  then quickly substitute his bag of bones for what he 
  thinks is the true relic.
   
  He has nearly accomplished this when a compli-
  cation arises. A monk called Cedric has been travel-
  ling from Clyster Port for the last few weeks and has 
  returned at this late hour. He is accompanied by a 
  man he met on his journey, Ruttgur of the Knights 
  Capellars. Both men being extremely devout, they 
  have entered the church by the porch door at the 
  west end of the nave (normally locked of course, 
  but Cedric has a key) in order to say a short prayer 
  before retiring. Thus neither knows anything about 
  Notker’s theft, or Father Eorwin’s plan to turn the 
  tables on him. As they round the rood screen they 
  come face to face with Notker and his group. With 
  the gate of the reliquary chapel open and the keys 
  in his hand, they have caught Notker in the act of 
  committing the crime. 
   
  The player characters should arrive on the scene 
  around this point in time.
  Dramatis Personae
  The Villains
  Notker of Balcom intends to divest the abbey of its 
  great relic, the bones of St Giles. With him are three 
  trusty retainers—Einhard, Grost and Denchille. 
  His monastic employers hope for a smooth and 
  uneventful robbery which may not be detected for 
  many months, but just in case anything goes wrong 
  they have provided two magical helpers in the form 
  of Adamnan the sorcerer and Lady Marianne. If 
  anything should upset the plan (as Ruttgur, Cedric 
  and the player characters hopefully will) Adamnan’s 
  Astral Gate scroll should allow for a dramatic exit. 
  a box of olD bones
  
  Dragon Warriors
  46
  (Remember that it will take Adamnan four rounds 
  to prepare this spell if he needs it: one to take out 
  the scroll and three to visualize his destination—an 
  ancient stone circle near the village of Ashmore.)
  Notker of Balcom
  Formerly a knight of the most chivalrous and noble 
  sort, Notker became embittered by the atrocities 
  he witnessed on the Crusade. In middle age he 
  has become a sometime adventurer and agent for 
  anyone who can pay him to do their dirty work. 
  This is more out of world-weariness than greed or 
  bad character. He has no desire to see anyone hurt, 
  and his sword has remained sheathed until the 
  point where Ruttgur attacks him in church. Years 
  of adventuring have taught Notker to think on his 
  feet—he can change his plans quickly and cleverly. 
  If things are going very badly, he will abort the mis-
  sion (probably escaping through Adamnan’s Astral 
  Gate) rather than struggling on to the bitter end.
  Notker
  4th-rank knight
  attack 18, sword (d8, 4)  
  Armour Factor 1
  defence 12 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 6
  magical defence 8 
   
   
  stealth 14
  Reflexes 15  
   
   
   
   
  perception 6
  Health Points 16
  Treasure: Shielding charm
  Adamnan
  A small, fat man who is impressive more for the 
  magical items he possesses than for any personal 
  power. He is timid, and in any confrontation will 
  keep well out of danger. His face is often damp 
  with perspiration and his eyes may be a little watery 
  from too much drink. The latter, combined with his 
  reluctance to use sorcery on consecrated ground, 
  gives him a 10% chance of miscasting any spell.
  Adamnan
  3rd-rank sorcerer
  attack 10, dagger (d4, 3)  
  Armour Factor 0
  defence 5  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 17 
   
   
  evasion 3
  magical defence 7 
   
   
  stealth 13
  Reflexes 12  
   
   
   
   
  perception 5
  Health Points 7
  Magic Points 12
  Treasure: The Whispering Hat, Hand of Glory, Scroll of 
  Astral Gate, Casket of Fays
  
  47
  Special Items
  The Whispering Hat. See Dragon Warriors, p. 180.
   
  Hand of Glory. See Dragon Warriors, p. 173. Note 
  that Adamnan carries a vial of blood with which to 
  extinguish the Hand. He made the Hand himself, 
  and could be forced or persuaded to reveal the secrets 
  of manufacturing more Hands of Glory, if captured.
   
  Scroll. This fine parchment contains an Astral 
  Gate spell. It was scripted by a sorcerer in Beltayn 
  and obtained for Adamnan’s use in this specific mis-
  sion at considerable expense to his employers. It is 
  designed for affording a rapid escape route if any-
  thing should go wrong.
   
  The Casket of Fays. This is Adamnan’s most 
  extraordinary item, though he does not fully under-
  stand its workings. Adamnan believes that it may 
  be used twice a day, but if opened a third time all 
  the fays would escape and its power would be gone. 
  Actually he is mistaken: the Casket may be opened 
  any number of times without draining its power, 
  though eventually it will be retrieved by its mak-
  ers. See Dragon Warriors, p. 170, for full info on the 
  Casket.
  Marianne
  A slender, imperious woman in early middle age 
  (about thirty). She affects the sombre habit of a nun 
  or genteel widow, though she belongs to neither 
  category. The reality is that she is a Mystic. She was 
  hired, like Adamnan, to provide magical back-up on 
  this mission: the two of them maintain a vitriolic 
  rivalry.
  Marianne
  3rd-rank mystic
  attack 12, unarmed (d3, 2) 
  Armour Factor 0
  defence 7  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 17 
   
   
  evasion 3
  magical defence 6 
   
   
  stealth 14
  Reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
  perception 8
  Health Points 10
  Einhard, Grost and Denchille
  These three stalwarts have been with Notker for 
  years. He paupered himself to get the four of them 
  to the Holy Land, and they have been doggedly 
  loyal to him ever since. They are very unimaginative 
  except in matters military and for the purposes of 
  this scenario they may be treated as average in all 
  characteristics (including Reflexes of 11)
  2nd-rank Knights
  attack 14, sword (d8, 4)  
  Armour Factor 1
  defence 8  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 4
  magical defence 4 
   
   
  stealth 13
  Reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
  perception 5
  Health Points 12, 14, 11
  Others
  The other two NPCs who will definitely become 
  embroiled in the adventure are Ruttgur and Cedric. 
  They will be fighting against Notker’s group—prob-
  ably, but not certainly, alongside the PCs. One of 
  the lay brothers, Cadric, is also detailed here as he 
  may get involved. Other monks should be treated as 
  untrained normal men, if needed.
  Ruttgur
  A tall, broad-shouldered warrior who recently 
  returned from the Crusade. His white tabard with 
  eight-pointed indigo cross on the chest marks him 
  out as one of the Knights Capellars, a fighting order 
  formed in the last few years to protect pilgrims 
  and settlers in the Holy Land. Unlike most people, 
  Ruttgur has no reservations about spilling blood in 
  a church or anywhere else. He is a violent fanatic, 
  and behaves in just the way that a good Capellar is 
  supposed to behave.
  Ruttgur
  4th-rank knight
  attack 18, two-handed 
   
  Armour Factor 4
  sword (d10+1, 6)
  defence 12 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 5
  magical defence 7 
   
   
  stealth 9
  Reflexes 13  
   
   
   
   
  perception 6
  Health Points 15
  Brother Cedric
  Cedric, an intense dedicated man, has been absent 
  from the abbey for over a month. Consequently he 
  knows nothing about the plot and counter-plot. If 
  the player-characters side with Ruttgur then he may 
  leave them and run to wake the monks. Remember 
  that he will have to pass through the shadowy figure 
  formed by the Whispering Hat in order to reach 
  the night stairs, and he has no way of knowing that 
  a box of olD bones
  
  Dragon Warriors
  48
  it cannot hurt him. If the player characters throw in 
  their lot with Notker, Cedric will have to take up his 
  staff and wade in—he will not leave Ruttgur to fight 
  them alone, and the Capellar will not retreat.
  Brother Cedric
  attack 12, quarterstaff (d6, 3) Armour Factor 1
  defence 6  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 4
  magical defence 3 
   
   
  stealth 14
  Reflexes 14  
   
   
   
   
  perception 5
  Health Points 7
  Rank-equivalent: 1st
  Cadric
  A young gentleman who recently joined the abbey 
  as a lay brother. He has a quick temper which he 
  is trying to curb. He occasionally guards the relic 
  though not tonight; and for this purpose he keeps a 
  heavy iron-shod crucifix by his pallet. In the event 
  of trouble, this serves very effectively as a mace.
  Cadric
  1st-rank knight
  attack 14, mace (d6, 4) 
   
  Armour Factor 0
  defence 7  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 4
  magical defence 3 
   
   
  stealth 11
  Reflexes 9  
   
   
   
   
  perception 5
  Health Points 9
  Gondris
  Gondris is the lay brother who has been acting as 
  Notker’s cloister spy. At the first hint of trouble he 
  will try to warn Notker, if this seems possible with-
  out jeopardising his own safety. After that he will 
  make his getaway over the orchard wall.
  Epilogue
  The scenario should allow for a talked-out solution 
  or a denouement with drawn swords, according to 
  the tastes of the gaming group. But PCs who prefer 
  a subtle approach, and would rather offer Notker a 
  chance to give himself up, will have their hands full 
  calming Ruttgur down.
   
  Notker is a fast thinker, and if the PCs are not 
  wary he will draw his sword and gesture at them—
  ‘Aha, you villains, we have caught you in the very act 
  of stealing the bones of Saint Giles! Surrender in the 
  name of the Church!’ Ruttgur and Brother Cedric 
  may take a little convincing that it is the PCs who 
  are the guilty party here, but Notker will  demand 
  that they watch over the alleged robbers, and before 
  they can argue will go outside to raise the alarm. 
   
  His hastily made plan is to cause a diversion 
  (most likely by locating some alert monks and 
  reporting that a barbarian and a thief disguised as 
  a priest are trying to steal the relic from the church, 
  but are being guarded by the valiant PCs), and in 
  the confusion he and his men will grab the bones 
  and flee. If the PCs further heighten the confusion 
  by getting into a fight with Ruttgur, Cedric and the 
  guards then so much the better. The inhabitants of 
  the Abbey will recognise Cedric and will believe 
  whatever he tells them is happening, but Cedric 
  himself is not exactly sure. If the Abbot is raised 
  then he can clarify matters, but Notker will try to 
  make his escape as quickly as possible.
   
  What happens after the point where the player-
  characters encounter Notker, Ruttgur and Cedric 
  depends entirely on you and your players. If Notker 
  escapes with the skeleton, Father Eorwin may offer 
  the characters the job of going after him. This is only 
  for the sake of appearances—he doesn’t care about 
  getting the bones back, but the rival monks would 
  be suspicious if no force was sent out to retrieve the 
  ‘relic’. Eorwin wants them to put their stolen skele-
  ton on show with all pomp before he reveals it to be 
  fake. This alternative leads to the player-characters 
  becoming innocent dupes of course—the pawns in 
  a game played by far more influential men—but any 
  grudges they develop against the NPCs in question 
  can only be good for the long-term campaign.
   
  The similarity in name between brother Cedric 
  and the former knight Cadric is a coincidence that 
  you should exploit for dramatic and comic potential, 
  as people shout at each other down echoing stone 
  cloisters and deaf old priests mis-hear instructions.
   
  If Notker is caught, or at least prevented from 
  accomplishing his theft, the characters should 
  expect some gratitude from the monks. Some, but 
  not much—they may have acted from the very best 
  of motives, but in effect they only blundered in 
  and spoiled a perfectly good bluff. Small consola-
  tion comes from the fact that they now have firm 
  friends in Brother Cedric and Ruttgur, who might 
  have been in for a long spell in the infirmary if they 
  hadn’t come along when they did.
   
  Characters who try something crazy like team-
  ing up with Notker or dashing through the Astral 
  
  49
  Gate after him will not benefit much from the 
  adventure. They should get a few experience points, 
  and Notker will soon manage to lose them.
  Continuing the Adventure
  If Nokter or any of his group get away with the 
  relic, there are a number of directions you can take 
  ‘A Box of Old Bones’ from here. Having the abbot 
  tell them of the scheme may be amusing and will fit 
  some campaigns, particularly if you plan to bring 
  Notker back as a recurring adversary, but for groups 
  who demand adventure and glory it isn’t enormously 
  satisfying. Here are three possibilities.
  Denouement
  The morning after the theft, Father Eorwin reveals 
  his subterfuge to the PCs. What he now needs is a 
  group who will publicly reveal that the thieves have 
  the wrong bones, but who can’t be traced back to 
  him or Osterlin. What he has done is to conceal a 
  parchment within the cracked thighbone of the false 
  skeleton. It reads: ‘These are the bones of Tiberus 
  Ash, a good and holy man, stolen from Osterlin 
  Abbey by thieves who believed them the relics of St 
  Giles. Please bury Tiberius appropriately.’ 
   
  How the PCs reveal the existence of this parch-
  ment is left to them, though it is likely the relics will 
  be unveiled in their new setting in a grand public 
  display. Whatever they do, it seems likely that unless 
  they act carefully they will become embroiled in a 
  feud between the two abbeys for years to come.
  Hidden Agenda
  What Father Eorwin knows but has not told anyone 
  is that the rival monastery’s reason for stealing the 
  relics of St Giles is not as simple as mere rivalry and 
  greed. After all, if they were to put a recently stolen 
  saint’s skeleton on display, it would be fairly obvious 
  it had been acquired in a manner hardly befitting a 
  holy establishment.
   
  Notker’s patron is in fact a demonologist who has 
  been using ancient texts in the other abbey’s library 
  to further their dark researches. He intends to use 
  the relic to summon a Hellion (pp. 20-21). How-
  ever, with the false bones instead of the actual ones 
  this summoning will go catastrophically wrong—
  which is Father Eorwin’s intent. However he knows 
  only a little of demons and does not realise what 
  damage a Hellion in the form of a senior member of 
  a major religious institution could potentially do.
   
  Eorwin learns too late of the chain of events he 
  has set in motion, and now sends the PCs out to 
  stop the impending disaster—either by intercepting 
  Notker, or interrupting the summoning, or by any 
  other means. But if word of his meddling gets out 
  his career in the True Faith will be finished, so they 
  must act alone.
  Traditional Climax
  This one needs a bit of revision to what has gone 
  before. The abbot is aware of Notker’s plot and 
  swaps the skeletons as previously described. He had 
  heard from nearby monasteries and abbeys that a 
  band of thieves have been stealing their relics, three 
  have been stolen in the last few months. One of the 
  raiding party was caught when their last mission 
  went wrong and confessed that he and his fellows 
  had been paid by a ‘witch’ to steal the bones to use in 
  some kind of spell. He either did not know or would 
  not say any more than that. 
   
  Notker gets away, either alone or with his group, 
  and with or without the skeleton. For reasons left to 
  the GM, Adamnan’s Astral Gate scroll is unavailable.
   
  It is night and the party can just make out the 
  shadowed form of Notker stumbling up and over a 
  hill, fleeing in the direction of the mountains. Not-
  ker is panicked and weary so the PCs are able to 
  gain ground on him but only if they run. The PCs 
  are also tired and are at a –1 to Strength and Reflexes 
  unless they take a ten-minute rest. They see Notker 
  disappear behind a large tree next to the sheer rock 
  face of the mountain, and when they have caught up 
  they see no sign of him in the vicinity. 
   
  Success on a perception check will discover 
  footprints dead-ending at the rock face. Success on 
  a second perception check will discover that there 
  is a door-sized crack in the rock and disturbed soil 
  at the base. 
   
  GM: Get the entire party to roll either percep-
  tion, Intelligence or Luck, whichever is highest, 
  against a difficulty of 13. On a success they will find 
  a small lever which opens the doorway. Alternatively 
  the rock door will shatter after taking 50 points of 
  damage. If the PCs take a ten-minute rest here they 
  will not suffer the penalties of the pursuit. 
  a box of olD bones
  
  Dragon Warriors
  50
  The Mountain
  As the door swings almost noiselessly into the mountain, 
  your eyes adjust slowly to the dim light. A narrow tun-
  nel, around sixty meters in length stretches before you 
  and curves to the right so you cannot see its end. The 
  tunnel is low-lit with candles in tiny alcoves at ten 
  meter intervals. You have to walk single file and slightly 
  hunched to get through without banging your head. 
  GM: The end of the tunnel opens up into a small 
  chamber, roughly five meters by seven. This chamber 
  is also lit with candles and at the far end is an arched 
  double doorway. Standing before the doorway are 5 
  skeletons. You see Notker issuing orders to the skel-
  etons and disappearing through the doorway. The 
  chamber is otherwise empty.
  Skeletons
  attack 11, 2 × sword (d8, 4),  Armour Factor 0 
  2 × mace (d6, 4), 
  1 × morning star (d6, 5)
  defence 5  
   
   
   
   
  Movement: 10m 
  magical defence 3 
   
   
  evasion 3
  Health Points 4, 4, 5, 5, 6  
  stealth 13
  Rank-equivalent: 1st 
   
   
  perception 7 (gloomsight)
  Having killed the skeletons the PCs move to the 
  door. It is locked but the catch looks rusty. A single 
  hit with a sword will shatter the lock with no need 
  to roll. The PCs can rest here if needed: if they did 
  not rest before entering the mountain, recommend 
  that they do it now to restore the –1 to Strength and 
  Reflexes. 
   
  Through the door is another short passage, a little 
  wider and taller than the last and lit with candles. As 
  the PCs walk through the passage it opens up into 
  a chamber roughly ten meters square. The room is 
  luxuriously decorated with thick tapestries adorn-
  ing the walls, patterned rugs on the floor and large, 
  ornate furniture dotted throughout. The right-hand 
  side of the door appears to be used as a work space, 
  with a wide desk and chair, a cauldron and dozens of 
  tiny vials, pouches and crystals stacked on shelves. 
  Here there is also a bird cage and a ragged-looking 
  raven sits on a perch. On the desk can be seen three 
  small chests (the PCs may know from the abbot 
  that there have been three thefts of ancient relics in 
  the past few weeks.)
   
  Standing in the centre of the room is a slight, 
  dark-haired woman in a long blood-red dress. Her 
  face is beautiful but looking upon it for too long 
  starts to give the PCs an inexplicable feeling of 
  unease, so much so that they cannot look at her for 
  more than a few seconds without having to look 
  away. 
   
  Nalis, a 4th-rank Demonologist, is talking to a 
  breathless and pleading Notker. She knows he has 
  failed her and she does not take failure lightly. See-
  ing the PCs enter, Nalis looks up from the grov-
  elling Notker and gives them a smile that makes 
  them shiver. With a wave of the hand she dismisses 
  Notker who scurries away and disappears through a 
  previously unseen passageway on the left-hand wall 
  of the chamber. 
   
  Nalis turns to the PCs and greets them. If the 
  PCs wish they can enter into conversation with her. 
  She has stolen the bones from various monasteries 
  and abbeys to complete the summoning ritual of a 
  Demon Lord she refuses to name. She asks if they 
  can supply her with the bones of St Giles in return 
  for a boon from her infernal lord. If they decline, 
  she sternly requests them to leave now or face the 
  consequences. If they do not, she will attack the 
  closest member of the party with a Dragonbreath 
  spell (see Dragon Warriors page 80). Nalis will also 
  use the Inflict Wound spell (Dragon Warriors page 
  80) on the party and attack with her +1 staff. 
   
  Nalis 
  4th-rank Demonologist 
  attack 12, staff (d6 +1, 3)  
  Armour Factor 2
  defence 6 
  magical attack 18   
   
  evasion 3
  magical defence 8   
   
  stealth 14
  Health Points – 10  
   
   
  perception 9
  Items: Staff of Night Vision (+1), Amulet of the Blue 
  Scarab.
  Treasure: Three chests full of the bones of relics, four 
  tapestries worth 100F each but very heavy to carry, 2 
  potions of healing, 1 potion of strength, 1 vial of smoke 
  and one pouch of Amianthus dust. There are gems and 
  gold worth 600F dotted around the room. There is also a 
  book of demonology on the desk. 
  PCs can leave Nalis’s chambers the way they came 
  in or can attempt to follow Notker. They will not 
  find him, and instead will come out on the other 
  side of the mountain. If they bring the chests of rel-
  ics back to the abbot, they will be rewarded with 
  150F each.
  
  51
  The Return of the 
  Dead
  Lost on the barren moors of north of the Hourla Hills 
  after nightfall, you have little hope of surviving to see 
  another dawn. You have trudged through the freez-
  ing mud for hours but finally you stumble and sink to 
  your knees, your iron will no longer a match for your 
  weariness. You bow your head and compose yourself to 
  meet your god. Your only regret is that you did not die 
  in battle.
   
  Through the closing haze of darkness you seem to 
  see a light, and dully you turn your head to watch it 
  approach. An old man stands before you holding a lan-
  tern aloft. When, in later years, you think back to this 
  moment it seems that you recall vividly the look of quiet 
  strength in his grey eyes, and the sound of his cloak as the 
  gale snaps it around his frail body.
   
  Beckoning you to follow, he turns and walks away. 
  Somehow you find the strength to rise and stagger after 
  him. Holding the bobbing lantern up to guide you, he 
  leads the way to a small cottage where a welcoming light 
  shines from latticed windows. A few more steps would 
  take you to the cottage door, but your fatigue is too much 
  and you pass out. Barely conscious, you sense yourself 
  being lifted up and carried towards the cottage. As in 
  a dream, you abstractly wonder at the strength in the 
  old man’s arms. He takes you inside and lays you on a 
  pallet beside the fire. Your last recollection is of thick fur 
  blankets being drawn up around you.
   
  It is noon before you awaken. At first you remember 
  little, but as fragments and tatters of memory return 
  from the previous night you are amazed to find your-
  self in a dusty, derelict cottage. There is no sign of your 
  rescuer and there does not seem to have been a fire in the 
  grate in the recent past. Outside, the bleak landscape lies 
  bathed in cold, winter sunshine. You see smoke rising 
  from beyond a wooded hill and head in that direction. 
   
  An hour’s walk brings you to the village of Hobvale 
  where you quickly seek out an inn and treat yourself to 
  an ample and warming repast. Then, sitting by the fire 
  with a cup of mulled wine in your hand, you relate the 
  events of the previous night to the innkeeper.
   
  ‘An extraordinary tale,’ he says, ‘but one which I 
  have in fact heard once or twice before from other trav-
  ellers like yourself. Some years ago an old monk called 
  Alaric lived in a hermitage out on the moors. Anyone 
  who came to his door would receive shelter, and he often 
  went out with his lantern when a sudden storm or bliz-
  zard might have caught wayfarers unawares.’
   
  ‘Why, then, clearly this was he.’ You are on your feet 
  at once. ‘Come man, I am no churl. Tell me where he 
  lives now and I shall go to thank this monk and reward 
  him for his kindness.’
   
  The innkeeper shakes his head and waves you back 
  to your chair. ‘Hah! I cannot think you would care to 
  undertake the journey. He took in a stricken travel-
  Chapter 6
  THE UNQUIET 
  GRAVE
  
  Dragon Warriors
  52
  ler some ten years past and then died himself when he 
  braved the storm to fetch the man a doctor. So you see, he 
  resides now in Heaven!’
  For thousands of years people have enjoyed ghost 
  stories. A dip into the folklore and literature of any 
  country will uncover dozens of variations on the 
  theme. Unfortunately this rich vein of imaginative 
  material is all too often reduced to absurdity by the 
  need to frame everything in simple game-terms. 
  How impoverished and inadequate the modern 
  horrors of adventure gaming can seem when com-
  pared to the originals from which they were derived 
  (Grendel, Dracula, the Green Knight, the Balrog, 
  et al.)
   
  The problem in part comes from trying to define 
  things exactly, for this can also limit them. It would 
  be very difficult to create anything like Macbeth in a 
  standard adventure, say. Banquo’s ghost would either 
  have to be a genuine Dragon Warriors ghost with a 
  1d12 Fright Attack, or a figment of Macbeth’s guilt-
  ridden imagination (which can be establishedif 
  the PCs have some way of detecting spirits or the 
  undead when the ghost next shows). Storytelling 
  allows ambiguity whereas games enforce the tedious 
  certainty of Aristotelian logic.
   
  I am not suggesting that creatures should not 
  be defined at all in game-terms, however. But there 
  should certainly be a shift away from the present 
  rules-and-stats approach which makes it all too 
  easy to roll hosts of uninspired random encounters. 
  There must be a sense of (and fear of) the unknown 
  when encountering fantastic creatures, particularly 
  ghosts and undead. Player-characters should not 
  think of such things as standard, nor should they 
  ever feel that they or anyone else in the world knows 
  very much about them.
   
  To help deal with the problem, here is a new 
  term for GMs to use: relict. A relict is anyone who 
  returns from the dead—whether in physical form, 
  as an apparition, or as an ambiguous and undefined 
  combination of the two. There is no one set of stats 
  for all relicts, because they are not all of one nature; 
  some you can fight, some you can banish with magic, 
  but many can only be dealt with by discovering their 
  particular weaknesses. 
   
  Alaric’s relict could be thought of as a sort of 
  ‘psychic residue’. It could not harm a character, nor 
  
  53
  be harmed. It could not be pigeonholed as a stan-
  dard Dragon Warriors ghost, because it was not a 
  conscious and reasoning entity, it was a part of this 
  honourable man which did not fade from the world 
  when his body died and his soul passed on. Relicts 
  like this will appear in scenarios as a means of giving 
  the characters clues to past events, assisting them, 
  hindering endangering them or simply to create an 
  eerie effect.
   
  Relicts may be brought into existence when a 
  person dies as a result of gross injustice, or with a 
  task or duty still to complete. This is the nebulous 
  and inconstant magic of the human psyche, there is 
  no ‘Create Relict’ spell! 
   
  If you left a companion to die then his relict 
  might pursue you with a view to evening up the 
  score. Maybe he can only be laid to rest if you go 
  back, find his body and give it a decent burial. Or 
  maybe you will have to fight the relict because it will 
  only be satisfied by your death. Possibly the relict 
  will depart if you can merely fool it into thinking 
  you are dead. Scenarios involving a relict will thus 
  often revolve around finding out what it wants and 
  then accomplishing this with minimal unpleasant-
  ness to yourself!
   
  Relicts are a useful way of keeping powerful PCs 
  on their toes; the characters might be able to defeat 
  ghosts and spectres with their hands tied behind 
  them, but they will just have to rely on their wits 
  when facing a relict which inconveniently ignores 
  all the usual tricks for dealing with undead.
   
  Any powers that a relict possesses should be 
  counterbalanced by specific vulnerabilities. These 
  could relate to the way the relict arose, so if a person 
  died in a fire, his her relict could manifest itself in 
  a form mutilated by horrible burns, becoming able 
  to utilise flame-related attacks and be harmed by 
  almost any Water Elementalist spell.
   
  When you’re devising a relict, start by deciding 
  on its ‘life’ history and how you’re going to bring it 
  into the scenario, and only then work out its stats 
  and powers (if any)—let your imagination take the 
  lead and make the rules run to catch up! 
   
  Second, take great care in the way you play a 
  relict. Supposing you have a relict which wants a 
  character dead; it might make repeated attacks 
  night after night, but it would not plan its attacks 
  as would a human assassin. Relicts are isolated frag-
  ments of a psyche, and they lose their qualities of 
  awe and strangeness if made to act like rational liv-
  ing beings.
  Scenario Outlines
  The High Priest of Nebr’volent
  After discovering the pyramid of a wealthy Ancient 
  in Opalar, a High Priest in times long past, the 
  characters return home with a fortune in tomb 
  treasures. Shortly afterwards, a succession of deaths 
  among the NPCs who accompanied them alerts 
  the player characters to the danger they are in. The 
  next night, one of the PCs is visited in a dream by 
  the High Priest’s relict. In the dream, the character 
  finds himself running, parched and weary, across the 
  desert sands. In the moonlight, he sees an oasis and 
  heads for it. As he cups his hands to drink, however, 
  his relief turns to dread—for reflected in the water 
  he sees a terrible apparition standing behind him. 
  It is the mummified corpse of the Ancient, dressed 
  in its priestly finery. It reaches for him with claw-
  like hands but he cannot move or turn to defend 
  himself. The water in his hands turns to dust and 
  he awakes in a cold sweat. The dream recurs every 
  night, and each morning the character finds he is 
  getting weaker. (In game terms, he is losing a Health 
  Point every four nights.)
   
  Consulting local sages, the player characters are 
  told by the most well-read sorcerers and exorcists 
  that someone must sit with the character while he 
  sleeps and cast Hold Off The Dead the moment that 
  it seems the dream is beginning. This course proves 
  partially effective—it drives back the relict until the 
  next time the character goes to sleep—but the sor-
  cerers are charging a great deal each time they are 
  called on to cast the spell....
   
  The other PCs probably realise it is their turn 
  once the haunted character is dead, so they do 
  everything possible to keep him alive.
   
  In desperation (and after a gentle hint from the 
  GM) the character goes down to the docks and seeks 
  out a notorious sorcerer who lives there. This fellow 
  consults his books, charts and astrological devices 
  and then explains that the tomb was cursed. He tells 
  the character that he has only one hope (choose the 
  solution which fits best into your campaign):
  1. (For long-term campaigns). The characters must 
  gather together the priestly regalia they stole and 
  return it to the tomb. The problems arising from 
  this are that they possibly do not have enough 
  cash to buy back some of the items, or a col-
  the unquiet grave
  
  Dragon Warriors
  54
  lector who bought one of the items refuses to 
  part with it. Once they manage to get back all of 
  the items and set off for the tomb, the haunted 
  character loses no more Health Points—but he 
  doesn’t recover the Health Points he’s already 
  lost until all the items are safely back and the 
  tomb sealed.
  2.  (For episodic campaigns). The sorcerer knows of 
  a way to help the character fight back: he must 
  go to sleep clutching a pile of salt in his left hand 
  and an antique jade shortsword (provided by the 
  sorcerer) tied to his right with a silk cord. When 
  the relict appears behind him in his dream he is 
  able to throw the salt up into its face and then, 
  with its gaze momentarily averted from the pool, 
  he is freed from his paralysis and able to turn 
  and fight it. This is a straight ‘physical’ battle; no 
  spells can be used. 
   
   
  The character and the relict are closely 
  matched, and neither has armour. The relict 
  wields a mace of mauve stone. If he defeats it, 
  he wakes to find he is back to full health. If he 
  doesn’t defeat it then he never wakes up, and the 
  next PC will have to pay the sorcerer for his ser-
  vices.
  A Noble Knight
  This is intended as a sub-plot to run alongside 
  whatever ‘main’ adventure the characters are on at 
  the time. A number of strange events occur over a 
  period of several days—e.g. a golden hawk leading 
  the characters to a companion who has fallen in 
  the hills and broken his leg, a lion which silently 
  approaches when they are lost in the mountains at 
  night and guides them to safety. Mention enough 
  of these that the player-characters have a sense of 
  something significant in the offing, but keep them 
  busy enough with the main adventure that they 
  don’t have time to analyse it all. 
   
  Eventually, while traversing a mountain pass, 
  they are ambushed by bandits. Things look bad for a 
  while until the sudden intervention of an armoured 
  knight on horseback saves the day. The knight turns 
  out to be an uncommunicative sort, though he does 
  reveal his name (Helvelas) and seems very pious. 
  He walks with a slight limp. At the next town the 
  characters lose him, but he meets up with them 
  when they continue their trek into the mountains in 
  search of whatever tomb or treasure trove they are 
  after. Helvelas accompanies them when they enter a 
  cavern complex infested with monsters, and several 
  times steps into mêlée to save a character’s life as the 
  party fights on towards its objective. 
   
  Finally, after a pitched battle in the main cavern 
  chamber, the characters look around to find Helve-
  las gone. But while gathering the treasure, they dis-
  cover the corpse of a knight in the shadows under a 
  shelf of rock to one side of the cave. Mystics with the 
  party can tell that he died of a wasting infection—
  probably caught from the monsters when they took 
  him prisoner. His left leg was broken. Although his 
  armour was rusted over the years, the characters can 
  still recognise the heraldic design on the breastplate. 
  A golden eagle on a red sun—Helvelas’s coat-of-
  arms. His relict has helped the adventurers reach his 
  body so that they can administer the proper funeral 
  rites.
  Recommended sources
  Films: The Fog; The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean; 
  High Plains Drifter; Rashomon; Don Giovanni.
  Books: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M R James; 
  Dracula by Bram Stoker; British Folktales and Leg-
  ends by K Briggs; The Room in the Tower by E F 
  Benson; The Bull and the Spear by M Moorcock
  Not all of these are strictly concerned with relicts, 
  but they are valuable as inspirational material.
  
  55
  eral times. Discreetly listening at the thin wooden 
  partition, they hear snatches of discussion—the 
  other group are also adventurers, planning to explore 
  and loot an abandoned temple a day’s ride to the 
  north, in the foothills of the Pagan Mountains. The 
  temple appears to be located in an underground 
  complex hidden beside a lake surrounded by weep-
  ing willows. Galadria whispers that she knows the 
  lake, having recently passed that way—it is called 
  Willow Lake. Suddenly one of the men at the next 
  table rises to leave. Galadria and her player char-
  acters immediately pretend to be chatting to one 
  another. The man who has risen says goodbye to his 
  friends and leaves. At the door, he turns and calls 
  back: ‘I’ll get some horses and see you back here in 
  two days, then!’ before walking into the night.
   
  Galadria leans forward and speaks in hushed 
  tones, glancing from time to time at the next table 
  as if to reassure herself that the eavesdropping has 
  not been detected. ‘Luck has delivered us an excel-
  lent opportunity, or so it seem. If this group aren’t 
  planning to depart for another two days, we can steal 
  a march on them. I hope that none of you consider 
  this dishonourable—they do look rather disrepu-
  table types themselves, and honour must go by the 
  board when one’s pocket is almost empty of gold.’
  Players’              
  Introduction 
  FINDING 
  THEMSELVES 
  SOMEWHAT 
  impoverished, the player characters enter the town 
  of Overdale in the north of Albion, one cold eve-
  ning, and are forced to make do with only a meagre 
  supper of bread and cheese at the Black Rose inn. 
  Naturally, then, they are quick to accept when a tall, 
  slender blonde in robes of green and grey approaches 
  and invites them to dine with her. 
   
  ‘I am Galadria the Gifted,’ she says, ‘I know what 
  it is to be down on one’s luck, so I extend this chari-
  table hand to a group of fellow adventurers.’ The 
  charitable hand in question glitters with a number 
  of heavy gold rings. She sweeps gracefully between 
  the benches where the common patrons of the inn 
  sit drinking, and leads the characters to one of the 
  partitioned tables off to one side of the room. She 
  orders stew and mulled wine for them, all before 
  explaining that she is an elementalist who has been 
  looking for a party of suitable adventuring compan-
  ions to help her deal with an awkward situation. 
   
  As the food is brought, there is a brief lull in the 
  conversation, and the characters cannot help over-
  hear something of what is being said by the group at 
  the next table. The word ‘treasure’ is mentioned sev-
  Chapter 7
  THE SERPENT’S 
  VENOM
  An adventure for 1st to 3rd-rank characters
  
  Dragon Warriors
  56
  
  57
  GM’s Background
  This has actually been a con, an elaborate charade 
  enacted to dupe the player characters. Galadria is 
  the accomplice of the men at the next table. She 
  and they are worshippers of the evil god Balor (see 
  Prince of Darkness p. 28). The abandoned temple to 
  the north was their own, but it was attacked almost 
  a year ago by a knightly order. Galadria and the oth-
  ers were the only ones to escape. They would like 
  to retrieve the idol of Balor and the coffers from 
  the temple, but have been unable to do so because 
  several of the skeleton guards of the temple were 
  not destroyed by the knights and now patrol parts 
  of the complex following their original orders: to 
  attack anyone not accompanied by a full Priest of 
  Balor (a Balor-worshipping elementalist of at least 
  5th rank). 
   
  For some time, Galadria and the others lured 
  several adventuring parties to the temple in order to 
  whittle down the number of undead guards without 
  risking themselves. Then events were complicated 
  by a group of orcs moving into the abandoned tem-
  ple. Their leader, a human sorcerer, instructed the 
  orcs to board the skeletons into one section of the 
  complex. Although many orcs died in the attempt, 
  this was achieved, and the skeletons do not have the 
  orders or the intellect to dismantle the barricade.
   
  The remaining worshippers of Balor know about 
  the orcs. They have evolved new tactics. Galadria 
  will take the player characters into the temple and 
  make a drive straight for the main shrine in order to 
  get the sacred idol. On the way out, Vargus and the 
  others plan to mount an ambush—whereupon Gal-
  adria will reveal her true colours and (they intend) 
  the player characters will be slain.
  Galadria
  3rd-rank Darkness Elementalist 
  (subsidiary elements: fire, water)
  attack 11, staff (d6, 3),  
   
  Armour Factor 2
  dagger (d4, 3) 
  defence 5  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 17 
   
   
  evasion 3
  magical defence 7 
   
   
  stealth 13
  Reflexes 12  
   
   
   
   
  perception 5
  Health Points 9
  Magic Points 9/3/3
  Treasure: 13 florins, quarterstaff, dagger, lantern, 
  tinderbox, padded armour, Orb of Darkness, the Eye of 
  Foreboding, Vial of Smoke.
  The Journey to the Temple
  The ride north takes the characters through roll-
  ing green countryside, through vales and gentle hill, 
  past small hamlets and farms where peasants till the 
  fields. The terrain gradually becomes more craggy 
  and less populous. At one point they espy a sombre 
  black chapel or monastery across the valley. Even 
  at a distance it is easy to see that it is deserted and 
  overgrown. 
   
  GM: This chapel was the home of the knightly 
  order that raided the Temple of Balor. So many 
  were slain in the endeavour that the wounded who 
  returned decided to deconsecrate their chapel and 
  move south. As a consequence, it is deserted.
   
  Finally their objective is in sight. As the PCs ride 
  towards the lake, however, they are suddenly attacked 
  by a party of five orcs who are out foraging.
  Orcs
  attack 12, short sword 
   
  Armour Factor 3 (mail 
  (d8, 3)   
   
   
   
   
   
  hauberk)
  defence 5  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 3
  magical defence 3 
   
   
  stealth 9
  reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
  perception 4 (darksight)
  Health points 5, 6, 7, 7, 9
  rank equivalent 1st
  These orcs will not attempt to reach the temple (if 
  they try to escape, it will be into the wilderness) 
  because they know that the look-out there will 
  have seen the characters approaching and will have 
  given the alarm, so the way in will be barricaded 
  (see below). Galadria will try not to use her spells 
  unless absolutely necessary. She does need at least 
  three of the player-characters to carry the idol out 
  of the temple, however, so she will bear this in mind 
  The entrance to the temple is a cave mouth on the 
  lake shore. This is concealed behind the trunk of 
  a weeping willow but Galadria will soon ‘stumble 
  across’ the entrance if the characters don’t spot it. 
  Once inside the temple, her aim will be to lead them 
  directly to the major shrine and the temple treasury. 
  This will involve Galadria ‘noticing’ several secret 
  doors and although she will try to pretend that she 
  is just doing this by luck, her eagerness to complete 
  the mission may make her find the secret doors sus-
  piciously quickly. 
  the serpent’s venom
  
  Dragon Warriors
  58
  which to raid and perhaps eventually take over 
  northern Albion. Though he reveres no gods, he 
  does also think there’s a possibility he may be able 
  to tap into whatever dark sources of magical power 
  were once associated with this place.
  Orcs
  attack 12, 3 maces (d6, 4),  
  Armour Factor 3 (mail
  3 shortswords (d8, 3), 2  
   
  hauberk)
  swords (d8,4), 2 battleaxes 
  (d8,6); slings (d6,3) 
  defence 5  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 3
  magical defence 3 
   
   
  stealth 9
  Reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
  perception 4 (darksight)
  Health Points  4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9
  Rank-equivalent 1st
  Treasure: The orcs with swords also have shields; 
  those with maces or shortswords also have slings. 
  The slingers are the ones who will snipe at the 
  player-characters. Between them, the orcs also have 
  small change and trinkets, amounting to a value of 
  7F.
  Althalos
  4th-rank Sorcerer
  attack 12, staff (d6, 3) 
   
  Armour Factor 2
  defence 6  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 18 
   
   
  evasion 4
  magical defence 8 
   
   
  stealth 15
  Reflexes 11  
   
   
   
   
  perception 6
  Health Points 12
  Magic Points 15
  Treasure: Scrolls of Warding and Shadowbolt; 43F.
  3. Storeroom
  This was originally the temple storeroom. Some 
  game hangs from hooks in the ceiling for a banquet 
  the orcs were planning. The smaller chamber off to 
  the end is where the food is prepared.
  4. Refectory
  There are plain wooden benches and a table.
  5. Dormitory
  This is where the lower-ranking worshippers slept 
  (Galadria, Vargus and the others). It is now the orcs’ 
  dormitory, of course. One orc lies in bed here. He 
  has Swamp Fever (see Dragon Warriors, p. 126), and 
  The Temple Complex
  1. Entrance Passage
  Crudely hewn steps lead up about six feet behind 
  the willow tree. The passage then levels out and car-
  ries on for another five feet or so—just more than 
  the range of torchlight.
  2. Entrance Hall
  Barricades to the left and right block the exit pas-
  sages from this room. Sturdy ropes lead across from 
  behind the left barricade and are secured to the 
  other. As the characters enter, they can see several 
  orcs peering out from the left-hand barricade.
   
  Suddenly the ropes go taut and the right-hand 
  barricade is pulled down. There is a noxious tittering 
  from the orcs as four skeletons advance through the 
  collapsed barricade and attack the characters. There 
  is a total of nine skeletons in the temple complex, 
  previously trapped in the passage to rooms 12, 13 
  and 14; they will issue forth to attack the characters 
  at the rate of 1-3 a round until all have been killed. 
  They will also attack Galadria, even though she is 
  a worshipper of Balor, because she is not accompa-
  nied by a priest of the god.
  Skeletons
  attack 11, 5 maces 
   
   
  Armour Factor 0 (2 vs 
  (d6, 4), 4 spears (2d4,4)  
   
  stabbing weapons)
  defence 5  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 3
  magical defence 3 
   
   
  stealth 13
  Reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
  perception 7 (gloomsight)
  Health Points 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 7
  Rank-equivalent 1st
  The barricades are made of logs and branches. The 
  left-hand one must be broken down for the char-
  acters to reach the orcs. This will take 4-6 combat 
  rounds, with the orcs sniping at the adventurers all 
  the time. Galadria will prefer to take the party this 
  way even if all the skeletons haven’t been destroyed, 
  because she knows about the skullghast guarding 
  the armoury and regards it as the safer of the two 
  routes.
   
  The orcs and their leader occupy the section of 
  the complex covering rooms 3, 4, 5 and 6. Their 
  leader is Althalos, a sorcerer. He regards the temple 
  complex predominantly as a convenient base from 
  
  59
  down a sloping chute to room 17 unless they can 
  evade its Speed of 16. The idol is worth 450F and 
  radiates a palpable aura of evil.
  9. Priests’ Dormitory
  There are five beds with decaying linen. There are 
  two corpses here—it seems that an armoured knight 
  slew one of the sleeping priests but was then struck 
  down from behind.
  10. High Priests’ Room 
  Two decomposing bodies lie together on the floor. 
  The armoured knight thrust his sword through 
  the High Priest, but the latter locked his hands 
  around the knight’s throat and choked him even in 
  death. The knight’s sword has not rusted, unlike his 
  armour. A black pentangle amulet hangs on the far 
  wall. The High Priest was trying to reach his Amu-
  let of Sovereignty over Violence when the master of 
  the knightly order caught up with him. The knight’s 
  sword is +1.
   
  When the characters have been in this room for 
  two combat rounds, a shadowy form will rise from 
  the High Priest’s corpse. It will attack anyone except 
  a worshipper of Balor. It is the High Priest’s spirit, 
  now a wraith. The strength of Balor’s magic in this 
  place, and the High Priest’s fanaticism, are such that 
  the he was able to become a wraith in far less time 
  than usual.
  Wraith
  attack (see Bestiary, p. 86) 
  Armour Factor 0 (immune
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  to non-magical weapons)
  defence 4  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 15m
  magical attack 1d10/ 
   
  evasion 4
  Combat Round attack is 
  delayed
  magical defence 11  
   
  stealth 10
  Reflexes 12  
   
   
   
   
  perception 13 (darksight)
  Health Points 9
  Rank-equivalent 5th
  If this wraith is struck with the knight’s sword it 
  will be destroyed immediately because some of the 
  knight’s virtue has remained in this weapon which 
  was the cause of the Priest’s death.
  11. Library
  Shelves around the room are stocked with numer-
  ous books, all of which deal with the revolting and 
  could not join his fellows in defending their lair. 
  Anyone who touches him has a 5% chance of con-
  tracting the disease.
  6. Outer Shrine
  There is a black bas-relief of a muscular red-eyed 
  demon on the opposite wall. Originally the room 
  was hung with tapestries and was a place for solo 
  rituals devoted to Balor. It is now Althalos’s private 
  chamber, and he uses the tapestries for his bedding.
  7. Robing Room
  Several black robes with a stylised eye design in 
  white over the abdomen hang on hooks around the 
  room. A wooden cupboard contains six black iron 
  crowns, with tines in the form of rough, icicle-like 
  spikes. There are five mouldering corpses in the 
  room, two of which wear rusting armour. (Roll a 
  d20; on a 1, the player-character with the highest 
  perception will notice that Galadria is unusually 
  disturbed by the sight of these corpses. The three 
  unarmoured ones were priests of the temple; the 
  other two were knights slain in the attacks.)
  8. Major Shrine
  This is a large chamber of black marble veined with 
  quartz. On the altar stone there is a solid onyx idol 
  to Balor, with eyes of red gold and a leering forked 
  tongue, this is the idol Galadria wants. (Note: as 
  a worshipper of Balor, Galadria should perform 
  a genuflection as she crosses the threshold of this 
  chamber. She won’t actually do this because it would 
  be an obvious giveaway, but from that point she will 
  be at –1 to attack, defence, magical attack, 
  magical defence, stealth, perception, and 
  evasion, until ritually absolved by a priest of Balor.)
   
  There are two traps on the idol that even Gal-
  adria doesn’t know about. Firstly, if touched any-
  where except behind the head, it will shoot out its 
  forked tongue (speed 19, damage 3, normal poison) 
  to strike any character standing directly in front of 
  the altar stone (unless they have taken specific pre-
  cautions against this). Armour will not help, unless 
  the player has specified that the character is wearing 
  a full-face helmet, or has his visor down, in which 
  case the tongue will have no effect.
   
  Secondly, a 5’ × 5’ trapdoor will open directly in 
  front of the altar, dropping anyone standing there 
  the serpent’s venom
  
  Dragon Warriors
  60
  15. Armoury
  A skullghast guards the special weapons of the 
  temple. The skullghast will attack anyone except 
  the High Priest, so Galadria knows better than to 
  enter the room. 
   
  The skullghast will not leave this room, even 
  to pursue intruders, as its orders were to stay and 
  guard.
  Skullghast
  attack 16, flame (d10, 3)  
  Armour Factor 0 and 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  see Bestiary, p. 66
  defence 15 
   
   
   
   
  Movement flying 30m
  magical attack 8  
   
   
  evasion 7
  magical defence 8 
   
   
  stealth 15
  Reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
  perception 12 (panoptical)
  Health Points 3
  Rank-equivalent 4th
  The special weapons and armour are a +1 morning-
  star; a +1 mail hauberk; two +1 shields.
  terrible rituals of the priesthood of Balor. Any char-
  acter of the True Faith who reads one of these books 
  through completely will be subject to a magical 
  attack of 16, permanently losing a point of Intel-
  ligence if affected.
  12. Barracks
  A bare room. This is where the skeletons remained 
  when ‘off duty’.
  13. Tomb Chamber
  Two sarcophagi contain the mortal remains of ear-
  lier High Priests of this temple.
  14. Cells
  Manacles hang from the walls. There is a decayed 
  corpse chained here. This is where victims were kept 
  awaiting sacrifice to the deity.
  
  61
   
  Galadria, by virtue of her intelligence and per-
  sonal power, wields much influence, but the others 
  do not see her as leader because most Balor-wor-
  shipping fighting men would not take orders from a 
  female elementalist.
  Vargus
  2nd-rank Knight
  attack 15, sword (d8 +1, 4) 
  Armour Factor 4
  defence 8  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 4
  magical defence 4 
   
   
  stealth 9
  Reflexes 11  
   
   
   
   
  perception 5
  Health Points 12
  Treasure: Shield; 23F
  Notes: Streak of white hair in beard.
  Losogon 
  1st-rank Darkness Elementalist
  subsidiary elements: fire and earth
  attack 11, morningstar   
  Armour Factor 2
  (d6, 5)
  defence 5  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 15 
   
   
  evasion 3
  magical defence 5 
   
   
  stealth 13
  Reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
  perception 5
  Health Points 7
  Magic Points 3/1/1
  Treasure: fig-wood staff carved in snake-form, worth 50F.
  Anabat
  1st-rank Barbarian
  attack 14, two-handed 
   
  Armour Factor 3
  sword (d10, 5) 
  defence 6  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 5
  magical defence 3 
   
   
  stealth 10
  Reflexes 11  
   
   
   
   
  perception 5
  Health Points 12
  Treasure: Gilded dagger worth 25F.
  Notes:  Scar over left eye
  Rish      
  1st-rank Assassin
  attack 13, sword (d8, 4)  
  Armour Factor 2
  defence 6  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 5
  magical defence 3 
   
   
  stealth 19
  Reflexes 14  
   
   
   
   
  perception 8
  Health Points 8
  Treasure: Sword with serpentine hilt, worth 10F.
  16. Treasury
  The temple coffers contain 328 florins, guarded by 
  two zombies.
  Zombies
  attack 10, maces (d6 +1, 5) 
  Armour Factor 0
  defence 4  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 6m
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 1
  magical defence 3 
   
   
  stealth 5
  Reflexes 3  
   
   
   
   
  perception 4 
  Health Points 17, 19
  Rank-equivalent 1st
  17. A Dank Chamber
  Contains the temple’s special guardian, which will 
  attack any who fall down the chute into its lair. It is 
  a nargut (see Bestiary, p. 42). It usually subsists on 
  small creatures such as rats and moles which burrow 
  into its lair (the priests used to feed it regularly). A 
  human should provide quite a feast!
  Nargut
  attack 16, acid bite   
   
  Armour Factor 0
  (d10, 3), claw (d8, 5)
  defence 4   
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 0  
   
   
  evasion 2
  magical defence 6 
   
   
  stealth 14
  Reflexes 6  
   
   
   
   
  perception 7 (darksight)
  Health Points 22
  Rank-equivalent 6th
  Leaving the Temple
  As the characters leave the complex, they are 
  ambushed by Vargus and the other worshippers of 
  Balor. The player-characters will almost certainly 
  recognise them from the overheard conversation in 
  the inn; this may allow them to work out what has 
  happened, if not immediately then later on. Gal-
  adria will turn on the party now, if she hasn’t been 
  killed in the temple.
   
  Since the sacking of their temple by the knights, 
  these remaining worshippers have devoted their 
  efforts to recovering the idol and the temple coffers. 
  Losogon, although but an acolyte, is their spiritual 
  leader now but he is not a leader of men, so it is 
  Vargus, as an officer of the temple guard, who gives 
  the orders. 
  the serpent’s venom
  
  Dragon Warriors
  62
  Chapter 8
  THE TEMPLE OF 
  THE LOST GOD
  GM’s Introduction
  THE TEMPLE OF the Lost God is set deep in 
  the dark continent of Mungoda. The eastern edge 
  of the Thanagost peaks and the foothills and jungles 
  for many miles around are occupied by the brutal yet 
  sophisticated Tochel Empire, ruled with an iron fist 
  by Queen Tiacapan. Tiacapan is an absolute ruler 
  who claims to be immortal. Certainly it is said that 
  she remains strikingly, terrifyingly beautiful, despite 
  having been queen for many decades. 
   
  The Tochel practise human sacrifice. Though 
  foreigners may regard this as morally repugnant, it 
  is a matter of course here, and those sacrificed are 
  thought of as highly honoured. Slaves are often sac-
  rificed, since by being given to the gods, they may 
  end their sordid, pointless existence by being trans-
  muted into a higher, more spiritual substance. The 
  slaves, of course, may disagree.
   
  ‘Temple of the Lost God’ is designed to be 
  used when the characters first arrive in these lands, 
  guided here by an ancient scroll discovered during 
  the course of their other adventures in the south of 
  Mungoda, near the great river (for example). 
   
  The Tochel people will welcome the characters 
  as Pale Gods from a distant land, thinking they 
  may amuse the queen, or perhaps be used against 
  her. Intrigue is rife in these lands, with every village 
  chieftain and high priest having some kind of angle, 
  some kind of agenda.
   
  The Tochel language is just one step removed 
  from Ancient Kaikahuran, as some of the founders 
  of the Empire, many thousands of years ago, were 
  exiles from that land. Adventurers will have at least 
  some chance to learn the tongue, particularly if they 
  already know Ancient Kaikahuran, from whatever 
  southern Mungodan guides or boatmen they have 
  employed to take them upriver. One or two of the 
  Tochel villagers will be able to speak a little Nascer-
  ine, which is a useful trade language for many trav-
  ellers in Mungoda.
  The Worship of Echcatl, the 
  Lost God
  Echcatl, the Lost God, Lord of the Four Winds, 
  He of the Two Masks, Mover of Sun and Moon, is 
  an ancient god, said to be one of the very creators 
  of the World. He has been lost from Tochel and the 
  world for generations, after he fell in love with a 
  human girl, Mayauel. The adoration of a god was 
  too much for her mortal frame, the magical force 
  of his love slaying her outright and scattering her 
  corpse into seven pieces. It is said that Echcatl has 
  been searching the three worlds for her ever since. 
  His worshippers became obsessed with death and 
  An adventure for five to eight characters of 4th-6th rank
  
  63
  the Undead, believing that if they could find all 
  the Seven Fragments that once made up Mayauel’s 
  body, and clothe it once more in flesh, their god 
  might return to them. In the years since Echcatl’s 
  disappearance, many priests became more interested 
  in life, death, and undeath than in returning Echcatl 
  per se, though some remain devoted to finding the 
  Seven Fragments and bringing Echcatl back to his 
  rightful place as ruler of Mungoda’s gods.
   
  The priesthood of Echcatl is very highly orga-
  nized and secretive. Though their fascination with 
  the undead would make them social pariahs in any 
  other society, most of the priests are not evil, but are 
  simply dedicated men and women of learning, often 
  being respected scholars and physicians. They wear 
  strange, double-faced masks and swirling robes of 
  pale blue.
  Yxtab, the Doomed Woman
  Yxtab is the Goddess of Suicide and Despair. She is 
  worshipped only by a few Darkness Elementalists 
  and similar evil cultists, though few of the cults last 
  long. A typical pattern would be for a cult to arise 
  in an isolated village, spreading through the villag-
  ers till there are enough of them to murder their 
  neighbours, then massacre another nearby village or 
  two before turning on each other and themselves in 
  a frenzy of self-destruction. 
  Players’ Introduction
  By chance, one of you discovered some information 
  concerning a temple to the Lost God, Echcatl, located 
  high in the easternmost Thanagost peaks. The records 
  you have looked at show that the temple was founded 
  two hundred years ago. Another brief reference, from a 
  hundred years ago, states that the temple was abandoned 
  just before that time, and that the priests’ exodus was 
  apparently so hurried that most of the temple relics and 
  treasures had to be left behind. You set out at once.
   
  Your journey north has brought you nearly five hun-
  dred miles along a tributary of the Mungoda river, into 
  lands that pay homage to the much-feared Queen Tia-
  capan, sometimes referred to as Witch Queen or Vampire 
  Queen, though never when her spies might hear. You left 
  the river two or three days ago and travelled due north, 
  seeing the jungle give way to light forest as you head 
  into the mountain range known as the Thanagost Peaks. 
  Through a pass you have come to the village of Mandir, 
  at the foot of impressive cliffs. Somewhere beyond, only 
  a few miles away now, lies your goal.
  GM’s Notes
  GMs should feel free  to adapt or expand the Play-
  ers’ Introduction above to fit their own games.
  The Village of Mandir
  The sun is low over the western mountains as the 
  party approach Mandir. In the north, storm clouds 
  gather. The village consists of about thirty houses—
  low wooden buildings with many-sided totemic pil-
  lars at each corner supporting roofs of black tile.
   
  The party are greeted formally by Tulkesh Nraga 
  (preferably in Tochel, but in Nascerine if necessary). 
  Tulkesh, a slightly built man about forty years old, 
  is village headman and a worshipper of the local 
  cult of Echcatl, to which more than three-quarters 
  of the villagers belong. He is quite affable towards 
  strangers—particularly if the party suggests they are 
  interested in converting to the worship of Echcatl—
  and will invite them to dine with him and stay for a 
  few days. No payment is expected unless the party 
  presume too much on the villagers’ hospitality.
   
  Also at dinner is a strange young man called 
  Nomikaru Teteli, the local priest of Echcatl. As 
  soon as the meal has begun he starts to chew a local 
  hallucinogenic weed and becomes by turns either 
  vague or abstractly argumentative. He was once a 
  high-ranked priest in a major temple, who fell out 
  with the temple elders and now chafes at his demo-
  tion to lowly village priest.
   
  Tulkesh will freely answer any questions. Mandir 
  was settled by pioneers from the west two hundred 
  years ago. The temple that the player-characters are 
  interested in was founded at about the same time, 
  but it appears to have become deserted less than a 
  century later. Tulkesh is not sure of the details—just 
  that the priests abandoned the place after a number 
  of unexplained events. One story he has heard is that 
  the priests were later attacked and killed by outlaws 
  as they made their way back toward the village, so a 
  full report was never made. From time to time since 
  then there have been mysterious disappearances, and 
  nowadays people try to give the temple a wide berth. 
  Nomikaru adds that there are probably wights and 
  grave gaunts (see below) guarding the temple com-
  pound, and will relish describing these creatures to 
  the temple of the lost goD
  
  Dragon Warriors
  64
  gate, dark, winged shapes rise up from here and the 
  colonnade below, soaring aloft and then swooping 
  down on the adventurers....
   
  These are grave gaunts (Bestiary, p. 79), guard-
  ians of the temple. There are seven of them.
  Grave gaunts
  attack 16, spear (2d4, 4) Armour Factor 1
  defence 9  
   
   
   
  Movement 8m (flying—90m)
  magical attack –  
   
  evasion 7 (in flight), 3 (on 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ground)
  magical defence 9 
   
  stealth 13
  Reflexes 13  
   
   
   
  perception 6 (darksight)
  Health Points 11, 12, 13, 14, 14, 15, 16
  Rank-equivalent: 4th
  The Library
  The roof has fallen in at the western end—many 
  of the books are rotten and worm-eaten, but three 
  sealed bronze chests have preserved the most impor-
  tant books in excellent condition. There is also a 
  scroll of interest to demonologists, concerning the 
  intersection between the Infernal Realms and the 
  magic of necromancy and undeath. 
   
  The real find, though, is the temporal codex of 
  the temple—the daily record of events. The entries 
  of interest deal with a month or so, just over a 
  hundred years ago, and are written in the Tochel 
  tongue. 
   
  (These codex entries are also given as a hand-out 
  for players, on pages 109-110.)
  Day 1 
  In the midst of preparations for the coming 
  ceremony, two priests who had climbed down 
  to the forest to collect glabeq flowers for the 
  festivities went missing. One crawled back into 
  the temple compound in the early hours of this 
  morning, bloodied and tattered. His tongue 
  had been ripped from his head. Ministrations 
  proved ineffective and he died without provid-
  ing an account of what had befallen.
  Day 3 
  The Festival of the Sorrow of Echcatl was com-
  memorated. The celebration was more muted 
  than in previous years owing to the absence 
  of four of the six slaves prepared for sacrifice. 
  These four must have escaped just a few hours 
  the ignorant. The party may choose to look around 
  the village before heading for the temple. 
  Getting There
  The trail from Mandir leads up through the cliffs 
  and foothills. It is steep and overgrown, and now 
  quite arduous after a recent storm. There is a steady, 
  grey drizzle and the skies threaten further storms, 
  for this is Shapru, the month of rains.
   
  The whole trek takes about seven hours for a 
  moderately burdened party. This assumes ten-min-
  utes’ rest each hour. The last part of the journey 
  involves trudging up a particularly steep and muddy 
  path, and characters who don’t take a ten-minute 
  break at the bottom will fight at –1 attack for the 
  next hour owing to fatigue.
  Temple Background for the GM only
  Although the temple was founded ostensibly as a 
  centre of worship for the people of Mandir, its major 
  value to the priesthood of Echcatl must have been 
  as a spiritual retreat; an isolated monastery where 
  priests could conduct their studies and research 
  without disturbance from the factional disputes 
  common within city temples. A number of wights 
  and grave gaunts were provided by the founders of 
  the temple.
   
  Unbeknownst to the temple founders, the cav-
  erns below the shrine were used millenniums ago by 
  devotees of Yxtab. In fact this was the root cause of 
  the troubles at the temple, as will become clear.
  The Abandoned Temple
  The Temple
  As the party approaches, the temple’s ruined state 
  becomes clear. Some time in the past the gatehouse 
  was shattered by lightning, charred, and then rotted 
  by the elements. The stone wall around the temple 
  compound has collapsed at several points. The pav-
  ing stones within are cracked and subsided, the 
  buildings are tangled with vines and in disrepair.
   
  Dominating the temple is the twenty-foot 
  pyramid on which stands the shrine dedicated to 
  Echcatl. Just as the party passes through the ruined 
  
  65
  exotic item of their diet.
   Further, two acolytes have gone missing.
  Day 28
  Goduku Raitlan has now vanished, along with 
  his personal servant. On the orders of His Holi-
  ness, Yugao Ludum used his magic to com-
  municate our troubles to the High Temple at 
  Coyol. We are assured that investigators have 
  been despatched.
  Day 29
  Like one who is infected with the eggs of the 
  gnaw-worm, we have suffered from a traitor 
  within! Yugao Ludum has been uncovered as 
  the source of our woe! Along with two young 
  acolytes he has been worshipping at an ancient 
  shrine to the terrible goddess Yxtab in the cav-
  erns below our temple. After a few minutes of 
  careful questioning he lapsed into a ghastly calm 
  which he retained even when flayed alive. After 
  this his heart was cut out and the corpse flung 
  into the catacombs where he had his shrine. The 
  acolytes were similarly treated, but spoke freely 
  of a baleful influence which called them to the 
  caverns. They died utterly insane. Our troubles 
  are at least now at an end.
  Day 30 
  After the Celebration of the Wandering Prince, 
  His Holiness the Archpriest was found to be 
  missing. A thorough search of the catacombs 
  uncovered his butchered form, treated not 
  unlike that of Yugao. No magic could revive 
  him. Moreover, there was no sign of the carrion 
  deposited in the catacombs only yesterday.
  Day 31
  Two more were found dead, and those who 
  remained have been forced to evacuate the tem-
  ple. Apart from a few slaves only I remain, for I 
  am too infirm to travel far. I and the slaves keep 
  to the library now. I have released the wights 
  and the grave gaunts into the temple precincts, 
  with instructions to attack even those robed as 
  priests of our Supreme Lord. The grave gaunts 
  accommodate themselves to such orders with 
  before dawn, but their means of egress from the 
  temple precincts is by no means apparent. None 
  of the other slaves seems to have witnessed the 
  escape—a story which they maintain even under 
  diligent torture. It remains a mystery.
  Day 15 
  Senior Priest Ishankoi Reshlan has disap-
  peared—spirited away, so to speak, in the 
  middle of the night. Magical means have been 
  employed in an effort to contact him, to no 
  avail. His Holiness the Archpriest has sent word 
  via Mandir to the Imperial Palace. Ishankoi has 
  always seemed a stable fellow, and it is difficult 
  to believe him capable of such dereliction of 
  duty as to go missing only hours before the Cer-
  emony of the Sifting of Hell.
  Day 17 
  Those of us who thought ill of Ishankoi have 
  had cause to revise our judgement since his 
  mutilated form was found in the Lower Shrine 
  shortly after lunch. Who can have performed 
  this horrible deed? Recalling the fate of Shrakan 
  and Elvaru earlier this month, one is forced to 
  the conclusion that some monstrous being 
  has come up from the forests. In spite of the 
  heavy rainfall, Yugao Ludum insisted on taking 
  another message to the runner in Mandir.
  Day 23
  The heavy storms of the last few days continue 
  unabated. Tekketal Kuroda has gone missing. 
  One can only hope he has not suffered the fate 
  of Ishankoi. Yugao Ludum suggested at dinner 
  that these strange events result from an incur-
  sion of Shunned Ones from the forest, and is 
  himself preparing a note to this effect to send to 
  the Omnipotent Legion in the capital—though 
  some of us believe it would be more seemly to 
  first inform the Temple at Arelu.
  Day 26 
  Tekketal’s corpse has been located in the wight 
  pit, mutilated even more gruesomely than 
  Ishankoi. To some extent this was due to several 
  of the wights having mistaken his body for an 
  the temple of the lost goD
  
  Dragon Warriors
  66
  
  67
  The steps continue down and there is an archway 
  to the east, from the chamber beyond which issue 
  forth four wights:
  Echcatl Wights
  attack 17, spear (2d4, 4)  
  Armour Factor 2 (and see  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Bestiary, p. 85)
  defence 10 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 12m
  magical attack 20 
   
   
  evasion 3
  magical defence 10  
   
  stealth 13
  Reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
  perception 11 (darksight)
  Health Points 16, 18, 18, 19
  Rank-equivalent: 7th
  These huge (2m) undead warriors are sometimes 
  used by the priests of Echcatl as temple guards but 
  only in the lower catacombs, as they cannot stand 
  the light of day. As might be expected, they look 
  somewhat different to the usual run of wights, being 
  large, muscular, and savage, in contrast to the gaunt, 
  bleak glory characteristic of wights of northern 
  lands. Their armour is made from tanned jaguar 
  skins, reinforced with thick beads of bone.
  5. The Lower Shrine 
  A chamber of black stone, intended for the more 
  sacred and secret rituals. There is a lightning-flash 
  symbol inlaid in polished quartz shards into the 
  floor.
  6. The stairs end
  A locked bronze grille bars the way.
  7. Antechamber to the Inner Shrine 
  Each of the double doors to the east bears a serpent 
  skull emblem on a great panel of beaten silver.
  8. The Inner Shrine
  An effigy of Echcatl, carved of black wood and 
  masked with gold, lies on a couch studded with 
  blue mosaic. He holds a silver staff topped with a 
  large sapphire cut to resemble a serpent’s head. The 
  whole room is faced with black marble.
   
  The mask is worth about 200F; the staff, 10,000F. 
  The same applies as with the statuette of Ecoatl in 
  the side-chapel above.
   
  A search of this room will reveal lines of faint 
  scratches on the floor running between the couch 
  relish, of course, but the wights seemed dully 
  reluctant. It is tempting to think of this as a sort 
  of loyalty, but I know that the spark of true rea-
  son has faded from their dead minds and it is 
  only the illusion of thought that I perceive in 
  them.
   The rain is a heavy curtain in the courtyard. 
  Once or twice I thought I glimpsed a figure out 
  there.
  Day 32 
  There is food for only two more days, but I do 
  not think it will come to that. I have had an idea 
  for a treatise on the ethology of the wights. A 
  pity I will never get the chance to write it.
  The Pyramid
  The Shrine
  The roof of the shrine is of a sturdy, black-lacquered 
  wood which has suffered little from time and the 
  elements. There are steps up the south side of the 
  pyramid. The doors are locked.
  1. The Outer Shrine
  There is an altar stone of blue marble against the 
  north wall, under a double-headed snake mask—
  one of the insignia of Echcatl.
  2. Side-chapel
  Behind a locked bronze grille is a small shrine to 
  Ecoatl, Cunning Cadaver, the aspect of Echcatl to 
  whom this temple was particularly dedicated. There 
  is a small gold statue of the skeletal snake, Ecoatl. 
  This is worth up to 6000F, although it would be 
  considered an act of terrible sacrilege if anyone less 
  than a high priest of the priesthood of Echcatl were 
  to remove it from the shrine. 
  3. Steps lead down within the pyramid
  4. A Landing
  the temple of the lost goD
  
  Dragon Warriors
  68
  and the east wall. If the couch is lifted up slightly 
  it can be slid aside to reveal a pit. This requires a 
  combined strength of 30.
  The Caverns
  The Caverns below the Pyramid
  These caverns were a centre of worship for the sect 
  of Yxtab centuries before the western pioneers colo-
  nized the area and built their temple to Echcatl. 
   
  The only worshipper here now is Yugao Ludum, 
  the treacherous priest of Echcatl mentioned in the 
  extracts from the temporal codex.
  Yugao Ludum 
  8th-rank Darkness Elementalist
  minor elements air and earth
  attack 13, mace (d6, 4) 
   
  Armour Factor 0
  defence 7  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 23 
   
   
  evasion 4
  magical defence 13  
   
  stealth 15
  Reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
  perception 7
  Health Points 14
  Magic Points 24/8/8
  Equipment: Shield, mace, Amulet of Sovereignty against 
  Violence.
  Though he looks undead, Yugao is not quite dead 
  yet, though it is something of a moot point. His life-
  force has been sustained all these years by the power 
  of his goddess. He presents a grisly spectacle, still 
  in the state that his erstwhile comrades left him—
  flayed to the waist, his skin hangs like a kilt leaving 
  an upper torso of raw flesh and sinew, a skull-like 
  mask of a face with lidless, staring eyes. There is 
  a gaping hole where the priests tore his heart out. 
  Outside the caverns Yugao’s life would ebb away at 
  the rate of one health point per combat round.
   
  Besides Yugao the caverns hold another dan-
  ger—the Jalush, a creature which has guarded the 
  Goddess’s fane for hundreds of years. The Jalush 
  may be a unique, demonic creature or it may be the 
  last survivor of an extinct species. It has six limbs, 
  walking on the back four and using the forelimbs 
  for grasping and striking. It has an outer integu-
  ment, smooth and ivory-pale, with sharp clusters of 
  spines at its joints. It stalks with the slow, precise 
  movements of a praying mantis and strikes with a 
  scorpion’s vicious speed; any NPC of 4th rank or 
  less has a 15% chance of fleeing in terror if suddenly 
  confronted by it.
  Jalush
  attack 24, claw (2d6, 5)  
  Armour Factor 5
  defence 8  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 12m (25m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 5
  magical defence 14  
   
  stealth 22
  Reflexes 16  
   
   
   
   
  perception 13 (panoptical)
  Health Points 26
  Rank-equivalent: 8th
  Any character hitting the Jalush with a mêlée 
  weapon will automatically be struck by its poison-
  ous spines, which act as a weapon (d6, 2) and deliver 
  a strong poison. Even a character who succeeds in 
  his Strength roll against the poison loses one health 
  point permanently, as well as taking the usual dam-
  age.
   
  The Jalush has keen senses and moves almost 
  silently despite its size: it surprises the party on a 
  roll of 1-3 on d6.
   
  For any encounter in the caverns, roll d6:
  Roll 
   
  Result
  1-3  
   
  The Jalush
  4-5  
   
  Yugao
  6   
   
  Yugao and the Jalush
  Of course, Yugao is always somewhere in the cav-
  erns. Have the party encounter him in the Goddess’s 
  fane if they haven’t run into him before then.
  9. Low chamber 
  There is a drop of about twenty feet from the floor of 
  the Inner Shrine down a narrow shaft which opens 
  into the roof of this cave. The climb down is not 
  difficult. A tunnel slopes gently downwards from 
  the south-west part of the chamber. The sound of 
  running water can be heard.
  10. Underground stream
  This dries up in summer, but at the moment is in 
  full flood. The stream is 1m at its deepest point.
  11. Secret passage
  A boulder conceals the narrow passage. It takes a 
  combined strength of 20 to roll it back.
  
  69
  detected as such by magical means, and only a great 
  scholar could identify it for certain. Nonetheless, 
  anyone who sees it will have some kind of ‘sixth 
  sense’ as to its importance.
  14. Cave entrance and waterfall 
  The stream emerges from the cliff face. The forest 
  is 30m below. From here characters can see a great 
  lake stretching to the west and, mistily through the 
  continuing drizzle, the great mountain peaks in the 
  north. There are a number of ledges and handholds 
  which make the cliff an easy climb.
  After the adventure
  For those who like to loot, there’s about 900F in 
  cash distributed around the temple—mostly in the 
  bursary strongbox in the administration building, 
  but some also in the private quarters.
   
  If the player characters take the temple relics 
  (the statuette of Ecoatl, etc.) then they had better 
  be careful about where they sell them if they don’t 
  want the priests of Echcatl as enemies; the priests 
  have eyes and ears far beyond Tochel (though not 
  beyond Mungoda). Even if they return the relics to 
  the priests, the latter may still view the removal of 
  these items from the temple as questionable or even 
  sacrilegious. The optimum course would be to leave 
  the relics in place and inform the Echcatl cultists in 
  Mandir, who will call in their superiors from deeper 
  within the Empire. The priests of Echcatl will give 
  about 25% of the relics’ value as a reward to their 
  discoverer.
   
  If the party show the Fragment to Nomikaru 
  Teteli, back in Mandir, he may try to get it from 
  them so that he can take it himself to the priest-
  hood. This is not to say that Nomikaru will recog-
  nize it as being one of the Seven Fragments, merely 
  that it is an interesting artefact which could help 
  him to ingratiate himself with his superiors.
  12. The Goddess’s Fane 
  This cave is taller than most of those here and seems 
  to have been enlarged by excavation at some time 
  in the past. The walls have been stained white and 
  covered with squarish crimson designs. There is a 
  rough altar—a natural table of rock—to the south-
  east. On this is a rough, pitted idol of light grey 
  stone, depicting a thin-lipped woman slashing her 
  own throat with an obsidian blade.
   
  Anyone touching the idol will receive a fleeting 
  but horrible vision: a tall, unsmiling woman dis-
  solves into the repulsive apparition of a torn, rotting 
  monstrosity—the woman’s head, shoulder and right 
  arm—flying through illimitable darkness towards 
  the viewer. She wields a great ceremonial mace and 
  seems to be shrieking in rage with her hair stream-
  ing as if in a wind. However, there is no sound.
   
  After a moment this vision fades; the idol will 
  not affect a character more than once. Removed 
  from the fane, it loses this power.
  13. The Bone Chamber
  Skulls and broken bones—the Jalush’s victims over 
  the years. There is a 1m-wide shaft in the floor of 
  this chamber, set with many razor-sharp chips.
   
  If a character manages to get down the shaft 
  he will feel a sense of tremendous premonition, as 
  though on the verge of a great discovery. Rather 
  than merely telling the player this, the GM should 
  try to create a mood, to heighten the sense of signif-
  icance—describe the dank air at the bottom of the 
  pit, the rasping of the character’s own breath in the 
  stillness, the rough wood of the torch in his hands, 
  its heat on his face. There at the bottom of the shaft 
  lies a desiccated hand, carefully wrapped in decayed 
  bandages of fine silk and wearing a heavy gold ring. 
  If he picks up the hand, it feels almost icy cold, and 
  remains so even if heated. It cannot be damaged in 
  any way.
   
  This is one of the Seven Fragments of Mayauel 
  required to free Echcatl, presumably concealed 
  here by one of the followers of Yxtab. It cannot be 
  the temple of the lost goD
  
  Dragon Warriors
  70
  Chapter 9
  A BALLAD OF 
  TIMES PAST
  An adventure for about eight players of 4th – 5th rank
  GM’s Introduction 
  THE ADVENTURE is set in Beorsca, a small 
  kingdom in a land very like much of Ellesland. 
  However magic users are very scarce in this world: 
  all sorcerer, elementalist, warlock and demonolo-
  gist spells above 2nd level require, as the material 
  component, a pinch of dragon dust made from the 
  powdered shell of an unhatched dragon’s egg (in 
  hatching, the fledgeling drains the magic from the 
  shell). As this would involve getting past a protec-
  tive mother dragon, both the dust and magic users 
  are very rare. One whole eggshell would provide 100 
  pinches of dust.
   
  Players should be told that spellcasters (other 
  than mystics) are almost unknown, but not why. 
  They can be knights, barbarians (retainers of King 
  Athelred involved from the start), mystics and 
  assassins (from the local abbey and minstrel troupe 
  respectively, who join in as indicated in the text). 
  Mystic spells do not require dragon dust, but in this 
  world there are no mystic spells above 3rd level. If 
  generated specifically for this adventure, all player 
  characters begin at 5th rank.
  Background to the Adventure
  The 42 year-old King Athelred rules Beorsca from 
  Hreod Castle. The first of his line, Athelred deposed 
  the previous king when barely 21. He is a capable 
  and fairly popular ruler, still strong despite his years. 
  Under him, priests of the True Faith have gradually 
  prevailed against the callous Old Gods, whose wor-
  ship is now reduced to a very few.
   
  Note: This scenario should be read to the play-
  ers virtually as written. All the text that appears in 
  boxes is intended to be read out loud. Information 
  not to be read to the players is and marked ‘GM’.
  First Part:                                  
   In the Great Hall
  It is the second night of the midwinter feast. 
  In the Great Hall of the castle, roaring fires 
  and tankards of mulled ale soon drive away all 
  thoughts of the bleak, snow-covered lands out-
  side. The king and his retainers, seated at tables 
  forming a large U around the Hall, dine, drink 
  and watch the entertainers who have flocked to 
  the feast. There are jugglers, actors, acrobats, 
  wrestlers, story-tellers musicians and animal-
  trainers. Eventually, when the ale-dazed war-
  riors are content to sit back and listen to a bal-
  lad, Skuli, one of a minstrel troupe from across 
  the seas, steps forward and sings this poem:
  
  71
  The best and most stalwart of the king’s war-
  riors (including any PC knights and barbarians) 
  also rise and file out.
  GM: Outside the king’s chamber, the warriors are 
  met by Queen Gudrun and the royal advisor, an old 
  monk named Hengist. (Hengist is an accomplished 
  sage with expertise in history, languages, legends 
  and theology and some knowledge of astrology and 
  dweomercraft.) Gudrun tells the warriors, ‘Your 
  liege is troubled and has retired to his chambers. If 
  the king needs you I will send for you.’ Hengist, real-
  ising that something of great import is in the offing, 
  sets about gathering men with skills to complement 
  those of the king’s warriors. A messenger is sent to 
  the nearby abbey. He returns with any PC mystics; 
  if none, then one NPC Mystic.
  Some hours after midnight, there is a com-
  motion as Athelred comes striding from his 
  chamber. Half-slumbering men-at-arms rouse: 
  Gudrun throws a fur cloak across his shoulders 
  as he marches out into the snow pursued by 
  Osric, Hengist and some men-at-arms (perhaps 
  including some player characters). Athelred, 
  stone-faced and intent, strides toward the min-
  strel encampment oblivious to the biting cold 
  and Hengist’s protests. Some of the minstrels 
  rise to their feet, bewildered and a little alarmed 
  at the visitation. 
   
  Athelred steps up to the crackling fire and 
  grimly confronts Skuli—the slender balladeer in 
  his rough clothes; the old king towering above 
  him in fine furs. ‘The ballad that you sang,’ 
  growls the king softly, ‘Whence came it?’
   
  ‘Sire, almost a month since, I had the fever. 
  Before it broke, I dreamt the words as though 
  they were whispered to me in some hot, dark, 
  secret place.’
   
  Athelred strokes his beard. ‘And did you 
  sing it all or was there more?’ Skuli hesitates. 
  Suddenly the king grasps him with huge hands, 
  hauling him up so their eyes are level. ‘Speak, 
  damn you! Or by the sacred heavens...’
   
  ‘Father!’ Osric leaps to restrain the king. ‘You 
  make this good man sore afraid with such words.’
   
  Athelred’s sudden rage leaves him and he 
  sets the balladeer down with gruff apologies. 
   
  Skuli nods. ‘There was more, sire, that I did 
  not deem fit to sing on such a joyous festival.’ 
  Seeing the determination in the king’s eyes, 
  a ballaD of times past
  It was a time of hardship,
  and everywhere the anger of the dragon
  was seen in gutted barns and barren 
  fields.
  Then two close companions, worthy hall-
  heroes,
  came hard against the walls of the welkin,
  scaling high peaks to put an end to terror.
  One, golden-haired with eyes of grey,
  his comrade, with blue eyes burning;
  they advanced to face their foe.
  But three drops of blood sufficed to win 
  that battle,
  and parley and word-play were the only 
  sounds
  while steel remained sheathed and shields 
  unlimbered.
  Soon the heroes’ labours won peace,
  and when the dragon’s pool ran clear
  it was a time for the giving of gifts.
  The golden one savoured but a sip from
  that spring—
  waters where he glimpsed and grasped his 
  destiny.
  His friend favoured a future drawn in 
  dust.
  During Skuli’s ballad, Athelred’s usual gusto 
  and ebullience slip away. By the end, he is listen-
  ing intently, sombre-faced and sober. There is 
  silence. The bemused Skuli makes way for some 
  tumblers while Athelred rises shakily and leaves 
  the hall on the shoulder of his eldest son, Osric. 
  
  Dragon Warriors
  72
  Skuli takes up his lyre and sings:
  The passage of years sits heavy on men’s 
  shoulders,
  but counts for little in the dragon’s 
  unblinking eye.
  In such a time, the tide of treachery can 
  rise.
  Blue eyes now glint with greed; hatred 
  dwells in the heart.
  He who had been a hero, a sinister sorcerer 
  now,
  seeks to steal and shatter the dragon’s shell.
  With the blood-oath broken, grief shall fly 
  across the land,
  and he who put on the mantle of the 
  monarch,
  he shall mourn his golden son.
  The words are a hammer-blow to Athelred. He 
  stands dazed; staring into the fire. At last, he 
  raises his head, saying to his men: 
   
  ‘Many years ago, before I was king, Beorsca 
  was troubled by a dragon who dwelt in the 
  northern mountains and came down to steal 
  away cattle. Many were the heroes who sallied 
  into the old worm’s lair nevermore to see the 
  light of day. Two young warriors came at last, 
  hoping to win fame and fortune. The warrior 
  with eyes like the cloudless sky was Caedmon. I 
  was the other.
   
  ‘We entered the caverns to put an end to 
  the dragon or die in the attempt. But when we 
  met her, she spoke to us in an old tongue which 
  Caedmon knew, and so we parleyed with her. A 
  magic pool had become stagnant; a pool sacred 
  to her. We unblocked the channel into the pool 
  by swimming within—something the dragon 
  was too large to accomplish. After many hours, 
  for there was much rubble below the water, the 
  pool flowed fresh again. The dragon agreed 
  not only to honour our earlier bargain that she 
  nevermore troubled Beorsca, but also to add 
  gifts of our choosing. With the water flowing 
  again, the pool had a magical hue; I requested 
  that I might drink of it and received a single 
  sip which showed me dreams of things to come. 
  This knowledge stood me in good stead when I 
  wrested the kingdom from corrupt old Pendris. 
    
  My friend, Caedmon, who had some 
  knowledge of wizardry even then, saw a golden 
  
  73
  dust in the lair, fragments of an unhatched drag-
  on’s egg shattered by a warrior years before. He 
  desired this for its sorcerous properties, and the 
  dragon gave him half-a-hundred pinches.
   
  ‘Caedmon and I stayed a week with the 
  dragon and sealed a bond in blood. The dragon 
  called herself Talionis. She said that as long as 
  we were true to that bond, we were as siblings. 
  Now, somehow, whether by design or accident, 
  she has sent this message to me through this 
  balladeer. Hengist! How read you these signs?’
    
  ‘Clearly, sire,’ replies the sage, ‘the “golden 
  son” is Lord Osric, your firstborn whose eigh-
  teenth birthday falls on winter solstice in three 
  days time. The ballad warns that his life is 
  imperilled, just as Caedmon threatens the off-
  spring of the dragon Talionis—who is, as you 
  have told us, sire, your sibling by an oath of 
  mingled blood.’
   
  The king is thoughtful. ‘Although, my 
  friend, Caedmon was a secret and dark-souled 
  man who never turned to the new gods. Though 
  I have never seen him since, I have heard that 
  he dwells in a tower across the bleak Wadwo 
  Downs. Osric! Gather my best men. Take them 
  to the lair of Talionis and protect her and her 
  unhatched offspring from Caedmon. Make 
  haste, for the wizard must be already on his 
  way! It is not only for my oath to Talionis that 
  I charge you thus, but because I fear that some-
  how our destinies are interwoven, hers and mine. 
  Any harm which befalls her fledgeling may bring 
  down doom upon your own head, my son.’
  GM: As the others return to the castle, Hengist and 
  Osric remain in the minstrel camp enquiring after 
  any brave men with the skills that minstrels have. 
  (any remaining PCs enlist at this point.)
   
  After a few hours’ sleep, the party takes a light 
  meal and prepares to depart. Because there are few 
  horses at the castle, the time of year, and the ter-
  rain which lies ahead, the journey will be on foot. 
  Characters may have any armour up to mail armour 
  (AF4) and any standard weapons and shields. Hen-
  gist gives to Osric two items he has cherished for 
  many years: a sealed blue bottle containing a Potion 
  of Strength, and a tiny clay pot containing six appli-
  cations of Healing Potion in the form of a salve. 
  (Osric is unlikely to use them himself, preferring to 
  bestow them on any characters he considers particu-
  larly needful or worthy.) 
   
  Hengist also tells of something he has read in 
  one of his books: ‘Those who are true of heart need 
  fear no harm from the dragon’s inferno....’ The book 
  was penned by Ulrich, a monk, by whose advice 
  Hengist sets great store. Finally, he hands the party 
  a rough map which he helped the king to prepare; 
  but Athelred warns that years have passed since he 
  took this route, and the map is uncertain in places.
  Second Part:                  
  Waylaid at the Inn
  In the early evening of the first day, you reach 
  the junction of two rivers. There are a few cot-
  tages, an inn, and three boats down by the river, 
  which is not frozen over. Osric suggests stop-
  ping at the inn, and also enquiring there about 
  hiring a boat.
   The low-ceilinged inn is murky with smoke 
  from the fire in the grate, but gloriously warm. 
  One or two figures sit drinking at crude wooden 
  benches. The innkeeper, Owain, greets you, 
  observing that you are not the peasants or 
  impoverished travellers he usually caters for. 
  Osric does not introduce himself, but orders 
  cups of mulled wine.
   As the wine arrives, two of the other patrons 
  leave. But another figure you hadn’t noticed sits 
  alone in the shadows away from the fire. He is 
  dressed in a rough garment like a monk’s habit, 
  with the cowl pulled over his head. His face is 
  not visible, but with a sudden tension you feel 
  sure he is watching you. Abruptly, he straight-
  ens and raises his clenched right hand. You stare 
  directly into his eyes; clear, sky blue, and alive 
  with glittering malice. He begins the words of 
  some invocation. A sparkling dust falls from his 
  fingers...
  GM:  Anyone who says they’re diving for cover at this 
  point automatically evades Caedmon’s Deathlight 
  spell. Osric is quick-witted and will have done this. 
  Other characters will need to roll as normal.
  With a crack like thunder, an incandescent 
  white bolt leaps from the wizard towards you. 
  Utter confusion follows. After you pick your-
  selves up, the wizard has gone; the door bangs 
  open in the wind.
  a ballaD of times past
  
  Dragon Warriors
  74
  GM: If the characters follow, they see Caedmon 
  getting into one of the boats, a hooded figure (Erik 
  Iceheart) already at the oars. The boat moves off 
  upriver. The other two boats have been sabotaged. 
  Any character with a bow has time to fire 4 arrows 
  before they’re out of range. The first two will miss 
  automatically as the archer adjusts for the wind. The 
  remaining shots are at –4 to hit. If hit, Caedmon 
  will retaliate by Enslaving one of the party who will 
  then try to stop his friends from firing.
   
  Inside, Owain is inspecting the damage. Sev-
  eral beams are charred and a few stones around 
  the fireplace are cracked. Shrugging, he begins 
  to set the scattered stools upright. You spot a 
  very small leather pouch on the floor near where 
  Caedmon was sitting. It is empty but for one or 
  two grains of golden dust.
  GM: Since he seems relatively unperturbed, Owain 
  may be suspected of having known Caedmon’s 
  intentions. But the innkeeper will maintain (truth-
  fully) that Caedmon, a regular if infrequent visitor, 
  has used his sorcery often enough for Owain not 
  to be startled by it. If asked about the pouch, he 
  will add that Caedmon always wears a number of 
  such pouches at his belt, but on this visit he seemed 
  to have only four. The pouch they have found con-
  tained the dragon dust used to cast the Deathlight
  .
  Third Part:                              
   The Vough
  The next day is even more bitterly cold. You 
  trudge through sparse woodland under a bleak, 
  grey sky. Snow threatens. You spy a splash of 
  red ahead, gleaming against the snow. A wild 
  rose. More are scattered along in a winding trail, 
  though there is no sign of footprints. Examina-
  tion reveals that the roses have been cut rather 
  than plucked.
  GM: It is up to the player-characters whether they 
  investigate this. Osric will go along with the major-
  ity decision.
  The trail of flowers leads to a stagnant pond in a 
  small copse. The pond is iced over—black, with 
  a powdery sprinkling of freshly fallen snow. It 
  is eerily quiet. As you watch, a cold wind swirls 
  the snow in patterns across the ice. Slowly the 
  patterns coalesce and rise into the silver, spectral 
  image of a beautiful woman. Her hair is long and 
  black; her skin, like alabaster. The only colour is 
  the rubies set in tarnished silver links about her 
  pale throat. Her expression is infinitely sad.
  GM: If anyone has collected a rose, she drifts 
  towards them, holding out her hands, imploring. 
  If anyone reaches out to her (perhaps to hand her 
  a rose), she matches her magical attack against 
  their magical defence; if she is successful, they 
  are drawn onto the ice, which has a 15% chance of 
  breaking per person on it. If no one reaches out, she 
  pauses at the edge of the pond for a few moments, 
  then starts to fade. Suddenly (automatic surprise), 
  the ice shatters and a rotted crone, clad in decaying 
  rags, mud and tangled weeds, leaps from the black 
  waters. Her dread shriek chills the blood; match her 
  magical attack against each character’s magical 
  defence, with success meaning that the character 
  stands stock-still, paralysed with terror, for 2d4 
  combat rounds.
  The Vough
  attack 16, touch (see below) Armour Factor 4
  defence 8  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 7m (15m)
  magical attack 19 
   
   
  evasion 3
  magical defence 9 
   
   
  stealth 13
  Reflexes 8  
   
   
   
   
  perception 10 (panoptical)
  Health Points 2d4+10 (this has 16)
  Rank-equivalent: 6th
  This foul undead being can create Illusion (Dragon 
  Warriors, p. 82) at will. Her chilling touch works in 
  exactly the same manner as a wraith’s (Bestiary, p. 
  86). She takes no damage from the first hit on her 
  struck by each opponent, but takes double damage 
  when hit by anyone who bears a holy relic of any 
  kind. If slain, she rapidly decomposes into muddy 
  slime.
   
  If she is slain, any roses collected by the party or 
  left lying in the snow will have vanished.
  
  75
  Fourth Part:                                
  In the Heart of the Forest
  At nightfall, having gathered fuel, you sit around 
  your fire devouring stew. A lone peasant comes 
  into sight gathering wood. He greets you and 
  asks to share the fire for a while. He is fairly 
  young, below-average height, and wears dark 
  green garments of coarse wool.
  GM: If questioned, he says he will tell a tale of 
  past and present, a tale of a dragon. Any who listen 
  (Osric and any NPCs will) will fall asleep. The next 
  thing they know will be when they awaken beside 
  the burnt-out fire under a cold afternoon sky. Any 
  player who says their character is turning his atten-
  tion to anything else as well as, or instead of, lis-
  tening to the tale will notice the others dozing off. 
  If he asks, he should be told that he feels drowsy 
  himself but can jerk himself back to wakefulness to 
  see a premature smile of triumph on the face of the 
  young ‘peasant’(actually a faerie creature). A single 
  shout will rouse those asleep, but the faerie will have 
  vanished completely, without a trace.
   
  If the party succumb to sleep, they will lose six 
  hours, waking early the next afternoon. This must 
  be made up by pushing on quickly and perhaps even 
  marching on after nightfall. Characters will fight at 
  –1 attack and defence, and be down 1-3 Heath 
  Points, through fatigue after such exertion, until 
  they get a full night’s sleep.
  Fifth Part:                                 
  The Hermit’s Cottage
  Shortly after midday (or late afternoon if 
  trapped by the faerie storyteller), you reach the 
  edge of the forest, A few hundred yards on the 
  river forks in two. A low cottage with a blue wisp 
  of smoke curling from its squat stone chimney 
  stands on the river bank, a woodpile beside it 
  and a small boat beyond.
  GM: Erik Iceheart waits inside the cottage for the 
  party. He and Caedmon arrived hours ago, mur-
  dered the trapper who dwelt here, and hid his body 
  in the woodpile. They left the woods some way to 
  a ballaD of times past
  
  Dragon Warriors
  76
  the west. Their footprints, now partially obscured by 
  fresh snow, will be found only if the party specifically 
  scouts around. Caedmon has gone on to Talionis’ 
  lair alone, leaving Erik to deal with the pursuers.
  You are some 50m from the cottage when a 
  man wrapped in thick furs emerges from it. 
  Approaching you, he introduces himself as 
  Jorundr the trapper and gruffly warns you that 
  if you mean to rob him he will put up a good 
  fight. He pushes away his cloak, revealing his 
  scabbarded greatsword.
   
  ‘We intend you no harm, good fellow,’ says 
  Osric. ‘We are the king’s men, on a mission most 
  holy for our liege. We must cross the river here, 
  and I ask only that you lend us your boat.’
   Jorundr grumbles, but eventually accedes. 
  ‘The boat only holds three,’ he points out, ‘I’ll 
  row the last two across so I can bring the boat 
  back afterwards.’
  GM: Erik’s plan is to wait until the last two are 
  about to cross, and then attack them. After putting 
  them down, he will then take cover in the cottage to 
  avoid any arrows the others may shoot at him from 
  the far bank. After waiting for the party to leave, 
  he will track them and pick them off. If the party 
  decide not to cross the river here, for some reason, 
  he’ll misdirect them and follow the latter tactic. If 
  at any stage Erik thinks he is in serious personal 
  danger, he’ll either flee or bargain for his life with 
  information. He is very canny, remember and will 
  demand a holy oath from the party that he goes free 
  and unharmed if he keeps his side of the bargain.
  The party’s map shows that the dragon’s lair is at 
  the head of one of the two branches of the river, 
  but which branch? A close look will reveal that the 
  western branch is faster-flowing and slightly warmer. 
  This is because it flows through the heat of the lair 
  at its source. The eastern branch will be found to be 
  frozen over half a mile upstream.
  The Final Part:                      
  Into the Dragon’s Lair
  It is now late on the night of the winter solstice. 
  Stars glitter in the sky like hoarfrost. You have 
  followed the river into the foothills. The river is 
  considerably warmer here, melting the ice and 
  snow on its banks. Trudging up a sleep slope, 
  you see where the river gushes from a fissure. 
  After stooping to pass through, you light torches 
  to reveal a winding passage through which the 
  river flows. You are on a rock ledge barely wide 
  enough for two to walk abreast. The other wall, 
  some 20m away, holds a still narrower ledge on 
  that side of the river.
  GM: The ledge is slippery. Traversing it takes 4 
  Combat Rounds and each character must check 
  each round to see if he slips. Treat this exactly like 
  a climb with a Difficulty Factor of 10. Anyone who 
  slips will get one final chance to roll reflexes or less 
  on 1d20 to grab the edge before sliding into the river. 
  If they were nearer the wall, they also bowl anyone 
  alongside them into the water as well. Up to three 
  characters can grab at a falling companion, needing 
  to roll reflexes or less on ld20 to get a good grip. If at 
  least two people can grab him, the character is saved 
  otherwise he is swept away and drowns.
  After what seems like hours of tortuously tra-
  versing the ledge, you round a bend and enter 
  a cavern through which the river flows. There 
  is more space now, at least 6m between the wall 
  and the water, and you may quickly reorganise 
  your battle order before advancing. It is much 
  warmer, and you throw off your heavy furs.
   The river issues from another passage about 
  12m ahead. Beside this is a pile of fallen rocks—
  and something else, something gleaming like 
  ivory. The bony corpses of several long dead 
  warriors. Their bones are very white: cobwebs 
  veil their eyeless sockets; tattered flesh hangs 
  from their limbs; their weapons and scraps of 
  armour gleam bright and clean. You feel your 
  skin crawl as the skeletons rise from the dust 
  and move out to block your path.
   As you prepare for combat, a slight form 
  resting on an oak staff emerges from the shad-
  ows of the passage ahead. He brushes some dust 
  from his fingers. There are only two pouches at 
  his belt now. He gives you a last look of mingled 
  amusement and regret, and turns back into the 
  darkness.
  GM: Caedmon has used his Reanimate the Dead 
  spell on some fighters slain by Talionis over the 
  years. The number of zombies is one more than the 
   
  
  77
  number of the party, up to a maximum of six:
  Zombies
  attack 10, 2 two-handed   
  Armour Factor 0
  swords (d10+1, 6), 4 swords 
  (d8+1, 5) 
  defence 4  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 6m
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 1
  magical defence 1 
   
   
  stealth 5
  Reflexes 5  
   
   
   
   
  perception 4 (gloomsight)
  Health Points 17, 17, 18, 18, 19, 19
  Rank-equivalent: 1st
  For a moment you survey with horror the grisly 
  forms of your fallen foes, then remember the 
  urgency of your mission and press on. After 
  another 10m or so, the tunnel opens into a 
  chamber. The river flows from a vivid blue pool 
  over which hangs a soft mist. Deep below its 
  clear waters, you can make out the bones of old 
  dragons. Another tunnel going deeper into the 
  mountain leads from this chamber...
  GM: This is the Pool of the Wyrm’s Ancestors from 
  which the king drank. One sip will give the drinker 
  fleeting images of the future—nothing very specific, 
  and not of the immediate future. A second sip at any 
  time has a 50% chance of causing insanity (Dragon 
  Warriors, p. 124); and any further sips guarantee 
  insanity. The water loses this magical property, and 
  its colour (why the river isn’t blue) five seconds after 
  leaving the pool, so it is of no use if taken away for 
  later use.
   
  The party will have no time to investigate the pool 
  now. If they help Talionis against Caedmon, she 
  will offer them each a sip later, and warn them that 
  they must never take more than one sip. The vision 
  each character has is up to the GM. It should be 
  something that will be of use to the character. For 
  example, ‘You see robbers lurking in some bushes, 
  about to waylay a lone rider. It is spring, judging 
  by the flowers and leaves. The rider comes closer 
  and you recognize yourself!’ The character is thus 
  forewarned of an ambush.
   There is a stillness in the air. The passage 
  winds on another 18m and then seems to end 
  abruptly, but shadows dancing across the glis-
  tening rocks make it clear that the tunnel does 
  not end here but snakes sharply to the left. 
  Turning the corner, you find your way blocked 
  by a wall of flame. From beyond it you hear the 
  roar of a great beast and a human voice speaking 
  in an unknown tongue.
   
  GM: Hengist’s advice was correct—anyone of the 
  True Faith, as well as pagans who live an essentially 
  virtuous and honourable life, can walk through the 
  flames unharmed. Characters such as demonolo-
  gists, darkness elementalists, or others who have 
  performed wantonly evil acts, will take 4d6 damage 
  on walking through the flames—but if their inten-
  tion is to aid Talionis, the damage taken is the mini-
  mum possible (ie, 4 points). They may attempt to 
  leap the flames to avoid the damage (roll reflexes or 
  less on 5d6, or be damaged anyway).
  You step from the fire into a huge cavern. The 
  dragon’s golden egg is on the far side, cloaked by 
  protective flame. Caedmon and Talionis are 18m 
  away, squaring off for their final battle. Neither 
  has noticed you. Talionis rears up, spreading her 
  great wings to the cavern walls. Caedmon’s flesh 
  is coated with a bizarre ashen powder, as though 
  he had already been burned by the dragon, but 
  coruscating tongues of eldritch white flame lick 
  around him too, unlike any dragon-fire. 
   
  Raising his hand, he shouts a spell just as 
  Talionis unleashes her fiery breath. White light-
  ning arcs over red-gold flames. Talionis shud-
  ders as the wizard’s Deathlight bolt sears her; 
  but it seems that Caedmon must be defeated as 
  for several seconds he is engulfed in the dragon’s 
  awesome inferno. 
   
  However, the flame dies and the wizard 
  stands barely harmed; safe in his coating of 
  Amianthus Dust. He smiles at the damage 
  his bolt has done, and raises his staff. Then, as 
  though some sixth sense has warned him, he 
  turns and flashes a cobalt glare at you...
  GM: The party’s arrival means some quick rethink-
  ing for Caedmon. His bolt wounded the dragon 
  severely, so he should be able to finish her off with 
  the power in his Ring of Red Ruin. But he must 
  manoeuvre so as to catch the party with his bolts as 
  well; or else try to slay Talionis quickly and reach the 
  egg before the party can stop him. 
   
  He has not long before his Amianthus Dust 
  and Ring of the Burning Halo subside, and he’ll 
  need 1 combat round with the Dust still working, 
  to get through the egg’s protective flame. He is out 
  a ballaD of times past
  
  Dragon Warriors
  78
  of dragon dust, but has his Rings and his 1st- and 
  2nd-level spells. Remember that Talionis is protect-
  ing her egg. She realises that the party want to help 
  her, but that will not prevent her from breathing on 
  Caedmon if they are in the firing line.
  If the party and Talionis defeat Caedmon, she will 
  invite them to spend the solstice celebration with 
  her. Her fledgeling hatches at midnight and takes an 
  immediate liking to his soul-brother Osric. (Drag-
  ons in this world spend 18 years in the egg listening 
  to the voices of their ancestors before hatching. The 
  young dragon, Protervus, is almost adult, therefore.) 
  Talionis herself keeps calling Osric by his father’s 
  name—it seems to her such a short time since she 
  saw her old friend! 
   
  You may decide to let PCs choose an item from 
  her treaure hoard. Talionis will remember them in 
  the future, and may be able to provide boons or 
  ancient wisdom, becoming a powerful if reclusive 
  patron and even instigator of future adventures.
  THE CAST 
  Osric 
  4th-rank knight
  attack 17 (d10, 5)  
   
   
  Armour Factor 4
  defence 10 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 4
  magical defence 7 
   
   
  stealth 14
  Reflexes 12  
   
   
   
   
  perception 6
  Health Points 16
   
  Treasure: Two-handed sword; dagger; mail armour; 2 
  javelins (plus potions from Hengist—see p. 73).
  Osric, the heir to the throne of Beorsca, is not quite 
  18 years old. A tall and handsome youth, he is prob-
  ably the sort of warrior his father would have liked 
  to be, for although Athelred has remained doggedly 
  true to the new religion, he never has the effortlessly 
  pure heart of his son. Osric’s long golden hair and 
  grey eyes make him much like a younger version of 
  his father, though he has not the king’s full beard or 
  battle scars.
  
  79
  Caedmon 
  9th-rank sorcerer
  attack 13  
   
   
   
   
  Armour Factor 2
  defence 8  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 25 
   
   
  evasion 5
  magical defence 15  
   
  stealth 15
  Reflexes 12  
   
   
   
   
  perception 8
  Health Points 13
   
  Treasure (at the start of the adventure): four pinches of 
  dragon dust; gnarled oak staff; the Ring of the Burning 
  Halo; the Ring of Red Ruin.
  In his youth, Caedmon was a close friend of Athel-
  red. When they befriended the dragon some 20 
  years ago, Caedmon was given 50 pinches of dragon 
  dust. He now chafes at the fact that his former 
  friend went on to win a kingdom while he lives in 
  his tower in bitter and lonely seclusion. This resent-
  ment eventually drove him both mad and evil. He 
  wants enough dragon dust to have a chance of tak-
  ing over the kingdom, but failing that he will settle 
  for enraging the dragon into causing widespread 
  destruction.
   
  Caedmon has not borne his 42 years as well as 
  Athelred, He is frail and bent. His hair is sparse, 
  and his complexion is unhealthily sallow. Only his 
  eyes reveal the hidden energies within, for they are a 
  clear and most startling sky-blue.
  Erik Iceheart 
  6th-rank barbarian
  attack 22, two-handed  
   
  Armour Factor 2
  sword (d10+3, 8) 
  defence 11 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 6
  magical defence 8 
   
   
  stealth 15
  Reflexes 12  
   
   
   
   
  perception 7
  Health Points 20
   
  Treasure: Two-handed sword (see below); dagger; padded 
  armour; bow and arrows
  Erik is a slightly built man in his early thirties. He is 
  of medium height with a handsome face and short, 
  golden brown hair. A travelling mercenary, he came 
  to Beorsca six years ago and fell in with Caedmon. 
  He intends to help the wizard get the dragon dust 
  (hopefully with minimum risk to himself) and 
  eliminate him once they have won the kingdom 
  from Athelred.
   
  Erik is utterly cold-blooded, and quite willing to 
  dispatch anyone in the way of his plans, hence his 
  nickname.
   
  Erik’s sword, Ymir’s Fang, is a +2 two-handed 
  sword. The sword has been passed down in Erik’s 
  family for generations, but it cannot be possessed by 
  an outsider. If Erik is slain and Ymir’s Fang exam-
  ined, it will be found to be made of murky ice! It will 
  then melt to a puddle of dirty water within min-
  utes.
  Talionis the Dragon
  attack 25  
   
   
   
   
  Armour Factor 5 (immune 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  to non-magical weapons)
  defence 20 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 15m (25m) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  (flying—150m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 5
  magical defence 12  
   
  stealth 8
  Reflexes 12  
   
   
   
   
  perception 19 (panoptical)
  Health Points 37
  Rank-equivalent: 15th
  The dragon is 10 metres long with coppery-red 
  scales along her body. She is only interested in 
  guarding the egg she laid 18 years ago, which is now 
  about to hatch. She can speak, is fully intelligent, if 
  a little slow on the uptake, and can breathe flame.
  a ballaD of times past
  
  Dragon Warriors
  80
  Chapter 10
  THE KEY OF 
  TIRANDOR
  An adventure by Mike Polling for 5-6 characters of rank 6-9
  GM’s Introduction
  ‘The Key to Tirandor’ is set in a territory which may 
  or may not be part of the Lands of Legend (see p. 
  5). It has a long history and its own folklore and 
  customs, but magic is extremely rare here. Although 
  the peasants believe in local deities, intelligent men 
  (travellers, city-dwellers, etc.) regard their worship 
  as ignorant superstition. There are no gods. Con-
  cepts of good and evil are matters of psychology and 
  perhaps philosophy.
   
  This self-contained world has many creatures 
  unique to its lands. All characters must be human; 
  there are no non-human player races.
   
  For reasons that will become obvious, there 
  should be no forms of illusory magic (Illusion, Phan-
  tasm, Image, etc.). Because there are few adventurers, 
  and little magic, the player characters are amongst 
  the most powerful people in the world.
   
  Six ready-rolled characters are provided for the 
  campaign. You can use your own characters, or roll 
  new ones, but please note the special requirements 
  and limitations of the characters provided—and 
  remember, there can only be one sorcerer, up to one 
  mystic, and no other magic-using classes. Don’t 
  be afraid of making decisions based on your own 
  judgement. Each game is different, and you should 
  respond to the requirement of your game.
   
  The lost city of Tirandor is no fable, although 
  the player-characters should be led to believe it is. 
  Once a very powerful city state, its strength was 
  derived from some source of immense ethereal or 
  mystical power located in the mountains, probably 
  at the original city site. This was carefully controlled 
  by the mage-lords of Tirandor; but eventually, one 
  of the most powerful, named Karapadin, found 
  some means of usurping all the power for himself. 
  Another mage-lord, the noble Bitranthaa, attempted 
  to stop him. In the ensuing battle, Karapadin was 
  killed; but the power had been drained from Tiran-
  dor and it perished. Only Bitranthaa remained. He 
  harnessed the power himself, and attempted to use it 
  to re-establish Tirandor on his own. But by himself 
  he couldn’t handle the power, and became steadily 
  madder, building up a Tirandor of illusion. Before 
  he finally retreated inside the fortress of dreams, he 
  captured the dragon Yrgael and set him to guard the 
  source of the power, and established the Nine Gates 
  in an attempt to ensure that if anyone did get to the 
  power, it would be in a much reduced form.
   
  Over the following centuries Bitranthaa has 
  slowly extended his power. Now quite mad, and liv-
  ing in a world of his own fantasies, he is incapable 
  of distinguishing reality from illusion.
   
  The wizard Kastarys has spent some years delv-
  ing into ancient archives, and has found some vague 
  fragments relating to Tirandor and formed the 
  impression that the power is still there. He has heard 
  of the characters, and magical research has indicated 
  that they are the people for the job. Zanok in par-
  ticular has been indicated as important, although 
  Kastarys doesn’t know why. The other characters 
  should not regard themselves as Kastarys’s employ-
  ees, but rather as partners. Zanok has a family 
  
  81
  heirloom, an ancient amulet known in the family 
  as the Key of Tirandor. He has no idea of its sig-
  nificance. The setting is worthless, but the gem has 
  all the colours of the rainbow continually flowing 
  through it. It is, in fact, one of the five pieces of the 
  actual Key. The entire Key consists of two identical 
  gems, an amulet to hold them, and two sections of 
  rod which join together—the top section of the rod 
  fitting into the base of the amulet. The whole thing 
  is about six inches long. 
   
  The other four pieces are scattered along the 
  road to Tirandor, and it is only with all of them that 
  Tirandor can be found. Each piece gives the wearer 
  a strong sense of the direction in which he must 
  travel to find the next piece. The player of Zanouk 
  should be told that he cannot bear to be separated 
  from the Key; he should guard it jealously, and covet 
  each new piece as it comes along. 
   
  When he finds a new piece, it is instantly obvi-
  ous to him how it fits together with the piece(s) he 
  already has. As he gets more of the pieces, he will 
  start to feel ill, getting iller with each new piece.
  Don’t tell him that it’s the Key that’s causing his 
  illness. Even if he finds out, he should still want 
  to keep the Key and bear the illness. It cannot be 
  cured until the Key is put in its proper place—at 
  which time he will be glad to get rid of it. Finally, 
  it’s entirely up to him whether he decides to tell the 
  others about it or not.
  The Player Characters
  These characters are recommended for use in the 
  adventure. If there are more than six players, or if 
  any of the characters are irrevocably killed, further 
  characters should be rolled of comparable power.
  Kastarys 
  8th-rank Sorcerer
  attack 15, sword (d8+1, 5) 
  Armour Factor 4
  defence 8  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 24 
   
   
  evasion 4
  magical defence 14  
   
  stealth 15
  Reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
  perception 7
  Health Points 12
  Magic Points 28
  Treasure: Ring of Red Ruin (18 charges); +1 sword; +2 
  Padded Armour; Ring of Sentinels (4 charges); Elixir 
  Vitae.
  Zanok 
  7th-rank Knight
  attack 21, sword (d8+2, 6)  
  Armour Factor 7
  or 20; crossbow (d10+1, 5)  
  defence 16 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 6
  magical defence 9 
   
   
  stealth 16
  Reflexes 15  
   
   
   
   
  perception 8
  Health Points 19
  Treasure: Heirloom gemstone—’The Key of Tirandor’; +2 
  Plate Armour; Shield; +2 Sword; Ring of Teleportation (2 
  charges); Crossbow with three +1 Quarrels.
  Valakar 
  7th-rank Knight
  attack 22, Morning Star   
  Armour Factor 7
  (d6+2, 7), or 21; bow (d6+1, 5)
  defence 16 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m) 
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 6
  magical defence 9 
   
   
  stealth 16
  Reflexes 14  
   
   
   
   
  perception 8
  Health Points 18
  Treasure: +3 Mail Armour; Amulet of Sovereignty over 
  Violence; +2 Morning Star; + 1 Dagger; Bow with four + 
  1 Arrows; Elixir Vitae.
  Slith 
  8th-rank Assassin
  attack 24, sword (d8+3, 6)  
  Armour Factor 4
  or Bow (d6+2, 6)
  defence 13 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 8
  magical defence 11  
   
  stealth 26
  the Key of tiranDor
  
  Dragon Warriors
  82
  Reflexes 17  
   
   
   
   
  perception 15
  Health Points 17
  Combat Techniques and Skills: Armour Piercing; Shock 
  Attack; Climbing; Jumping; Pilfer; Pick Lock (60%); 
  Track.
  Treasure: +2 Padded Armour; +2 Sword; Ring of 
  Regeneration; Bow with six +2 arrows; the Ankh of Osiris; 
  Evaporating Potion.
  Rhigat 
  8th-rank Mystic
  attack 20, Spear (2d4+4, 8) 
  Armour Factor 5
  or 17; bow (d6, 4)
  defence 12 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 23 
   
   
  evasion 4
  magical defence 15  
   
  stealth 17
  Reflexes 18  
   
   
   
   
  perception 13
  Health Points 14
  Abilities: Premonition 41%; ESP 74%; Adepthood 
  (immune to poison, diseases, mind control, etc.); Spell 
  Mastery (Hidden Target).
  Treasure: +2 Mail Hauberk; +3 Spear; Bow and 10 arrows; 
  Elixir Vitae; Wristband of Extreme Luck.
  Keln 
  7th-rank Barbarian
  attack 24, two-handed  
   
  Armour Factor 6
  sword (d10+3, 8)
  defence 15 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 6
  magical defence 9 
   
   
  stealth 16
  Reflexes 12  
   
   
   
   
  perception 8
  Health Points 20
  Treasure: +2 Mail Armour; +3 Two-handed Sword; Bow 
  with twelve +1 Arrows; Elemental Essence (Aitheron); 
  The Abraxas Stone.
  General Notes on the PCs
  All characters start with three potions of their choice 
  (from Healing, Dexterity, Strength, Occult Acuity, 
  Replenishment, Amianthus Dust, Night Vision, 
  Sands of Slumber, Vial of Smoke and Theriac), and 
  700F with which to buy provisions, non-magical 
  equipment and so forth. 
   
  The characters should be allowed any basic non-
  magical equipment, but magical items are very hard 
  to come by and extremely expensive.
   
  The characters start in Brontir, where they meet 
  Kastarys. Once you’ve sorted out the basic details, 
  show them the map (p. 85) and ask them where 
  they’re going. 
   
  Kastarys knows the rough direction (towards 
  the mountains) but only Zanok has any feel for the 
  precise direction—to the swamps: If they don’t fol-
  low his ‘instinct’, or if he doesn’t tell them about it, 
  they will wander around aimlessly, having the odd 
  random encounter. 
   
  Kastarys’s Manuscripts (on the next page): The 
  Dragon Song of Tirandor refers to Yrgael’s impris-
  onment (see p. 102). The Sayings and the letter 
  fragment refer to the Nine Gates (see p. 103). You 
  can find player handouts for these and other items 
  from the adventure on page 111 of this book.
  Players’             
  Introduction
  You are all seasoned adventurers. Although none of you 
  have met before, each has heard of the reputation of 
  the others. Your individual adventures have taken you 
  throughout the known world: from the powerful city-
  state of Kirag across to the trading-towns of Nalti and 
  Pesh, and down to the most powerful and wealthy city-
  state, Brontir.
   
  There is little magic around but when you have 
  encountered it, it’s been dangerous, mysterious, and 
  frightening. Sorcerers are few and far between, and 
  usually not terribly powerful; they are often disliked and 
  mistrusted, despite the good they can (sometimes) do.
   
  You have all, separately, been requested to pay a call 
  on Kastarys, a well-known sorcerer who lives in Bron-
  tir. Little is known about him except that he is pretty 
  much the most powerful wizard around. The message 
  you receive from him doesn’t say much—just asking you 
  along to see him, and referring vaguely to the possibil-
  ity of great power, in connection with the fabled city of 
  Tirandor.
   
  Tirandor is pure myth; a children’s tale. Long ago, 
  so the story runs, in the Mountains of Tirandor stood 
  the beautiful and mighty city from which the mountains 
  derive their name. Its dominions extended as far north 
  as Kirag, perhaps beyond. It was the familiar golden age. 
  Somehow, the whole thing is supposed to have collapsed; 
  all Tirandor’s lands fell into anarchy, from which they 
  slowly and painfully emerged into the present city-state 
  system. There’s not a shred of evidence to substantiate 
  these fairy-tales.
  
  83
  Kastarys’s Introduction
  You have spent some years looking into dusty old 
  archives, digging up mouldering manuscripts and as 
  a result you are convinced that Tirandor is no legend. 
  You feel that there is immense power in the mountains, 
  just waiting for someone to go and get it. There will 
  be danger, of course, which is why you need to persuade 
  some of the best adventurers around to accompany you 
  on your quest. And persuade them you must—after all, 
  they’re not very likely to pay much attention to idle talk 
  about a fairy-tale. The only concrete information you 
  have found (which you should show the other characters) 
  is in the form of old manuscript fragments:
  From ‘The Sayings of the Sage Emrallam’
  Tirandor was a shadow-play on the face of the 
  Abyss. If you are searching for great power, look 
  for the key to the door which has no lock, fol-
  low the path of the gate which is not. Victory 
  comes only through death. Defeat your lustings 
  and cravings for worldly things. Release yourself 
  from the cycle of endless recurrence; overcome 
  yourself. Men are fools, the things of the world 
  toys to befuddle the mind.
  The Dragon-Song of Tirandor 
  The Lord of the Skies 
  The Prince of the Flame 
  Is lost from our eyes 
  Our loss is our shame 
  In the weight of the Earth 
  In the boundless Sea 
  Our loss is our dearth 
  Until he is free.
  Manuscript fragments relating to the 
  history of Tirandor 
  ... but at length there arose one of the mage-
  lords, named Karapadin, and he penetrated to... 
  rejecting ... and calling instead for ... And hav-
  ing usurped the power, he sought to establish his 
  own empire ... Bitranthaa, who fought against 
  the Key of tiranDor
  
  Dragon Warriors
  84
  him in an awesome battle ... Lord Karapadin 
  was defeated and destroyed, but the power was 
  drained from Tirandor for ever ... And Bitran-
  thaa came down, and watched in silence as the 
  towers of Tirandor crumbled into ruin, and 
  confusion and destruction came down upon the 
  land. But some say Bitr ...
  Fragment of an ancient letter 
  ... as you requested, my lord, I humbly report 
  that the old man is no more than a lunatic, 
  crazed in his wits. He talks of the mage-lords 
  of Tirandor and other such ravings. And if such 
  babble is not enough, he appears to believe that 
  someone has returned from death or something 
  to that effect. These peasants, my lord, are chil-
  dren—dirty children at that. He wanders much 
  in his speech, referring to the Nine ...
  The Campaign
  The road to the swamps runs alongside the river. It 
  passes through scattered settlements, although these 
  stop about 15 miles from the swamps, where there is 
  much murmuring, unease, and vague rumours about 
  the swamps among all sorts of superstitious rubbish. 
   
  About half-way to the swamps, the party is 
  attacked by bandits, at night. There are twenty ordi-
  nary bandits, plus a leader and sorcerer.
  Liork the Bandit-Chief 
  7th-rank Barbarian
  attack 21, two-handed 
    
  Armour Factor 4
  sword (d10+1, 6)
  defence 12 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 6
  magical defence 9 
   
   
  stealth 16
  Reflexes 11  
   
   
   
   
  perception 8
  Health Points 19
  Treasure: Mail Armour; Dagger; 2-handed Sword; 10F.
  Serkaton 
  5th-rank Sorcerer
  attack 12  
   
   
   
   
  Armour Factor 2
  defence 7  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 20 
   
   
  evasion 4
  magical defence 10  
   
  stealth 14
  Reflexes 11  
   
   
   
   
  perception 6
  Health Points 10
  Magic Points 19
  Treasure: Staff; dagger; 5F, Pendant of Alarums.
  The Bandits 
  1st-rank Barbarians
  attack 14, sword (d8, 4)  
  Armour Factor 2
  defence 6  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 5
  magical defence 3 
   
   
  stealth 13
  Reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
  perception 7
  Health Points 10, 10, 10, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 
  13, 14, 14, 14, 14, 15, 15, 15
  Treasure: 3F between them.
  Liork is cunning; if he sees his men destroyed he 
  will try to escape, or argue himself into safety. If he 
  sees a reasonably safe way of killing or damaging the 
  party he will take it. 
   
  Serkaton has an amulet around his neck, which 
  the character with the ‘Key’ will feel he wants and 
  needs, although he cannot explain why. If Serkaton 
  has been killed, the character will search his body 
  and find the amulet immediately. It looks just like an 
  ordinary gem set in gold. Serkaton, if still alive, does 
  not think it magical. It has a curious and ancient 
  setting; as the player-character with the ‘Key’ takes 
  it, the stone falls out to the ground; the ‘Key’ gem 
  falls out of its setting, and the PC automatically 
  catches it. The ‘Key’ must obviously be fitted into 
  the amulet once possessed by Serkaton.
  As the party journeys onwards, the adventurers 
  notice odd behaviour amongst the animals: noctur-
  nal animals out by day and vice versa, not taking 
  care to hide themselves from the party, behaving 
  violently, often attacking each other, and even her-
  bivores attacking other creatures. 
   
  Before the party reaches the Swamps, it is 
  attacked, by day, by a pack of twelve wolves, who 
  will not turn and run when in great danger, but who 
  will all fight to the death. They do not seem to have 
  a pack leader.
  Wolves
  attack 15, fangs (d4, 5) 
   
  Armour Factor 0
  defence 3  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 12m (25m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 3
  magical defence 1 
   
   
  stealth 16
  Reflexes 12  
   
   
   
   
  perception 11 (elfsight)
  Health Points 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 9, 10, 10
  Rank-equivalent: 1st
  The Swamps of Dorganath
  As they approach the swamps the player-characters 
  meet a deranged peasant who thinks they are insane 
  
  85
  to try the swamp, but suggests they keep to a path 
  which is marked out by slashed trees. He’s never 
  penetrated very far inside the swamps himself; about 
  half an hour into them, the marked path disappears. 
  Encounters: roll d8 for every 8 hours spent in the 
  swamp. On a roll of 1, roll 1d20 on the table below.
  Swamp Encounters 
  d20 roll  
   
  Encounter
  1 
   
   
   
  Giant scorpions
  2-5  
   
   
  Crocodiles
  6-8  
   
   
  Pythons
  9 
   
   
   
  Giant spiders
  10-11  
   
  Rats 
  12-14  
   
  Giant vipers
  15-17  
   
  Tarantulas
  18-20  
   
  Miscellaneous harmless creatures
  Dorganath, as Lord of the Swamps, knows what is 
  happening within them at all times. The swamps 
  are completely magical; Dorganath is, in a sense, the 
  embodiment or essence of the swamps. He is tele-
  pathically aware of everything in them, and knows 
  of the characters’ entry. As they move on, he opens 
  up areas of firm ground which will lead them inexo-
  rably to his mansion. If anyone tries to spy out the 
  area by flying over it, he will only see undifferenti-
  ated swamp: no sign of a path, and no sign of the 
  mansion. Unless they get lost, it should take them 
  about a day to reach Dorganath’s mansion.
   
  In the fullness of time they reach a large house 
  with a tower at one side—the path leads here. 
  Whether they arrive by day or night, Dorganath 
  knows they are approaching and will be ready for 
  them whatever they decide to do. If they try to break 
  in, they will suddenly find themselves surrounded 
  by twice their own number of warriors. Attacking 
  them will do no damage; they will not fight. Their 
  eyes are dull and empty, and one of them speaks in 
  a flat monotone with no intonation or stress at all, 
  ‘My master would like you to join him inside.’
   
  Awaiting them in the hall is Dorganath. His 
  voice is also monotonous. He tells them it is a long 
  time since he saw humans, and his name. (This is 
  actually a lie, in a way; originally he was not called 
  Dorganath. but his original name is lost. He was a 
  wizard who came to live in the swamps, hiding from 
  the wrath of the Princes of Tirandor—he has been 
  here ever since. He has come to assume the identity 
  of the swamps from which he derives his power. In 
  effect, he is a part of the swamp and it is a part of 
  him. When one is killed, the other will die.) Need-
  less to say he is pretty deadpan and humourless—
  swamps aren’t known for their sense of humour.
  the Key of tiranDor
  
  Dragon Warriors
  86
  Dorganath 
  10th-rank Water Elementalist
  (minor elements earth and air)
  attack 17, sword (d8 +4, 8) 
  Armour Factor 0 (immune 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  to non-magical weapons)
  defence 12 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 26 
   
   
  evasion 7
  magical defence 16  
   
  stealth 18
  Reflexes 17  
   
   
   
   
  perception 8
  Health Points 13
  Treasure: +2 sword; Ring of Negation (in the form of a 
  tarnished silver wristband).
  Dorganath’s swamp control takes several turns of 
  concentration to effect, so is of no use in combat. 
  He is immune to non-magical weapons. He can also 
  summon 3-12 Swamp Beings. These are created 
  magically out of the substance of the swamp itself, 
  huge shambling things that exude a nauseous stench 
  and leave a trail of putrid slime.
  Swamp Beings 
  attack 19, limb (d6 +2, 6)  
  Armour Factor 5
  defence 7  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 6m (12m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 1
  magical defence 8 
   
   
  stealth 12
  Reflexes 5  
   
   
   
   
  perception 8 (panoptical)
  Health Points 
  Rank-equivalent: 6th
  Treasure: None.
  He also has any number of servants. These are 
  essentially zombies, the pitiful remains of foolish 
  adventurers who stumbled into the swamps. They 
  have no will whatsoever. They are extremely fast, 
  and very strong. These servants, however, will not 
  fight under any circumstances; if the characters 
  attack Dorganath (or even the servants themselves) 
  they will take no part. They cannot be commanded 
  or controlled except by Dorganath. 
   
  He will conceal his hostility to the characters, 
  seeming friendly and interested in them. In fact, his 
  intention is to find as much information from them 
  as possible, then feed them to the swamp and turn 
  their soulless remains into more servants. Despite 
  his great power, fire (of any kind; a hurled torch, a 
  simple spell) terrifies him, and if he is brought into 
  contact with it, he will instantly flame up and per-
  ish. His servants etc will die with him, crumbling 
  into dust. All the fireplaces in his mansion are sealed 
  up, and light at night is provided by strange glow-
  ing stones. When he dies, the swamps will begin to 
  shrivel up and die.
  The Mansion of Dorganath
  The interior of the mansion is generally dilapidated, 
  slimy; damp, dusty, squalid. It is hard to believe that 
  anyone lives here, human or not.
  Ground Floor
  A: Hallway
  Long hall reaching up to top of house with staircase 
  leading to balcony on first floor.
  B: Storeroom for kitchen
  This room contains pots, pans, etc. all disused, rusty, 
  ancient. Bits of squalid mouldy food.
  C: General storeroom
  This room contains clothes, linen, odds and ends, 
  ancient and disused.
  D: Kitchens 
  Also disused. Fireplace blocked up, as are all fire-
  places.
  E: Dining room
  Disused, fireplace blocked up.
  F: Reception room
  G, H, I: Reception rooms
  Empty and dusty
  J: Dorganath’s library 
  Hundreds of books. On the bottom shelf in the 
  SE corner, behind a chair, inside a locked cabinet, 
  are three rare books on demonology, and scrolls of 
  Oracle and Mantlet.
  K: Dorganath’s study 
  
  87
  the Key of tiranDor
  
  Dragon Warriors
  88
  First Floor
  L: Balcony
  Lining the balcony are doors to mouldy bedrooms 
  M, N, O, P, Q, R and S. T is a corridor to O and P.
  U: Empty room 
  Completely empty with no window.
  V: Dorganath’s treasure-room 
  All the treasure is covered in dust, obviously 
  untouched for long ages. Hidden amongst the piles 
  of treasure are spiders, about three feet in diameter. 
  If they bite they inject a mild poison. Treasure: 
  4400F in gold and gems; 1 potion of strong poison; 
  1 Amianthus Dust.
  W. Empty 
  The Tower
  X. Dorganath’s torture chamber 
  Thick walls, no windows, soundproof. There are 
  two trapdoors in this room. 
   
  There is a girl, unconscious and dressed in rags, 
  chained in one corner of the room. She is Keladi, 
  captured by Dorganath because she possessed a 
  worthless gem, a family heirloom—it is in fact, the 
  second part of the ‘The Key’, at present residing in 
  Dorganath’s lab (Z)
  Keladi 
  8th-rank Mystic
  attack 17  
   
   
   
   
  Armour Factor 0
  defence 12 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 22 
   
   
  evasion 6
  magical defence 13  
   
  stealth 18
  Reflexes 16  
   
   
   
   
  perception 13
  Health Points 13
  (Str 12; Reflexes 16; Int 17; Psychic Talent 12; Looks 16)
  Abilities: Premonition 41%; ESP 74%; Spell Mastery 
  (Assessment).
  Treasure: None.
  Keladi is a wandering adventuress. She is prepared 
  to say and do absolutely anything at all if she feels 
  that this will in some way benefit her. She will pre-
  tend to be a peasant girl, and accompany the party 
  as such, because she thinks there’s something useful 
  in it for her. She cares about nothing at all except 
  herself and her own possible gain. If she joins the 
  party, she will very subtly attempt to sow seeds of 
  dissent.
   
  Beneath the trapdoors into the swamp is a mere-
  gaunt (see the Bestiary p. 41).
  Mere-gaunt
  attack 20, bite (d10+1, 7)  
  Armour Factor 4
  defence 12 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 6
  magical defence 12  
   
  stealth 12
  Reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
  perception 7 (darksight)
  Health Points 21
  Rank-equivalent: 8th
  Y. Empty Room 
  The stairs between the first floor and the top floor 
  have crumbled to nothing. Player-characters will 
  have to enter the room and climb the makeshift 
  wooden steps Dorganath installed (instead of 
  repairing the staircase) to the top floor. 
  Z. Dorganath’s lab 
  Contains all sorts of arcane and esoteric equipment 
  etc, all apparently useless. In the middle of the table 
  is a gem, similar in all respects to the ‘Key’. It fits 
  neatly into one side of the amulet containing the 
  ‘Key’.
  The Mountains of    
  Tirandor
  Getting out of the swamp is fairly easy. Ahead, the 
  peaks of the Mountains of Tirandor reach up forever, 
  as the player characters begin the ascent into the 
  foothills. The foot-hills are quite thickly wooded, 
  and after a while begin to rise into the mountains 
  proper. Random encounters are twice as frequent as 
  usual; when the encounter occurs, the creatures are 
  more vicious than normal, as if maddened.
   
  While they are more or less in the middle of the 
  foothills, they are attacked, by day and from behind, 
  by six huge, shaggy beasts, which seem to appear out 
  of nowhere.
  
  89
  Wood-demons
  attack 17, claws (d8, 4) 
   
  Armour Factor 4
  defence 10 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 6m (12m)
  magical attack 17 
   
   
  evasion 5
  magical defence 10  
   
  stealth 16
  Reflexes 11  
   
   
   
   
  perception 5 (elfsight)
  Health Points 1d6 +12 
  (these ones have 13, 15, 16, 17, 17 and 18)
  Rank-equivalent: 6th
  The wood-demon (not in fact a demon at all, but so 
  called by ignorant and superstitious peasants) can 
  shriek. Match the wood-demon’s magical attack 
  against each party member’s magical defence; if 
  successful, the shriek causes confusion (an inability 
  to cast spells or to fight, though the victim may still 
  defend himself). This lasts for three combat rounds. 
  The demon can also create an illusion of being a 
  rock which is near-perfect (+5 to stealth when 
  using the rock illusion).
  Aroyendis
  As the party reaches the point at which the foothills 
  begin to turn into mountain, they find a small hut 
  nestling in the trees with smoke coming from the 
  chimney.
   
  Inside is an old man called Aroyendis. Aroyen-
  dis is friendly towards them—he tells them he is 
  friendly to all passers. He points out that since the 
  days of Tirandor no one has passed his door twice. 
  He will provide them with food and a place to sleep; 
  if anyone needs healing or revivifying he will do that 
  for them at no cost. They may stay with him for as 
  long as they like.
   
  If questioned, he will tell them that they have a 
  great danger ahead of them, perhaps insurmount-
  able, and that great power lies there for the one who 
  can take it. He does quite a bit of philosophising, 
  telling them frequently that all is illusion, a shadow-
  play on the face of the abyss. He advises them to 
  leave the path of eternal recurrence, the whirlpool 
  of endless seeming, and to find instead the centre 
  of the wheel of change and return, to sit at the ‘still 
  point of the turning world’, at the ‘point of intersec-
  tion of the timeless with time’. 
   
  The clever player will spot that this ability to 
  quote T. S. Eliot so glibly comes from the sage’s 
  position at the precise point where all dimensions, 
  all times, all universes, in short, all realities, meet. 
  The danger which threatens the world, and them in 
  particular, cannot affect Aroyendis, who knows that 
  all is illusion. He is often almost wilfully obscure, 
  although he explains this as being the most coherent 
  way he can hope to make anything truly clear. The 
  question of Truth is one which amuses him greatly: 
  the ‘human’ idea of there being a Truth, like the 
  concept of Good, Evil, Meaning, Purpose, etc., he 
  finds quite ludicrous. Before the party leaves, he will 
  give one of its members (the one who has spoken 
  most intelligently to him; failing that, random roll) 
  an ancient amulet, which has words engraved upon 
  it (see below).
  Note: As a parting jest, he tells them cryptically 
  that the one true power is that of life through death, 
  after all else has been renounced.
  Aroyendis cannot be harmed by anything. Weapons 
  pass through him; the energy from spells simply dis-
  appears. If the player characters look back after hav-
  ing left the house, there will be nothing there except 
  trees and rocks. On the amulet, engraved circularly 
  and turning towards the centre, are the words:
  Obverse: 
  That which was before anything was 
  Which sighed before breath had life
  Which was the serpent of creation 
  Which moved on the face of the waters
  Which whispers with a thousand empty voices 
  Which has no age or death
  Reverse: 
  That which destroys with a thousand tongues 
  Which laughs with a meaningless sound
  Which lights the way of life and death
  Which speaks with the voice of consuming fear 
  Which raises the legions of the damned shadows 
  Which breathes the roar of chaos and pain
  In the name of ........ and ........
  I release you
  The words in the blanks have been obliterated; they 
  should read, respectively, ‘Wind’ and ‘Fire’. The 
  amulet becomes important later. There is a players’ 
  handout version on page 111.
   
  Although there is no clear path for them to 
  follow, Zanok will feel instinctively that he knows 
  which way the party should go. 
   
  After about half a day’s climbing, they are 
  attacked by a party of shortish, hairy, muscular men 
  (actually illusions).
  the Key of tiranDor
  
  Dragon Warriors
  90
  The Anak
  attack 15, sword (d8, 4)  
  Armour Factor 2
  defence 7  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 5
  magical defence 4 
   
   
  stealth 13
  Reflexes 11  
   
   
   
   
  perception 5
  Health Points d6 +10 
  (these ones have 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 14, 15, 
  15, 15, 16, 16)
  Rank-equivalent: 2nd
  The Anak were a peaceful and civilized race, their 
  civilization had once reached greater heights than 
  anywhere else in the land. They kept very much 
  to themselves, until Bitranthaa tried to extend his 
  power. For some time they successfully resisted the 
  mad Mage-Lord, standing against him when every 
  other living creature around had fled or succumbed 
  to his power. Their priest was Dessom (see later).
   
  In the end, Bitranthaa overcame them. Those 
  he did not destroy fled, and nothing more is known 
  of them. The characters are attacked by 15 of these 
  beings—not ‘real’ Anak, but Bitranthaa’s illusory 
  creations.
   
  Once they have overcome these Anak, the PCs 
  will come across an Anak stronghold; and the bearer 
  of the Key feels strongly that they should enter.
  The Anak Stronghold
  An improvement upon natural caves and rock pas-
  sages in the side of the mountain. The Anak lived 
  within the mountain itself. The passageways are tall 
  and wide; the whole system is very spacious. Where 
  possible, light has been let in from holes in the rock, 
  and reflected into obscure corners by means of mir-
  rors. 
   
  Where the passages are too far away from pos-
  sible light from the sun, there are glowing stones 
  which give off a clear radiance. Everything is 
  extremely elegant and graciously constructed, and 
  adorned with great taste and artistry-wall paintings 
  and hangings, wood carvings on doors, etc. All gives 
  the appearance of a very civilized and cultured race. 
   
  Almost everything here, including any Anak 
  they may meet will be illusions. The real Anak fled 
  about a hundred years ago, yet it looks as if they had 
  only just left, appearances maintained by illusion. 
  Any random or wandering-monster encounters in 
  the stronghold will be 1–10 more Anak that will 
  attack on sight.
  A. Living Quarters 
  This building is deserted, recently by the look of it.
  1. Bedroom
  Cushions covered with rugs for sleeping on, floor 
  cushions for sitting on; low tables.
  2. Living quarters
  All rooms are divided off by thick hangings which 
  can be drawn aside and changed around with ease. 
  Good carvings and wall hangings.
  3. Entrance and reception area
  4. Kitchen
  Fireplace (as in every room), pots, pans, etc.
  B. Living Quarters
  1. Entrance and reception
  2. Library of Scrolls
  These are mostly incomprehensible, treatises on art 
  and works of Anak scholarship. Study-cushions, 
  low tables, and writing instruments are scattered 
  throughout the room.
  3. Living-area 
  This is a dusty room filled with cushions, fine paint-
  ings, carvings and hangings.
  4. Entrance-reception
  5. Guest-room
  6. Main bedroom
  
  91
  the Key of tiranDor
  
  Dragon Warriors
  92
  7. Kitchen
  C. Museum and Library 
  All the great artefacts and works of science and art 
  are kept here.
  1. The Gallery
  The finest paintings, wall-hangings, carvings. Also 
  a display of musical instruments.
  2. The Library
  Vast collection of scrolls piled from floor to ceiling. 
  These actually are genuine—the Anak had to flee 
  too quickly to allow them to take their museum or 
  library with them. In reality, everything is in a pretty 
  bad state, but it all looks new, thanks to the illusion.
  3. Long passageway 
  Intricately decorated with curious weapons on the 
  walls. Although, like everything else, these weapons 
  look new, they are in fact ancient as hell and pretty 
  useless.
  4. Sleeping-quarters
  5. Curator’s office
  Low tables, useless scrolls, writing equipment etc.
  D. Living-Quarters
  1.  Entrance-reception.
  2.  Kitchen. 
  3.  Living area. 
  4.  Bedroom. 
  E. Living-Quarters
  1, 4, 7, 8. Living areas. 
  2, 3, 6, 9. Bedrooms. 
  5.  Entrance-reception.
  F. Living-Quarters 
  1.  Living area. 
  2.  Bedroom.
  3.  Entrance-reception.
  G. Living-Quarters
  1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21. Entrance and living 
  areas. 
  2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22. Bedrooms. 
  11.  Entrance-reception. 
  H & I. Living-Quarters
  1.  Living area. 
  2.  Kitchen. 
  3.  Bedrooms.
  4.  Entrance-reception. 
  J. Living-Quarters
  1.  Entrance-living area. 
  2.  Bed. 
  K. Administration
  All of these rooms were used as offices for various 
  functions. 
  L. Artificial Pond 
  Has fountain in the middle.
  M. Temple
  Dedicated to the unknown gods of the Anak. Deco-
  rated with breathtakingly beautiful wall paintings 
  and carvings. At the southernmost end is an altar.
  N. Palace of the Prince of the Anak 
  Sumptuously decorated home of the former Prince 
  of the Anak.
  1.  Living area. 
  2.  Reception room. 
  3.  Entrance-reception.
  4.  Study; nothing worthwhile.
  5.  Bedchamber. 
  6.  Main bedchamber. 
  7.  Treasure-room. Walled off from the rest of the 
  house, with a door. Contains 9 chests: seven are 
  
  93
  full of gold coins, worth 3000F per chest; two 
  contain gems and jewellery to the value of 7000F 
  per chest; all illusion, of course. 
  8.  Courtyard.
  O. Living-Quarters
  1.  Cooking. 
  2, 6, 8. Entrance-reception. 
  3, 7, 10. Living areas. 
  4, 5, 9. Bedrooms. 
  P. Solid rock. Smoothed 
  Q. Passageways
  Leading nowhere; blocked by fallen stone.
  Originally, the domain of the Anak extended much 
  further, but the illusion is only being maintained for 
  this small area.
   
  Bitranthaa’s power is that of illusion; he is extend-
  ing his power into this reality slowly, increasing the 
  element of illusion in the world. He is mad, and 
  likes to play with his victims before destroying them. 
  What he does to destroy, essentially, is to drain out 
  the reality of his victims which he transforms into 
  magical energy and uses to extend his power; the 
  victims themselves then become illusions, sustained 
  only by his imagination, over which he has complete 
  control. The victims are neither living nor dead, for 
  he has not actually killed them, i.e. released their 
  souls, which are trapped within the illusion. The 
  illusions are thus trapped in Bitranthaa’s world of 
  illusion, and are conscious of it, but helpless rather 
  like being in a dream, or a figment of someone else’s 
  imagination, but aware of it. Any illusions cast by 
  any of the player-characters are useless, and the 
  energy used in creating them just goes to Bitran-
  thaa.
   
  The party is a genuine threat to Bitranthaa, 
  because they possess the parts of the Key which may 
  destroy him. He cannot destroy them immediately, 
  for the power of the Key is protecting them. He has 
  no power to destroy the Key.
   
  Bitranthaa is aware of the PCs’ entrance into the 
  Anak stronghold although awareness for him is not 
  the same as it is for most: he is largely unable to 
  differentiate between illusion and reality (this is in 
  practice; in theory he does distinguish to the extent 
  of knowing what he is trying to remove and what 
  he is trying to impose). Nevertheless, whether con-
  sciously or unconsciously, he is aware of their intru-
  sion, and so will warp the appearances within the 
  stronghold, shifting walls and doors, etc, although 
  the real layout of the stronghold remains as it is 
  in the diagram. These false appearances will warp 
  the senses (unless they are disbelieved), but if any 
  adventurer pushes on through a ‘wall’ where he 
  knows a passage to be, the illusion will vanish.
   
  At the entrance to M (The Temple) is a huge 
  stone block which is half-illusion, half-real. It is real 
  enough to be impossible to penetrate, although if it 
  is broken it will become transparent, which is no use 
  as there is a very real curtain behind it.
   
  In order to reach the inside of the temple, they 
  must drink the water from the pool at L. Illusion 
  cannot affect the pool, nor can it affect the temple 
  itself—it can only put the door in the way. Once the 
  water has been drunk, it enables the PCs to see to 
  a certain extent through the illusion that surrounds 
  them. It has a disastrous effect upon that illusion 
  which must be believed in to be sustained. The walls 
  begin to shift, to dissolve and melt, as in a melt-
  ing reel of film or a painting that has been splashed. 
  Everything begins to merge with everything else. 
   
  The Anak can no longer attack, indeed they are 
  in a pitiful state. It is difficult to get bearings and 
  even balance is affected. Only the temple remains 
  solid, and the stone block is no longer in the way. 
  The passageways are impossible to find now, so it 
  is unlikely that the party will do anything except 
  make for the temple. Inside everything is solid and 
  ‘ordinary’. All is bathed in a calm green light. On 
  the altar is a small shiny cylindrical rod which is the 
  next part of the Key, for which they have come. This 
  will fit quite easily into the slot in the base of the 
  amulet.
   
  From behind the curtain behind the altar (unless 
  someone has already gone behind it, of course) they 
  hear a voice calling them. Behind it, lying on a bed is 
  the Anak called Dessom. He is very old, and dying. 
  His voice is indistinct, and only a few words can be 
  made out, here and there, disjointed. He tells them 
  that he is the last of the Anak who lived here, that 
  he has been fighting a lone battle for over a hundred 
  years, that the power is too great and increasing, that 
  he cannot hold it any longer; that he had enchanted 
  the pool and that he keeps the temple safe.
   
  Dessom was the Anak priest, endowed with con-
  siderable magical powers, and he used his talents to 
  the Key of tiranDor
  
  Dragon Warriors
  94
  hold off Bitranthaa’s influence while he searched 
  feverishly for some means of defeating the mad 
  mage-lord. When Dessom at last found the way 
  to destroy Bitranthaa’s power, he was too old and 
  too enfeebled to use it. He has managed to survive 
  and keep himself safe from Bitranthaa, hoping that 
  someone will come along with the ability to use the 
  spell he has devised. He points to a symbol on the 
  wall, which glows with a luminous green. He says, 
  in a broken and incoherent fashion, that a sorcerer 
  must trace this symbol, and that it binds reality. He 
  is very insistent that this must be done, and that 
  there is very little time. 
   
  When Kastarys does this, a great pain shoots up 
  his arm, a numbing cold, and he momentarily blacks 
  out but recovers almost immediately. Dessom tells 
  him that he will know when he has to use it again. 
  (In fact, he almost immediately forgets the form of 
  the symbol; he will only remember it when finally 
  confronted by the prince in the castle, over the crys-
  tal coffin; see p. 100.) 
   
  Dessom tells them all to leave, fast, muttering 
  that he is ‘holding it for as long as he is able’. As 
  they leave the temple, they notice that everything 
  has lost its polished, unnaturally new look, and has 
  become a ruin. Everything is dusty, decrepit, old, in 
  fact, as it really is. Huge cracks being to appear in 
  the stone; great cracking and smashing noises are 
  heard. Rocks begin to fall from the roof of the huge 
  cavern, walls begin to give way and come crashing 
  in. Some massive rifts appear directly overhead, 
  and it looks as if the whole roof should fall on their 
  heads, burying them under the mountain. 
   
  Miraculously this does not happen, and they 
  feel that some great force is somehow holding it 
  back. Dust rises all around them from the parts that 
  have collapsed. However, provided they don’t hang 
  around or do anything silly, they will get out in time. 
  Shortly after they get outside, the whole area gives 
  way with a massive crash and a roar, a whole section 
  of the mountain crumbles, so the characters should 
  be well clear. This incidentally also means the end of 
  the ‘illusion-Anak’.
  The party must continue along up the mountain, 
  always guided by the holder of the Key. The effect 
  of the water they have drunk will wear off after 
  about 20 minutes, leaving them just as subject to 
  illusion as ever.
   Note: Water taken from the Pool in flasks etc has 
  no special effect outside the Anak stronghold.
  The climb is a pretty arduous one and will take them 
  two or three days. At length, coming to the top of 
  a ridge of mountains, they find themselves faced 
  with a sheer precipice, a mile across and a 6000-
  metre drop. Arching across this vast gulf is a slender 
  bridge (actually 10 metres wide) made of pure silver. 
  (Any silver taken from the bridge instantly becomes 
  a pile of worthless ashes.) On the other side it is as 
  if the top of the mountains has been sliced off. A 
  mile beyond the edge of the plateau can be seen the 
  white towers of Tirandor soaring up into the deep 
  blue mountain-sky.
   
  The bridge is perfectly safe. On the other side, 
  there is no snow and no wind, and although still 
  quite cold it’s a lot warmer than the rest of the 
  mountains. The walls of Tirandor seem to stretch 
  for miles. They are made of a seamless metallic sub-
  stance, totally resistant to everything. If anyone tries 
  to walk round the walls, he can walk forever without 
  seeing them end or returning to his starting point; if 
  anyone tries to fly over them, he will find the walls 
  stretching up and up and up, as far as he can fly. The 
  gates, facing the travellers, are made of the same 
  substance and are tightly hermetically sealed. Five 
  figures stand in front of the gates.
  Outside the City
  Standing in front of the gates are the Guardians of 
  the City, established here while Tirandor was still a 
  great power, to prevent anyone from entering who 
  does not know the correct way. Only Bitranthaa is 
  left who still knows the correct way. There is no 
  other way in except through this gate. The Guard-
  ians are totally and utterly impervious to all magic of 
  any kind whatsoever, even to Bitranthaa’s illusions. 
  He, of course, is not bothered by them; he never 
  leaves Tirandor, and even if he did he would know 
  the correct way to re-enter. In fact they perform a 
  pretty useful service for him, assuming that anyone 
  could ever get this far.
  Guardians of the City
  attack 21, huge sword  
   
  Armour Factor 4
  (d10+1, 6)
  defence 8  
   
   
   
   
  Movement 7m (15m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 3
  magical defence – 
   
   
  stealth 7
  Reflexes 12  
   
   
   
   
  perception 6 (panoptical)
  Health Points 2d6+25 (these have 30, 32, 33, 39).
  Rank-equivalent: 8th
  
  95
  the Key of tiranDor
  
  Dragon Warriors
  96
  Guardians are three meters tall and wear black 
  armour. Their faces are hidden in the shadows of 
  their great helms. They wield two-handed broad-
  swords in one hand, a large shield in the other. They 
  are impervious to all direct-damage spells; this does 
  not mean that adventurers cannot use whatever 
  magical defences against physical attack they may 
  possess. The Guardians can see invisible beings. 
  They always wait to be attacked, or at least for 
  someone to attempt to open the gates which in itself 
  constitutes an attack in their eyes. They never sleep. 
  They do not speak and will not kill unless by acci-
  dent (although not trying to kill they won’t soften 
  their attack or their blows in combat). If they put 
  someone down, they will allow his companions to 
  take him away. They fight one-to-one: two of them 
  will never attack a single enemy.  
   
  To one side of the Guardians, but behind them, 
  lies a pile of treasure which has been taken from 
  those who have tried to get through before and 
  have died in the attempt. A picturesque little pile 
  of human bones is scattered around on the ground 
  before the Gate. 
  Treasure: 8000F; gems worth 100; 200; 350; 50; 280; 30; 
  700; 1300; 50; 80; 2000; 550; 150; 900; 400; 800; +1 Mail 
  Hauberk; +3 Battteaxe; Ring of Obedient Parts.
  Inside the City
  After the party has killed the Guardians, at a touch 
  of the (still incomplete) Key the doors will open 
  silently and remain forever open. Revealed to the 
  party’s wondering eyes is a majestic and beautiful 
  city, with gleaming towers that seem to touch the 
  sky. It is entirely pure white. 
   
  Its numerous inhabitants are wandering about 
  their daily business almost noiselessly and do not 
  seem in the least interested in the party. They are 
  all remarkably beautiful people. There are shops and 
  taverns, and the party may do as they wish to pro-
  vision themselves. The inhabitants will serve them 
  and speak pleasantly to them; nowhere are there any 
  signs of violence or disorder. 
   
  Everything is peaceful, it seems a haven of tran-
  quillity. The inhabitants will talk about anything 
  the player-characters care to discuss with them but 
  any attempt to question them on history or on the 
  subject of their quest will result in vague, imprecise 
  answers that get them nowhere. The general atti-
  tude conveyed by these people is that nothing much 
  matters, certainly not those subjects in which the 
  party is most interested. In fact, they are all illusions, 
  souls that Bitranthaa has trapped in the same way 
  as he did those of the Anak. Any food or refresh-
  ment the party takes is actually unreal. It will seem 
  to them that they are really eating and drinking, but 
  their hunger and thirst will not go away. 
   
  In this city, in the heart of Bitranthaa’s domain, 
  simply disbelieving will not work; they are in the 
  city, and so are caught up in the illusion. There is no 
  such thing as money here; everyone takes whatever 
  he wants, and no one minds. The people are peace-
  ful, and they don’t question anything. They believe 
  that they are ruled by the Prince, although they’ve 
  never seen him, and they know he lives in the Pal-
  ace, although they don’t know where it is. 
   
  Any character that flies up into the air will only 
  see the city all around him, everywhere nearly the 
  same. No sign of the Palace and no signs of the 
  walls or the gates, which the adventurers will not be 
  able to find again if they wander away from them. 
  If asked questions they can’t answer, the inhabitants 
  will be mildly interested in the problem, but not 
  really concerned. They may be attacked and killed 
  without offering any resistance; if wounded, they 
  will still remain quietly friendly with their attack-
  ers. When killed, gratitude and relief can be seen on 
  their faces.
   
  At some point, a messenger with flowing grey 
  hair and white robes will come to find them. He 
  tells them that the Prince of Tirandor has heard of 
  their entry into the city and would wish to speak 
  with them. They can of course refuse to go, and the 
  messenger will not press them. Periodically he will 
  return and repeat the invitation.
   
  Eventually, of course, they will accept as there’s 
  nothing else for them to do. The Prince lives in a 
  huge and magnificent Palace of unearthly beauty, 
  the sort of beauty one only ever dreams of. They are 
  met with much gracious and courteous ceremony by 
  the Prince himself, who shows them to some rooms 
  and orders some servants to wait on them.
   
  The Prince is Bitranthaa’s idealised projection of 
  himself in this fantasy world. The whole of Tiran-
  dor, as the player-characters see it, is illusion con-
  jured up by Bitranthaa’s insanely powerful dreaming 
  mind. It is the only way he as been able to fulfil his 
  (originally sane) wish to recreate Tirandor, and the 
  Prince is his dream-image of himself.
  
  97
  The Prince 
  20th-rank Sorcerer
  attack 18  
   
   
   
   
  Armour Factor 0
  defence 12 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack 39 
   
   
  evasion 7
  magical defence 29  
   
  stealth 17
  Reflexes 18  
   
   
   
   
  perception 6
  Health Points 20
  Magic Points 75
  Spells: He can produce any spell-effect he wants within 
  Tirandor, because all are illusions created at his whim. 
  Treat him as being able to cast any spell, from any 
  profession, with no Magic Point cost or Psychic Fatigue 
  Roll requirement.
  Bitranthaa will make no reference to illusion or 
  dreams—if questioned on this point he will reply 
  as if it is all real (which in a sense, to him, it is). 
  He knows of everything that has happened to them 
  since they entered the swamps except the encoun-
  ter with Aroyendis and the episode in the Anak 
  temple. He is unaware of his lack of knowledge. He 
  will impart as little information as possible about 
  anything. 
   
  The Prince could obviously kill the party at any 
  time, but he is mad. If he is attacked then he will toy 
  with the party for minutes on end, causing walls to 
  warp into grasping hands, the air to swim in hyp-
  notic patterns, etc., like a cat playing with a mouse. 
  He always remains most courteous, though, and if 
  they attack him and then stop, or surrender, he will 
  once again invite them for dinner. 
   
  The servants will show the adventurers to sepa-
  rate chambers. There are baths in each of the rooms, 
  and fresh clothes waiting for them the standard long 
  white robes of the Tirandorians, with a gold motif 
  around the edge. The clothes fit perfectly indeed, 
  better than any clothes the player-characters have 
  ever worn before. 
   
  In each room faint, soft ethereal music can be 
  heard, with no identifiable source. If the adventurers 
  leave their rooms, they will find the corridor outside 
  deserted. Wherever they go they find an endless 
  succession of corridors and locked rooms. They will 
  not be able to find their way to the entrance, nor to 
  the rooms from which they come. They should not 
  be allowed to draw maps. All the corridors look the 
  same; they should have no sense of direction; behind 
  them, corridors turn into walls and doors vanish or 
  appear but only when they aren’t looking.
   
  Some of the doors have small glass windows in 
  them (getting into these rooms will be impossible), 
  through which the following scenes can be seen:
  1.  A beautiful woman, unconscious and dressed in rags, 
  hanging in chains in a dank dark cell.
  2.  An elderly, grey-haired woman hanging by her neck 
  from a gallows.
  3.  A tall, old, distinguished-looking man stretched on a 
  rack.
  4.  A handsome, powerful-looking middle-aged man 
  sitting on a stool in a bare, white, evenly lit room, 
  staring blankly ahead of him. He doesn’t move at all, 
  but he can be seen to be breathing. Looking closely, 
  the adventurers will notice an uncanny resemblance to 
  the Prince.
  5.  A half-human, half-animal creature in a dark cell 
  with dirty straw on the floor, crouched over, ripping 
  something to shreds. The object of his ferocity is still 
  moving.
  6.  A number of small, purple-skinned goblin-creatures, 
  armed with strangely intricate spears, engaged in 
  a revolting bloodthirsty battle. Despite the injuries 
  inflicted and the mounting pile of dead, there are 
  always enough to continue the battle.
  7.  An empty room, from which can be heard the sound 
  of a voice laughing non-stop.
  8.  A huge, dimly lit room containing hundreds of 
  beautiful, scantily clad women, all sleeping.
  9.  A room swirling with freezing mists. As they part 
  briefly, two figures can be seen half-frozen into a block 
  of ice. One of the figures has his teeth buried in the 
  other’s neck and is gnawing away. The second figure is 
  also alive. 
  10. Finally they round a corner to find themselves faced 
  with a huge fractured mirror, which reflects a horribly 
  distorted and fragmented picture of themselves.
  None of the doors can be opened by any means 
  whatsoever. 
   
  As the adventurers wander down the corridors, 
  they can hear the constant babble of many voices, 
  at different pitches and intensities, making no sense 
  whatsoever, (If the player-characters later ask the 
  Prince about all this, he will simply flatly deny any 
  knowledge of the rooms.) With each scene, the 
  adventurers should be given the feeling that some-
  how, deep down, they recognise what they are see-
  ing. The scenes are in fact fragments of the mad 
  Bitranthaa’s shattered psyche.
   
  After wandering for an indeterminate period, the 
  adventurers turn a corner and find themselves back 
  at their rooms. No matter how hard they search they 
  will not be able to find their way back to the cor-
  ridors they have just come from. In effect, what has 
  happened is that Bitranthaa has just remembered 
  them. Outside the rooms, a messenger is waiting to 
  take them into dinner.
  the Key of tiranDor
  
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  98
  The Banquet
  The messenger will escort them into a huge ban-
  queting-hall. Long tables piled high with food form 
  three sides of a massive square, the fourth of which 
  is a wall with two huge double doors in it. The 
  tables are raised up off the ground, with three steps 
  leading up to the raised area. In the middle, directly 
  opposite the double doors (through which the party 
  enter), is a dais raised still further off the ground, 
  with a richly embroidered canopy over it, where the 
  Prince is sitting.
   
  All the other ‘guests’ are already there, and stare 
  silently at the party as it enters. They are conducted 
  to seats on either side of the Prince. He is a charm-
  ing and witty host and is extremely interested in all 
  they have to tell him. Throughout the meal, none 
  of the other guests say anything at all they just stare 
  towards the Prince and the party, apparently merely 
  going through the motions of eating and drinking.
   
  Standing just behind the Prince is an elderly, 
  imposing-looking figure wearing mail armour and 
  a long cloak, and holding an enormous two-handed 
  battleaxe. He is unlike all the other Tirandorians 
  both in costume and looks; he is elderly and by no 
  means as handsome as all the others. He wears a 
  permanent scowl and stands motionless for most of 
  the time. Although he looks like a bodyguard, the 
  player-characters should come to realise that he is 
  actually watching the Prince, not them. 
   
  The Prince seems a little worried by this charac-
  ter, and occasionally darts a glance at him—almost 
  as if seeking approval. At no point is the scowl lifted 
  from his face. This is in fact the Prince’s Cham-
  berlain, once Bitranthaa’s closest and most trusted 
  advisor, now the embodiment of his conscience. He 
  is almost completely powerless.
   
  During the meal, they are entertained by a 
  series of remarkable illusions: the area enclosed 
  by the tables becomes a green field, and flowers of 
  unknown colours and scents spring up. They can 
  even see a blue sky with white clouds and feel the 
  warmth of the sun and the cooling breezes. Birds 
  chirp merrily. A vine grows up out of the ground. A 
  castle appears in the distance. Riders on horses sally 
  forth from it and engage in a hunt: hundreds of deer 
  are slaughtered. The sky grows darker and darker, 
  the hunt gets more and more savage, more and more 
  
  99
  bloody, until the sight sickens them and they can eat 
  no more (of course, on the other hand, it might just 
  increase their appetite, depending upon character). 
   
  The Prince, who had at the beginning seemed 
  quite at ease, enjoying himself hugely, as if he had a 
  private joke to relish, now looks ill at ease, sweating, 
  biting his tip, frowning, looking bewildered. All at 
  once the hunt fades away, and we can see the castle 
  again. Every thing is unnaturally still, claustropho-
  bic. The gates of the castle swing slowly open and 
  a figure on horseback issues forth. He moves closer 
  and closer, and everything gets darker and more still. 
  The Prince by now looks really worried. No one can 
  move.
   
  When the rider gets close enough to be seen—
  he is a huge warrior, on a huge horse, armed entirely 
  in black, as is his horse—the Prince jumps up with 
  a start. A door appears next to him, and he rushes 
  through; as soon as he is through, the door vanishes 
  again. Now the other guests have also disappeared, 
  as has the room and the palace they were in, instead 
  they are standing in the open countryside watching 
  the rider approach.
   
  The illusions are created by the Prince Bitranthaa 
  and were destined to kill the party in an entertaining 
  fashion. The trouble is that Bitranthaa, although to 
  a great measure in control of the illusions he creates, 
  is still not in complete control. No one can control 
  their dreams totally, as Bitranthaa is finding to his 
  cost, for there are always impulses hidden that one 
  may not even be aware of, let alone able to control. 
  Bitranthaa’s dream of power has tilted him towards 
  insanity. 
   
  Originally it was a fine and noble dream: he 
  wished to have complete power because he felt 
  that he would be able to rule the world wisely 
  and benevolently. He did not want it for itself, 
  but for what it could bring mankind. Such power 
  and responsibility was too much for one man. He 
  became unable to distinguish means and ends, lost 
  sight of his original purpose, until power became its 
  own end. He was unable to find a reason for this; 
  then became unable to find a reason for anything, 
  and finally, in despair, abandoned reason altogether. 
  He has already reached the stage of being unable to 
  distinguish truth and illusion, reality and dream. 
   
  Parallel with this is a growing inability even to 
  control his illusions and his dreams. Different feel-
  ings are splitting away from each other, and from 
  him, and are assuming different and independent 
  beings, almost personalities in themselves (except 
  that genuine personality is composed of all the dis-
  parate fragments united). His mind is literally ‘fall-
  ing apart’.
   
  The dream originally involved the controlled 
  use of destructive impulses; the control rapidly gave 
  way; finally it became combined with a deep-seated 
  self-destructive urge. What is left of his rational 
  mind his ‘soul’ longs for death; his instinctive self 
  loathes it and runs from it. The Black Rider is the 
  combination of the destructive and self-destruc-
  tive urges although it is not of course the whole lot, 
  merely one manifestation. These can only finally die 
  with Bitranthaa. So the Black Rider, embodying, as 
  it does, these urges, is out to get anything and every-
  thing. The adventurers, incidentally, are now inside 
  Bitranthaa’s subconscious mind.
  The Black Rider 
  12th-rank Knight
  attack 26, battleaxe (1d8 +2, 8) 
  Armour Factor 7
  defence 19 
   
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
   
  evasion 5
  magical defence 14  
   
   
  stealth 15
  reflexes 10  
   
   
   
   
   
  perception 10
  Health Points 30
  The four-meter tall Black Rider can see invisible 
  beings—in fact he is aware of their presence even 
  if they are behind him. His weapon is a battleaxe 
  which he wields in one hand while carrying a mas-
  sive shield in the other. His horse is an appropriate 
  size; it can’t be wounded or damaged by anything. 
  The Black Rider can be wounded; but although he 
  takes damage, it never looks as if he’s hurt until he 
  finally dies.
   
  When defeated, he and his horse will simply 
  vanish. Lying on the ground at the spot where the 
  Black Rider disappeared is a small metal cylinder, 
  pointed at one end; the other end fits neatly into 
  the rest of the Key. It is the final piece: the Key of 
  Tirandor is now complete.
  The Fortress of Dreams
  There is only one direction, now: towards the castle. 
  As they move on, the landscape around them slowly 
  shifts and changes. Now they are in a region of dark-
  ness and chaos, a dismal forest valley near a dark 
  and gloomy lake. The castle lies before them. When 
  they are quite close, they can see a pair of huge and 
  the Key of tiranDor
  
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  100
  intricate gates, behind which is a huge tree, reaching 
  up so far that they cannot see its top. The gates will 
  not open unless the bearer of the Key approaches 
  them; then they will swing open quite easily. 
   
  Through the gates is a courtyard, in which are 
  vast numbers of people, all deformed in some way, 
  some lacking limbs, some lacking heads, twisted 
  and writhing, and all in great distress, moaning and 
  groaning, but soundlessly. All that can be heard is 
  a sound as of rustling leaves. To one side of these 
  bodies is a huge loom, abandoned and decayed.
   
  The door to the castle is open. Everything is 
  derelict and forsaken, but was once obviously of 
  very great beauty. After much wandering through 
  dark and deserted corridors they finally come to a 
  large room which is well lit with lurid red flames 
  from smoking braziers. On the walls all around are 
  grotesque and distorted pictures of leering, grinning 
  creatures, all basically human and yet quite obviously 
  not. In the centre of the room is a crystal coffin with 
  a sleeping form inside it. An old, grey-haired man. 
  Standing in front of it is the Prince.
   
  He laughs somewhat insanely; and congratulates 
  them for having got so far. He explains that now, 
  unfortunately, he is going to capture their souls, and 
  subject them to an eternity of torment. He points 
  out that the figures they saw in the courtyard are 
  spirits he has previously enslaved. He explains that 
  the sleeping figure in the crystal coffin is Bitran-
  thaa and that he is extending his domain into the 
  real world and will soon subjugate it. He further 
  tells them that he is the ‘Guardian of Bitranthaa’s 
  Sleep’.
   
  Nothing the player-characters do will have any 
  real effect upon the Prince. He will hurl illusions 
  at the party, and here your own imagination should 
  come into play. He can warp the scenery, the sur-
  roundings, to be anything at all; but at all times, he 
  remains in front of the crystal coffin. The illusions 
  he throws at the adventurers are easily dispersed; 
  a wave of the hand will cause them to melt away. 
  Sword-blows will feel as if they are cutting through 
  empty air, and will dissolve several illusory beings at 
  once; but they come on in vast and overwhelming 
  waves. 
   
  Each time a player-character is touched, he loses 
  a point of Strength; if anyone gets down to 0, he’s 
  permanently destroyed, and his spirit joins those in 
  the courtyard. It is at this point that Kastarys should 
  remember the Rune he traced in the Anak temple 
  (see p. 94); if he doesn’t remember it, a timely 
  reminder just at the last moment would not be out 
  of place. Bear in mind that the ‘last moment’ need 
  not be Kastarys’s; he should really ‘remember’ the 
  rune before anyone is entirely destroyed.
   
  When Kastarys traces this rune on a solid sur-
  face, in the air his finger leaves a trace of fiery green 
  behind it. The Rune expands, tearing an ever-wid-
  ening rent in the fabric of the dream, letting reality 
  appear through it, until the dream they are in dis-
  solves completely. As it does so, the Prince falls back 
  with a horrible cry as he, too, is torn asunder by the 
  Rune.
   
  The characters find themselves standing in the 
  ruins of Tirandor, as reality takes hold. There is no 
  sign of the walls or the people—just piles of rubble 
  with occasional chunks of cracking masonry. A 
  wind whips at their clothes and hair, raising clouds 
  of dust. Nothing else remains of the city. Just in 
  front of them, at the same distance as it was in the 
  dream, is the crystal coffin. But now it is huge—
  seven metres long and three metres broad. And it 
  has been smashed open by some huge force and is 
  quite empty. 
   
  About 200 meters away is a monstrous figure, its 
  back to them. This is the Overlord.
  The Overlord
  attack 25, fist (d8+3, 10)   
  Armour Factor 4 (immune 
  or thrown rock (d6+3, 8) 
    
  to non-magical weapons)
  defence 18 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 10m (20m)
  magical attack –  
   
   
  evasion 6
  magical defence 25  
   
  stealth 12
  Reflexes 12  
   
   
   
   
  perception 20 (panoptical)
  Health Points 35
  Rank-equivalent: 13th
  The Overlord can see invisible beings. He contains 
  within him immense magical power—particularly 
  now that the dream has been smashed, and he no 
  longer needs to use most of his magic sustaining it. 
  Owing to his madness, however, he is not capable of 
  actually performing the procedures required to cast 
  a spell. Instead, he releases this magical potential in 
  the form of bolts of pure energy which leaps from 
  his hands (cast at will instead of making another 
  attack; Speed 16, 3d6 damage ignoring armour). 
   
  The Overlord is Bitranthaa as he is now, his 
  physical degeneration matching that of his mental 
  and moral faculties. He is completely insane—to 
  the extent that he behaves now like a mindless, 
  enraged beast, ten metres tall. Its abdomen and legs 
  appear to be made of solid metal; its left hand is 
  
  101
  the Key of tiranDor
  
  Dragon Warriors
  102
  apparently made of the same metal, and terminates 
  in three silver claws in the place of fingers. Its left 
  arm and chest are covered in revolting greyish-black 
  fur. It has pointed ears and slitted black-rimmed 
  eyes with no pupils; its greasy, revolting hair ends in 
  a barbarian pigtail. The effect is at once disgusting 
  and terrifying. 
   
  This being spends some time wandering round 
  blasting the rubble into dust, completely at random. 
  Eventually he begins to sniff the air; he senses the 
  presence of the adventurers; and begins to make his 
  way towards them. 
   
  Once they have killed the Overlord, the party 
  will find that there are peaks above Tirandor—hith-
  erto completely invisible, enshrouded in mist. These 
  are not that much higher, and they can see a strange 
  glowing in the sky; the clouds reflect this glow in 
  a continuous succession of rainbow-colours. The 
  gems in the Key, too, start to glow with the same 
  mysterious succession of colours.
   
  At the very top of the mountain—it is pretty 
  cold up here—there is a brightly glowing but oth-
  erwise indescribable object. The character with the 
  Key must place it in this object—there is a place 
  where it seems naturally to fit. After he has done 
  so the light increases in brightness until suddenly it 
  seems to explode. A great black tear appears in the 
  sky directly ahead of the party. The one with the 
  Key has felt a moment like death—all his character-
  istics reduced to 1—but this passes and for the first 
  time he returns to his original characteristics, and 
  feels much better.
   
  The Black Tear is to be passed through. It will 
  remain there until the whole party has passed 
  through, after which it will close up.
  Yrgael
  Ahead of them they see what looks like a fair-sized 
  hill with a stream running along beside it. On closer 
  inspection this hill reveals itself to be a huge dragon. 
  The dragon, Yrgael, stares unblinkingly at the party. 
  He is not like the usual Dragon Warriors dragon; he 
  is a kind of ancient being of immense power rather 
  like some traditional Chinese mythological dragons 
  (though not quite the same as the shen lun). He 
  will not attack them, and he cannot be wounded or 
  killed. If he is attacked, he will not bear a grudge, for 
  he knows how stupid humans are.
  Yrgael
  attack 35, talons (d12, 9)  
  Armour Factor 8
  defence 30 
   
   
   
   
  Movement 15m (25m)  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  (flying—150m)
  magical attack 35 
   
   
  evasion 7
  magical defence 30  
   
  stealth 12
  Reflexes 19  
   
   
   
   
  perception 25 (panoptical)
  Health Points 100
  Rank-equivalent: 25th
  In his present condition; protecting himself magi-
  cally, and protected by immensely powerful spells 
  Bitranthaa wove aeons ago, and further protected 
  by the power he is guarding, nothing whatsoever 
  can injure him or affect him in any way. He was 
  captured by Bitranthaa long ago and set here to kill 
  anyone who came near the power. However, he has 
  succeeded in freeing himself from this power to the 
  extent that he no longer has to kill anyone, and so 
  he waits here for the day when someone will come 
  and free him.
   
  In order to free him, the spell on the amulet 
  (from p. 90) must be recited, with the appropriate 
  words filled in. If this is done correctly, a great wind 
  will come, and lightning will shoot down from the 
  skies, appearing to set everything on fire. It will be 
  like a holocaust but last only a moment and no one 
  will be harmed. When the fire-storm clears, Yrgael 
  will rise up on his wings.
  Note: If they look closely enough, they will see that 
  Yrgael’s feet are buried in earth, and that his tail dis-
  appears into the water of the stream. The firestorm 
  will destroy the stream.
  During the holocaust, the one who has pronounced 
  the spell (or the one who solved the problem if it is 
  not the same person) will feel a mental bond with 
  Yrgael, which he senses will never dissolve. What 
  this means is that very occasionally Yrgael will 
  provide useful information telepathically; that he 
  will assist occasionally through his influence with 
  powerful occult powers; that on very rare occasions 
  indeed—like about three times in the adventurer’s 
  lifetime—he will come to that PC’s assistance in 
  person. He may also, from time to time, need help 
  himself. 
   
  Yrgael tells this player-character that if he wishes 
  for great power he must reject all temptations and 
  seek the Way of Death; and that once he has found 
  it he must never leave the path in the valley. All the 
  adventurers are told ‘keep to the path in the valley’. 
  
  103
  He will also tell the PCs that Bitranthaa bound him 
  there through the power of earth and water, before 
  he became corrupted by the power, to prevent any-
  one from reaching the gates and opening the way. 
  Originally he was to have destroyed anyone who 
  attempted it, but as Bitranthaa got progressively 
  madder, so his control on Yrgael slackened—never 
  to the point where he could free himself but at least 
  enough to allow him not to kill those who sought 
  the ways. But the original spell retained its power, 
  and that was that the ways would never be revealed 
  until the dragon was released. 
   
  Any further explanations that the player-char-
  acters want or any questions they have about any-
  thing that has happened so far will be provided by 
  Yrgael—but he won’t tell any of them anything else 
  about what lies before them.
   
  The character who has the link with Yrgael finds 
  himself standing directly in front of a gate which has 
  just blackness beyond. He must step through this 
  gate. The others can be seen standing below him, 
  where the dragon was, looking up at him. Whether 
  or not he waits for them, only one can step through 
  at a time; and by the time the second has stepped 
  through, the first has already completed the whole 
  thing. 
   
  From now on, everything is done individually; 
  the GM taking aside the players one by one and 
  running them through the path to the power of 
  Tirandor.
  The Eight Paths of Life and 
  the Way of Death
  Once through the Gate, the adventurer finds him-
  self in a large circular room with no roof: above 
  his head he can see the stars. Surrounding him are 
  eight gateways similar to the ones he has just come 
  through—which has itself vanished. If the PC tries 
  to demolish the walls of this room, or to get out over 
  the top, he will find it impossible. He must choose 
  a Gate. 
   
  The characteristics of what must be fought 
  behind each of the eight gates are not given, because 
  they must be adapted to the individual character. In 
  each case, the character should be given a reason-
  able fight, but it shouldn’t be too tough. The real 
  challenge comes from those who choose the Ninth 
  Gate. Clockwise starting from the east:
  1. The Path of Wealth
  The character looking at the beautiful and intri-
  cate carvings around this gate feels the immense 
  attraction of money, can see all the power and all 
  the luxury that money can bring. Passing through 
  this Gate, the PC finds himself in a huge treasure-
  chamber containing limitless wealth. Facing him 
  over the treasure is a golden giant, who must be 
  killed. This figure, like the others that will be found 
  behind the other gate, must be worked out to match 
  the player-character.
   
  If the character wins, then all the treasure in the 
  room vanishes. He finds himself in a small room 
  with a door at the end. A table is facing him, and on 
  the table are three gems, one blue, one red, and one 
  green.
   
  Blue: transported to a huge fortress-palace. The 
  adventurer is now (and has always been) Prince 
  (or Princess) of Tharmon, a small principality near 
  Visel; owner of this area and of a small army; and 
  with wealth to the value of over 1 million florins. 
  This wealth makes the character an important per-
  son in the aristocratic society of Visel and Malnam. 
  The importance of the area agriculturally for the 
  two towns means that their armies will always be 
  ready to protect it from the luckily rare wars with 
  Kirag. Character is raised one rank.
   
  Green: the PC is instantly transported back 
  home to their rooms in Brontir. A man knocks at 
  the door and enters. He is the equivalent of a law-
  yer’s clerk: a distant and hitherto unknown relation 
  has died, leaving the character an estate worth 1.5 
  million florins. Raised two ranks.
   
  Red: The character steps into an office and 
  finds himself wearing rich robes. The office is richly 
  decorated. He is a wealthy merchant of Malnam, 
  dealing in almost anything, legal or not; he is worth 
  1.2 million florins. Raised one rank.
  2. The Path of Love 
  The adventurer, looking at the carvings and pictures 
  round the gate, feels the power of love, the attrac-
  tion of being always loved by everyone, of being sur-
  rounded by hundreds of the most attractive members 
  of the opposite sex, all ready to obey every whim or 
  command. Passing through this Gate, the character 
  finds himself with a hermaphroditic demon to fight. 
   
  If victorious, he passes through the door at the 
  end of the room and emerges into his own rooms 
  the Key of tiranDor
  
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  104
  in Brontir. The character’s Looks score is raised to 
  19 and he has a 98% chance of charming (not in 
  the magical sense) and a 90% chance of seduction. 
  Character is raised one rank.
  3. The Path of Ease 
  The PC looking at these carvings and paintings 
  feels the attraction of a life of peace and rest, undis-
  turbed by anything. He has nothing to fight. On a 
  table facing him are a brick and a stone. 
   
  If he takes the brick he finds himself in a com-
  fortable home with everything necessary to make 
  life easy and enough money to live comfortably on, 
  but legally bound up in such a way that he cannot 
  get at it for any other purpose. 
   
  If he takes the stone, ditto, but in a farm in the 
  country with enough slaves to do all the work.
  4. The Path of Might 
  The PC looking at these pictures and engravings 
  feels a heady surge of power (magical or physi-
  cal); feelings of invincibility, of the glory of hand-
  to-hand combat, etc. Passing through the door he 
  finds himself with a warlock to fight: 3 metres tall, 
  immensely muscled, aura of great power. Having 
  killed this, the PC passes through the door at the 
  end, to find himself back at home in Brontir. 
   
  Strength and Reflexes are raised to 19. The char-
  acter is raised one rank and permanently gains +1 
  health point.
  5. The Path of Song 
  The PC looking at these pictures and carvings feels 
  the beauty of nature, life and art, can feel great 
  inspiration welling up inside, can hear most beau-
  tiful music, etc. Passing through the Gate, the PC 
  is confronted with a most beautiful sculpture (like 
  Michaelangelo’s ‘David’ for example). This comes 
  to life and stands in his way, and he must destroy it, 
  smash it to rubble. 
   
  Beyond the statue is a table with a flute on it. 
  Reflexes are increased to 19; Intelligence and Psy-
  chic Talent are increased by 2 points each (maximum 
  19). The character can make beautiful music and is 
  a pretty good artist in all forms: i.e. the moment he 
  blows a note from it he can command a high fee.
   
  On any instrument whatsoever he can soothe all 
  
  105
  natural creatures, relaxing them and doubling the 
  speed at which they regain lost Health Points. This 
  affects everyone within hearing; obviously, it must 
  be done at peaceful moments, not during combat. 
  It can also raise the failing courage and morale of 
  people about to engage in a battle. Ability to charm 
  all natural beasts (non-intelligent) and to give 
  them simple instructions; ability to speak with and 
  understand them. The flute can cast Greater Heal-
  ing, Antidote, and Cure Disease 3 times a day (each). 
  Character is raised one rank.
  6. Political Power
  The PC looking at these pictures and carvings feels 
  the pull of being able to sway crowds, of being able 
  to control the fate of a nation. 
   
  Passing through this Gate the PC is faced with 
  an ancient and white-robed man who is a magician 
  and incidentally a good fighter. 
   
  Oratorical abilities conferred: 80% chance of 
  persuading a crowd or mob or gathering to do as he 
  suggests. Does not work on individuals. 
   
  A character passing through the door at the end 
  finds himself in rich town-house in Brontir; he is a 
  leading politician, and to a great degree in control of 
  the state. Raised one rank.
  7. The Way of Glory 
  The PC looking at these pictures and carvings feels 
  attraction of fame, of being a household name, of 
  having his name live on through his deeds genera-
  tions down into prosperity, of being a synonym for 
  great heroic valour or evil, his deeds sung in innu-
  merable epics and songs, etc.
   
  He must fight his way through ranks of warriors 
  (not very strong but cumulatively powerful) and 
  a monster before he can reach and rescue the fair 
  damsel in distress. If he succeeds, then he must pass 
  through a door, mount on a horse and ride into the 
  city ahead of him with the maiden to great popu-
  lar acclaim; he is feasted by King Ridon of Kelger, 
  whose daughter it is that he has saved, and given a 
  title and the gift of an estate worth 500,000 florins. 
   
  Great fame becomes his, and anything that he 
  does in the future will become well-known and pass 
  into myth. This also means that enemies will on the 
  whole be scared of him and that people will be likely 
  to help him as far as they can. Raised one rank.
  8. The Way of Victory in Battle
  The PC looking at pictures and carvings feels the 
  power of victory, sees himself at the head of great 
  armies sweeping all before him, the intoxication of 
  blood and battle and fear and victory.
   
  Faced with a mighty warrior to fight and defeat 
  (magician in the case of magicians). If successful,  the 
  character passes through huge double doors which 
  swing open, mounts on a horse and finds himself at 
  the head of a great army returning victorious from 
  war. He is the chief general of the Malnam army; 
  he has palatial abode in the heart of the city, and a 
  fortune of 400,000 florins; he is a strong figure in 
  local politics. 
   
  Leadership qualities: lower-rank characters are 
  likely to be impressed and to execute his orders 1st-
  5th rank characters will be 90% likely to follow him. 
  The character is also raised by one rank.
  9. The Dark Way of Death 
  In order to take this way, the PC must resolutely 
  reject all the other paths and demand this path 
  (although not actually kill himself), If he does so, 
  then the other eight paths will disappear.
   
  Facing him is a road lined by vast grey columns, 
  stretching away into the distance. There is a very 
  faint light, just enough to see the way. It is a long 
  road, apparently taking hours to walk, and no 
  progress seems to be made. Looking back there is 
  no entrance, just the columns stretching away out 
  of sight. The PC has a feeling of emptiness and 
  desolation. Nothing living or moving. A yawning 
  gate stands at the end, with just black nothingness 
  beyond. Faintly, very small and distant, a few stars 
  can be seen, not of this world; none can be seen on 
  either side of the gate. They do not shimmer but are 
  hard and steady.
   
  Stepping through the gate, the character finds 
  himself in a wide, wide valley, with mountains dim 
  in the distance on either side, for the light is very 
  dim, just the light of the hard distant stars. Gradu-
  ally the eyes become accustomed to the gloom until 
  the character can see reasonably well. It is a slightly 
  undulating plain, with nothing growing or living, 
  no sound at all. Underfoot is loose rubble, grey and 
  dusty. Each footfall sounds loud, but the sound cuts 
  dead and flat: there is no echo at all. Ahead, faintly, 
  stretches a path (which must not be left; if it is, he 
  will never find his way out). It is not easy to move; 
  the Key of tiranDor
  
  Dragon Warriors
  106
  the character is overcome with weariness and each 
  step is difficult to make. He would like to lie down 
  and sleep, but he must not. He must disencumber 
  himself of all his equipment if he is to proceed. All 
  his characteristics are reduced by 2.
   
  Ages seem to pass. Finally the character can 
  make out a mountain range, and then immediately 
  he notices a dark tower just close to him. He should 
  have the conviction that his civilization is falling 
  apart; and an increasing sense of loneliness. Growing 
  sense of dread as he approaches the Tower. Going 
  up to the door, he can see a horn hanging by it. The 
  door will not open; the horn must be blown. The 
  sound cracks the silence. The door swings open; the 
  character’s hand closes round a sword-hilt. 
   
  Magic will not work here, it must be physical 
  combat. His image emerges from the door, dressed 
  in the same way and carrying an identical sword. All 
  factors are back to normal although the character 
  does not feel this. He must, in fact, ‘kill’ himself. 
   
  If successful, the sword crumbles to dust and 
  he can continue along the path. Along this way he 
  encounters numerous temptations of the flesh simi-
  lar to those presented by the eight other gates, this 
  time not in the form of pictures and carvings, but 
  apparently genuine, and all just slightly off the path. 
  Once they are passed, they vanish. 
   
  The road goes on and on, and tiredness seems 
  consistently about to overwhelm him. Great hunger 
  and thirst rage within him. All factors, including 
  Health Points, are down to the minimum. A tall, 
  cowled figure appears at his side, but off the path, 
  and offers him food and drink, which seem incred-
  ibly tempting. All he has to do is to step off the path 
  to get them. Finally the cowled figure offers him a 
  resting-place by the side of the road and says he will 
  give him everything he desires if he will step off the 
  road and follow him. Needless to say, if the offer is 
  accepted, the character will never leave this land.
   
  If all this is rejected, the cowled figure vanishes 
  and a gate appears at the end of the path and the 
  character must drag himself to it. Through the gate 
  he finds himself in a clearing in some woods; the 
  path goes through the middle of a stream. He no 
  longer feels tired or hungry or thirsty. The wood is 
  beyond anything human. 
   
  Great crystal cliffs cleave the sky. In the wood 
  the rocks are precious stones, gleaming brightly; 
  but the character must not pick them up as they are 
  off the road. The trunks of the huge trees are blue 
  and indigo Like burnished silver the thickset leaves 
  quiver on every branch. The gravel on the ground is 
  in fact precious pearls. He feels refreshed and peace-
  ful. Birds of flaming hues fly from tree to tree; their 
  song is unearthly, indescribably beautiful. 
   
  The river-banks seem made of fine gold thread; 
  the stream itself is of bright beryl; the water makes 
  a delicious sound. At the bottom are bright stones 
  that glow and glint like a beam of light through 
  glass, or like the streaming stars that shine in the 
  sky on a winter’s night. Every pebble set therein is 
  an emerald, a sapphire or other noble gem, so that 
  all the pool gleams with light.
   
  The character must walk through the water, in 
  which he will be completely submerged. Emerg-
  ing on the shore on the far side, he passes through 
  another Gate and finds himself returned in a trice to 
  his room in Brontir. If he is a wizard then he finds 
  he is weaering a cloak and carrying a staff; if a war-
  rior, he has a suit of armour, a quiver of arrows, and 
  a two-handed sword. 
   
  The character’s characteristics are altered as fol-
  lows: one is increased to 19 (Strength for a Barbar-
  ian or Knight, Intelligence for a Warlock or Sor-
  cerer, Psychic Talent for an Elementalist or Mystic, 
  or Reflexes for an Assassin); his Looks increases to 
  17 or by +2, whichever is higher; all other character-
  istics are raised to 16 or by +2, whichever is higher. 
  He rises 3 ranks. 
   
  The items function only for the character him-
  self. The cloak functions as an Eye of Forebod-
  ing (see Dragon Warriors rulebook p. 142) and is 
  Armour Factor 5 without encumbering the wearer 
  or interfering with spellcasting, while the suit 
  of mail armour is +3. The staff is +2, and lets the 
  wielder cast Deathlight once per day at no Magic 
  Point cost (even if not a sorcerer). The two-handed 
  sword is +3. Both staff and sword enable the user to 
  fly at will, and can emit light enough to see by, on 
  command. The arrows in the quiver are +2, and are 
  never exhausted; as long as the character reaches for 
  another arrow, there will be one there.
  
  107
  As I die, I leave a testament of my faithlessness. We built our master’s rest-
  ing place in the desert west of the great city, I and the venerated Koram, chief 
  architect of Lord Gutheron of the House of Org. Above it we set a likeness of 
  She in the Sky, so that She might look down into the place’s depths. In the final 
  chamber we put reverently the living statue of Thunder-in-the-Mountain—let 
  not Lord Eldyr’s son find it! Koram and I it was who saw to it that our fel-
  low builders slept the righteous sleep next to our lord; after Nepthe’s phial 
  Koram slit their throats—but none feigned, all were in the Pleasant Garden 
  already. Climbing then to the top of the place we blocked forever the ascending 
  way so none will ever disturb our master’s repose. We returned through 
  the dreadful place of sacrificed bones, protected by our lord’s gift, the sign of 
  Man, through the place of mirrors where the shadows yet kept at bay, held by 
  the Lady’s light that we then shut out forever. With our sleeping friends we 
  stood at last, our hearts beating fast as we thought on the journey to come, 
  the phials in our trembling hands. 
   “Drink now,” Koram said, “and let us lie forever over the gateway of death, 
  my comrade”, and so saying drank his draught to the dregs, but a fatal stay 
  fell on my hands and the phial fell from them as my dying friend watched me 
  betray my lord’s faith. At last Koram slept in the Garden with our lord, but 
  life in me still reigned. I took a torch, my writing scrolls and left that place. Yet 
  by the demon whose eye I passed through I lost my way in the desert, parched 
  by the Lady’s now-merciless eye.’
   Pity my bones, dear friend, and bury them under the drifting sands...
  Player handouts for The Lone and Level Sands
  Parchment acquired in the marketplace of Ta’amar
  
  Dragon Warriors
  108
  It was a time of hardship,
  and everywhere the anger of the 
  dragon
  was seen in gutted barns and 
  barren fields.
  Then two close companions, 
  worthy hall-heroes,
  came hard against the walls of 
  the welkin,
  scaling high peaks to put an end 
  to terror.
  One, golden-haired with eyes of 
  grey,
  his comrade, with blue eyes 
  burning;
  they advanced to face their foe.
  But three drops of blood sufficed 
  to win that battle,
  and parley and word-play were 
  the only sounds
  while steel remained sheathed 
  and shields unlimbered.
  Soon the heroes’ labours won 
  peace,
  and when the dragon’s pool ran 
  clear
  it was a time for the giving of 
  gifts.
  The golden one savoured but a 
  sip from
  that spring—
  waters where he glimpsed and 
  grasped his destiny.
  His friend favoured a future 
  drawn in dust.
  Skuli’s Ballad
  Player handouts for The Ballad of Times Past
  Skuli’s Ballad (the second part)
  The passage of years sits heavy on 
  men’s shoulders,
  but counts for little in the 
  dragon’s unblinking eye.
  In such a time, the tide of 
  treachery can rise.
  Blue eyes now glint with greed; 
  hatred dwells in the heart.
  He who had been a hero, a 
  sinister sorcerer now,
  seeks to steal and shatter the 
  dragon’s shell.
  With the blood-oath broken, 
  grief shall fly across the land,
  and he who put on the mantle 
  of the monarch,
  he shall mourn his golden son.
  
  109
  Day 1 
  In the midst of preparations for the coming ceremony, two priests 
  who had climbed down to the forest to collect glabeq flowers for 
  the festivities went missing. One crawled back into the temple 
  copound in the early hours of this morning, blodied and tattered. is 
  tongue had ben ripped from his head. inistrations proved ineffective 
  and he died without providing an account of what had befallen.
  Day 
  The estival of the Sorrow of Echcatl was commemorated. The celebration 
  was more muted than in previous years owing to the absence of four of the 
  six slaves prepared for sacrifice. These four must have escaped just 
  a few hours before dawn, but their means of egress from the temple 
  prcincts is by no means apparent. None of the other slaves sems 
  to have witnessed the escapea story which they maintain even under 
  digent torture. It remains a mystery.
  Day 1 
  Senior riest Ishankoi eshlan has disappearedspirited away, so to speak, in 
  the middle of the night. agical means have ben employed in an effort to 
  contact him, to no avail. is oliness the Archpriest has sent word 
  via andir to the Imperial alace. Ishankoi has always semed a stable fellow, 
  and it is difficult to believe him capable of such dereliction of duty as 
  to go missing only hours before the Ceremony of the Sifting of ell.
  Day 1 
  Those of us who thought ill of Ishankoi have had cause to revise our jument 
  since his mutilated form was found in the Lower Shrine shortly 
  after lunch. ho can have performed this horrible ded? ecalling the fate 
  of Shrakan and Elvaru earlier this month, one is forced to the conclusion 
  that some monstrous being has come up from the forests. In spite 
  of the heavy rainfall, Yugao Ludum insisted on taking another message to 
  the runner in andir.
  Day 2
  The heavy storms of the last few days continue unabated. Tekketal 
  hiroda has gone missing. One can only hope he has not suffered the 
  Day 1 
  In the midst of preparations for the com-
  ing ceremony, two priests who had climbed 
  down to the forest to collect glabeq flowers 
  for the festivities went missing. One crawled 
  back into the temple compound in the early 
  hours of this morning, bloodied and tattered. 
  His tongue had been ripped from his head. 
  Ministrations proved ineffective and he died 
  without providing an account of what had 
  befallen.
  Day 3 
  The Festival of the Sorrow of Echcatl was 
  commemorated. The celebration was more 
  muted than in previous years owing to the 
  absence of four of the six slaves prepared for 
  sacrifice. These four must have escaped just 
  a few hours before dawn, but their means 
  of egress from the temple precincts is by no 
  means apparent. None of the other slaves 
  seems to have witnessed the escape—a story 
  which they maintain even under diligent 
  torture. It remains a mystery.
  Day 15 
  Senior Priest Ishankoi Reshlan has disap-
  peared—spirited away, so to speak, in the 
  middle of the night. Magical means have 
  been employed in an effort to contact him, 
  to no avail. His Holiness the Archpriest has 
  sent word via Mandir to the Imperial Palace. 
  Ishankoi has always seemed a stable fellow, 
  and it is difficult to believe him capable of 
  such dereliction of duty as to go missing 
  only hours before the Ceremony of the Sift-
  ing of Hell.
  Day 17 
  Those of us who thought ill of Ishankoi 
  have had cause to revise our judgement since 
  his mutilated form was found in the Lower 
  Shrine shortly after lunch. Who can have 
  performed this horrible deed? Recalling 
  the fate of Shrakan and Elvaru earlier this 
  month, one is forced to the conclusion that 
  some monstrous being has come up from the 
  forests. In spite of the heavy rainfall, Yugao 
  Ludum insisted on taking another message 
  to the runner in Mandir.
  Day 23
  The heavy storms of the last few days con-
  tinue unabated. Tekketal hi–Kuroda has 
  gone missing. One can only hope he has not 
  suffered the fate of Ishankoi. Yugao Ludum 
  suggested at dinner that these strange events 
  result from an incursion of Shunned Ones 
  from the forest, and is himself preparing a 
  note to this effect to send to the Omnipo-
  tent Azure Legion in Khirgar—though some 
  of us believe it would be more seemly to first 
  inform the Temple at Mrelu.
  Day 26 
  Tekketal’s corpse has been located in the 
  wight pit, mutilated even more gruesomely 
  than Ishankoi. To some extent this was due 
  to several of the wights having mistaken his 
  body for an exotic item of their diet.
   
  Further, two acolytes have gone missing.
  Player Handout for Temple of the Lost God
  Temporal Codex
  
  Dragon Warriors
  110
  fate of Ishankoi. Yugao Ludum suggested at dinner that these strange 
  events result from an incursion of Shunned Ones from the forst, 
  and is himself preparing a note to this effect to send to the 
  Omnipotent Azure Legion in Khirgarthough some of us believe it would be more 
  semly to first inform the Temple at relu.
  Day 2 
  Tekketals corpse has ben located in the wight pit, mutilated even more 
  gruesomely than Ishankoi. To some extent this was due to several of the 
  wights having mistaken his body for an exotic item of their diet.
   
  rther, two acolytes have gone missing.
  Day 2
  Goduku tlan has now vanished, along with his personal servant. On 
  the orders of is liness, Yugao Ludum used his magic to communicate our 
  troubles to the igh Temple at Coyol. e are assured that investigators have 
  ben despatched.
  Day 2
  Like one who is infected with the eggs of the gnawworm, we have sufered 
  from a traitor within Yugao Ludum has ben uncovered as the source of our woe 
  Along with two young acolytes he has ben worshipping at an ancient 
  shrine to the terrible goddess Yxtab in the caverns below our 
  teple. After a few minutes of careful questioning he lapsed into a ghastly 
  calm which he retained even when flayed alive. After this his heart 
  was cut out and the corpse flung into the catacombs where he had 
  his shrine. The acolytes were similarly treated, but spoke frely of a 
  baful influence which called them to the caverns. They died utterly 
  insane. Our troubles are at least now at an end.
  Day 
  After the Celebration of the andering rince, is liness the Archpriest 
  was found to be missing. A thorough search of the catacombs uncoered 
  his butchered form, treated not unlike that of Yugao. No magic could 
  revive him. reover, there was no sign of the carrion deposited in the 
  cacombs only yesterday.
  Day 28
  Goduku Raitlan has now vanished, along 
  with his personal servant. On the orders of 
  His Holiness, Yugao Ludum used his magic 
  to communicate our troubles to the High 
  Temple at Coyol. We are assured that inves-
  tigators have been despatched.
  Day 29
  Like one who is infected with the eggs of 
  the gnaw-worm, we have suffered from 
  a traitor within! Yugao Ludum has been 
  uncovered as the source of our woe! Along 
  with two young acolytes he has been wor-
  shipping at an ancient shrine to the terrible 
  goddess Yxtab in the caverns below our 
  temple. After a few minutes of careful ques-
  tioning he lapsed into a ghastly calm which 
  he retained even when flayed alive. After 
  this his heart was cut out and the corpse 
  flung into the catacombs where he had his 
  shrine. The acolytes were similarly treated, 
  but spoke freely of a baleful influence which 
  called them to the caverns. They died utterly 
  insane. Our troubles are at least now at an 
  end.
  Day 30 
  After the Celebration of the Wandering 
  Prince, His Holiness the Archpriest was 
  found to be missing. A thorough search 
  of the catacombs uncovered his butchered 
  form, treated not unlike that of Yugao. No 
  magic could revive him. Moreover, there was 
  no sign of the carrion deposited in the cata-
  combs only yesterday.
  Day 31
  Two more were found dead, and those who 
  remained have been forced to evacuate 
  the temple. Apart from a few slaves only I 
  remain, for I am too infirm to travel far. I 
  and the slaves keep to the library now. I have 
  released the wights and the grave gaunts 
  into the temple precincts, with instructions 
  to attack even those robed as priests of our 
  Supreme Lord. The grave gaunts accom-
  modate themselves to such orders with rel-
  ish, of course, but the wights seemed dully 
  reluctant. It is tempting to think of this as a 
  sort of loyalty, but I know that the spark of 
  true reason has faded from their dead minds 
  and it is only the illusion of thought that I 
  perceive in them.
   
  The rain is a heavy curtain in the court-
  yard. Once or twice I thought I glimpsed a 
  figure out there.
  Day 32 
  There is food for only two more days, but I 
  do not think it will come to that. I have had 
  an idea for a treatise on the ethology of the 
  wights. A pity I will never get the chance to 
  write it.
  Temporal Codex (cont.)
  
  111
  From ‘The Sayings of the Sage 
  Emrallam’
  Tirandor was a shadow-play on the face of the 
  Abyss. If you are searching for great power, 
  look for the key to the door which has no lock, 
  follow the path of the gate which is not. Victory 
  comes only through death. Defeat your lust-
  ings and cravings for worldly things. Release 
  yourself from the cycle of endless recurrence; 
  overcome yourself. Men are fools, the things 
  of the world toys to befuddle the mind.
  Fragment of an ancient letter 
  ... as you requested, my lord, I humbly report 
  that the old man is no more than a lunatic, 
  crazed in his wits. He talks of the mage-lords 
  of Tirandor and other such ravings. And 
  if such babble is not enough, he appears to 
  believe that someone has returned from death 
  or something to that effect. These peasants, 
  my lord, are children—dirty children at that. 
  He wanders much in his speech, referring to 
  the Nine ...
  Player Handout for Key of Tirandor
  Manuscript fragments relating to the 
  history of Tirandor 
  ... but at length there arose one of the mage-
  lords, named Karapadin, and he penetrated 
  to ... rejecting ... and calling instead for ... And 
  having usurped the power, he sought to estab-
  lish his own empire ... Bitranthaa, who fought 
  against him in an awesome battle ... Lord Kara-
  padin was defeated and destroyed, but the 
  power was drained from Tirandor for ever... 
  And Bitranthaa came down, and watched in 
  silence as the towers of Tirandor crumbled 
  into ruin, and confusion and destruction came 
  down upon the land. But some say Bitr ...
  The Dragon-Song of Tirandor 
  The Lord of the Skies 
  The Prince of the Flame 
  Is lost from our eyes 
  Our loss is our shame 
  In the weight of the Earth 
  In the boundless Sea 
  Our loss is our dearth 
  Until he is free.
  Kastarys’s Manuscript Fragments
   
  Amulet
  That which was before anything was 
  Which sighed before breath had life
  Which was the serpent of creation 
  Which moved on the face of the waters
  Which whispers with a thousand empty voices 
  Which has no age or death
  That which destroys with a thousand tongues 
  Which laughs with a meaningless sound
  Which lights the way of life and death
  Which speaks with the voice of consuming fear 
  Which raises the legions of the damned shadows 
  Which breathes the roar of chaos and pain
  In the name of  ........  and  ........
  I release you
  
  Dragon Warriors
  112
  Final Word
  It is my sad task to bring you the news that this 
  is the last Dragon Warriors book to be released by 
  Magnum Opus Press. The rights to Dragon War-
  riors now belong to a new company, Fabled Lands 
  LLC, and we have been unable to reach a mutually 
  satisfactory agreement with them about the future 
  of the game-line. So I’m afraid that we will not now 
  be able to bring you Legend: The Players’ Book, nor 
  the Realms of Faerie, the Algandy sourcebook, the 
  Pirates sourcebook, the Jewelspider Forest book, or 
  any of the other projects that we have talked about.
   
  There is talk of a new company emerging to take 
  up the reins, but at press-time nothing official has 
  been announced. Watch the websites for news.
   
  I want to take this chance to say a few public 
  thank-yous to people who have been involved in 
  bringing this edition of Dragon Warriors to you. 
   
  First and foremost my great thanks to Dave 
  Morris and Oliver Johnson, for creating the game in 
  the first place and for letting a new group of writers 
  and artists have a chance to shape it.
   
  Secondly, Jon Hodgson has set the graphic tone 
  of this new edition of the game, from the cover of 
  the rulebook onwards, giving it a style and atmo-
  sphere that has matched the content in every way. 
  Working with Jon on the covers and interior art 
  for the Dragon Warriors books has been one of the 
  most enjoyable creative collaborations I’ve ever been 
  involved in, and if you are a fan of fantasy art then I 
  recommend you follow his career closely, because he 
  is destined for great things.
   
  Jon was also largely responsible for rounding up 
  the core team of artists who have worked on the 
  books: Scott Neil, Scott Purdy, Andy Hepworth and 
  Andy Law. I was the one who brought Erik Wilson, 
  Gordon Napier and Steve Dismukes on board, the 
  latter two for this volume. Thanks to them all.
   
  Of course I also need to thank the writers and 
  editors: Ian Sturrock, Adrian Bott, Fraser Payne, 
  Shaun Hately, Joshua Kemp, Michael Klein, Robin 
  Low, Damian May, Ben Monroe, Jon Reed, Kieran 
  Turley, Andrew Wright, Beth Lewis, Robert Dale, 
  and Mike Polling. Also to the many who sent 
  proposals for new supplements, particularly those 
  which will not now be released.
   
  To our publishing partner Flaming Cobra and 
  our liaisons at Mongoose Publishing, our thanks for 
  all their help with the logistics of producing good-
  looking books and getting them into the hands of 
  new players and old fans.
   
  And finally, a great shout must to go the com-
  munity of Dragon Warriors players, which has kept 
  the game alive since the 1980s. The editors, writers 
  and artists of the Ordo Draconis fanzine, the admins 
  and contributors of the Dragon Warriors wiki, the 
  owner and posters to the Dragwars mailing list, 
  everyone with a website about Dragon Warriors, or 
  who blogged about the game or discussed it across 
  the internet... the enthusiasm and imagination 
  shown by you has been wonderful, and being a part 
  of that has made the last two years a rewarding time, 
  creatively if not financially. You have proved that 
  Dragon Warriors does not need to be a commercial 
  success to outlive literally hundreds of other lesser 
  games. It has been a privilege to work with you all.
  James Wallis
  Magnum Opus Press
  London, 2010
  Jon Hodgson’s cover for Legend: The Players’ Book, 
  showing three new player-character professions: the 
  hunter, the priest and the grifter.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dragon Warriors/Dragon Warriors Revised/Dragon Warriors Revised Adventures/Dragon Warriors Revised In From The Cold.pdf