CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 1

Campaign Journal II:

BENRIS JOURNAL
Your narrator, Benris Hu-Charad, is a young giant woman who was found as a baby by adventurers twenty years ago, abandoned
in a level of the Dungeon. Her rescuers left her with the Delvers Guild, whose chief librarian adopted her. Giants being nonexistent
in Ptolus, everyoneincluding Benris herselfhas always considered her a human girl, though rather large boned. The only
personal item found with her was a bronze brooch bearing the cryptic word Hu-Charad. These days she works at
the Delvers Guild and has just embarked with new friends on her own life of adventure.

T
his is the journal of Benris Hu-Charad, an adventurer living in Ptolus who has an interesting past and a unique point of view. Benris
is the character of Sue Cook, one of the players in my latest (third) Ptolus Campaign. This journal is a bit different than the Ptolus
Campaign Journal that chronicled the previous two (concurrent) campaigns. It is different because it reflects the point of view of one
character and is written by a player rather than the DM. I think youll find it interesting and even entertaining.
Youll find that a lot of the characters use elements from Arcana Evolved and elsewheresome are even player created. These elements are
not standard for the Ptolus Campaign as published, as the product is designed for more baseline d20 games. Youll find, however, that the
events of the journal reflect well the feel of Ptolus, even if the PCs do not in every case. (It also shows how easily one can work Arcana
Evolved elements into an otherwise standard d20 campaign.)
Note that this campaign is set about three years after the assumed present day of the Ptolus Campaign. This rarely makes a difference,
but in a few instances the journal might refer to characters as dead who are, in the Ptolus book, very much alive. If you want to read a
journal relating even more directly to the Ptolus product, check out the first Campaign Journal on this CD-Rom.
Enjoy the journalbut, players, beware of spoilers! Monte

CAST OF CHARACTERS

ARCHINEMUS
Archinemus is a sibeccai, an extremely uncommon race in Ptolus (almost singular, in fact you wont find them in the
Ptolus book). Hes a cleric/rogue, although the player, game designer Bruce Cordell, and I modified the cleric class into
one that focuses entirely on business and influencing people the way a normal cleric focuses on religion. He influences
humanoids rather than turning undead, for example. As the campaign advances, the group purchases a business, and
Archinemus is at the heart of that endeavor.

BARBATOS
Barbatos is a human wizard. He also is secretly the publisher of a scandalous broadsheet that prints half-truths and innuen-
do about the various noble families. Barbatos seems more willing to view things from the seemier side of the street than
most of the other characters. Hes interested in history and the accumulation of personal power and has a weakness for
the finer things in life, such as gourmet food. As of this writing, he has been punched in the face by his fellow party mem-
bers five times. This number is likely to go up. He is played by Dungeon and Dragon magazine Publisher Erik Mona.
2 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

BENRIS
Benris did not realize it until recently, but she is not human. Instead, she is a descendent of the Charad titans of old.
While these giantish folk are long gone, she was left behind as an infant. Benris, a champion of freedom, is the character
of my wife and Malhavocs Editorial Director Sue. Shes using a lot of options from Arcana Evolved that arent part of
the standard Ptolus campaign setting. (Basically, she wanted to play a giant from Arcana Evolved even though there isnt
such a race in Ptolus not really, anyway so I made it work.) Benris belongs to the Delvers Guild and is very inter-
ested in dungeon exploration, technology, and monster lore.

CALISTA
Calista is a human magister, a class from Arcana Evolved. Again, this is not a standard Ptolus option, but truth be told
I really wanted to put a human magister and a human wizard together to compare the two. Calista is the same Calista
from the previous Ptolus Campaign Journal, a character who figured very prominently toward the end of that recount-
ing. She was an NPC there, and shes a PC here. She thus has had a strange and eventful background, of which most of
the other PCs are unaware, at least at first. In many ways, her own goals and outlook dont match the rest of the partys,
but the bonds of friendship are strong and thus she gets pulled into things she doesnt always want to be part of.
Calista is played by Wizards of the Coast Senior Editor Michele Carter.

CHARNOTH
Charnoth is a litorian totem warrior (another Arcana Evolved class). Charnoth is a savage but noble warrior who came
to the city with his brother, Tharn (also a PC) to find some litorians who had been kidnapped by slavers. He dislikes
Ptolus and finds city life distasteful. He fears for his brothers ready acceptance of city ways, which creates many con-
flicts between the two. Charnoths outlook is very black and white, which does not always serve one well in a city like
Ptolus. Charnoth is played by former D&D Brand Manager Keith Strohm.

DIETHAN
Whether he recognizes it or not, Diethan is, in many ways, the heart of the group. Hes easygoing, up for almost any-
thing, and loyal to every member of the group. Diethan is a human ranger (utilizing the cool urban ranger option from
Wizards Unearthed Arcana). He knows a great many people in the city, both high placed and low. His sister lives
among the nobility, as her great musical talents were recognized and rewarded by House Kath. Diethan is played by
Wizards of the Coast RPG Design Manager Chris Perkins.

THARN
Tharn, Charnoths brother, is a litorian unfettered (an Arcana Evolved class). Very much unlike his brother, Tharn loves
Ptolus and the wonders it offers that are unavailable to him as a tribesman on the plains. Tharn can be headstrong and
even foolhardy at times, but he is also noble and honest to a fault. He is suspicious of new people a trait that makes
his adaptation to city life more difficult but perhaps in general a bit safer. He attempts to use his keen sense of smell to
discern the trustworthy from the not. This rarely works, but Tharn remains undaunted. Tharn is played by Wizards of
the Coast RPG Development Manager Jesse Decker.

SESSIONS I & IIA LIFE OF ADVENTURE BEGINS!

5TH OF RAIN: GODSDAY TOURNAMENT AND FESTIVAL

Naturally, it was Diethan who brings us all together. Sometimes I think he knows everyone in the city of Ptolus.
The Godsday Festival is going on at the Tournament Field just north of the city wall, so decide to meet there. The seven of us want to dis-
cuss, of all things, a moneymaking scheme. We all have our reasons for wanting cash. The litorians, Tharn and Charnoth, want to free their
captured tribemates from slaversgroups like the Ennin. Barbatos wants money for his lofty wizards lifestyle. The canny sibeccai
Archinemus, a foundling like myself, seeks to avenge his father, who died in debtors prison. Calista, who practices song magic, is looking for
a purpose to her life. Of course, I want to raise enough to pay for the only akashic in Ptolus to tell me about the word inscribed on my
brooch: Hu-Charad. (Dad has always told me it must be my family name.) My job at the Delvers Guild sure doesnt pay enough for me to
save up that much. Im not sure what Diethan really wants out of all this, but hes the one who found out about the opportunity.
After talking for some time about what we all are looking for and what we all have to offer, we agree to form a partnership. Our goal: to
buy a magic-item shop in Delvers Square called Myraeths Oddities. Apparently no one but Diethan even knows the owner wants to sell.
Of course, we have to find a way to raise the down payment on the shop. To do that, we decide to venture into the Halls of Cordaris,
some Dungeon levels recently cleared of orcs by an unfortunate group of delvers. Just two days ago, their very large group went down into
the orc-infested area. From the Guilds records, Ive learned that Cordaris was an underground complex created at least two hundred years
ago by a fanatical order of monastic knights called the Order of the Legacy. They were dedicated to preserving and guarding some very old
secret. The Order diminished over time, and the remnants were wiped out within the last year by orc mercenaries, who made Cordaris their
base. These delvers decided to slay the orcs and secure Cordaris once again (and, of course, explore this long-forbidden place to look for
treasure and maybe even the Orders secret). However, the orcs were a lot more numerous and capable than theyd suspected. While the
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 3

group managed to slay all the orcs, the delvers suffered terrible losses, and the few survivors retreated. I cant imagine they will ever return.
So, we have Cordariswhich would normally carry a danger rating of 4 by Guild standardsstanding unguarded and unplundered. There
ought to be a lot of unclaimed treasure down there within our reach. And, best of all, Ive managed to convince the Guild to keep the area
quarantined just a little longer, to give us the edge.
That decided, we join in the festival competitions. The litorians win the brawling match (despite a halflings attempt to poison them), and
I manage to come out ahead in the hurling contest. Our other friends started their money-earning early by betting on the outcomes. Im glad
I didnt fail them.
After the games, we retire to the Ghostly Minstrel tavern in Delvers Square and meet a veteran adventurer named Sheva Callister. She
shares with us some of the latest adventurers news: The slave trade is increasing in the Dark Market beneath the Undercity Market. (I
never heard of a dark market!) In addition, she warned us to beware of the Balacazars. (Well, that much I knew! Whod ever want to cross
the biggest crime family in Ptolus?) We also learn that a dark elf, Shilukar, is gathering gnoll mercenaries to form a magical burglary force.
He has a fence named Ammel Dar. Hmm. Not sure how this information could help us earn money for our store venture, but its worth
knowing, I suppose.
All this sure is a change of pace from my normal routine. I guess thats why I started keeping this journal. My life is really starting to take
me somewhere, and I want to remember everything!

6TH OF RAIN
We equip ourselves for the foray into the underlevelsI now carry someones used great axe, which I bought at Rastorsand make for the
Halls of Cordaris. Ive learned the way into this area from Delvers Guild records. We enter through an old building in the north part of
Midtown, through an elderly mans broken-down warehouse. We locate some old passages and eventually find our way to a pit. Inside it are
a dead orc and a live otyugh. At least, thats what I think it is. There are many dead bodies here, but before I can dwell on that fact too long,
were attacked by an orc sniper and many vicious bats. I thought all the orcs down here were dead! We acquit ourselves well in our first
battle: Well, the wizard Barbatos shrieks like a girl and flees, but not bad aside from that.
We find a book about the Legacy, which is supposed to involve knowledge of what the world is, within and without. It says the Order of
the Legacy was formed hundreds of miles south of the city near a place called Mrathrachs Pit. Supposedly an angel touched one Lord
Timonius Creed and gave him a secret and power, knowledge of the Creator. World and inhabitants, we are one, the book says. He then
bequeathed the secret to a woman named Cordaris, who locked it in a tower. Urulu, an orc shaman, heard of this secret, and his whole tribe
fell on the tower and took it over. A monk named Sister Dirann hid with the Legacy in the wilderness. To test it, she found one of many
chaos wells beneath Ptolus and tamed it with the Legacy. This Legacy, the fundamental essence of order and purity of the world, can neutral-
ize chaos! (I wonder if we can find that?)
What we do find is a dwarf named Ulf Fireseeker. The Order of the Legacy captured him before the Ornu-Nom orcs came here. (Other
recent invaders include an urloc leading some Toruk-Rul orcs. Those are scary creatures!) The Legacy monks asked Ulf what the dwarves
knew about the Order and so forth. Not enough, apparentlyhes pretty banged up, been tortured pretty bad. We find another prisoner,
Kanagi, whos been held for fifty years! She looks like a satyr or tiefling, but she says shes a forlaran: half fiend, half nymph. Whatever she
is, shes pretty foul tempered. We also find a little grey guy named Shim. Hes hard to focus onhes a skulk and can vanish easily. (The
skulks watch everyone in the city, or so he claims. I thought his race was only a rumor until now.) Hed been sneaking around seeking the
Legacys secret. He tells us, in fact, that the secrets in a lower level. Plus, he thinks some monks are still alive down there. He shows us his
sign (an X with a top bar and arc across it) and says we should use it if we ever need to find him again. Then Shim leads the other prison-
ers out.
We find a secret passage in a side room/library. There we locate a treasure room with a dozen chests! Thats more like it! We leave with
two chests, the ones filled with gold and silver. I can use some of this money to pay off a Master Delver of the Guild to quarantine the area
for another month, so we can have the Halls of Cordaris all to ourselves.
In one day of adventuring, Ive already accomplished more than I have in my whole life up to now. Whod have thought it would be this
easy?

SESSIONS III & IVOF EAR-SEEKERS AND GIANT MOBATS

7TH OF RAIN
On our way back down into the Halls of Cordaris for the other ten chests, were attacked by batsnormal and giant sized. We bring the
chests back up in a cart and pay five silver to the old man who lives in the warehouse from which we enter the undercity, in exchange for
continued access to his property. Looks like were finally on our way to that down payment on Myraeths Oddities. How do regular people
afford big expenses without adventuring?
A priest named Mand Scheben tracks me down later today and takes me to Barbatos, whom he found very ill in a tavern. Not the drunk
kind of illapparently hes infected with an ear-seeker he picked up in the dungeon. We must get him cured immediately or hell die.
Thankfully, Mands church, the Temple of Asche, takes care of it for us. I had no idea things could get so perilous so fast!

8TH OF RAIN
Poor Barbatos still does not look good. The group decides to rest and recover today. I go to work theres a tour group of rich Ptolusites
coming through the safe underlevels on an adventure tour, and I have to wrangle the crawlers.
4 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

9TH OF RAIN
Back into the Halls of Cordaris! (Barbatos seems a little twitchy after the ear-seeker episode.) First we find a silver statue on a medusa-head
altar. Its inscribed with the words Velator Grillam that must be the title of a Legacy official of some kind. In the next room, a similar
statue says Velator Cordaris. After a merry chase with some goblins, we find a chamber used by orcs and goblins (and previously by mem-
bers of the Order of the Legacy, it appears). We locate a journal page written by a member of the Order. The author speaks of a raving mad-
man named Timerian whos the leader of whats left of the Order. This Timerian is the one who started taking prisoners, it seems, including
the ones we rescued last time. The journal also speaks of a chaos well in the area and an infestation of bane-midges (tiny goblinoids). Maybe
theyre connected with the orcs? Also, it seems we now have a wolf. I have no idea why the litorian brothers wanted to keep it the thing
practically took my head off in that battle we fought with it and its goblin masters.

10TH OF RAIN
We spend today recuperating. I wonder if Dad can tell Ive been adventuring? He never wanted this life for me, but how could I resign myself
to watching over dusty old tomes all day, the way he does? I love Dad, but the librarians life is not for me.
Today, the litorians are off to find a kennel for the wolf. I told them we could give it to the Guild to use in our dungeon adventure tours,
but they didnt seem interested. I hope they remember to buy more healing potions on the way back.

11TH OF RAIN
Tonight we accidentally accost a wizard in an alley for information on slavers who might have Charnoths and Tharns litorian friends. I say
accidentally because half of us thought we were just going to ask him nicely, but the other half had different plans. Later, at work, I talk
this out with a Master Delver named Throwval Greyheart. After the incident in the alley, I could use some good advice on how to keep a
group together in harmony. He didnt have any answers, though he just laughed at me and shook his head.

12TH OF RAIN
Back we go to Cordaris today. Some corpses have been disturbed by rats, giant rats, and ratmen, but everything else seems the way we left it.
We get through a new hallway (trapped with big swords that swing down and slice youintriguing mechanism!) and find two reliefs depict-
ing some knights, their heads held at different angles. A spiral staircase down from the study leads to a large room with a pit holding three
baby caterwauls! The Order members thought they could use the Legacy to manipulate sonic creatures like these, we later learn. Moving on,
we run afoul of some midges. What pests! Then the mama caterwaul almost kills me. Thankfully Diethan saved me by threatening one of the
babies until she left us alone. We find an invisible wall separating us from a room of colored light. Did the Order members try to use the cat-
erwauls sonic powers to breach the wall? Beyond it lies the chaos well that we read about in the journal pages.

13TH OF RAIN
We rest and heal today. My ribs hurt.

14TH OF RAIN
We return to the Halls of Cordaris and fight more rats and ratmen (I hear the Church of Lothian will pay you silver for each tail you bring
in) and discover a rough passage through the rock near an old sewer line. With difficulty, we slay a giant mobat, after hed managed to stun
most of us. I really thought we were done for! Hmm, another sonic creature... Anyway, Charnoths making a cloak out if its hide and Im
keeping its head. I heard somewhere that great adventurers are supposed to keep trophies of their big kills. This definitely qualifies.

SESSIONS V & VIDEEPER INTO CORDARIS

15TH OF RAIN
After some rest following our latest mission in the Halls of Cordaris, Diethan goes with me to inquire about getting our mobat head stuffed.
What a trophy! Archinemus sells the other loot we brought up from the Halls.
At the Ghostly Minstrel over dinner tonight we meet a woman named Saedra, a member of the Order of the Legacy! Shes seen us down in
Cordaris, and now she wants to know our intentions. She says that only a few members of the Order are left, holed up in a tower on the
third level. Jastov, their reliquarian/priest, might help us free the rest of them from their crazy velator, Timerian, Saedra says. She tells us to
beware of a member named Devar: Shes loyal to Timerian.
A group of ten orcs have the Order besieged in the tower, Saedra says. Their urloc leader wields a massive magic axe, and they have goblin
slaves (oh yeah, weve fought some of them). She explains that we can get to the third level through the Doors of Purification in a round
hallway. She also mentions a secret door to a Blood Pool with undead guardians. They were created when some other crazy velator tried to
bring back old leaders of the order, but all he got was horrid monsters. But if we do manage to get through the undead, theres treasure at
the pool, leftovers from the monsters victims, I suppose.
When she departs, Saedra doesnt wish us luck: I know she thinks were after their precious Legacy. Well, I dont know that shes wrong.

16TH OF RAIN
Back to our hunt, this time via the sewer entrance (not the old mans beat-up warehouse). We fight more midges those little creeps
dropped a brick on me and orcs and goblins before sighting the urloc himself. What a big, nasty guy! Tough, too. Only thing that saved
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 5

us was Calista and her song magic. Her singing distracts him enough that we can get in some good licks, and we manage to defeat them all!
Im feeling like a serious adventurer now, especially carrying the urlocs magical great axe.
When we find the Doors of Purification, however, we cant get through! So much for serious adventurers. Only Diethan can pass
through these enruned bronze-and-glass portals and even he made it through only the first pair of them. (There are three pairs.) I dont
know what were going to do now.

17TH OF RAIN
Calista has other business today. Barbatos uses his magic to detect which items from our most recent loot are magical. If we want to know
more about what they do, well have to spend some money to get each one identified. At the Ghostly Minstrel this evening, Sheva Callister,
veteran adventuress, offers us some advice on buying curative wands. I think she didnt remember us at first. Strange: Were two litorians, a
sibeccai, and several humans one of whom is a woman more than seven feet tall! Id sure remember us!

18TH OF RAIN
This morning we enter the Halls of Cordaris via the sewers again, looking for the door with the sword hanging above it. When we find it, we
notice a fresco here showing knights looking down at a table. Beyond we see a room with Orcish symbols written on the walls. Theres a pit
here, and a ladder leading down, and barrel of nails, too. (Archinemus doesnt think theyre worth anything anymore.) We find a jeweled col-
lar from a dead caged beast in the pit.
While were poking around, a couple orcs show up! Tharn and Charnoth, our litorian friends, say these are Ornu-Nom orcs from the
plains, an honorable people. Thats the first time I ever heard anyone call an orc honorable! And I dont think Barbatos or Diethan would
call them too honorable the orcs shot them before the rest of us could stop it! Anyway, they seem to recognize us. You have killed the
Dreadmaster! their leader says, referring to the urloc, I guess, and his axe that I now carry. Do you seek the Demons Soul?
We come to find out thats how they refer to the Legacy. (And here wed read that it was bequeathed to mortals by angels!) These orcs
follow the message of Urulu, an orc shaman who long ago wanted to destroy the Legacy. They call it an abomination. However, now the
orcs dont have the numbers to contain the members of the Order in their tower any more, much less destroy the Legacy (whatever it is),
so they are leaving. (The urloc had brought the spiremen [local Ptolus orcs] and the Undying [a troll] down here to join forces with
these Ornu-Nom guys, but the plains orcs have split from them following the Dreadmasters death.) They urge us to destroy the Legacy
in their place.
Of course, well do no such thing if we cant even get to the tower. The Ornu-Nom tell us to drink from fonts in the hall leading to the
Doors of Purification in order to gain the insight needed to get through the doors. They tell us the tower lies past the round doors and
beyond some staircases, but they warn us to beware the creatures of the Garden. They also warn us of cave morays and other perils in vari-
ous unexplored areas of these Halls. Its a relief to me to watch them finally leave.
We leave this room and, while waiting for our wounded to heal a bit, we set up a winch and pulley to pull the sword out of the doorway.
Its very exciting: This weapon could be Zelambrast, guardian of the Legacy! Well, actually, it turns out to be just some pitted and crappy old
sword. Still, perhaps its the artifact in disguise!
Rather than return to the doors, we decide to go looking for the madman, Velator Timerian, and his magical pipe organ. We pass through
a hall with water rushing in and dead orcs lying in sprung traps. We spot another relief of knights with crossed swords in a chamber that
houses recessed iron cabinets. They hold components for creating magic items, and a secret compartment has three potions.
Beyond is the organ room. A stone catwalk spans a watery surface, and at the end of it we see Timerian. The madman doesnt give us a
chance to explain ourselves, but plays a chord and summons fiery elementals. We dispatch them pretty easily, but not before he zaps me with
a wand of pain-in-the-gut. (I identified that one the hard way!) Still we advance upon him. As we slay this evildoer, he cries, The Legacy
dies with me! I changed the combina then expires. Were not sure we understand, but those poor members of the Order are certainly bet-
ter off without this lunatic directing their actions.
After experimenting with the organ (which lands us in the waterthanks, Barbatos), we find Timerians study. Its walls are covered in
papers with mad scrawls. We also locate nine magical scrolls, good news for Barbatos and Calista! Tired, we head back up to the city.

19TH OF RAIN
We take a day of rest, trading our loot er, goods for cash. We learn that my new axe (mine thanks to the urlocs demise) is a magi-
cal weapon, which inflicts extra damage to humans. Id better be careful never to cut myself with it! Unfortunately, the crappy and pitted-
looking sword proved to be nothing more than a crappy and pitted-looking sword. If we want to find Zelambrast, well have to keep
looking.

20TH OF RAIN
My new brigandine armor is ready today! A great fit, now that its been altered from urloc size.

21ST OF RAIN
The stuffed mobat head is ready today! Barbatos agrees to keep it for me for a couple days, till I find a place of my own. I dont want Dad to
see it and worry about me tackling monsters like that. Speaking of worrying, Archinemus received a note today from a lawyer offering us
five hundred gold to forget all about buying Myraeths Oddities! Who else could know of our secret plans?
6 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

22ND OF RAIN
Today I use some of my earnings to buy a dungeoneers outfita really warm one with lots of pockets (even secret ones) and boots and
gloves good for climbing. Now Im really set. Im also really broke. I keep forgetting that I joined this venture to raise enough money to
ask the akashic about my brooch, and maybe learn something about my birth family. But these trappings for my new adventuring life are
hard to resist!

23RD OF RAIN
Found a place of my own in Midtown today. I cant hide my new adventuring life from Dad forever, so I thought it was time to move out. I
spend some time boning up on my dangerous beasts knowledge, too. I want to be more informed next time we venture underground

24TH OF RAIN
We discover that the lawyer who tried to buy us off is actually pretty big-time, with many large-scale criminal types for clients. What an
insult to offer us only a measly 500 gold! Of course, we wouldnt take it even if it were more, but he must really think were small potatoes.
Well show him! Barbatos drafted a nice letter politely declining the offer. The wizards got quite a way with words.

26TH OF RAIN
Weird thing happened yesterday I slept all the way through it! I didnt realize I was so tired, but I must have been. When I woke up today,
I was surprised to discover I was about three inches taller than when I went to bed! This sort of thing hasnt happened to me in years (Dad
always called them my growth spurts). I went to see him to ask him if it was really noticeable, but he didnt want to talk about it. Cripes,
now I have to go have my armor refitted! Im even taller than those litorians

SESSIONS VII & VIIIWELCOME TO CASTLE SHARD

27TH OF RAIN
Back we go to the Halls of Cordaris today. We are heading toward the Doors of Purification, but on the way we locate a secret door to the
Blood Pool. We chicken out on following this path, though, once we hear the movement of undead down the hall. Calista seems really uneasy
about fighting them. We took care of the orcs easily enough I doubt wed have any problem with some skeletons. But then, she knows a lot
of adventurers, like Aliya Al-Mari of the Runewardens, and says shes actually seen undead, so maybe she knows something I dont.
While searching the alcoves in the hall leading to the Doors of Purification, we come upon a candle with a combination carved into it:
24B13. Could this be the new combination of the Legacy that crazy Velator Timerian was gloating about right before he died?
Tasting the water in all four fonts in the alcoves of this hall, Archinemus leads us through the Doors. His technique seems to be working,
till we get to the third door. We think its magically sealed it wont open up, even with Calistas spells. A woman approaches us on the
other side. When we ask to come in, saying we have important news as to the safety of the Legacy, she calls us liars and refuses! But we
werent lying. We were trying to tell her that she and whats left of her Order arent safe down here, now that the Delvers Guild is about to
open the Halls of Cordaris to explorers. But she plays it tough, claiming that Timerian is still around to protect them. The only way shell
believe were not enemies is if we find and rescue her comrade Jastov. She thinks the orcs mustve gotten him.
So we head up to Level One and start looking. We find a storeroom and some goblins and Spireman orcs. After a bit of a battle, we locate
Jastov in one of the cells where wed previously found the dwarf and skulk. This is Jastov the Reliquarian, whom former Order member
Saedra had called trustworthy when we talked to her in the tavern. Jastov said the orcs captured him before he could get some gems from the
chaos well. (The Order of the Legacy once thought they could use pure gems to harness the power of the chaos well to protect the Halls of
Cordaris.) He said the Legacy was dangerous but, like Saedra, he was magically compelled to tell us nothing more specific. He did tell us that
there are only two Order members left besides him, now that Timerian is dead (and he didnt seem too broken up about that, sensible fel-
low). He said the Blood Pool has spawned horrible skeletal creatures covered in blood.
We try to convince him of the dangers he faces in staying down here other adventurers will come, we said, and they wont be as scrupu-
lous as we are! He said that if he had the new combination, he would try to move the Legacy and depart with it and the others, but if
Timerian changed it, theres nothing he can do. After a lengthy discussion, we decide to tell him the combination we found on the candle.
(Charnoth was inclined to bust through the Doors of Purification, punish all surviving Order members for condoning the taking and torture
of prisoners the litorians are very sensitive to that sort of thing, on account of their tribesmen being taken by slavers but in the end he
came around.) Unfortunately, what wed found was the old combination.
However, to show his gratitude for our freeing him, Jastov gives Tharn a few light-emitting crystals and hands us some notes that ought to
show us how to find a lot more of them. This crystal is a rare mineral called aethel that absorbs and stores energy. It can store even magical
or elemental energy and also make magic items. The notes are from a former member of the Order named Naethus, who found the aethel
cave somewhere beneath Ptolus (but not in the Halls). The notes suggest taking a trip to the North Market district, to a candlemakers shop
called Fever Moon.
Then we return Jastov to the Doors of Purification and, after drinking from the fonts, he manages to get through all of them without diffi-
culty. Thinking that we would never get the other Order members to trust us, and that the Legacy was probably far too dangerous for us to
mess with (not to mention in the care of these people whom were trying to convince were friendly) we agree to leave him to do his best to
convince the Order to move out. I hope he succeeds. He says hell try to convince the others not to treat us as hostile the next time we meet
in these Halls weve still got the Blood Pool to deal with, after all!
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 7

28TH OF RAIN
Today we learn about a reward of a thousand gold coins for the capture of Shilukar, a dark-elf wizard who reportedly stole from House
Abanar. Something for us to think about to help increase the size of our down payment for the shop!
Shortly after we hear this news, the cleric Mand Scheben of the Temple of Ashe (god of cities) calls up the debt that Barbatos owes him,
on account of saving him from the ear-seekers. He needs our aid and will compensate us for it, too at Castle Shard. Apparently this is
a magical place in the Nobles Quarter where weird stuff and weird people (like the infamous powerful wizard Moynath Autumnsong)
seem to pop up.
Next we go to Myraeths Oddities to get some loot identified. We also offer Myraeth a first payment of two thousand gold on the shop
to seal our agreement. Thats half the total down payment, so were getting there! He takes a look at our aethel crystals and tells us that
enough of these raw crystals could bring down a magical energy barrier. Funny, I think thats exactly what the Legacy members were trying
to do! Giving us five hundred gold for one of the crystals, he tells us that a source he knows of near the Spire has dried up. I wonder if
thats the source our note directs us to?
That afternoon we head over to Castle Shard to meet Mand and find out what he needs us to do. Walking through the Nobles Quarter
was cool. The place was full of the most stately manors I have ever seen! Castle Shard looks like a big stone cylinder, with a column of pur-
ple crystal shot through the center. A moat of black glassy liquid surrounds the place. The elaborate tower has windows placed high up on its
immense front doors. When we enter, the majordomo, Kadmus, seems very impressed with the house gift that Calista offers. (Wow, she
thinks of everything!) We see some real wonders in this place, let me tell you. For instance, a woman in a glinting silver dress glides by on a
disk supported by lines held by tiny flapping birds. Kadmus tells us this is Rill, one of the two lords of Castle Shard. We next meet a man
named Zavere, the other lord of the place. He wears all black and welcomes us with a low voice. A gorgeous woman with huge horns
approaches, smelling of the woods, like a clear mountain stream. This satyrix, Narasha, is a guest at the castle, and she flirts big-time with
Diethan!
That might have led to something had not Mand arrived just then. He explains that a gangster named Linech is seeking a group of adven-
turers for a mission. Why does he want them? Whered he get the cash to pay them? These are the things the Church of Ashe wants to know,
because this half-orc criminal has crossed them and Castle Shard before. So he wants us to get ourselves hired on for this mission, then
report back on whats up for eighty gold each! Sounds simple enough.
So we head off to the address he gives us in the Rivergate District. Diethan explains that Linech is a drug smuggler who deals mostly in
shivvel, a very dangerous hallucinogenic drug that comes into Ptolus via ship from an island to the north. Mand said he thought Linechs
operation had been shut down, but it seems otherwise. We arrive at Linechs burrow (a cluster of homes). Inside his home, he sits at a large
desk, protected by a sizable woman bodyguard named Oukina (of course, Ive got almost a foot on her after my recent growth spurt). Also
we see a halfling servant named Seanus, a half-elf woman with drug-glazed eyes playing the zither, and a solid gold statue of a warrior.
Weird place.
Linech tells us his daughter died on an island not far from Ptolus, and the ship transporting her body went down in the harbor. He wants
us to dive down and retrieve her body and its glass coffin. He will give us each a potion of water breathing and some potions of swimming,
plus twelve hundred gold and anything we can salvage off the ship. Its all the money Ive got left in the world, he said. How nice to see
that even a criminal can care so deeply about his daughter and her final rest!
He tells us that the ship, the Dragoneye, sank three nights ago due to arson, possibly caused by the Balacazar crime family. So the perpe-
trators might be trying to salvage the vessel too, he warns. Well have to be on our toes.
So we take the job and shake our tail back to Castle Shard. When Archinemus mentions the gold statue, Zavere wonders whether it was
their one-time ally Lord Abbercombe. He also explains that Oukina is Linechs muscular girlfriend, and that the half-elf woman was Biesta,
Linechs sister, burned out on shivvel. The lord of the castle also confirms that Linechs daughter (Linele, about twelve or thirteen years old)
did indeed die on that island recently. Hey, thats weird, come to think of it. Linech didnt even tell us her name!
We take our commission from Mand and decide to go ahead with Linechs mission as well. The Castle Shard folks said they would wel-
come more information on the half-orcs activities. Speaking of the Castle Shard folks, that night, Calista learns from her friends at the Pale
Tower where she lives that Rill once was a paladin of the goddess Gaen but gave it up for her sorcery talent. Now she rarely leaves the
castle. Likewise, Zavere was once a dark knight in the service of House Vladaam, but he renounced it all for Castle Shard, too. What a pair.
Their butler Kadmus brought out some great honey cakes, though.

29TH OF RAIN
Seanus, a halfling, meets us to escort us to the Docks to begin our mission for Linech. He seems a friendly fellow and gave away a lot of
information about his employer without meaning to. For instance, he said Linech doesnt have to worry about money now that the guest
is here. Turns out that this guest is Biestas new friend: the dark elf Shilukar, for whom weve heard theres a bounty of a thousand gold!
Definitely something to keep in mind. Seanus said that the dark elf gave Linech the gold statue and an influx of cash. The gnoll guards weve
seen near Linechs house quite an uncommon sight around here must be his.
We arrive at the harbor, and Seanus has a boat all lined up for us. From a little girl in the harbormasters office, we learn that the
Dragoneye went down in six hundred feet of water just past a dropoff. She also said that a dinghy rowed by people in purple and gold robes
was seen leaving the scene of the ship fire. We drink our potions of water breathing and leave Seanus up on the surface with the boat while
we sweep for the wreckage underwater.
We finally find it at the dropoff. Theres a huge hole in the side of the hull. Swimming through, we begin to explore.
8 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

SESSIONS IX & XUNDERSEA ADVENTURES

29TH OF RAIN
We begin to explore the Dragoneye, a ship that sank in the harbor, looking for the coffin of Linechs little daughter, Linele. Poor kid, having
to grow up with a shivvel dealer for a father! Whos to say shes not better off in the grave than mixed up in his degenerate underworld life?
While poking around in the hold, we find no coffin, only a number of casks of black globules unrefined shivvel, we think. We also real-
ize that the big hole in the ships hull was made intentionally, not from an impact or explosion.
Before we can dwell on that fact, some terrible fish-men attack us! These fierce warriors have wicked teeth. Soon their blood in the water
attracts some sharks, so we really have our hands full. Plus I cant use my greataxe underwater too well, so Im not at my best.
Finally when theyre all dead, a much friendlier sea creature named Quillong appears with a dolphin named Sea Dart. He says hes a triton
and that hes been following these creatures, called sahuagin, for theyre his peoples ancestral enemies. He says that long ago, blood drinkers
from the surface made a Blood Covenant with the sahuagin to come when six of them together should call using the horn of blood. The
sahuagin always get some payment for answering, he says. The blood drinkers havent called in a long while, but apparently now they have,
for the fish-men dont usually visit the Ptolus harbor.
Quillong goes on to say that these sahuagin have taken the girls coffin to a nearby sea cave. Theyve also been systematically taking the
casks of shivvel from the wreck. They knew exactly where to look for the stuff, he says they must be working with the saboteurs. Our
own boats adrift, thanks to the sahuagin who cut the line. Hope our halfling friend Seanus isnt too worried about us up there.
We swim slowly (compared to Quillong) toward the sea cave. There we fight more sahuagin and some giant crabs. Once they have their
claws on you, look out! (Barbatos saved a couple of those crab legs for his dinner.) We nab some of the fish-mens underwater crossbows and
continue on.
We break the surface at last in a high-ceilinged cavern and spy a small island with some casks piled all around. The coffins there too, its
glass top smashed. Lineles body has vanished but, weirder still, it looks as though she broke out of it from the inside!
As we begin to look around, pirates come running across a bridge to the island and attack us. From what they say, we learn were in the
fortress of the Balacazar crime family! Well, that shouldnt surprise us, as Linech thought they might be behind the destruction of the
Dragoneye. But why are they enlisting the help of vampires and sahuagin?
Meanwhile, the pirates are putting up a good fight they have dragon pistols and a lizard man ally! They wonder to each other whether
that damn girl summoned us. Sounds like they dont want her around but shes dead isnt she?
Once weve dealt with all the pirates, we see that the lizard man is in fact a slave, so we break him free of his shackles. Then we spy one
more sahuagin at the shore. Right before our eyes it changes form to that of a little girl with long black hair, pointy teeth, a deathly pallor,
and a terrifying laugh. No, Lineles not alive at all!
Shes talking crazy, though. The vampires will never get it! she cries, hanging onto a pocketwatch. No one must have it. We try to
make her understand that her father sent us to find her, but she just dives back into the water and disappears. Quillong thinks shes risen as
some sort of undead a rusalka, he calls her due to her bodys proximity to an evil magic item. The watch? And does Linech know
whats befallen his daughter?
Were not quite sure what to do now. The lizard man says his names Salsan, though the pirates called him Sir Jingles, thanks to the
noise his chains made when he walked. Tharn and Charnoth are furious at the Balacazars for enslaving him, and Charnoth does something
nasty to a few of the bodies in bizarre litorian retribution. Salsan says he came to this place via the slave pens beneath the city a couple
weeks ago and adds that he did see a number of litorians held there. Tharns and Charnoths tribemates!
Salsan says that some of the litorian slaves were going to try to run off to a city of escaped slaves deep below Ptolus. We ask him to meet
us at a wharfside tavern later so he can tell us more. Perhaps he can help us find these litorians again. Even though Ive heard folks at the
Delvers Guild say that lizard men are usually nasty customers, Salsans pretty nice to us. No one deserves to be a slave.
Quillong does some reconnaissance and sees that the rusalka has fled to the cave where we killed the crabs. He agrees to take the lizard
man safely to shore, and we bid him farewell. Maybe one day we can come visit him in his city, Konagis, in the Deep.

STILL THE 29TH OF RAIN

Before leaving the Balacazar fortress, we burn up the leftover shivvel, then track the rusalka back to the crabs caverns. Shes no longer there.
We follow the cavern through a tight passageway and suddenly, before we know whats happening, we find ourselves standing on dry land
again, watching some men work along the shore!
There we see Linele, too, but she looks like a normal little girl, the way she must have looked before her death. Shes playing with her little
dog, Sandy. Have we somehow gone back in time? We explain that her father sent us to see her safely home. She lets slip that her father has
a watch that can talk; it tells him where to find the stuff he sells and how to process it. Confused, we wonder if were going to have to book
ship on the doomed Dragoneye to get back to the city, when the girl changes form again, back into her rusalka shape.
I believe that you dont want it, she says, and agrees to return with us to her father. Then, bang! Were back in the underwater passage!
For a little girl, she has some incredible powers. Come to think of it, though, she doesnt talk like a little girl. Its as though she has somehow
merged with the intelligence of that watch. But she says that doesnt matter any more.
Back we go to the Docks, and we locate Seanus again, whod been wondering how to tell Linech that hed managed to lose us. We all
return to Linechs house, with Linele magically disguised as Barbatos (we tell Seanus its the wizards mirror image, and he doesnt argue).
When we come before Linech and tell him our story, his aide, Oukina, says the people in purple and gold that some folks dockside saw row-
ing away from the burning Dragoneye were the Hussar, cultists of Unnah, goddess of blades. Then the rusalka assumes her little girl form
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 9

again, and wow, is her father shocked to see her! We think he was lying when he said he wanted her back for a proper burial he just
wanted that watch! But hes got Linele back now, so he tells his aide, Oukina, to take us down to the treasury and pay us.
Hmm, why would he allow us inside his treasury? This smells rotten, so Im keeping an eye open for trouble. On the way, we see some
gnolls standing guard, presumably over Shilukar, the dark elf wizard whos staying with Linech. We enter the treasury room, and suddenly men
with pistols fire on us! Betrayal! We make quick work of them (though Charnoth comes near death in the process). Poor Seanus is aghast.
Taking the bag of cash from the treasury (well, we earned it, didnt we?), we stalk back to Linechs office to confront the treacherous lout.
There we discover that Linele has taken over the place, her father vanished. Calista asks the girl what does she want to do now? She must be
confused. Calista offers to take her to the Brotherhood of Redemption apparently theyre experts in showing monstrous creatures a new
path. She can finally choose her own destiny. Linele agrees to go hear what they have to say. She also gives us the gold statue of Lord
Abbercombe, which we plan to return to Castle Shard, since they seem to know the guy. (Wow, Calista is sure persuasive!) We warn Linele
about Shilukars presence nearby. Diethan decides to stick around Linechs place and keep watch on the gnolls.
Linele doesnt seem too sure about the Brotherhood of Redemption at first, but when they assure her that they can protect her from vampires,
she decides to stay with them. We cant believe our good fortune when the doorman offers us a bounty of one hundred gold for bringing her in!
Next, were off to Castle Shard with the gold statue. Youve brought Lord Abbercombe! exclaims Kadmus on our arrival. Were con-
fused to learn that this fellow, a noble from long ago, has always been made of gold. Zavere thinks Rill can restore him, whatever that
means. This is a weird place.
Barbatos and Archinemus tell Zavere the whole story, and theyre impressed to hear weve discovered a secret entry into the Balacazars
seaside fortress. As for the guys in purple and gold, he confirms that theyre the Hussar, adding that its rumored that the Balacazars have
captured their goddess. While they hold her, the cult members have to obey them, however unwillingly. Im beginning to think we were darn
lucky to get out of that fortress alive. Who are the Balacazars NOT allied with?
Kadmus has the staff cook up Barbatos giant crab legs. At dinner, we learn that people have sighted Shilukars gnolls in the Guildsman
District around the Delvers Hole, the area that collapsed into the Undercity some years back. One gnoll was blue! Also on the rumor front,
Zavere said that the pocketwatch may hold a demon that helped Linech find his product. Suddenly frightened at what we may have unleashed
on the Brotherhood of Redemption, Calista sends word of this new wrinkle to their headquarters. Demons are not to be trifled with.
Its been a long day, but we still have to meet our lizard man friend Salsan at the tavern by the Docks. I decide to collect Diethan from
Linechs house on the way but when I arrive at the burrow, hes gone! So are the gnoll guards he was watching. Hopefully, they went in
and Diethan got bored and headed off to the tavern ahead of me. Yeah, that must be what happened.

SESSIONS XI & XIISEARCH FOR THE SLAVE CITY

STILL THE 29TH

Its late when I arrive at the dockside bar called the Savage Shark. Its a bawdy, loud, and crowded place, but I dont see Diethan anywhere around.
I also dont see Salsan, whom we were supposed to meet here. A little asking around reveals that Ive missed him by just an hour he left word
that he couldnt stay but would meet us there again in a week. As Im getting ready to leave, a dwarf hits on me. As if! I must be twice his height!
I head over to the Ghostly Minstrel, where I find my friends and Diethan. It seems that, while spying on Shilukars supposed hidey-hole,
he saw the gnolls come out of the house theyd been guarding . . . with the dark elf! Thats the last thing he saw before going unconscious.
When he awoke. Diethan found himself face to face with Linech. The treacherous gangster said he was willing to let bygones be bygones.
Sure he was he was the one who tried to kill US! But he let Diethan go, so maybe we dont have to worry about him any more after all.
We decide to keep Seanus on, and he seems happy enough with the arrangement especially when we offer to pay him 3 silver pieces a
day and give him room and board (meaning, he bunks with me). The halfling is good at spying and always seems enthusiastic.

30TH OF RAIN
Today I buy some supplies and to go work. I ask my mentor, Gorti Jurgen (shes the Guilds ranking rep at the Undercity office), about
sources of aethel crystal. She shows me on a map the location of the Fevered Moon candle shop in the North Market and explains that
extensive caves lie beneath it. Its not real close to the Spire (Myraeth had told us he knew of an old source near there) but it is near the
Kings River. The notes we were given about the aethel crystal mention a cold river.
Meanwhile, Diethan learns that Shilukars fence, Ammel Dar, was seen around with a fair-skinned elf (Shilukar in disguise?) and a half-elf
woman who can only be Biesta, Linechs addict half-sister.

1ST OF BLOOM
Today is a litorian Gathering Day. We all raise a cup to celebrate their winning the brawling contest on only their second day in town. Wow,
was that only a month ago? Charnoth hears an intriguing new legend about something called Fathers Warclub. Once it was wielded by a
female litorian who came to the city looking for something called the Shadow Eyes. This warclub supposedly has the power to heal. Makes
for an interesting tale to tell around the fire.

2ND OF BLOOM
Today I hear something disturbing. About ten days ago, blood-dripping undead skeletons burst out of an old shack above the Halls of
Cordaris, destroying the shack and escaping into the city to wreak unknown havoc. Im terribly afraid that this is the old mans warehouse.
What have we done by failing to search them out and kill them?
10 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

3RD OF BLOOM
Barbatos tells us that hes been looking into the story of Lord Abbercombe. This noble house used to oppose House Abanar, House Vladaam,
and House Sadar. It seems that the last Lord Abbercombe was cursed with a wasting disease and died about five centuries ago. Stories claim
that ancient wizards tried to find a way to preserve this lord. Is this our golden statue?

4TH OF BLOOM
Over breakfast at the Ghostly Minstrel, a little creature with batlike wings flies into the dining hall and lands at our table! It snaps its shad-
owy fingers and a horn appears, which it blows. Your presence is required at Castle Shard! it announces. Everyone was looking at us. We
were very proud.
We arrive and are ushered in by the courteous butler, Kadmus. Were surprised, however, to see that Zavere is VERY angry at us. Or
rather, at Barbatos. It seems that our wizard pal also secretly publishes a broadsheet called the Midtown Partisan. (Or perhaps not so secretly,
since clearly Castle Shard knew about him.) In any case, now it becomes clear that Barbatos research on Lord Abbercombe was not simply
done out of idle curiosity the golden nobleman was the lead story in his newspapers latest edition. Barbatos had published all the secrets
that he could dig up on Lord Abbercombe and, according to Zavere, a number of lies to boot. This story is generating too much interest
in the golden statue we recovered. For one thing, it used to be a secret that he was gold.
Apparently, we can help, though, Zavere has learned that Shilukar has the key to undoing the curse that binds Lord Abbercombe and
keeps him in stasis. We must get it. To do so, our first order of business is to find the fence Ammel Dar. We agree to give it our best try, but
if you ask me, Barbatos could have been more appreciative of the fact that we all stepped up to ameliorate a problem he created. He just
kept mumbling something about freedom of the press and changing the subject.
While we were there, though, we took the opportunity to ask Zavere about local slaver groups, because we fear we have drawn no closer
to finding Charnoth and Tharns tribemates. The lord of Castle Shard describes the citys most notorious group: the Ennin (Rill says she
knows a sorcerer in this evil organization named Vanum Vaal).

6TH OF BLOOM
Today, we split up. Barbatos goes off to do more research. Meanwhile, the rest of us go to the Savage Shark again to gather information
on Ammel Dar and Shilukar and to meet Salsan. Seanus goes off to search for word of Biesta, since she was lately seen in Shilukars
company.
This time, we do fortunately meet up with our lizard man friend. Salsan tells us he can take us to the slave city deep below Ptolusthe
one that he said some litorians had been trying to escape to. Its a dangerous place, he warns a lizard man named Ssethenus who used to
be Salsans chieftain now rules there. This cruel and selfish tyrant does not welcome outsiders, it seems. But were too excited at the prospect
of finding Tharn and Charnoths tribemates to care about the danger. Salsan explains that few escaped slaves ever manage to leave the slave
city, because they have no money, they fear that theyd be recaptured in the city above, but most of all, because Ssethenus wont let them.
Shilukar is forgotten for the moment as we make our plans to descend to the slave city.
Were interrupted in our plans by some rude oafs who assail Salsan, Archinemus, and the litorians with name-calling: animal heads,
freaks, and the like. The oafs start a fight, but were doing all right till an aram archer joins the fray, assuming that Salsan is a foe. It
didnt take too many crack shots from that centaur before Salsan and Tharn went down. Of course, in the confusion, some of us try to
attack the aram, while others just try to get us the hell out of there. Finally, healed by Calista, Diethan and Tharn wind up in their own
brawl over the arams fate, while I carry our injured out. When the dust settles a bit, we leave a little something for the barkeep for the
mess and take off.
The litorians take the injured Salsan back to the Mane for rest and recovery. Meanwhile, Diethan has to carry the unconscious Calista
home this always happens to her when she has to do too much healing. She literally drains her own energy into others. Its then I find out
that Calista lives in the Pale Tower! She has been telling us all along that shes staying with friends. She never mentioned, however, that
these friends are ANGELS! Nice to have friends who are the Malkuth! How can I think of her the same way, knowing that while Im having
morning porridge with Seanus, shes sitting across the table from celestials?
Speaking of Seanus, he found Biesta in short order today, at the Griffin tavern. Only problem is, its too late to go there now, and were all
fired up about freeing slaves anyway. He seems a little put out about that.
Did I mention Barbatos latest project? Turns out that this research actually involves him imbibing some of the contraband shivvel that
we found on the sunken ship and, in his hallucinogenic state, attempting to decipher crazy Velator Timerians scrawls and organ plans. He
says later that he thinks Timerian used the organ to open up a rift in reality and transport himself elsewhere via portals activated by the
organ. How this will help us, I dont know.

7TH OF BLOOM
As if we dont have enough on our minds, today on our way to the Mane who do we run into but Kanagi, the forlaran we rescued from the
prison in Cordaris! She says she needs our help, because someone is trying to kill her. How have we suddenly become the ones you come for
protection against assassins? All were trying to do is buy a shop.
We last saw the foul-mouthed sylph-demon Kanagi a month ago leaving the Halls of Cordaris. Now shes afraid for her life. Someones
been following her, but she doesnt know who. She says that for the last few weeks someones been killing those of part demonic heritage,
like her. Shes just received a threatening poem from this person, who writes of A Dream of Death and her beauty. I can see why shes
freaked out. (Not that anyones ever written poetry about my beauty . . .)
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 11

We promise to do what we can to protect her and, in return, she says she will take us to a dark elf she knows named Esaer. Maybe he can
lead us to Ammel Dar or Shilukar himself.
So Barbatos and I head over with her note to the Church of Phoebul, god of dreams. The temples closed till dusk, so instead we visit a
Lothianite shrine headed by Brother Fabitor Thisk. Hes been helpful in the past. We ask if he recognizes the poem is this perhaps some
Lothianite attempt to cleanse the city of those of undesirable heritage? Although the cleric cant help us, he does say hes heard of the
tiefling murders. I even check with my dad, but despite all his experience as the Head Librarian of the Delvers Guild, he doesnt recognize
the poem. He also wonders why I never come home for dinner any more now that Ive got my own place.

8TH OF BLOOM
Without any solid leads about the tiefling murders, we leave Kanagi with Seanus for safe keeping while we head off to the Slave City to seek
Tharns and Charnoths litorian tribemates. We are joined by a champion of freedom from the south whom we met a couple days back (he
rescued Calistas moneypurse from a thief after the brawl at the Docks)his names Karaal Kavor. He said that in his homeland, slavery is
common, as are other injustices. After seeing these things happen over and over again, he took it upon himself to champion the cause of free-
dom. He was following some Ennin led by Vanum Vaal from his homeland here to the city (thats the same Ennin member that Rill of Castle
Shard told us she knows), but the trail dried up, so he seems eager to seek out the Slave City with us. Karaal is quite a driven fellow in serv-
ing his cause. What must it feel like to believe in something so strongly?
After breakfast, we set out. The entry to the tunnels leading to the Slave City, Salsan said, is at the site of an enormous crater in the
Guildsman District. This hole one thousand feet across is all thats left after a part of the Undercity collapsed during the Chaos Days three years
back. People now call this the Delvers Hole, and its a really popular area for explorers. We enter a trap door in the ruins and descend a shaft.
There are gricks ahead! These things are tough (and, strangely, not as afraid of fire as I remember from dealing with them in the Delvers Guild).
We make our way down some stairs and past a number of intersections, but Salsan knows the way. We hear guttural voices and then a cry,
Children of Ravvan, we seek you! Clearly we are not the people these bugbears are looking for, and we attempt an ambush. Ravvan decrees that
your civilization will fall! the leader cries. Apparently, this Ravvan person is some sort of beast-god. The bugbears have with them a strange crea-
ture we call a peely-faced cat-dog. Its extremely tough, and so are they. By the time they fall, the battle has dropped both litorians and Karaal. We
limp back up to the city to heal our wounds. I take the weird creatures carcass with me, so I can get someone at the Guild to identify it for me.
I dont seem to be faring too badly, so I go with Barbatos back to the Dreaming Temple of Phoebul in the evening. The black, star-covered
temple doors stand open. Within, the temple is maze of small rooms surrounding a central domed chamber, with soothing stars twinkling
above (regardless of the actual weather). All around, dozing people (mostly elves) lie on padded mats, on divans, or on large pillows amid
soft clouds of incense or smoke.
The priestess, an elf named Saneris, welcomes us. We make a small donation to the temple and show her Kanagis poem. She studies it
carefully and eventually says, If this is the description of an actual dream, I would say it tells us two things: that the dreamer is deeply
disturbed about something regarding a past relationship perhaps the death of a spouse or lover and that he is extremely violent.
When we try to explain the poem, she says she doesnt know anything about the tiefling murders. She seems very sympathetic toward the
victims and possible victims-to-be, however. And being around all these sleeping people is making me tired. Im going home to catch some
dreams of my own.

SESSIONS XIII & XIVAT LAST, THE SLAVE CITY

9TH OF BLOOM
Today is a healing day. Its also an anxious one: Seanus is missing! He was supposed to find a safe place for our forlaran friend Kanagi.
Hopefully he found one. With nothing else to do for the moment, I go to work at the Delvers Guild, where my mentor tells me that our
peely-faced cat-dog is actually something called a krenshar. Gorti Jurgen doesnt know where I can sell the carcass, though.
Barbatos is off studying magic today. Some of the others try to sell our loot from the bugbears. Myraeth tells them that the bone ring we
found on one of them is a means of tracking a member of the Pactlords of the Quaan. We destroy it. However, we decide to go ahead and
sell the leaders evil magical staff. Morals are all well and good, but we need the cash if were ever going to buy this shop!

10TH OF BLOOM
Thank heavens, we receive a message from Seanus today. He and Kanagi are safe. Our friends are recovered, so we head back to the Delvers
Hole. Calistas wearing shiny new ultralight armor (its hard for her to wear something as heavy as my heavy brigandine). We retrace our
steps to a grand staircase going down. I mark our trail, just to be on the safe side. Somethings been eating the bugbears corpses, we can tell,
but we try not to dwell on the thought.
Following Salsan, we come upon an old festhall partially blocked by a wall of rubble and debris. Looks as though the residents of the
Slave City are trying to keep people out. We quickly clear a path but soon reach another blockage. Attempting to clear it, we meet a huge
snake with sickening eyes. Its huge! We battle it in a chamber beyond the rubble, but it grievously hurts Tharn. It was wrapped around a
statue of a dragon. We see dwarf runes here, rusted tools, and hammer reliefs. Nearby is a door into what must be Dwarvenhearth, the
ancient dwarven fortress. We cant get through, however.
Our path onward leads us down a side staircase and through a burrow to a huge chamber with checkered floor tiles. Large wood and
bronze war chariots stand here, unused. This place looks quite different from the dwarven area we passed. A mural here shows charioteers in
battle with dragon-men who stand eight feet tall. There is lots of silver dcor here. Salsan says were getting close.
12 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

We reach a gravity-free chamber where volts gravely wound Archinemus and Tharn with their wicked bites and electrical tails. We pass
through a curtain of sparks that removes magic. A boat made in the style of the war chariots lets us cross this gravity-free area. At the other
end, the checkerboard pattern picks up again. Peering into the next room, we see some sort of haze or distortion. Its an invisible barrier!
Exploring a little more, we find we have entered a labyrinth with invisible walls of force. After I bash out a section of the wall, we realize we
can test the outer wall, and we find a hollow spot with a secret door. There we enter a humid passage with statues of two beautiful, regal
women wearing silver-plated jewelry. The pedestal of one says Karanosin and the other says Karalada. They look like sisterstwins, in
fact. We pass through a sigil-marked door into a cavern with a lake of steaming water. Four little towerlike structures connected by a narrow
walkway emerge from the lake. Lightning spheres give us plenty of light to see.
Thissss iss it! exclaims Salsan. The sssteaming lake! Where do we go now, we ask our guide. The lizard man points straight down.

11TH OF BLOOM
We are faced with the challenge of crossing a narrow catwalk across a steaming lake. As we begin, a woman approaches us. Introducing her-
self as Taevel, she warns us that half a dozen guards are approaching. Taevel looks half starved. She just managed to escape from the Slave
City, she tells us. She has extremely poor vision. She tells us that two people have all the power in the city: Eyvind, a human wizard, and
Ssethenus, the citys lizard man leader. When we explain our mission to find our friends tribemates, she tells us that the only litorian there is
a woman. Taevel was once an Ennin slave, so shes spell-marked now. Shes afraid to return to the city, because if they ever find her again,
they can identify her easily.
We describe for Taevel the place we just passed through, with its large war chariots and statues of sisters in silver-plated jewelry. She says
she knows a story of these Silver Sisters, Karanosin and Karalada. Long ago they imprisoned dragon-men here beneath the steaming lake.
This whole area was their stronghold. The dragon-men came here long ago looking for something under the city called the Black Grail, but
the sisters beat them off.
The actual Slave City is built within a column that juts down into the lake. She said it used to be a good sanctuary for escapees like her,
until the coming of Ssethenus. Then came the wizard, who arrived to look for the citadels magic. Taevel gives us a rundown of the citys
security forces: a dozen unwilling ex-slave guards and eight eager lizardfolk. Were at the citadels back entrance now, she says. It looks very
defensible, with its four towers. A former slave named Moondros, a druid captured in the city, has heard of a way to teleport up to the city
from the lowest level of the citadel. We make a plan to sweet-talk our way in. Taevel casts spells on us to help. Our story: We are mercenar-
ies interested in freeing slaves to send here in exchange for a bounty. We hope this can get us in to see Ssethenus.
Wishing Taevel well, we advance to a gallery with a big glass wall. Through it we can see a globe with electricity and a prisoner inside it.
Is this one of the dragon-men?
Ssethenus, the King of the city, arrives in armor to greet us. We soon see for ourselves that this so-called city of freed slaves offers no
freedom at all: only a new sort of servitude. Ssethenus (Salsans former chieftain) rules this place with an iron fist and doesnt seem inclined
to let anyone leave. We offer him our mercenaries story, hoping that flattery will get us in good with him. The king seems interested in the
idea, then introduces us to Eyvind, whom he calls his advisor. The wizard, not liking the looks of us, suggests to Ssethenus that we should be
killed! The king holds off, though (mostly thanks to Salsans presence), and tours us around town instead. We pass an obelisk filled with lots
of leftover magical remnants, as well as more murals of the Silver Sisters, of the sort we saw on our way here. We emerge at an overlook
where we can see the city and its residents. It was beautiful here once, but no longer. And everyone seems cowed by Ssethenus.
Then Eyvind departs, and we manage to work out an arrangement with Ssethenus. Meanwhile, Calista and Tharn follow the wizard, hop-
ing to turn him into an ally. Calista later explained to us that he was studying to find the secret to this place. This wizard really seems to be
the one in power here, not the king. Calista told him our real reason for coming here: to speak to the litorian woman in the hopes of track-
ing down our friends tribemates. When she implied that wed be willing to battle Ssethenus to leave the wizard in full control of the citadel,
he agreed to let the litorian woman go with us, if we can locate her.
The rest of us do indeed locate her, but she is gravely ill. Diethan said he can heal her, thank goodnessits only a mundane disease. The
old litorian lady, Norba, confirms that eight litorians from the tribe of Malethar were about to escape the slavers a while back, but the Shuul
bought them before they could. The Shuul buying slaves? Thats odd. Slaverys illegal, and the Shuul technologists are adherents of law and
order. Perhaps the old ladys delirious with fever. As we depart with her, were amazed at the size of this place. We pass many doors, and go
down many grand staircases. This Slave City is huge! On our way, we have to dispatch two lizard man bodyguards.
Meanwhile, Eyvind has learned of our deal with Ssethenus, and warns the king that we havent been honest with him. That doesnt real-
ly matter, though, because by now weve raised an alarm among the Slave City residents and have armed many of them for a clash with
Ssethenus and Eyvind. Were victorious in this clash, but it takes its toll on us: That wizard put our two litorians to sleep, staggered Karaal
(our champion of freedom ally) and me, and blinded Diethan! But hoorah for our new ex-slave alliestheyre willing to fight and follow us
out of the city to freedom! As were mopping up, we locate a captive druidess, Moondros, a beautiful winged fey. We free her from her
bonds (the wizard Eyvind had kept her prisoner). Shes blind too. However, shes willing to lead these people as free folk, making this city a
true refuge once more.
We take the last three lizard man guards captive and find a storeroom of food to feed the ninety-eight ex-slaves left here. Salsan informs us
that hes staying to be captain of the guardour three lizard man captives agree to follow him. We distribute Ssethenus gold to each slave
and take Moondros back up to the surface city in the hopes of finding her healing magic for her blindness. Joining us are any ex-slaves who
wish to leave the city. Some are afraid that if they return to Ptolus, their old masters will find them again. Karaal decides to stay to help pro-
tect the ex-slaves. I will miss himI found his devotion to the cause of freedom truly inspiring.
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 13

SESSIONS XV & XVIWERE REALLY IN BUSINESS NOW

STILL THE 11TH OF BLOOM

We encounter Taevel again as were leaving the Slave City, and she joins us on our trip to the surface. (We now understand why her vision
seemed so poorshe was blinded by the wizard, Eyvind, just like Diethan and Moondros were.) We return to the city without incident.
While Archinemus goes to sell our loot and the litorians remove poor Norba to the Mane for nursing, I take our blinded friends to the
Temple of Teun. Now, granted, I dont observe services to the Mother of All Machines as often as I should, but the place has prospered since
I was here last. The machine-making Shuul have ascended in power in Ptolus of late.
In any case, a priestess here cures the blindness. Of course, she does not entertain for a moment that the Shuul could ever have bought
slaves, litorian or otherwise, despite what Norba has told us. The Shuul support law and order, and its not conceivable that they might break
the law in that fashion. My friends dont appear convinced. As for me, I dont know what to think.
During our time together Im surprised to hear Moondros tell me that she knows of my people, the Hu-Charad! At first I wonder if she
merely read the name off my brooch, but no, she says they were here thousands of years ago. They excelled in rituals and magic and shep-
herding the land. Some minor races owe their existence to the Hu-Charads uplifting, she adds. But long ago they returned to their land
across the sea. What surprises me most is that she says the Hu-Charad were a race of giantsnot simply tall humans. Its all very puzzling.
After the visit to the temple, we hit the Ghostly Minstrel for dinner. Some elves there seem happy to see Moondros. Well, her big slivery
wings do draw a bit of attention.

12TH OF BLOOM
Today I go with Tharn to ferry more food to the Slave City. Meanwhile, someone sends Barbatos a vase as a gift to the publisher of The
Midtown Partisan (his anonymous newssheet). More later.

13TH OF BLOOM
We return from the Slave City today. With Moondros in charge there and Karaal and Salsan to back her up, I think those people are going to
be all right. I wish Id had more time to talk to Karaal, though. When I tried to ask him how he knew his cause was worth spending his life
fighting for, all he did was smile at me and say, Dont worry, Benris, youll know. Im not so sure.
Anyhow, something weird happened today. Barbatos had placed his gift vase on his dining table, and in the night it fell off the table
and broke. Last night he heard a strange skittering noise in his room, and when we investigated today, we were aghast to discover a
yucky hand and arm trailing regenerative goo! It could propel itself quite quickly across the floor, and it even tried to strangle Diethan!
Spunky thing. We manage to burn it up with alchemists fire. Piecing this adventure together, we realize that the vase must have held what
could only be a trolls finger! As it regenerated, it broke free of the vase. If we hadnt found it now, the troll-arm could have killed
Barbatos in his sleep!
On a hunch, we go over to my Dads house in the evening, and he confirms what wed feared: Yes, a package was delivered for me, from a
secret admirer. Using a spell, Calista was able to determine that the person who last touched my vase was a dwarf named Gudmund
Rockwater. We go to the Mane where the litorians stay and monitor the vase all night until Calista can cast her object reading spell again
and we can find out more.

14TH OF BLOOM
Today we learn that the vase was created by someone named Salora Hail, a human, in a shop in the South Market. Its most recent owner
was Gudmund Rockwater. Having learned what we wanted, we burn what has now become a trolls hand and wrist and head to Saloras
potters shop. She tells us that she sold Gudmund three or four of the vases. He lives nearby, but she doesnt know exactly where.
Barbatos buys a vase from her, sans troll finger. Salora suggests we try Thyra Stonehelm in a nearby hemp shopshe might know where
Gudmund lives.
Thyras certainly happy to help by passing along Gudmunds address. She says the dwarf is quite an unsavory type, but thats what shivvel
will do to you. When we arrive at Gudmunds doorstep, Barbatos charms him into revealing the name of his employer: a low-ranking mem-
ber of House Abanar named Zorin Sar. This businessman works through the lawyer Denoss Firth. Aha! Thats the lawyer who tried to pay
us to drop our attempt to buy Myraeths Oddities! Gudmund tells us that couriers are coming next week to pay him the balance of what hes
owed for sending the last batch of troll fingers, which he buys from the Dark Market under the city. Ive never been to the Dark Market, but
Ive heard that slavers are there a lot. Gudmund tells us that you get there through the Undercity Market (via a mercenary guildhall) after
giving a password.
Back home, we write a sharply-worded letter to Zorins lawyer, telling him to back off. Then the door opens: Its Seanus returning with
Kanagi, and theyre really hurt!

STILL THE 14TH OF BLOOM

Seanus and our forlaran friend Kanagi explain that the man who sent her the threatening note found them in their Warrens hideout. The guy
was tall with a magic sword. He was dressed as a knight with a white hood and cloak . . . and the symbol of Lothian on his shield. He
seemed to be working alone but said hed dreamed of Kanagis death and wanted to make it real. They ran. We ask Kanagi to put his picture
in an image crystal so we can all see what he looks like. Then that very night we spot him outside my rooms. He seems to be speaking to his
sword. Weird! What kind of radical is this, who wants to kill all creatures with even a drop of fiendish blood?
14 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

15TH OF BLOOM
The next day, Calista, Diethan, and Archinemus visit St. Gustavs Chapel, but Brother Fabitor (the only priest of Lothian we know) tells
them he doesnt know the guy in the crystal. However, he can see that the knight doesnt belong to a particular order. Their next stop, thanks
to an idea from Calista, is the Siege Tower, where they meet a member of the Keepers of the Veil named Phadian Gess. She recognizes the
knight as one Arad Pallamach. He worked with her order a few years ago, she says, but he left. She called him a fine and upstanding knight.
Humpf. She says he has no special sword that she knows of, and no mental problems either. Seems that hes acquired both in recent months.
Seanus and Kanagi are still over at my place. We set up a watch that night in a neighbors apartment and across the alley. Pallamach
approaches invisibly at midnight. He bursts through my window visible now, thanks to Archinemus throwing flour all over him. We defeat
him after a terrible battle during which, at one point, Archinemus and I both dive out the window. Pallamachs sword shows me horrific
images of swirling flame and babies dying all around Kanagi. Horrible! I can see how such a powerful weapon could warp a mans mind.
We take the screwy knight to the Temple of Asche (god of cities) and try to see our friend Mand Scheben, who helped Barbatos with his
ear-seeker malady a while back. Pallamach awakes at the temple and seems resolute in his convictions for his missions. Mand believes hes
insane. Pallamach claims a great man gave him the sword. Mand offers to sweep it all under the rug and take him away to a place where
hell be well cared for and unable to hurt anyone. We want to give the guy every chance to recover, though, so we take him instead to
Phadian Gess. She says theyll care for him. We leave him in their good hands. Now Kanagi can breathe easy.

16TH TO 23RD OF BLOOM

Im spending some time studying local knowledge with Diethan. But the other night I found myself overcome with weariness. I went to bed
and slept for two days! I had no idea adventuring could take so much out of a person. The only trouble is, when I awoke, all my clothes
seemed to have shrunk. Well, thats what I thought at first, but Seanus swears its ME thats changed.
And hes right: Ive grown eight inches in the last two days! This must be another strange consequence of my Hu-Charad heritage. I grit
my teeth and go over to Dads to show him my new height over eight feet now and tell him what Ive learned about these people who
left me as a baby. Dads a good egg. He says it doesnt matter if Im ten feet tall, Ill always be his daughter. Great Kint, can a person really
get that tall? Id have to move into an apartment with higher ceilings!
As it is, I have to get new clothes and take my armor in to be enlarged again. Along that same line, I decide to buy a shield as well as a
great maul, in case we have to face some skeletons next time were in the Dungeon. You cant be too careful.

24TH OF BLOOM
We venture back into the Halls of Cordaris to deal with the undead that we unwittingly unleashed on the city when we unblocked the
entrances. We hear someone moving ahead of us. Following bloody tracks, we see a skeleton exuding blood. In the big battle that ensues,
Calista traps eight of the undead monstrosities at once with her eldritch web makes it easy for the rest of us to clean them up.
As were finishing up our grisly foes, we spy two figures in bone armor. What have you done!? they exclaim. Just as its sinking in that they
are members of the Forsaken as foul a group of undead-loving cretins as youd ever want to see Calista just sort of goes nuts. She attacks the
pair, launching herself at them and is cut down before her surprised comrades can even back her up. When weve taken care of those two, she
comes to again and slits their throats for good measure. Ive never seen her like this! It makes me wonder what it is we dont know about her. . . .
Exploring a bit more, we find a secret panel leading to a narrow stairway down to the Blood Pool from which the bleeding undead
emerged. We leave this place for later and set the shallow pool on fire. Diethan assembles the treasure scattered about the place, and I carry
it out. This haul contains a pill that confers darkvision on one who swallows it the sort of thing used by the Shuul more and more often
these days. Strange. A scroll we find on the bodies of the two Forsaken calls these undead The Lords of Blood and urges the Forsaken
agents to request parley with Irithul to seek alliance. The note was signed Shigmaa Cynric. It sounded pretty desperate.

25TH OF BLOOM
We need to spend today healing up. It takes a little time for us to get our magical treasure items identified. Meanwhile, Archinemus and
Diethan go to finalize our deal with Myraeth to buy the shop.

26TH OF BLOOM
Today we take ownership of Myraeths Oddities! I cant believe that we really managed to pull it off! We hire Seanus as our official appraiser.
Taevel, our friend from the Slave City, says she will clerk for us in exchange for a salary and a place to stay in the back room.
Myraeth Tuneweaver takes us on a tour of the place weve got inventory worth seventeen thousand gold! Of course, we still owe the elf
a thousand gold every month for the next two years before the place is fully ours, plus two extra balloon payments. Anyhow, Archinemus
thinks the place should bring in two thousand gold in monthly profits. How can we lose?

SESSIONS XVII & XVIIITHE DANGEROUS LIVES OF SHOPKEEPERS

STILL THE 26TH OF BLOOM

I take Taevel and Seanus to the market to buy some store-clerk style clothes. Not being much into shopping, Tharn and Charnoth interview
bodyguards for the shop while Archinemus and Calista run the store. Customers dont seem to trust us as much as they did Myraeth I
guess these things take a while. Goldshield agents arrive to explain that the city pays them to watch out for magic-using thieves (those who
would enter the shop invisibly and charm the clerk into giving away merchandise).
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 15

27TH OF BLOOM
Today its my turn to guard the shop while the litorians interview more bodyguard candidates. Tharn and Charnoth both seem to be in love
with an applicant named Dessa, a tough litorian monk. However, they instead come back with Jora Deepblade as our stores new dwarf
bodyguard. Shes impressive. But Tharn is pining for Dessa maybe shell join us on our search for the kidnapped litorians.
Some bruisers and a scary scaly guy in a cape (a troglodyte, I later learn) come in and claim that Myraeth made a deal with Kevris
Killraven, which meant we owed protection money. What a racket! We learn from Myraeth himself that he never made any such deal with
the Killraven Crime League. Instead, he set things up with the Sisterhood of Silence to keep criminals away. They keep tabs on all magic
items owned in the city, it seems. (Theres a big job!) Although the Mother Superior is spiteful, difficult, and hateful, he encourages us to
renew his deal with her, for the good of the store. That means meeting with her and allowing her to investigate us. Feeling a little intimidat-
ed, we send a message to the Mother Superior at the Priory of Introspection.

INTERLUDE
The undead of the Blood Pool in Cordaris are apparently vanquished, the Dream of Death killer is safely incarcerated, and the Slave City is
once again free. Myraeths Oddities is under new management, and its even staffed with new employees.
Now, we turn our attention to the dark elf wizard Shilukar, hiding somewhere in the city. A large bounty rests upon his head for burgla-
ries and other unpleasantness, but we know he also holds the key to freeing Lord Abbercombe from his magical stasis, a task the lords of
Castle Shard are most interested to see accomplished. That magical stasis, youll remember, is the result of some item that Shilukar used,
based on divinations performed after we liberated Lord Abbercombe.
We also know that Shilukar has a personal relationship with Biesta, the half-elf sister of Linech, a distasteful drug smuggler with a very
messed-up family. Shes a well-known gadabout in the local taverns and, from what weve seen, probably a shivvel addict. Apparently,
Shilukar gave Lord Abbercombe to Linech, who in turn let the golden lord fall into our hands without a struggle.
We have heard rumors that Shilukar has perhaps in disguise as a Shoal elf been asking around about strange types of technology. Is
he using all the gold gained from his robberies, aided apparently by a number of gnolls (infrequent visitors to Ptolus, to say the least), for
some other scheme? We know that he has sold many of his ill-gotten gains through a human fence named Ammel Dar.
Kanagi the forlaran apparently knows a few dark elves in the city and after we helped her escape from her would-be slayer, she has agreed
to take us to one named Esaer (which sounds like a false name to our earstoo Elvish).

27TH OF BLOOM
Today we go to Marins, a bar in the Guildsman District, to find Kanagi. Not the most savory place Ive ever been in, thats for sure. We find
her surrounded by admirers and plan to meet her the next day at noon at the Mane to go see her dark elf acquaintance. While at the bar, we
see another litorian, one by the name of Maroth. Charnoth doesnt get to chat with him, though, as hes off in the forest outside of town
mediating. He really doesnt seem to like it here too much.

28TH OF BLOOM
We meet Kanagi so she can take us to Esaer. We enter the Warrens, the worst part of town, and make our way to a two-story building.
Esaer is a dark elf with burn scars all over his hands. He wants to know who we are, but all we tell him is that we need help finding
Shilukar. Not a friendly character, but I think hell help us for one hundred gold coins. He takes us up to meet Ielenna, a matron who
wants Shilukar dead (apparently, Shilukars from House Vrama, but betrayed even them). Ielenna is of House Yurganth. Three years ago,
she said, the fortress of House Vrama (Ul-Drakkan) was destroyed, but Shilukar sifted through the rubble and found magic items galore,
and something called chaositech too. He now seeks even more for some scheme of his own. He found an idol of Ravvan the Beast-God,
which may be a conduit to Ravvans realm. These items make him extra powerful. The idol was likely there to appease the dark elves
bugbear and gnoll servants.
She said Shilukar lives in the Guildsman District near Delvers Hole. She said we must traverse the interior of the hole almost to the bot-
tom to find his lair. She warns us that he has many guardians mostly gnolls, but also some critters that hes created. Ielenna offers to show
us a secret way in. What does she want in return? Shilukars head. We agree.
Back at the shop, Killravens troglodyte agent returns to threaten us again. What a nasty, smelly guy! He claims that his friends will put us
out of business unless we pay up. Somehow, I dont think weve seen the last of him.
After dark falls, a sneaky guy in ash-grey robes approaches the shop with hell hounds, a wizard, and two archers. They wound us and
even manage to poison us with those damn arrows, but we havent spent all that time down in Cordaris for nothing. We send them packing.
However, we will need to heal up for a little while before we go after Shilukar.
I never would have thought that shopkeeping could be as dangerous as adventuring!

SESSIONS XIX & XXDESTINATION: SHILUKAR

29TH OF BLOOM
We gather to open the shop in the morning. Charnoths back in town with his bear companion, Chrondar. Business is slow we decide we
should have some sort of grand opening event. We do get a visit from sort of a celebrity, though: the adopted son of Serai Lorenci (one of the
Runewardens)! He has a rune on his face just like the Runewardens themselves do. An albino retainer came along with the boy. Diethan said
hed heard that this fellow was actually Serais familiar polymorphed into human form, but thats hard to believe.
16 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

Later we hear why business has been so slow: Killraven is spreading rumors that people who shop here will get hurt. Killravens troglodyte
sends us a little gift, too: a Going out of Business sign. Sounds like a declaration of war to me. But who are we to fight the Crime League?
Thankfully, we hear back today from the Sisterhood of Silence. The good news is they will meet with us on the Eighth of Sun at the
Fourteenth Hour. The bad news is thats still ten days away! We stand sentinel at the shop again this evening, but no one comes to
attack us.

30TH OF BLOOM
We regroup at noon and are unsurprised to see that we have no customers. We plan a sale for the Ninth of Sun: 10 percent off everything,
and 15 percent off for members of the Delvers Guild. I go in to work at the Guild this afternoon.
All last night Diethan sought Shim the skulk to call in a favor (we did save him from certain death in the prison of the Halls of Cordaris,
after all). He hopes to meet him tonight. Meanwhile, Tharn tries to locate the assassins lair, and I watch the shop again. No attacks.

1ST AND 2ND OF SUN

I head back to the Guild with flyers that Barbatos printed about our upcoming sale. Calista and the litorians celebrate a gathering at the
Mane shes already become quite adept at their language (it just sounds like a lot of snarls and growls to me).

3RD OF SUN
Business is still slow, and were bored. We think the time may be right to go after Shilukar, as the dark elf priestess, Ielenna, and the lords of
Castle Shard asked of us. Does he have a connection to the technology-loving Shuul? Would he know something about the litorian slaves?
Does he have the key to freeing Lord Abbercombe?
We head over to the Delvers Hole and find the path to his lair that the dark elf priestess described, though it was fairly well concealed.
On our way sneaking down, we run into carrion crawlers and gnoll guards. We arrive at Shilukars lair, and gnolls and hyenas pour out at
us. Guess we werent as sneaky as we thought. Barbatos manages to hold them off with a fireball. (It was really impressive.)
As we enter Shilukars fortress/complex, gnoll archers and axemen surround us, but we fend them off. This place is very old, with grue-
some pillars that look like people holding up the beams of the ceiling. We find chaos symbols on many walls inside. This must be an old
chaos temple and one with something to hide, judging by the traps we encounter along the way.
Stairs lead up to a chamber with a beast-god motif: skins, blood, and similar trappings. Is this place for the Children of Ravvan, we won-
der? Do not enter without a beast in your soul and a howl on your lips a sign says. We make our way into a great chamber with a swirling
vortex of some kind on the far wall. Theres also a huge creature in here dripping with sweat and chains. Its not moving, but its not a statue
either. Tearing and snarling sounds come from the vortex. Could that be a doorway into the realm of Ravvan, the beast-god, whom Ielenna
told us about?
It looks like it. A pedestal in this chamber holds an idol of a creature that emits blood-red energy into the vortex. This definitely looks like
the beast-god idol and conduit that the dark elf priestess wanted. (Of course, we didnt promise to bring the idol to her) I open my mist of
divination protection, put on gloves, and grab the idol. Suddenly, the creature and the vortex both disappear, the howling cut short. An
enraged gnoll emerges a blue gnoll! Clearly part demon, Calista says. The blue creature says we will die for this sacrilege to the Children
of Ravvan. Great.
Meanwhile, Barbatos has accidentally closed himself into a room with a one-eyed spider-bug and a dark elf Shilukar! commanding
a whole horde of gnolls. Shilukar says hell save Barbatos if he surrenders. I, on the other hand, threaten to smash the idol if he doesnt let
Barbatos go. The only problem with that idea is that the horde of gnolls would make short work of us all
Calista casts an eldritch web spell on the blue gnoll woman, but Charnoth falls to her blows as soon as she escapes the webs. Oddly,
Shilukar seems to have no interest in fighting us. They release Barbatos and the creature (clearly a projection, we realize now) returns, as
does the vortex. Shilukar calls the gnoll woman Brugul and tells her to stand down. The gnolls surround us. We hear her call the Ravvan
idol Father (no wonder shes so tough!).
Shilukar wants us to talk about our masters in Castle Shard and takes us to a side room. He does seem to want to help us not what
we expected. He has a message for the Lords of Castle Shard: He wants them to let him live there under their protection in exchange for him
restoring Lord Abbercombe to his normal state. The dark elf claims he engineered our recovery of the golden statue-man in the first place, as
well as our visit here today.
He needs sanctuary, he says, a place where he can pursue his chaositech and other experiments in peace. (Dark elves are illegal in the city,
of course.) I notice that hes carrying some really freaky-looking tools on his belt he calls himself a machinist, but I know chaositech when
I see it. He says hell also give us two thousand gold coins if we do him a favor against a common enemy. I know where the captive litori-
ans are held, he tells us.
Now what are we supposed to do?

SESSION XXI & XXIIAGENTS OF CASTLE SHARD

STILL THE 3RD OF SUN

Shilukar sends us back to Castle Shard with a message: In exchange for the life of Lord Abbercombe, I wish sanctuary and protection from
Castle Shard. Gnolls lead us out of the place (sadly, we have to leave behind a pile of loot!) through the abandoned chaos temple and gnoll
barracks.
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 17

Back at the shop, things are still slow (what a surprise) so we waste no time in sending off the message to Castle Shard. Then some of us
visit the Temple of Asche to heal some festering demon flail wounds. (These wounds do not smell right, Charnoth says, concerned for us.)
I head over to the market to sell what loot we did manage to collect on this last trip into the Dungeon. Castle Shard sends back word that
they will meet with us tomorrow afternoon.

4TH OF SUN
We head over to Castle Shard after lunch. Kadmus greets us at the door, gracious as ever, and shows us to a waiting room. A Shoal elf we
dont recognize is already there. Hes an emaciated-looking guy smoking a cigarette with a long cigarette holder. Kadmus introduces him as
Master Autumnsong. Ah, Moynath Autumnsong, yes, weve heard of him hes one of the most powerful wizards in Ptolus! Turns out hes
one of the snootiest, too. I guess he stays here at the castle when hes in town.
Zavere and Rill listen to our message with concern. They dont know Shilukar, but they want us to find out more: Whats his ace in the
hole? Why shouldnt they just go down to his lair and destroy him? And is he willing to take their oath of nonviolence if he comes under the
castles protection?
To learn more about this dark elf, we decide to send Seanus to seek Linechs half-sister Biesta again she was palling around with
Shilukar when we saw her back at Linechs place, where, incidentally, we first saw the statue of Lord Abbercombe.

5TH OF SUN
Today Tharn buys a new sword, which he names Wolf-Brother. Meanwhile, I have finally saved up enough money to visit an akashic to
find out more about my heritage: Where I came from and why I wound up down in the Dungeon as an infant for delvers to find is a big
mystery.
I have to pay five hundred gold coins in bribes to locate the akashic, who lives in a place in Oldtown. When I speak with her, she confirms
that, yes, the Hu-Charad are an ancient people from another continent far away. She couldnt learn much about them where they are its
as though where theyre from is beyond her reach (and thats weird; she doesnt seem used to the idea of any information being beyond her
reach). She tells me of a ruin on the coast north of Ptolus, a place called Ar-Nampur. Most historians dont know who built this fortress, but
she knows that the Hu-Charad did. It has been explored thoroughly over the centuries so most people now ignore it. However, she tells me
that there are undiscovered reaches in Ar-Nampur that might give me more information about my heritage. She also says that, unknown to
anyone, the Hu-Charad returned to Ar-Nampur to visit only twenty or so years ago. Wow! That corresponds with the time of my birth! But
why did they leave me
Sadly, the akashic does not know. She does tell me that these people are excellent sailors, that they are wise and knowledgeable about
magic and life. Hmn, it doesnt sound like Ive inherited anything from them.
When I go home and tell my Dad everything Ive learned, he promises to look into those ruins of Ar-Nampur, see what he can find out
about them. He reiterated that I was left in a safe place under the city, not in some faraway ruin to die. The people who found me said it
seemed as though I hadnt been there long. Will I ever learn the truth?

6TH OF SUN
Seanus sets up a dinner date for us with Biesta for tomorrow at the Ghostly Minstrel. He never lets us down! Meanwhile, Diethan checks up
on Lunes, the wolf we kenneled over at Lendarick a while back. Her training is proceeding maybe shell be a good addition to our band
after all. Many in the group have been happy to have these last few days to rest up and train ourselves.

7TH OF SUN
Business is still poor, so I put in a few more hours at the Delvers Guild. Biesta shows up at dinner this evening with dark circles under her
eyes. Barbatos whispers that shes clearly hooked on shivvel. (How would he know?) She recalls a ruckus at Linechs office when the gold
statue vanished, then he and Shilukar split. She still sees the dark elf, though. She trusts him, I guess.
She hears Shilukar talk sometimes about these machines hes making. He goes about the city disguised as a Shoal elf. He hates the Shuul,
an organization of technologists and machine-workers who seek to resurrect some of the classic Prustan technologies lost to us these days.
She thinks the gnolls are not from around here but were brought here with magic. He uses items of magic (wands, scrolls, creepy spidery
things) in his work. She calls him generous and rich andget this!says he knows what people are thinking! Great, powerful and psychic.
Biesta says he fears a group in the city here that can take people over from a distance, but he never got more specific than that. He is inter-
ested in politics: who is in control of the city, the Commissars doings, and so forth. He sometimes goes away for days at a time. She doesnt
know where he lives now. (We do not enlighten her.) She thinks he visits the Steam Foundry and Technicians Guild in the Guildsman
District, but why would he go there?
In any case, were pleased with all the information we managed to buy with only a single dinner.

8TH OF SUN
We prepare for our Big Sale event tomorrow, then head off to our appointment with the Sisterhood of Silence at the Priory of Introspection
in the Temple District. I sure never thought Id ever be visiting places like this!
Like everyone in Ptolus, Ive seen the Sisters around from time to time. They all wear black and white habits and carry greathammers. The
priory they live in is a complex of colonnades and corridors. A eunuch ushers us into a big reception room with a screen at the far end.
Apparently they wont let us actually see the Mother Superior shes behind the screen, but a eunuch translates for her.
18 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

We have petitioned for the Sisterhoods continued support of our business, along the lines of the protection they extended to Myraeth him-
self. At first it sounds like were out of luck. You have nothing to offer the Sisterhood now, the Speaker translates, and our hearts sink.
But you may in the future, and we are willing to take that risk. Were told that we have their support, and that at some time in the future
they will come to us with tasks they need us to perform. We appreciate your faith in us, Calista says graciously. But I can hear Barbatos
grumbling in the back about being indebted to an order of crazy, power-mad nuns who refuse to talk.
As we are about to take our leave, the translator interrupts us with a question from the Mother Superior. What is the Legacy? Now,
where did that come from? Was she sifting through our thoughts all this time? (I suddenly feel very self-conscious: What have I thought
about since we entered this place?) Calista replies that we dont know what the Legacy is, exactly. That will have to be rectified, the
Mother says via her Speaker. We will be in touch. So, I guess were not done with the Halls of Cordaris after all!
When we get back to the shop, lo and behold, we have a dozen customers! People say they were passing by and just felt like stopping in.
Talk about fast results!
Later that evening, we learn from Shim, our skulk friend, that the name of the Killraven agent who attacked us and got away is Sanalin
Resare. He tells us that all four of the attackers worked for Killraven.

9TH OF SUN
Our big sales event goes great! We hold a raffle for door prizes and have lots of sales. But sadly, our troglodyte friend comes back, threaten-
ing that even though he cant hurt us at Myraeths, we are fair game when we leave the shop. Putting a brave face on this wont prolong
your lives, he hisses and leaves. We renew our desire to trounce him at some future date and go out for a celebratory dinner.

10TH OF SUN
After work at the Delvers Guild we head over to the house Shim described where Sanalin Resare resides. We call out his name and charge in.
Three foes are upstairs, four are downstairs. One of them breaks my magical axe! Now this is really personal I take his own axe, but it
just isnt the same. After a prolonged battle, we lay them all low.

11TH OF SUN
Taevel has detected magic and identified our most recent loot from our strike at our would-be attackers, and Archinemus takes it to the mar-
ket to sell. He finds this dwarven weaponsmith named Gaen Cloudstone who says he can fix my greataxe but then Calista surprises me by
fixing it for free with a spell! Im so excited to have it back, I take her out to dinner.

12TH OF SUN
Ready to deal with our dark elf friend, we set off once more for Shilukars lair. Before one set of stairs, the gnoll leading us down snaps his
fingers twice (you know, come to think of it, we saw that done before, too). He leads us through a chamber that holds a couple five-foot-
long spiders with wolf heads up on a web on the ceiling. Some of the dark elfs experiments, I suppose.
We pass from the spider room to a chamber with a chemical smell and colorful liquids bubbling in huge vats. Shilukars waiting for us.
Tell us more about the key to freeing Lord Abbercombe, we say, attempting to take charge right off the bat. The wily dark elf says hes the
key if hes harmed or dead, he cant help Lord Abbercombe, who is currently frozen in stasis. Hes willing to undo the freeze if we take on
a mission against our mutual foes. Its hard for me to believe I have foes in common with an evil creature like Shilukar, and even MORE dif-
ficult when I hear who hes talking about. Its the Shuul!
The Shuul arrived here in town about three or four years ago, and since the defeat of the chaos factions, they have become quite pow-
erful advocates of Law throughout the Empire so powerful, they could even sway the decision on who the new emperor should be. Its
a noble and hard-working group, and I cant for the life of me see why I should believe a dark elf when he tells me that I should work
against them.
He actually had the nerve to accuse the Shuul of working in secret for the crime lord Kevris Killraven and her organization of Sorn techno-
mages. Shes growing even more powerful than the Balacazars of late, and according to Shilukar she is working with the Shuul on a machine
that will wipe out the last vestiges of chaositech in town a machine that supposedly involves dwarves and litorians.
It seems that a scientist named Doctor Feegus is in charge of this weapon and, according to the dark elf, he has the litorians from
Charnoths tribe! Shilukar will pay us twice the bounty on his own head (two thousand gold) for the head of Doctor Feegus. He doesnt
know where this lab is, but he can tell us that Feegus assistant, Nerlene Camus, visits the Healers of the Sacred Heat on the first of each
month for a goiter treatment. If we want to find Feegus, we could do it through her. Shilukar claims that all he wants out of this arrange-
ment is to be able to do his pure chaositech research and development without having to fear this new device. (But I do notice that nothing
in this lab of his seems in the slightest related to machine skills everything in here is very organic, not tech at all.)
Well, I know the Shuul congregate in the Technicians Guild in the Guildsman District, and also at the Foundry (where they manufacture
steam devices) and the Tower of Science in Oldtown, plus, of course, the Temple of Teun. Im a member of that church myself, which makes
it doubly hard for me to believe that law-abiding Shuul workers would truck with SLAVERS! These dark elves are full of lies.
After leaving Shilukar this afternoon, we send a message to Castle Shard saying we have news, and they invite us for dinner the next day. I
feel kind of a cold shock when I realize that I dont have anything appropriate to wear to a dinner at a castle, but Barbatos helps me buy
some nice clothes at a store for tall women. Well, actually, they also sell clothes to fit tall men and ogres, creatures with wings, and other
unusual types. Hmm, Im not sure Im entirely comfortable in this category of odd-sized shopper
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 19

13TH OF SUN
We get ourselves all tarted up (Barbatos words) and head over to Castle Shard for dinner tonight. Something unexpected happens right off
the bat: Were given friendship bands to signify our relationship with the lords of the castle! Wow, wait till I show Dad!
The Shard at the center of the castle seems extra bright tonight, and for a minute there I could have sworn I saw a woman in the center of
the enormous jewel. At dinner we enjoy aged elven wine, shrimp cocktail, and pheasant. The satyrix named Narasha is there, and she seems
to really have the hots for Diethan, which makes our pal decidedly uncomfortable. Consequently, he drinks a lot perhaps hes trying to
make her seem more attractive. Charnoth and Tharn take away Diethans weapons, encourage him to acquit yourself as a warrior, and
push him toward Narasha, but Zavere warns her off, saying we have business.
After the meal, we update Zavere and Rill on Shilukars latest news. Lady Rill tells us an interesting piece of information: that on the night
we met Mand at the Ghostly Minstrel (where he saved Barbatos from the ear-seekers), hed been told to go to that tavern to meet someone
that night. Was he manipulated by Shilukar into meeting us and having us in his debt, so he could line us up to handle the Linech affair for
Castle Shard and discover the golden Lord Abbercombe?

14TH AND 15TH OF SUN

We decide to spend some time gathering information on dwarven projects, machine parts, and the Shuul. The leader of the Shuul, a man
named Savane, lives in the Tower of Science. Terrel von Mitteram (the Shuul head of security) and Necent Kamara (an administrator) are
also high-ups in the organization. Mand sets up a meeting with us in a few days to discuss chaositech with his friend Aprata Nachov, an
expert on the subject. Tharn even asks Shim to nose around for news of this crazy anti-chaos machine.

16TH AND 17TH OF SUN

I return to do some work at the Delvers Guild. Meanwhile, Calista speaks with Aoska of the Malkuth (I still cant believe my friend
shares a home with angels!). She tells Calista that she believes Terrel von Mitteram would love to see an anti-chaos machine created.
Apparently, hes quite the militant opponent of chaos. Aoska has seen no proof of a Shuul-Killraven alliance, but many believe there is one.
She adds that the Shuul owe allegiance to the Iron Angels; the Malkuth find these celestial patrons of machining difficult to tolerate for some
reason. She says the Shuul are less interested in law than in order.
Archinemus hears that Nerlene Camus was seeking litorian volunteers a while back for a special project; interested parties were to inquire
at the Technicians Guild. Charnoth and Tharn waste no time going over there to inquire, but no luck.
Meanwhile, a message comes for Calista from Shilukar! He says that if he gets his sanctuary at Castle Shard, he will give us information
on his blue demon-gnoll allies, so we can clean them up after hes out of there. Interesting approach: How did he know that Calista hates
demons with every fiber of her being? That dark elf knows too much, and the news about Nerlene and her litorian project makes me
worry that some of what he knows may actually be true.
A bit more mundane news: Taevel says a customer named Methir Orth came in looking for aethel stones. He had a rather odd manner, she
says, but he wants to buy a lot of them, if we can find any. Something to keep in mind if we get down to that place beneath the Fevered
Moon candle shop.

SESSIONS XXIII & XXIVWELCOME TO PYTHONESS HOUSE

18TH OF SUN
Barbatos and I go to Marans Odd Sizes again. Do they have any other tall customers like me? My age? (Its hard enough to meet men in this
city without scaring them off with my freaky height.) Sadly, Maran has no suggestions for me.
Meanwhile, Charnoth buys some barding for his bear companion, Chrondar. The bear doesnt seem to like wearing it too much.
Later, we meet at the Ghostly Minstrel with Aprata Nachov, an acquaintance of Mands. This elf woman has many ear piercings and a
bronze headpiece. She explains that chaositechs mechanics are powered by raw chaos neither magic nor science, but it can accomplish
impossible things. But chaositech betrays, she says, so she no longer serves chaos. She knows of the Shuuls weapon: Its called the Prajdall.
Apparently, Prajdall is an old Prustan word meaning hunters of Order. The project involves the Shuul taking dwarf volunteers and
changing them somehow. These changed dwarves can sense chaos and chaositech and are very powerful but not powerful enough for the
Shuul. Now this Doctor Feegus is looking for some other race to use instead of dwarves. I guess thats where the captured litorians from
Charnoths tribe come in. These creatures are grotesque, Aprata says, but she thinks the process can be reversed, as long as one has the prop-
er lab and chemicals. Feegus is guarded by Shuul knights (warriors in fancy plate armor wielding strange weapons with moving parts) and
the Prajdall themselves, of course. She doesnt think the project will work, however, as the Shuul are not powerful enough yet. She advises us
to use certain weapons and items (magic ones, not chaositech) against them. We pay Aprata five hundred gold to reveal more about these
weapons.
She tells us to go to a place called Pythoness House in Oldtown. Long ago, two women named Maquent and Radonna operated a brothel
there. But it was more than that Maquent was a prophetess and used sex to aid her divinations, it seems. The house was a front for the
chaos cults three or so years ago, but it has been abandoned since the fall of the cults. Rumors say the cult stored a secret cache of weapons
and magical devices there that would prove extra useful against the forces of law and order. Its all still there, in a vault, Aprata says. These
days, some say the place is haunted, but she gives us directions anyway.
20 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

19TH OF SUN
We stop in at the Records Office in the Administration Building to get the address for Nerlene, assistant to Doctor Feegus. Its the Tower of
Science what a surprise. Next we investigate records on Pythoness House: Its officially a ruin, no one local seems to own it. When we go
take a look, we see a large grounds with an iron fence around it and broken gates leading inside. The place is very old and, according to the
records, has been rebuilt over and over again a number of times in its history. We notice an old woman watching us as we go in. She said the
old owners all killed themselves rather than be captured. Then she gives us a vial to drink.
When do we drink it? we ask.
Youll know, she says.
How mysterious!
We enter the house, which seems more like a fortress, with its crumbling towers and imposing gatehouse. It seems colder inside than out-
side. We see chaos cult symbols in the courtyard. Come to me! a voice whispers. We cant see where its coming from.
Climbing up to a ledge, we fall under attack by skeletons! They all look like they once were women. We were murdered here, they
cried, and now you will be! I manage to pull a couple two-headed dogs off Barbatos while the others combat the skeletal remains of the
whores of Pythoness House.
I must feed! a mans voice whispers in the breeze, which seems to be blowing a green mist toward us. From out of the mist, a ram-head-
ed humanoid creature attacks me! Ive never seen anything like him before! Charnoth makes a flying leap and pushes the ram-demon off the
ledge; it disappears.
Chaos is the key, the mans disembodied voice whispers as we gather ourselves after the fight. Maybe the place is haunted! And then we
discover more bad news: a strange, invisible force field blocks off the entrance to the courtyard. We cant leave!
We climb up to a nest made of greyish hair in one of the towers of Pythoness House. Maybe it belonged to that strange ram-headed
demon that attacked me. We dont think we have the weapons to really hurt this demon; it will soon be after us again.
After a while, the force field seems to disappear, and we can once again leave the house. We havent yet drunk the old womans potion,
but as we leave, shes nowhere to be seen. We head over to the Temple of Asche, where our friend Mand Scheben checks us out. It seems that
the two-headed dogs managed to give Barbatos and me a nasty disease, and the ram-demon sapped our strength as well. He works his magic
on us all and assures us well be fine in a few days. Good. I can use a little rest.

20TH OF SUN
Today the broadsheets say that Empress Addares is beginning to gather an Army of the Empire. According to the reports, this army
includes elf, orc, and litorian mercenaries. Thats never been done before. I guess shes decided to cement her claim to the Lion-Guarded
Throne with force, if necessary. How will the other two emperors respond, I wonder?

21ST OF SUN
Today I go to work at the Delvers Guild. Pretty uneventful.

22ND OF SUN
Back to Pythoness House today. The litorian brothers are arguing over which one of them is the hunt leader. As soon as we pass through the
front door, were assailed by ratmen! Calista magically distracts one whos trying to throw a bomb he blows himself up instead.
Meanwhile, the male voice returns: Chaos is the key, it whispers. Where is that coming from?
Behind a purple curtain we meet more undead women. As Charnoth slices the unlife out of an incorporeal woman, she cries, Find my
journal and avenge me!
We come upon a statue of a fat, naked chaos priest in a lower level of the house. It holds powerful magic, were certain, but we cant get
the panel on its belly to open up. Paintings throughout the house depict men and women with demonic features having sex. Not my cup of
tea, artwise, but Barbatos pulls a couple of them off the walls to take back home.
When we hear the voice again, saying Come to me! we realize its coming from that magical statue. In a gruesome turn, when the statue
once again says, I must feed!, Charnoth and Barbatos try to feed it blood. It takes the blood, but nothing else happens. We do manage to
determine, however, that when the statue says, Chaos is the key, the force field across the entrance disappears. Thats good to know. After
leaving Pythoness House, we go off to sell our loot, then call it a day.

SESSION XXV & XXVIBACK TO PYTHONESS HOUSE

23RD OF SUN
I head over to the Delvers Guild, while the others hit the library. They learn that some chaos cults used to sacrifice a powerful cultist to bind
his soul to a place as a protector. Could that be the story behind the statue in Pythoness House?

24TH TO 29TH OF SUN

I put in some more hours at the Delvers Guild this week, while the others undergo some training. Diethan passes along a bit of news he
picked up: a human named Palkam Mosh has opened a new made-to-order magic item shop called the Emerald Eye in the Nobles Quarter.
Apparently hes some sort of old-fashioned wizard. I wonder if hell give us some competition at Myraeths?
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 21

30TH OF SUN
Today we head back into Pythoness House. A creaking sound seems to come from within the building. We wait for the statue the houses
guardian? to speak. Meanwhile, skeletons come down to attack us! We dispatch them easily and search the first two levels of the house.
We note that at one point the panel in the statue opens, but nothing else happens.
On the third level, little black winged women attack us near a figurine shelf, and we encounter some sort of mutant disruptor rats whose
tendrils paralyze! (Barbatos informs me theyre called osquips.) The rooms in here are full of trash but we do manage to find a glove, ring,
gem, and spell scroll in the clutter. We pass through a divination room with big (rotted) pillows to a chamber with red dust. Before our eyes,
two creatures are summoned: a large rat and a red leathery-skinned rider with a double-axe. We hear the voice of the chaos statue call out to
us: Destroy them! (Well, maybe it was talking to the creatures)
In any case, that rat-rider is one tough foe! Nevertheless, he falls to our combined might. We continue up another level to a bedroom with
a desk and papers. We look through them for the journal the former madam urged us to find, and were in luck! This journal warns of a
spirit named Taunell that haunts the gatehouse towers. Another haunting seems to involve the chaos statue and Radonna, whom we recall as
one of the brothels owners. But this isnt her journal, its Maquents.
Reading on, we learn that Maquent was a prisoner here, trapped by the will of the chaos cultists who used the house as their base. We
also learn at last! that the weapons we seek to use against the Shuul are in the cellar. We can get down there using a key Maquent calls
the spiral contrivance thats divided into two parts: one each for her and Radonna. Her half is in a tower, and the other is high up some-
where behind a secret door.

INTERLUDE
Pythoness House still holds its secrets (and its law-destroying treasures) tightly, but weve just found the mysterious journal of the prostitute-
prophetess Maquent, which offers some interesting insights into the haunted nature of the place. Things moving of their own accord, even
tiny statues leaping from shelves to attack something very strange is going on. Its like were fighting the house itself. Does it have anything
to do with the chaos statue on the ground floor? Perhaps one final foray is enough to plumb the depths of the house (hopefully without
another encounter with the goat-headed demon that dwells in the high tower).
Time, however, is an unkind ally. Already, tomorrow is the day that Dr. Feegus assistant, Nerlene Camus, goes for her monthly appoint-
ment with the Healers of the Sacred Heat. This may be our only clue as to how to get at Feegus, and our only shot (at least for a month) to
use it. Where is Feegus and his lab, where (presumably) he is holding the captive litorians, preparing to forge them into living weapons
against chaositech? What to do, what to do?

STILL THE 30TH OF SUN

Its now noon, and Diethan is waiting for us at the shop when we return from Pythoness House to make our plan. We know that Doctor
Feegus assistant Nerlene has an appointment at the House of the Sacred Heat for treatment of her goiter on the first of every month. This
could be our big chance to follow her and hopefully find the secret Prajdall lab! Tomorrow I will wait at the Technicians Guild for Nerlene
(records show that as her address), and the others all have their own assigned stations too. We are all staking out various locations where
Nerlene might go following her appointment.
This afternoon, I visit the Temple of Excellence and discover that I can pay a thousand gold to learn a new heroic feat. Thats good news,
but on the other hand, it seems as though I am always broke. Thank goodness Archinemus is selling our latest batch of loot this afternoon.

1ST OF GROWTH
At dawn I head over to the Technicians Guild. Calista and Diethan are already in place at the House of the Sacred Heat. They are going to
follow her from her appointment so we can trace her back to where she works and perhaps to the captive litorians from Charnoths and
Tharns tribe!
Calista and Diethan see her arrive in a carriage at the House of the Sacred Heat. Nerlene is a strange-looking character: big and broad-
shouldered, with yellow braids, an eye patch, and, of course, the goiter. Two big Shuul Knight bodyguards accompany her. After an hour or
so, Nerlene exits with her guards, apparently cured (for now) of her unsightly malady. Diethan and Calista follow them as they walk down
the Temple District and turn onto the Street of a Million Gods. A shimmer forms in the air near them, and two large creatures with apelike
faces and gray fur emerge from the shimmer more like a tear, actually. They charge on all fours, weapons at the ready. These are the
Grahlus, demon-apes and slavers that stand between nine and ten feet tall. Nerlene and the guards are quite surprised. So, too, are Calista
and Diethan. They rush in to help.
The Shuul Knights confront their foes with swords that look like scissors; one falls quickly. The terrifying ape-demons are definitely after
Nerlene. One of the creatures falls in the attack, and the other threatens the Shuul woman: Well be back for you and your tentacle-skulled
master! (Feegus has tentacles? Thatd be news. Shilukar said he was human.) Then he departs into his rip-portal, though which Diethan
briefly glimpses stone buildings amid a junglelike setting.
Nerlene and her surviving bodyguard thank our friends. We have no explanation for this attack! she says. She adds that shes from
Tarsis, where there are no demons in the streets. The Shuul will take care of this, she feels confident. Soon there will be no more demons
in the city! Calista and Diethan offer to accompany her for safety; they take a hired carriage. They let off Nerlene and her guard at a
Midtown warehouse. She gives our friends her calling card (an Oldtown address), saying that if they ever need her help, they should contact
her. As the carriage pulls away, they see a hole open up in the street right in front of the warehouse door. The knight and Nerlene disappear
down into it and are gone.
22 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

We all gather again to exchange reports. Mine is pretty dull compared to the rest not a thing happened at the Technicians Guildhall! At
the Foundry, Tharn was surprised to see little Linele, Linech Crans daughter. A while back we rescued her from the Covenant of Blood, a
group of vampires that use the horn of blood and work with the Balacazars. She was still a vampire, he notes, and whats more: She was
walking around in broad daylight, passing by with other little undead kids. Wheres the watch? Tharn asked her, referring to the demon-
possessed timepiece that her father wanted so badly. Ask the Six! she said softly in reply. Are you going to be a problem for the city?
our friend pressed. Ask the Six is all she would say. Then the kids started to taunt Tharn, and he nevertheless offered Linele his friendship,
to no avail. We agree that the Six must refer to the Covenant of Blood, which means Linele has fallen right back into their clutches.
Archinemus, who was casing the Tower of Science, reports that many of the Shuul who entered had shaved heads. Inside he glimpsed what
looked like an armored vehicle some sort of tank. Cool! Makes me want to build something myself. Perhaps a water heater for my apart-
ment. (Its a wet, chilly time of year.)
We decide that for now, we want to return to Pythoness House to find the pieces to the spiral contrivance key that will let us into the
cellar where the chaos weapons are kept. Well go in the morning. For now, we adjourn to the Mane for a celebration of Gathering Day. I
learn more about the eight litorians whom were seeking.
Also, we take inventory at the store today. We have some questions for Myraeth regarding selling off jewelry, gems, and other non-magic
items. A well-dressed guy named Jatarran Tayzor came into the shop today, Taevel reports, and offered to have us sell the magic items he
makes (wands and items of wonder) on commission.

2ND OF GROWTH
We return to Pythoness House as planned. In the courtyard, arrows pelt down on us as soon as we arrive. Skeletons are shooting at us! A
womans voice threatens us. We dash inside and upstairs.
When we arrive at Maquents bedchamber (where we found the journal), we hear the voice again. Turning, we come face to face with the
skeletons and an undead woman. Is it Radonna? Before we can figure it out, the skeletons converge on me, and I go unconscious. That hap-
pens twice in this battle, actually, but Calista brings me back each time. She even casts the final blow on the last skeleton. We withdraw,
badly hurt.
Will we ever manage to make it to the weapons stash in time to save the litorians from being turned into mutant machines? Im beginning
to wonder.

SESSIONS XXVII & XXVIIISUCCESS AT LAST!

STILL THE 2ND OF GROWTH

We sell our loot from our last foray into Pythoness House, and Tharn returns from the Mane to report on his brother, Charnoth, who has
been off outside the city walls communing with the Great Brother (whatever that means I think it has something to do with the Bear
Spirit).
During his time of meditation out there, it seems that Charnoth received a prophecy that the enslaved litorians will remain in the city but
out of our reach till the Harvest Moon. Then out of nowhere, he was attacked by black-robed humans and a half-ogre/half-troll named
Durg! They killed his bear companion, Chrondar, and beat up Charnoth pretty bad. During the fight, Charnoth heard one of the humans
remind Durg that they werent supposed to kill any litorians. (Why, so they can use them as more slaves?!)
Luckily, during the fight, Charnoths friend Mowrar arrived on the scene and together they fought off the attackers. Mowrar had come
from the plains seeking Charnoth, it seems, to tell him of trouble within the tribe of Malethar; Charnoth was desperately needed back home.
And so he left! Just like that! Tharn seemed sort of shocked about the whole thing. I dont blame him. But Tharn is staying in the city to see
through the quest for his missing tribemates.

3RD OF GROWTH
Seanus heard noises out in the alley late at night and went out to discover a big winged creature out there. In the morning we find a foot-
print of a large bird. From up on the roof, Tharn notes that a few shingles are missing. Hmm, thats weird.
Later on, Diethan and others ask around about an ogre/troll named Durg. They learn that he works as an enforcer for a human crime boss
named Korben Trollone, a.k.a. Korben the Keeper in the South Market. We wonder whether Korben works for Killraven. Apparently he likes
to go to an exclusive club called Swordthrowers in the Nobles Quarter. Aha, we found an invitation to that club in the house of the assas-
sins Killraven sent against us when we first took ownership of the store. While on watch this evening, Tharn sees a giant raven flying about
near our shop. Another link to Killraven. Meanwhile, Barbatos has to tend to the next issue of the Midtown Partisan, the broadsheet he pub-
lishes anonymously.

4TH OF GROWTH
We meet with Myraeth to discuss the liquidation of gems, jewelry, and art objects. He tells us of a group called the Gurhorond, a clan of
dwarves that operates Star Jewelers in the Guildsman District. They are always in need of gems and will pay full price. When we ask him
about the giant raven, he tells us that a witch named Volius Stern has a witchraven companion. This powerful and dangerous character lives
in Rivergate. Great, whys he poking around our store?
After reporting in at the shop, we visit the dwarves and sell a lot of gems and jewelry, then divvy up some of the extra cash. We also
advertise for part-time appraising help at the local hiring hall, so poor Seanus can have a day off now and then.
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 23

Next its off to Pythoness House again in the afternoon. The voice is gone as we enter, so thats good news. The statue looks the same as
the last time we were here, though. We start out on the fourth level, where we fought the skeletons before. We search Radonnas low-
ceilinged room. The statue resumes its cries. We can hear someone upstairs, today, too. We search the terrace garden for the lost pieces of the
spiral contrivance key to the statue as well as the key to the square tower, but all we find are some skulls and bones. While out there,
though, we see the hairy, horned goatlike demon watching us! Ignoring him, we head upstairs. We find a hatch in the ceiling that leads to the
square tower. The walls of this place feature abstract carvings of people. As we investigate, skeletal rats enter the room with a skeletal rat-
man, but we make short work of them. Through the hatch we find a chest (locked) and a mini-statue of the naked bald statue guy with half
of Maquents spiral contrivance the key! We take it.
Exploring the higher levels, we realize that ultimately we must confront the demon. In a torture room high up in the house we meet him,
catching him fairly unaware. After a heroic but traumatic battle on the ledge of his tower, we lay him low, and he disappears in a puff of red
smoke leaving behind his equipment, lucky us! Inside his tower we search his horrid nest. I even manage to remove one of the gemstones
from the emblem on the towers exterior, but I cant get at the others.
Back at the shop that evening, Seanus manages to open the chest it contains coins and other stuff. Seanus gets his pick from the chest (a
silver headband) as our thanks. Then we all head off to the Temple of Teun (or other houses of healing) to take care of these diseased rat
bites. Quite a full day!

5TH OF GROWTH
Today we finish up at the houses of healing. I visit the Temple of Excellence and participate in a magical ceremony that offers me training in
a new heroic feat. I feel ready for anything!

6TH OF GROWTH
What a surprise! We receive an invitation to visit Castle Shard tomorrow. While Im off at work at the Delvers Guild, Calista and Tharn
check into building onto our shop it would be nice to add living quarters. Sadly, its beyond our means at present.

7TH OF GROWTH
At Castle Shard, of all people, Lord Abbercombe comes to see us! Seeing the gold statue-man makes us realize that Shilukar must have
received the sanctuary he sought from Lord Zavere and Lady Rill, and restored the long-lost noble as he promised. We have mixed feelings
about anything where that dark elf is concerned.
Anyway, Lord Abbercombe thanks us grandly for helping to recover him. He said hes an adventurer like us and that Shilukar found him a
year ago while exploring dark elf ruins. The dark elf and his men jumped him and placed him in a sort of stasis (thats how we saw him at
Linechs burrow.) But at that point, he was already gold. It seems that when his house was undone by foes, he was poisoned by a magical
venom. He would have died if his friends had not placed his soul in this golden body. They were working to magically restore his own body
when they were set upon by the enemy and killed. His real body was destroyed, leaving him forever a living golden statue. The architects of
this deed were of House Vladaam.
He makes us a standing offer to help us if ever we need it Rill can always reach him. Its sad that he lost his noble house all those years
ago. We fill him in on our current missions. Just then, Shilukar shows up in his bathrobe. He reminds us that his old lair still has a gate to a
hellish dimension standing wide open. The blue demon woman apparently has a brother whos still on the loose, but he offered to give us
information to help defeat them. Barbatos panders to the dark elf and tries to impress us by drinking some of that nasty dark elf wine. We
warn him to watch it!

8TH OF GROWTH
Back to Pythoness House we go in the pouring rain. We still need to find all those chaos weapons that are stashed there somewhere! When
we arrive, we hear something moving in the gatehouse. Is it Taunell the ghost, warning us off? We walk through the gatehouse towers. Tharn
hears a whisper of, No, no, no! from the tower where I once saw a face. Our litorian friend cries out, Taunell! but there is no answer.
But Barbatos can tell theres magic in this tower, an aura that fluctuates in size.
We head back down to the first level of the south tower, which we find empty and dusty. We climb a ladder to higher levels. The castle
seems eerily quiet. As we ponder that, we run across a big pile of rat bones. Hmm, somethings been eating rats around here but what?
Or who?
Up we climb. We find a ripped portrait of a red-haired woman (Maquent?) and precisely placed piles of stuff. Does someone live here?
Opening a door, we come face to face with a two-headed man who seems to have been cobbled together out of spare body parts. He wears
the other half of the spiral contrivance around one of his necks! Dont kill him! a new voice calls to us. He is the last. You will be
trapped if hes gone. I must go fight.
Now who is THIS? The voice seems to come from an open trap door in the gatehouse roof.
So how to get the key from this aggressive, two-headed cobbledman? Barbatos hits on a solution: He gives him a potion of love to drink,
and the Cobbledman promptly becomes extremely fond of our wizard friend. He happily gives Barbatos his half of the key to the statue.
Barbatos has to give him his signet ring to console him as we head back downstairs.
We hear the slow voice of the statue below us: I must feed. Its pronouncements seem to come less frequently, the more denizens of this
place that we slay. An hour later when it says, Chaos is the key, Calista inserts the two pieces of the spiral contrivance into a slot in the
statue. It responds by sliding forward on a track and exposing a stairway down. At last!
24 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

We emerge into a low-ceilinged room (ouch! my head!) and pass by moldy crates and supplies. We note a shaft leading down through the
cobblestone floor into the solid rock. It doesnt appear to have been made by normal means. A corpse is affixed to a wall near the hole; it
has a symbol on its forehead.
I climb down the shaft into an icy cave at the bottom. As the others join me, I light a magical flame, hoping to melt some of the ice down
here: Its not natural! Through one icy wall, we see a frosty minotaur guardian it looks confused for a moment at the melting ice all
around it, then it bursts free and attacks us! We hit it a few times, and Calista distracts it with a spell, but just as it falls, another one bursts
free of a different icy wall. In time, we drop him as well, and Im happy to take up their giant weapons.
The minotaurs emerged from a niche in which we see a cold pool. Tharn dives into its chill waters with a rope attached to his waist so we
dont lose him. He sees a blind snake in the water covered with chitinous plates. A fight ensues underwater, and we manage to pull our friend
to safety as Calista boils the water in the pool and Barbatos hits the snake with magic missiles. Tharn resumes his scouting of the pool and dis-
covers another cave on the other side of an underwater channel. We all join him on the icy cold swim and are rewarded in the second cave
with a discovery of five frosty chests! Inscriptions on the chests confirm that we have found the chaos weapons weve been searching for!
Before we depart with the chests, we notice an iron door standing locked in the rear of the cave. A plaque on it reads: This is the great-
est of all weapons against the kings of order, created by that ancient elven champion Vaiod the Slayer. We decide to let that one wait for
another day.

SESSIONS XXVIII (CONTD) & XXIXPLANNING OUR ATTACK

STILL THE 8TH OF GROWTH

Its still pouring when we emerge from Pythoness House, triumphant, carrying the chests that hold the chaos weapons weve so long sought.
Two human men are waiting for us outside the house, plus a halfling and three tusked brutes one with green and purple mottled skin. Its
Durg and his gang, the ones who beat up on Charnoth!
One of the men has some sort of hypnotic birds on leads they manage to paralyze me. Then Archinemus and Diethan come racing up
and lay into our foes with fireballs and arrows. Not long after I come out of my trance, I go down under Durgs big meaty fists. So do Tharn
and Calista! This is looking bad, but in the end, Diethan shoots him with a magic arrow and he explodes! As we bandage ourselves up, we
note that Durg is beginning to regenerate, so we burn up all his pieces. That was nasty work.
As we leave, we hear the Cobbledman cry, STAAAAAAYYYY! (Barbatos love potion sure did a number on that creature.) We return to
our shop and determine that the chests we got from the house are trapped. Thats something for tomorrow. Were exhausted.

9TH OF GROWTH
Last night Diethan checked out the Swordthrowers Club, the place in the Nobles Quarter where Durgs boss, Korben the Keeper, likes to
hang out. A guard there stopped him and Lunes (his wolf) from getting a really good look at the place, though.
Also of interest: Rill appears magically to Calista today to tell her she scried on Shilukars lair and saw thirty-five bugbears and gnolls
being rallied by the two demon-gnolls. With Shilukar living the good life in Castle Shard, theres apparently no one keeping these creatures
under control.

10TH OF GROWTH
Last night Diethan learned that some weird mutated goblins were showing up around Delvers Hole (they could climb like spiders and had
many eyes). More of Shilukars experiments, we presume.
We try to open the Pythoness chests today using magic. Calista uses her magic to suppress the traps and open two of the chests. We find
bastard swords and a runic skull and a scroll, and pouches of dust. Everyone goes all ga-ga over the stuff, but it doesnt seem as great as my
trusty axe, if you ask me. I go check in at the Delvers Guild.

11TH OF GROWTH
We try again to open the other three chests. This time we discover a longsword, a spear, and a rod with a golden skull topper. Taevel helps us
out by identifying the anti-law magical qualities of our new items.
We also consult with two architects (Tullen Stonestep and Noonien Chad) regarding building a second story onto the shop. Just as we
feared, the cost is far too steep for our meager reserves. At least for now.

12TH OF GROWTH
A human adventurer with dragon pistols enters the shop today. Apparently he watched approvingly last week as we mopped up Killravens
agents, but today he chastises us for angering both the Killraven Crime League and the Balacazars vampire pals. This fellows name is
Mavoy Landsmith. He says that Lineles demon-possessed pocketwatch allows the vampires to be out in the sun during the day and adds
that, as we suspected, Korben The Keeper Trollone is Killravens man (as is the witch Volius, the one with the big raven). Mavoy urges us
to keep our wits about us when were out and about. Perhaps if we focus some effort Killravens way, we can keep the Balacazars off our
backs for a while; they might be willing to overlook our past indiscretions and even lend a hand in a small way if we make a strike on
their rivals. Volius is a bigger fish than Korben, Mavoy says. If we want to contact the Balacazars, we can always do so at a tavern called the
Onyx Spider. Good to know, though I have to admit Im a little uncomfortable with the complexities of existing within a city where so much
is run by these two crime groups.
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 25

We decide that we want to deal with Korben, in payback for his man attacking Charnoth, but it will have to wait till weve found Doctor
Feegus and freed his litorian slaves destined to become Prajdall.

13TH OF GROWTH
Today we hire Lon Mantlemor and Ander Kellin to work at the shop part time to give Taevel and Seanus some well-earned time off.
Meanwhile, we rest and spend a couple days getting back to feeling normal again.

14TH OF GROWTH
Today we are staking out the warehouse we saw Nerlene enter with her Shuul knight this is the place where Diethan and Calista saw a
secret door open up in the roadway to admit them following the attack on them in the street. Diethan sees more Shuul knights enter the area,
give a knock, and gain admittance through a door that lowers them down beneath street level.
Meanwhile, I am in the middle of crafting a new adventuring tool: a mirror on a little extension arm to help us see around chimneys and
things. The Shuul arent the only ones who can invent useful tools!

15TH OF GROWTH
Today at the Delvers Guild Library and Maproom I research the underlevels around this Shuul warehouse. It seems that this area contains
extensive Old City ruins. I manage to find an access point a block or two off via the sewers. That should get us there.
While Tharn was casing out the warehouse today, he saw Nerlene and a couple Shuul knights emerge from the secret platform. He also
spies a skulking figure knock and enter through other doors.
On his watch, Archinemus spots a figure on a rooftop across the street. It seems to be watching him! Archinemus sees this figure climb
down later on, grow birdlike wings, turn black like a raven, and fly away. Great.

16TH OF GROWTH
Today Calista sends Nerlene a note asking to meet with her on the pretense of discussing the sale of Shuul healing pills. She comes back from
sending the note with a new purchase: a map to an undercity wizards lair. As if we dont have enough going on! Still, Calista usually has her
reasons.
While Im at work at my Delvers Guild job, the wizard Jatarran Tayzor agrees to let us sell the wands he makes on commission at the
shop. This evening I spend some time trying to piece together the story of my ancestors, the Hu-Charad of Ar-Nampur, a fortress north of
the city.

17TH OF GROWTH
Nerlene replies to Calistas message, saying shell stop by this afternoon, so we give the staff the afternoon off. The Shuul scientist enters with
one Shuul knight to protect her and leaves one outside our front door. She seems suspicious today, wondering why Diethan and Calista just
happened to be there on the street when demons attacked her. She fesses up that Killraven sent some people to tell her that we meant her
people ill. Great.
But my friends have golden tongues. Nerlene believes it when Calista and Diethan protest their innocence and gives them contact informa-
tion for a guy we can talk to about buying pills and other products for resale. As she leaves, she still seems slightly suspicious, so Tharn sug-
gests we wait a little longer before we move on their warehouse and seek the captive litorians.
So later in the day we decide to check out a Midtown address we found on one of Durgs slain pals. A guy dressed as an old lady answers
the door and immediately seems to know who we are. We deem this suspicious, so we knock him out and make our way inside. Upstairs we
find lots of weapons and trunks.
When the old lady guy wakes up, he says his name is Kershid, and he works for Killraven. Calista reads his mind and learns that he
knows Korben Trollone but does not know where he is. He says Korbens a fortyish man with brown hair who really likes animals and
monsters thats why they call him Korben the Keeper. Trollone is into thieving rings, prostitution, and so forth in the South Market.
So weve stumbled upon a Killraven safe house here. Kershid says he personally works for Celdore Silverwood in Dark Leaf, an elven
criminal network. He suggests we visit Celdore at Iridithils Home, an elven refuge here in Midtown. Celdore can help us find Korben. We
agree to let the frightened Kershid go if he agrees to leave town immediately.
Its not far to Iridithils Home from here, so we head over right away. The guard, Aefin, seems very snooty, but then I never really did
understand elves too well. After some coaxing from Calista, Aefin agrees to take us to Celdore. As we pass through the compound, we
see ornately polished wooden buildings, beautiful gardens, and graceful statues. This elven quarter certainly doesnt look much like the
rest of Midtown!
Celdore meets us at a tavern on the grounds; he is a Shoal elf with a long scar running down his face. He calls himself a business-
man but seems to know enough about who we are (WHY do these criminal types all know us?) to say that Korben will not rest till hes
had his revenge on us for killing his pal Durg.
Celdore cant seem to believe that this whole thing started simply over us refusing to pay Killraven protection money, but thats all we
can figure. He says Dark Leaf is willing to broker peace for us as a neutral third party.
Strangely, he recognizes me as one of the Hu-Charad. Maybe I can talk to him more sometime about these ancestral people of mine. I defi-
nitely need to remember that.
26 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

SESSIONS XXX & XXXIDEALING WITH CRIME LORDS

STILL THE 17TH OF GROWTH

Barbatos looks into the ownership history of Pythoness House a little more deeply. He learns that an elf named Naelyn Blueflight currently
owns it; he lives north of the city in the Moonsilver Forest. The records are old, though is this guy even still alive? Did he know that
Maquent and her girls turned it into a brothel a few years ago?

18TH OF GROWTH
We got some good loot from the safe house: a charm person wand for Barbatos and some two-in-one potion admixtures. Mavoy helps us out
with some information on where to find Korben the Keeper.
For some reason, we decide to do nothing but wait for Celdores reply as to whether he can broker a treaty for us with the Killraven
league. Bored with the shop, I put in some hours at my Delvers Guild job. Meanwhile, Archinemus and Tharn go to ask Shim to watch
Nerlene and the secret trap door by the Shuul warehouse, perhaps reconnoiter the place a bit.

19TH OF GROWTH
Archinemus and Tharn tell us that Shim will do the job in exchange for a magical ring from our shop.

20TH OF GROWTH
Celdore arrives at our shop today with some news. He can indeed broker a deal that will get Killraven off our backs. If we refuse this deal,
Sorn assassins will hunt us in our homes (apparently weve only had thugs after us before, not the mage-assassins of the Sorn). Korben likely
wont obey the cease-fire, due to his need to avenge the death of his brutal thug pal Durg, but the crime league is willing to concede him to
us, Celdore says. Nice loyalty in this group.
However, as part of the deal, we have to tell them what we know about the Balacazars, and we have to tell anyone who asks that we pay
Killraven protection money, so they can save face. We agree to the second point only, because our info on the Balacazars is the only card we
have to play against them.
Celdores fee as mediator is 1,000 gp. He agrees to take our reply back to the crime league and cautions us to be thorough and discreet
about our hit on Korben. If we are, then offing him should not violate our truce period.
With that in mind, we head over to Korben Trollones office. Im invisible, which is a new thing for me. We have to fight our way through
the loan office he uses as a front for his criminal operations. You shall all die for this affront! cries a large woman in plate armor. So says
Kevris Killraven!
What? Ah, this isnt really Killraven, we discover its an illusion created by a desperate mage, who in the end directs us down a trap
door to find Korbens lair.
Downstairs is a menagerie of fierce creatures that come after us. We meet Korben and a great winged cat in an office down there. A dire
lion bursts out of its cage at us; its two tons and thirteen feet long. Arghh! It takes me down with its first attack! Just as Im revived, a
swarm of shock lizards erupts from the last cage. I slay two of them, but then Im down again.
Ultimately we are victorious, but sadly I was out for much of the fight. I hate that. Diethan has to stabilize me twice during this engage-
ment, and Archinemus revives me with a wand to get me back on my feet. Thank Teun for healing magic!
As we search Korbens office, a snake attacks Barbatos. Of course, he acts as though its the worst wound anyone has ever suffered. But
soon he abandons his pity-party of one to browse the books in Korben Trollones library. Volumes include The Basilisks Hunting Habits,
Centaur Migration Patterns, Dietary Habits of Goblin and Ogre, The Giants Skeletal System, and many books on dangerous beasts.
He has some religious books too. Korben also has a parrot in the office.
In the next room we discover a torture chamber that leads into the sewer. An armored reptilian beast with a huge mouth is still left out
here it seems to be a crocodile that can spray poison! We leave with our chosen books and papers and three iron chests of coins. Not too
shabby!
Back at the shop, we sift through the papers. They show a transfer of 40 gp to the Shuul for the purchase of merchandise from Ammel
Dar. Included in these papers is also a contract for the slaying of us! (The signee is named Zorin Sar hes the one who sent us those
troll fingers a while back, because he wanted Myraeths and didnt want us to buy it.) Theres also a contract to dispose of a Forsaken cell in
Oldtown.

21ST OF GROWTH
I read some of my new beast books from Korbens office and attend a litorian gathering today. The gathering is a great feast at the Mane.
Tharn tells the story of freeing the slave city and finding Norba (whos still ailing, sad to say). Still, everyone seems to like the story pretty
well. He makes us sound like heroes!
Seanus decides to keep Korbens parrot and teach it to say stuff.

22ND OF GROWTH
Today I work down at the Delvers Guild and spend a little time reading the basilisk book.
Diethan proudly announces that his wolf is all trained now. (We found this creature, Lunes, in a goblin warren down in the Halls of
Cordaris a while back.)
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 27

Barbatos, Diethan, and Archinemus go to Castle Shard today to talk with Shilukar regarding Zorin Sar and House Abanar. The latter has
offered a price on Shilukars head as a penalty for his robberies of them. Shilukar says he doesnt know Zorin, but he has heard that you can
buy a blood revenge policy with House Abanar if youre a member.
Recalling the demons taunts of Nerlene on the street a week back, we ask Shilukar whether Doctor Feegus has tentacles; the demons had
referred to Nerlenes tentacled master. However, the dark elf seems taken aback by the suggestion that such creatures may be involved. He
says the Killraven clan has a new scheme with the Shuul that makes it easy to bring someone back from the dead (they have machines to
raise their own high-ups).
Before departing, an eager Barbatos offers Shilukar a few copies of the latest edition of the Midtown Partisan. Will he ever stop sucking up
to this dark elf?
Back at Myraeths, we realize that Shim was supposed to check in with us last night but never did! Tharn and I visit Skulk Alley to see
what is up, but the other skulks dont know anything. One of them, named Nos, agrees to go with us to look for him.
Friends of mine at the Delvers Guild tell me about some new Shuul-built blockages in the tunnels leading from the Tower of Science all the
way to the Foundry. What are they transporting so secretly, they have to do it beneath the city? Whatever it is, they dont want anyone to see.
Later we head over to the Swordthrowers Club and show our invitation at the door. We also have to check our weapons at the door
and in this case, that also means checking Lunes, Diethans newly trained wolf companion.
Peliope Erthuo is among the famous people here at the club tonight; shes the half-elf head of the noble House Erthuo. At the club we hear
that people are blaming Korbens murder on the Balacazars. Im not sure if I should be offended or not. It seemed Killraven decided to cut
him loose from her organization. A member of House Abanar named Mallorn tries to interest Barbatos in investment opportunities. We learn
through all this conversation that Zorin Sar, our apparent nemesis, has a manor in Oldtown and has bought guardian devices from the
Shuul. He also has some sort of big deal in the works.
Tharn and Calista go over to Danburys this evening. Its a mages bar in Delvers Square. They order a magic enchantment from a wizard
elf named Lavaen Whisperblade, as well as a cloak of charisma. Lavaen calls our quest to free the litorian slaves from the Shuul a noble one.
He is apparently a member of the Knights of the Golden Cross, a group interested in righting wrongs throughout the city. He makes magic
items because his organization needs the money. For ten thousand years, he says, the Knights have been doing good and operating under
wraps. Tharn and Calista tell him about the Slave City. Hes interested in helping. The Knights of the Golden Cross serve the Elder Gods,
they learn. The Knights apparently suffered a great loss when their leader Kaira Swanwing was murdered not long ago. They desire the assis-
tance of like-minded people, but I dont know if were ready to join them. We have enough on our plate right now.
Enough of this gathering of information! Im ready for some action!

SESSION XXXII & XXXIIIBENEATH THE STREETS

23RD OF GROWTH
Well, I said I wanted action, and action I got!
After all our planning, today we headed down into the Dungeon. We were hoping to intercept the Shuul tunnel using a map from one of
my Delvers Guild associates. Our goal is to find Shim (our missing skulk friend), as well as make inroads in our quest to find the litorians.
Nos, another skulk, is with us.
Its a long trip through the under-realms. At one point we think we hear someone shouting for help from a well up ahead, but it was a
trick, and we were all attacked by an undead water elemental. Farther on, Barbatos was drained of strength by a roper in the middle of a
chamber. We try to go around it but ran afoul of a whole bunch of goblins, which almost did Diethan in. (Now he hates goblins more than
ever!) A room where we sought safe shelter for a rest was trapped with foul fire traps, which also afflicted Diethan.
While we rest, Nos scouts ahead for us. When he comes back, he tells us a bridge ahead seems clear, but that he saw strange tentacled
creatures with beaks floating around near there. I have no idea what they are. Getting out of our safe haven room without engaging the fire
trap proves a challenge Tharn and Barbatos get burned exiting.
In a chamber up ahead we stumble upon a shrine to Charlathan, a god with male and female aspects. We wonder whether sitting on the
throne here would make you change gender, but no ones brave enough to try. Pressing on, we hear others up ahead at the bridge Nos saw
sounds like they fell. Did they encounter these strange creatures Nos told us about?
Before we can wonder too much, one of them sneaks up behind us, its horrid bulbous body (it almost looks like a big brain) covered with
gross tendrils. It lashes out at us, but we drop it like a big sack of wet meat. We remain wary for more, and there are indeed two more on
the bridge waiting for us. We chuck the dead one out there onto the bridge to call them out. One of the two is HUGE. I shoot my new chaos
spear from Pythoness House at it, but unfortunately I miss and it goes into the water off the bridge. Damn!
We try a number of tactics to get at these new foes without walking into their trap on the bridge. Tharn makes a sneak attack, and
Barbatos lets loose with a fireball. That seems to scare them off, so we hightail it across the bridge. But the creatures reappear as we cross!
We manage to dispatch the small one and race to the center of the bridge to clash with the big one. It tries to fling Tharn off the bridge. It
fails at that but it does paralyze him with its tendrils. (Later I learn these things are called grells.)
Archinemus levitates off the bridge to try to detect the chaos spear. He does manage to locate it in the underground river, praise the
Mother of all Machines. He also finds some treasure from previous grell victims, including a spell scroll tube.
Moving along, we manage to run afoul of a horrid cold ooze monsterit came in and engulfed Diethan and Barbatos (the latter of whom
was already hurt from the fire trap). Tharn pulled out Barbatos, Diethan hacked his way out, and the rest of us took care of the creature. I
am certainly taking a lot of notes about monsters on this trip, if nothing else.
28 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

After dispatching the ooze, we pass through a large area of burned-out webs (and a big dead spider) into a region of intact webbing. Here
we face two giant spiders. A solid group effort defeats them. But we really need a rest now, so we find a side room with a collapsed door. I
manage to jury-rig it shut again, and Tharn scatters protective caltrops before the door. We enjoy a welcome respite.

24TH OF GROWTH
The respite does not last, however. Just as were getting comfortable we hear footsteps beyond the door. Tharn smells the death and decay of
the undead with spidery undertones. We hear a soft incantation, then spiders start streaming through all the cracks in the door. They swarm
all over Tharn! Calista uses a wind spell to blow them all off himthey smack into the wall. I break down the door and spy our tormentor:
An animated corpse covered in webbing, apparently a victim risen from being cocooned by the giant spiders. The spiders come out of its
desiccated body and swarm onto me! The foe uses the opportunity of our distraction to summon up a stone monster from the earthit goes
at Diethan and Tharn, who smash it to rubble. We gang up on the webbed guy and beat the corpse to dust.
Thank the Mother there are no more of these creaturesNos tracks it back to its lair to confirm that. We follow him and find a chamber
filled with a big web and some treasure left by previous victims. We bed down in an adjoining room filled with carved wooden animals.
(Barbatos takes a wooden piggy.)

25TH OF GROWTH
Back on track and into a diamond-shaped chamber our map calls the Mirror Room. Giant mirrors line every wall. We can tell that we
approach the temple of Destor, the Lightning Lord, as the walls are decorated with a lightning bolt motif. Archinemus finds traces of fairly
recent blood (spilled within the last twenty-four hours) at a door blocking our way.
Inside we see an enormous midnight blue-temple, painted bolts of lightning cutting across the ceiling. A group here challenges us, and we
offer a tribute for the privilege of passing. They scorn it and attack! One conjures a foul-smelling bulbous monster (a dretch, I later discover),
another summons two spiky Abyssal wolves. We face a wizard (Thorarin), cleric (Ibrahim, follower of the God of Dreams), two fighters
(Jenna and Slav), and their creatures. That damnable woman fells me, but Diethan kills their wizard and the cleric flees. It seems they
thought we were common bandits. Barbatos (from behind the door) lobs some magic missiles and a smelly poop-bomb he snagged from the
ratmen at Pythoness House. Tharn makes a running swipe that ends their last defender, the greedy thug.
Im sad to say I did not acquit myself well at all in this fight. Got to get in some more practice against flanking maneuvers. We revive
Jenna and question hershe said they recently killed a batch of bandits and thought we were more of the same. She and her companions
were out for treasure, she said. They recently killed a basilisk and she warns us of a wall of lightning up ahead. We return her things to her
and take her with us in the hopes that she can find her fled cleric friend.
We follow a passage lined with frescoes of the god Destor and reach the wall of lightning in an octagonal room without finding Ibrahim.
Jenna describes that, if you venture down the hall toward the wall, it moves up the hall toward you. We backtrack a bit to get around the
wall and run right into Ibrahim. After a terse exchangehe was none too happy with our having slain members of his partyhe departs
with Jenna.
Investigating another way around, we see a room where four blue pillars generate a ball of blue light that shoots a bolt of electricity at
Nos, whos scouting the way ahead. Disturb not the First Reliquary of the Lightning Lord! booms a deep voice from the floating orb.
Returning, Nos advises, I dont think we should go that way.
So we go to Plan B. Tharn and Diethan, our fastest runners, venture down the hallway with the wall of lightning and it races toward
them. This gives the rest of us, standing at the junction where it used to be, time to cross to a door that the wall had blocked. Only problem
is, the two of them dont have time to get back before the wall returns back the way it came. Barbatos gets around this by summoning a
stone creature into the hall using a ring we got off the spider-mummy. The wall hits it as soon as it appears, destroying it, but we all get
through no problem.
We find ourselves in a chamber that no one has entered in a long while, judging from the layers of dust. We follow a passage out (still
in Destors temple, it seems) to a new corridor that has been bricked up. This is it! Were very close now to the Shuuls secret thorough-
fare.

SESSIONS XXXIV & XXXVBUSTING UP THE SHUUL

STILL THE 25TH OF GROWTH

While deep in a tunnel on our way to find the Shuuls secret base, we stop to rest for the night. On my watch, a giant beetle tries to sneak
into our room while everyone else is asleep its seven feet long! I manage to dispatch it, and Archinemus heals me of the damage it inflict-
ed. It was alone, or so I thought. Two more of them show up on Tharns watch. We now realize the folly of trying to sleep in an open alcove
of this part of the Dungeon. Next time well put a door between us and the denizens of this place.

26TH OF GROWTH
We take our picks and some stone-dissolving alchemical solution of Tharns and break through the Shuuls bricked-up wall. Archinemus
covers our work with a silence spell. Tharn scouts ahead and finds another bricked-up wall up there. We go at the new and much thicker
blockage with gusto, but our silence runs out. Judging silence to be vital to our efforts, we decide to wait another day till Archinemus gets
that spell back to resume our efforts. This is one well put-together wall perhaps even dwarven stonework.
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 29

27TH OF GROWTH
We break through! We emerge on a ledge. Looking about twelve feet down, we see some sort of rails set into the floor of a long corridor. It
looks brand-new. So this is how theyre transporting their materials. We follow along on the ledge toward the warehouses location with our
skulk ally Nos scouting ahead.
He comes back to tell us of a work area up ahead with a lot of people and noise. Thats about the right location for the warehouse we
were heading toward. When we are fifty feet away, we can see some of the machinery in the room. Plus theres a great big steam engine on
the rails, with a large cart hooked up behind it and loading/unloading hoists nearby. We formulate a plan.
Barbatos casts rope trick and some of us hide in the secret compartment the spell creates. Tharn is invisible and Barbatos gets the attention
of a guard. He attempts to charm him with a wand but it fails, and the guard sounds the alarm. Tharn and Barbatos run up and hide in the
rope trick area with us as guards come out to search. After a few minutes, the guards go back, except for one.
Plan B. Diethan lets down the rope a tad to open the window in the rope trick, and I lean out and grab the surprised guard. I yank him
inside with us and pin him while Barbatos tries the charm again. And again. And again. It fails a dozen times and now the wand is worthless.
We now try to question our prisoner. Unsurprisingly he is not cooperative, so we try a truth potion. This finally works,
We learn his name is Noram and that the Shuul do indeed have our skulk friend Shim. They caught him in a trap in the elevated platform
roomthe Shuul can detect people going through there. Hes being held in some cells or labs in the back of a big cave. Noram knows noth-
ing about captured litorians, but he does know Doctor Feegus, whose lab is at the back of that same big cave beyond the loading dock. He
says there are six other guards down there plus the captain and several constructs at work.
He adds that Doctor Feegus is a little creepy not a large man, he shaves his head and wears goggles. He has pale skin, very red lips, and
wears a long grey lab coat. Feegus created the Prajdall in his lab at the back of the big cave behind a tower. Noram says there is one iron
angel here in the central structure in the big cave (a different place from the tower, apparently).
We give Diethan Norams clothes and weapons as a disguise. Tharn invisibly goes out and sneaks down, followed by the disguised
Diethan, who is also invisible. Diethan climbs a crane and manages to drop a net onto a Shuul dwarf. Calista stuns another guard, whom
I subdue. Tharn slays some guards who come charging in from a corridor to blast him with dragon rifles. Diethan continues wreaking
havoc with the crane, but then a worker comes in and commands a clockwork construct to attack us! I make short work of it, and
Barbatos slays a Shuul guard with magic missile. Then a boar-riding armored dwarf charges in at Archinemus! More constructs arrive
and the disguised Diethan tries to command the workers to fire up the train. Thanks to a command from my magical animal-affecting
longsword, the boar lies down and goes to sleep, much to the dwarfs agitation. Archinemus and Calista finish him off. Now were ready
to find the big cave.
There are more guards here, but Shuul-Diethan confuses them and Calista distracts one. A well-timed charge takes care of them.
Continuing on to another room, Diethan runs afoul of an armored construct that gases him. We all gang up on it and turn it into slag. We
wake up Diethan, then try the door the construct was guarding. In here theres a pool with a great tower of shafts and a seam in the ceiling
above. This seems to be the elevated platform we heard about. Diethan pretends to be the guards relief and takes him out. With his dying
action the guard cranks the alarm klaxon. We leave hurriedly.
Through the door out of here, we descend some stairs amid a mechanical thrumming sound and an intermittent crackling. We emerge onto
a ledge in a big cave. More gas lamps light up the cavern here. Copper pipes run through the place. We see a number of other ledges and two
great stalagmites stretching to the ceiling, connected by catwalks. Were very far from the ground. The place is hundreds of feet across.
What have we gotten ourselves into?
Was that an alarm? We hear voices behind us as we survey the cave. Nos takes off to scout ahead, and we run toward the tower, trying
to be quiet but headed to the back of the cave, where we believe the labs/prisons to be.
Barbatos magically opens the door to the tower and Tharn and I rush in to battle a Shuul warrior and a Shuul knight plus two awful
armored constructs with blades and arm cannons. A figure on the roof drops acid on Calista but, undaunted, she rushes in to heal the dying
Tharn. Disguised as a Shuul knight, Barbatos summons an elemental up on the roof next to the acid mage. Almost knocked out from trans-
ferring Tharns wounds, Calista webs up the stairway to stymie reinforcements. A robed and veiled chaos mage enters with a Shuul guard
and instructs him, Kill no, subdue the litorian. I fend off her mind control attempts. Meanwhile, the reinforcements hack at the web-
bing. Were coming, Sir Corloss! they cry, but by now their commander is dead. Archinemus takes out the last construct and Tharn sav-
ages the mage (what was a chaos mage doing with the order-loving Shuul, anyway?). The halfling acid mage from the roof, having taken care
of the elemental, arrives to zap us with his wand. Where are my people? Tharn demands. The little wizard is surprised. You know about
the litorians? he stammers. I didnt do anything to your friends. Feegus has them in his lab! I manage to grab the little guy and demand,
Take us there now! But he squirms away, yelling over his shoulder, Feegus lab is in the back of the cave, beneath the tower! Dont worry
about me!
Nos returns and directs us to a machinery room that generates power to this place and harbors a prisoner. Then the guys down below
start to break through the web, so we dash from the tower onto a catwalk and Barbatos arcane locks the door behind us. No sooner do we
arrive on the catwalk than were attacked by riders on flying metallic bugs. And from across the cave, some dwarves are shooting cannons
at us!
We make it across the catwalk to the machinery room Nos described. We emerge onto another catwalk high up off the floor. All around
us are cables and spinning cylinders, pistons, and whirring clockwork mechanisms. This, as we learn, is the Generator Room. Im in awe.
Suspended a few feet above the catwalk is a transparent cube filled with a swirling bluish gas. Release the creature or die! says Tharn to
the worker in this place. Okay, if youll let me live, the worker replies. But Im not exactly sure what will happen. He pulls a lever, and
lightning bursts from the cube. The creature isnt in the lightning. The creature IS the lightning!
30 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

Destor be praised! shouts Barbatos, referring to the lightning lord whose temple we passed through on our way here. Archinemus urges
the freed creature to go out and expend its wrath on the Shuul. It starts sucking up electrical power from the spinning cylinders, draining
them. Did this generator siphon the energy from the lightning creature to power this base?
Before we can figure it out, two more Shuul approach, whom Diethan parries. Theyve released Destors Minion! one cries. The minion
starts sending arcs of energy at our enemies and Barbatos shoots them with his wand of cold. While the minion is draining the cylinders,
Archinemus grabs a lightning-bolt shaped rod from the cube. Suddenly, the minion of Destor is pulled into the rod, which now pulses with
energy in Archinemus hand. Everything is going to be all right, Archinemus says calmly. Now lets get out of here. Weve got some
friends to save.
We can hardly argue with that.

SESSIONS XXXVI & XXXVIITHE PRAJDALL LAB

STILL THE 27TH OF GROWTH

After our inadvertent release of Destors Minion, we decide to high-tail it out of the Generator Room. I toss a couple wrenches into the last
operational capacitors, causing the generator to spark to a halt, and follow my friends out just in time to be welcomed by cannonfire from
those damn dwarves across the way. Shuul guys buzzing around on flying dragonfly-shaped constructs continue to harass us, but Calista
stymies one with a wind spell. Diethan leaps astride the dragonfly and it dives straight down toward the water below. In the nick of time he
manages to pull up and flies crazily toward the ceiling far above. He leaps from the saddle moments before the bug impacts on the ceiling,
and Archinemus manages to grab hold of him and pull him onto the catwalk again.
Meanwhile, Tharn and Calista take out some dwarf cannoneers and a boar rider and I get a cannonball in the gut. Then Archinemus
shoots a lightning bolt from Destors wand at two other cannoneers across the way. We race toward the back of the cave, a gunman suspend-
ed from a wire above sniping at us as we go.
As we approach the tower beneath which lies Feegus lab and, we hope, the captive litorians a troop of Shuul knights runs out to
meet us. Archinemus lays into them with a chaos hammer spell from the skull we acquired beneath Pythoness House. Barbatos uses his skull-
tipped rod to speak a word of chaos, and they drop like flies. We run down the stairs inside the tower, following some cables. Nos the skulk
returns from reconnoitering. He didnt find Shim but he did pinch some potions and scrolls from the mages quarters. He thinks Shim could
be in the corner of the cave, in the central castle complex, or here.
In this tower, Tharn discovers a litorian from his tribe in a cell! This guy, Vardan, looks not ill handled, but tired. He tells us they have
been changing one of their compatriots down in the lab. We arm Vardan and head with him through the door and into the lab, protected
by a powerful anti-law spell from Pythoness House.
We enter the lab. It is the strangest place I have ever been in, full of pipes and cables and mechanisms. I could really like it here, if it
werent for the taint of slavery. A large round central chamber with glass walls holds a sickly-looking litorian (named Nothell, Tharn tells
us), and more glass cells along the back hold more of them. All of them look desperate to get out. A vast machine runs along the back near
the cells. However, all the devices in here appear to be inert. Aha we shut down their power by taking out the Generator Room! Im so
glad we didnt have to come in here when these devices were bristling with energy
Confronting us are four creatures that look to have been dwarves once. Now they are well armored and scary, with sluglike lower bodies.
Something about them reeks of formidability. Nerlene Camus is here playing with one of the machines, and standing atop the central cham-
ber is a bald, paunchy man in a long gray coat: Dr. Feegus. Try to leave the litorian alive, he calls out to his Prajdall, surveying us.
The Prajdall are tough, hard to hit, and very solid. When you manage to harm one, it heals itself, and if you finally kill one, it explodes!
We try to gang up on them to foil their regeneration ability. My chaos spear deals grievous blows, and together we hack at them until they
detonate. Calista saps the strength from each with a magic ring, and Barbatos strikes at them with his wand of cold. Feegus cries out in
denial when each one falls.
We push through to the stairs leading up to the cells and best a dwarf in powered armor. Nerlene sends a cloud of black smoke at us to
blind us, but Calista magically blows it right back at her.
Nerlene throws acid flasks at us as we climb the stairs to the platform where the litorians are held in their glass cubicles. Archinemus and I
battle another Prajdall. Tharn, Vardan, and Diethan climb up to the platform, where Vardan starts yanking on levers to release his tribe-
mates. Tharn goes after Nerlene and slays her while Diethan bull rushes a confused Feegus right off the platform. (That cloak of chaos spell
from Pythoness House certainly has done well for us, confusing any who hit us!)
All of a sudden a new creature pops into being on the platform above: The tentacled master weve been hearing about. Like a snake
sliding across our brains, its voice sounds in our heads. So, now we know whos been sending the shadow creatures to spy on us. I see,
Feegus, that you cant even maintain your own lab. Feegus trembles. These invaders have the stink of Shilukar upon them, it says in our
heads.
Barbatos casts grease on the floor where the tentacled creature is standing. The creature tries to command Diethan to kill his friends, but
our protective chaos spell saves the day again. It then tries to probe Tharns mind but succeeds only in getting sliced open with Tharns
sword, Wolf-Brother. Barbatos wounds the creature grievously with his wand. Calista drinks a potion of levitate and floats up to obliterate it
with a coldscream scroll. Cephalyx is the last thing it thinks before it dies. What do you suppose that means?
Meanwhile, Feegus clutches a syringe and mutters crazily to himself, Well rebuild the lab and get some new subjects, and then everything
will be all right again. Tharn seizes the opportunity to break through the enormous glass cylinder and free the pitiful litorian subject inside.
Shes covered with boils and purple patches of sick-looking flesh. She can only crawl toward her rescuer.
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 31

I finally manage to take down a demoralized Prajdall (Master? What should I do? There are so many of them, Master), and then we
with the help of some of the freed litorians finish off the deranged Doctor Feegus. His final word, looking at me, was, Titan?
Hmmm.
The litorians go medieval on the bodies of the fallen Shuul. They are definitely not the same people who went missing some months back
slavery has changed them. However, one litorian is still missing. The group has not seen that one, Sallam, since the slave pens, we learn.
We cripple Feegus Prajdall machine with a stolen Shuul detonation device and strike the evil doctors head from his shoulders, since
Shilukar once promised us a 1,000 gp bounty for it.
Nos returns. He didnt find Shim, but he thinks he is inside a large structure in the center of the cave. He also located a place where we
could rest. More Shuul are on their way here, so we gather up a bunch of tools and other supplies from a storage room and head out with
the former captives.
The skulk takes us through a small door in a quiet office, where Barbatos swipes Feegus journals. We pass through a low corridor thread-
ed though with large pipes. We emerge into a massive natural cave, almost at the level of the water. We can see the lights of the big cave far
above. We rest on a safe ledge by the water, and the litorians tell their story. They are Vardan, Barris, Nothell, Wayvor, Keth, and Mowran.
They were all part of a hunting party ambushed on the plains and brought to Ptolus. The slavers who took them were the Ennin. Theyve
almost always remained underground since arriving in the city. The six of them (the Shuul only wanted six they didnt buy Sallam) were
purchased by a human man, and other humans brought them through underground passages into a new place, where they first saw the bald,
black-garbed humans with strange things on their eyes and dragon pistols. Since arriving here, they were kept in the cell where we found
Vardan, but one by one were taken into the room with the glass cells. There, lightning bolts and strange lights were used to change them.
Something led the Shuul to think theyd get better results from the women. This went on for weeks. They hope Sallam has met a better fate
than they. They had feared no one would ever come for them.
Barbatos learns from the purloined journals that Feegus was paranoid but very smart. He was one of the Farrowers, a group of Shuul
interested in creating new living things. Other groups within the organization are Gearsmiths and Lightningsmiths. There are also four politi-
cal groups of Shuul:
1) The lets destroy chaos and all Galchutt remnants group. They are partially backed by more of the mind-reading tentacled creature s
we met earlier; apparently they rebelled against their former Galchutt masters eons ago. Feegus lists a bunch of info about their life cycle and
variations, as he does not trust them. He cites a long-term war with the dark elves and a long-term hatred for the Hu-Charad, also called the
Ancient Titans (!). The creature we fought was named Xilaranatak. Were still not sure what Cephalyx means. It appears to be the name of
someone who has another lab, and Feegus really seemed to fear it.
2) The lets control the Empire group. These guys work with Kevris Killravens people (particularly one Terris Brunchart) to get their
slaves and accomplish other stuff. They also work with the Sorn, a mages guild (some members work as assassins).
3) A group of religious fanatics who ally with outsiders called the iron angels. These Shuul do anything the angels tell them.
4) The largest group wants to bring rationality and justice to the world in the name of progress and science. They want to bring ease and
comfort to the world but seem ignorant of the other three groups. This group doesnt include anyone in a position of power, unfortunately.
None of the groups are all that interested in law and social order. They just want to further their own goals.
On his watch that night, Tharn hears an organized search going on for us far above. Barbatos uses a wand to create the image of a rock
shelf over us to shield us from the eyes of the searchers. They come within thirty feet of us, but they dont see us. Lets get out of here
before those oozes show up, says one of the searchers as they depart. I keep a weather eye out for oozes with Tharn until its Archinemus
watch.
In a little while, Archinemus spots a grey ooze on the water making its way toward us. We head up to the passage above again, defending
ourselves from it as we go. We rest for the remainder of the night uncomfortably in the passageway. We awaken ready to go out and find
Shim and then get out of this wretched place.
Back in Dr. Feegus office, all is quiet. We silence a workman on his lunch break outside the lab and head upstairs to the bridge that will
take us to the central castle.

SESSIONS XXXVII (CONTD) & XXXVIIIEXIT STRATEGY?

28TH OF GROWTH
Were on our way out of the Shuul underground enclave with our litorian friends, newly rescued from that awful Prajdall laboratory. But
first we still have to locate Shim, our skulk friend. Still dressed as a Shuul agent, Diethan attempts to bluff our way past the first batch of
guards we see. It only works for a minute, though, then the battle is on! We dispatch a Shuul knight and a boar and its rider, then pick the
lock into the central castle while being harassed by a clockwork dragonfly and rider.
Inside, a couple dwarves defend the main castle level. There is another capacitor in this level, like the ones we saw (and destroyed) in the
Generator Room. But it is also a big magnet, as we discover to our chagrin. A dwarf flips a lever, and Tharn slams into the magnet. Calista,
Diethan, and I slowly get pulled into it as well. Being unarmored, the litorians remain fairly unaffected, and Mowran is able to get in there
and flip the lever off again.
We head upstairs, seeking the cell that holds Shim. A captive dwarf confirms that the shadowman is here. Upstairs we find a horrid
machine with a human corpse strapped to it. Cables run from the poor fellow to the magnet/capacitor that reaches up through the ceiling
from the lower level. We see poor Shim unconscious hanging from manacles chained to the wall, and on the steps, Nos lies unconscious,
too.
32 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

A nine-foot-tall black-gloved and masked figure in a long grey coat stands next to him menacingly, watching us enter. Could this be an
iron angel? Tharn smells the same greasy, metallic odor that he smelled back in the shop when an invisible bodyguard entered with Nerlene
Camus. All intruders into my sanctum die! the figure says.
We charge in, and our foe summons four blade-skinned monsters to aid him. They can shoot knives from their bodies as projectiles! Ive
never seen anything like these things, which I later learn are called bladelings. The iron angel has two hand cannons and can shoot two
targets at once! His blood runs like quicksilver under our assault, but we take heavy casualties at the same time.
And then another one appears as though summoned it looks just like the one were fighting! Calista stabs him with a silent scream, and
when his head explodes we learn that the iron angel was in fact not wearing a mask as it first appeared: The metallic veneer was his own flesh.
The second iron angel doesnt seem as tough as the previous one, but its blows seem made to hurt the humans in our group. When we
finally bring him down, he just fades away.
We take down the unconscious Shim and try to heal him and Nos, but they dont wake up. I take the hand cannons from the first iron
angeleach one has only one round in it, because he was able to reload from ammo in his arm. The body has started to shrivel already. This
is like no other creature Ive seen before. Hes all desiccated and lumpy and bizarre looking. But I do like his long leather coat.
Our exit strategy is not fancy: Run for it toward the elevator. Lets see how that works.

STILL THE 28TH OF GROWTH

We burst out of the central castle, the litorians bringing up the rear while carrying the two skulks. We confront some Shuul agents outside
the door and lay them low (the hand cannon from the iron angel serves us wellits got anti-human ammunition). But more of them are
waiting for us on the bridge. Barbatos creates a magical image of the iron angel that diverts some of the Shuul. A fighter-construct jumps into
the battle and attacks Barris, one of the rescued litorians. The construct, a guard, a dwarf, and a Shuul knight and halfling weve fought
before battle us fiercely, but with the litorians help, we win through, even under constant cannonfire.
We emerge onto the last bridge before the tunnel that leads back to the elevator room. A guard astride a mechanical dragonfly aims a
searchlight at us and cries out a warning. We cant take too much more of this armed resistancethe cannonfire has wounded most of the
litorians, and were almost out of spells. We race up a long staircase and back into the room with the pool, where some workers have just
finished disabling the elevator. Archinemus takes out another construct by shooting a blast of lightning from his rod. How long has he been
able to do that?! We hear him murmur under his breath something about Destor, the lightning lord. Then Tharn and Archinemus compel
the worker to repair the elevator he just disabled.
Wait a minute! Archinemus shouts as the worker gets the elevator operational again. I need to go back to the temple of Destor. There is
something I must do there thats very important. If we achieve it, great rewards will be oursperhaps even a divine wish. Were not sure how
much of this is Archinemus and how much is the lightning creature that went into the rod he carries, but we assure our friend that we will go
there with him after we see the skulks and the litorians to safety. He agrees, and we head up the elevator back into the welcome starlight.
The platform stops at the level of the cobblestone street and the surface magically merges in appearance with its surroundings. We have
emerged in the southern part of Midtown. No one is near, as it seems to be roughly midnight.
Ah, the stars! sighs one of the litorians. Even here in this accursed city, they look sweet.
And with that, we head for the Mane and a welcome rest. The litorians thank us for saving their lives and their honor, and Tharn and his
people begin to make plans to urge the litorians here at the Mane to leave the city. We decide to stay here for the time being. Diethan takes a
good look at the unconscious skulks and thinks they suffer from a magical or supernatural effect that will wear off in time. Meanwhile, we
want to look through the papers that we took from Feegus office, seeking evidence of his lunacy to show the rest of the Shuul. We want to
make it clear to them that we have no further argument with themour conflict with them stops with Feegus.
But more immediately, on the morrow we plan to accompany Archinemus back to the temple of Destorand whatever awaits us there.

SESSIONS XXXIX & XLARCHINEMUS GONE ROGUE

29TH OF GROWTH
Archinemus is gone! His note said that he didnt want to draw all of us into his own personal quest in the temple of Destor. Shim and Nos
are awake now and say that he left six hours ago. Theyre very appreciative and want to repay us for rescuing them, but first we have to
catch poor compelled Archinemus but that wont be easy, because he took the map with him! As we contemplate shortcuts, we receive a
summons to Castle Shard for later today. It seems Barbatos wrote them yesterday to tell them we were back and to seek aid in ending
Archinemus compulsion.
My dad helps me research a shortcut to the temple of Destor in the Delvers Guild Library (it helps when your father is the head librari-
an!), but we conclude that the river route is risky due to underwater rapids and likely longer than the way we went before. I tell him what
little we discovered about the Elder Titans and he promises to see what he can find out about them.
Meanwhile, Barbatos visits a temple of Inurath (goddess of war) and gets a priestess named Shendra Dir to help him speak with dead
Doctor Feegus head. He learns that Cephalyx is an outsider focused on human brains and the mind. The head adds that no one else can
continue the Prajdall project now that it (Feegus) and Nerlene are dead. It didnt know (or doesnt remember) the dark elf Shilukar. It says
Terris Brunchart is a Shuul merchant in the city who helped them buy the litorians. And finally, it says Xilaranatak is an elder brain from
deep below the city with whom Cephalyx was allied from ages past.
And then, out of nowhere, the head finishes, Evil Titans.... Wow. Before yesterday I didnt even know of the Titans, and now I discover
they were evil!? My people?
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 33

Anyhow, Shendra said that if shed had the whole corpse she could have gotten complete sentences. Barbatos promises to bring the entire
body next time. This aspect of the adventuring life I can do without.
We all meet up at Castle Shard, still worried about our obviously mind-controlled sibeccai friend. We bring Lord Zavere up to date on our
visit to the Shuul and Destors temple. We ask Lady Rill for help in getting to Archinemus. She can scry him because hes wearing his Castle
Shard friendship ring. She can tell that hes unharmed, but walking in complete darkness. Hes already at the passage that leads to the begin-
ning of the bridge where we met the grell. (It took us almost two days to get to that point! Howd he do it so fast?) She allows us to watch
his progress.
Archinemus continues to move carefully but very fast through the maze of chambers we passed through not even a week ago. He enters a
room whose floor is covered in bones. Hes very cautious here. He reaches a big iron door, which he unlocks with his lockpicks and reaches
another door with some levers, which he starts pulling. When nothing happens, he starts talking to his magical lightning rod, to no avail,
apparently. It seems theres a riddle to the order in which youre supposed to pull the levers, but its too much for him. He finds another path
instead. He encounters a number of traps and takes a leg wound from some spikes that jut out from the floor. He swipes some heavy plat-
inum idols from a chamber he passes through and some jewelry from another chamber.
He finally makes it into the room he sought: in it, hanging from a chain dangling from the ceiling is a small building. It looks like a tiny
temple. He has to pile some tables up on top of each other and climb them to reach this temple. He knocks at its little door and says some-
thing. It opens, and we can see a tiny figure who resembles the statue of the god he passed in another room. This tiny figure is a bit paunchy,
not too handsome, Could it be Destor? Appearances can be deceiving, Rill says. The guy and Archinemus converse for a while, gesturing
at the rod a bit. With a flash, the little guy leaps from the tiny temple and transforms himself to a fifteen-foot height! He takes the rod from
Archinemus, points it at him, and a lightning bolt strikes him. Our friend vanishes!
Lady Rill casts another spell, and we see Archinemus again hes just appeared in Delvers Square amid what appears to be a shower of
rose petals! We thank our friends from Castle Shard and race back to our store. Out of the corner of my eye as we depart I spy Shilukar
watching us leave.
Our carriage driver explains that theres a party in Delvers Square today to celebrate some adventurers who saved the city from being
sucked into hell through a gate in the lair of some gnolls. Aha! Shilukars old lair! Wow, we had no idea there was such danger from the
Children of Ravvan.
When we arrive, we see someone dropping rose petals down from a hot-air balloon floating above. Theres a big wagon parked in the
square. On it we see an elf woman dressed in leather waving to the crowd. Next to her is a serene woman carrying a staff and a guy in
green. A man in plate armor is accepting a basket of flowers from some children. Some gnoll heads are stuck on spikes on the wagon,
too.
At the shop, theres Archinemus waiting for us, all safe and sound. And he talked to a god! Seanus and I are very impressed. Of course, he
tells us that Destor was a greatly diminished demigod sort of fellow, but still! Apparently Destor wanted him to become his high priest and
rebuild his church here in Ptolus. In return, our friend would get the rod back. Archinemus said hed think it over for a week and then
return. He thinks it might be interesting to be able to set the direction for a new church, but were all very wary. Calista doesnt trust gods
that compel your presence at their dollhouse-temples.
Barbatos and I venture back to Castle Shard to deliver the head of Dr. Feegus and collect our reward. Shilukar claims not to be familiar
with the doctors outsider backers. He is very interested in Feegus notes and wants to hear more of the Shuuls various energy sources. He
rubs the whole Ravvan thing in our face a bit. I do hope that those adventurers really took care of things, he says. One can never be sure,
can one?
Tharn asks Barris, one of the rescued litorians, to protect Charnoth when he returns to their tribe. He also asks Barris to take anyone from
Slave City who wants to leave out to the Central Plains.
Shim and Nos return to the shop and offer Archinemus a gift in gratitude. Its a tiny ebony toy horse and carriage. We gasp in wonder-
ment as he chants a magic word Alash and the carriage grows into a full-sized grand black carriage with gold trim and four black horses
and a driver. To help you make your way around the city, Shim (or is it Nos?) whispers, in thanks for your unprecedented kindness. We
are friends forever. Then both of them, we realize, become a little bit easier for us to see. Isnt that odd?

30TH OF GROWTH
The next day Tharn and I head off to the Slave City. We meet up with Moondros and Salsan. Karaal Kavor and I have a nice talk about the
role of freedom champions in the world. Tharn finds about eight people who want to leave with the litorians, and he offers them some of
our captured (forged) Imperial identity papers. We return to the city the next day.

31ST OF GROWTH
We have a grand send-off for the litorians. Tharn has provisioned them all for their long journey. Vardan gives a nice speech of thanks to us.
Stories will be told of you for generations, he says and declares us all honorary members of the tribe. Should you ever come south to our
people, you will be welcomed as brothers and sisters. We tearfully bid them farewell.

1ST OF BLESSING
We divide up our most recent loot and take stock of how business is going. Myraeths is doing well, were glad to see. For the rest of this
week we train and rest. I work hard to perfect my skill with the greataxe.
34 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

5TH OF BLESSING
At lunch today, were shocked to see Archinemus disappear in a flash of lightning. He later tells us that he found himself in the lightning
gods presence. Destor commanded him to go to his old temple in the city, clean it up, and make it acceptable for worship. Then he was
supposed to find someone to be his priest and ensure the safety of his temple. The temple must be operational by the end of the year
thats five months. In exchange, Archinemus may use the lightning rod to further these aims. In addition, he grants our friend a wish: that
the rod be joined with the form of his magical skivver as one weapon. Do not be lax. I will be watching, the deity warned him.
When he returns to tell us the news, Calista asks, Isnt the temple of Destor illegal? Isnt that why they were forced underground?
Hmm.
Celdore of Dark Leaf comes over to join us at the Ghostly Minstrel. The Killravens were not happy that we did not care to share with
them the location of the Balacazars secret hideout. However, after our recent foray down to Feegus lab, they now consider everything to be
equal, with no further debts to be paid only a favor. Kevris would like to know how we found out who to eliminate and who not to elimi-
nate in our recent activities with the Shuul. It seems as though we have unwittingly taken out Kevris enemies and left her allies alone. Were
a little puzzled as to this coincidence but we simply say that we are glad to have reached this understanding.
I then ask Celdore about the Hu-Charad. Can he teach me of them, of their language and their history? (He spoke their tongue last time
we met.) You will find, my friend, that there are no better keepers of history than the elves, he says. He advises me to go into the forest
north of the city if I want to seek the elf lorekeepers. He tells us how to reach the elves of the Moonsilver Forest: Follow the roads north
along the coast then inland to Faelasith village and speak with Sael Wintersong. Celdore cautions that using his name wont help us much,
except maybe with Sael himself.
Celdore can tell me a few things, though. He says the Hu-Charad stayed along the coast to the north when they came here thousands of
years ago. Ptolus didnt even exist then. When these Elder Titans came, the Natharlnacna were asleep, but some of their servants were not.
Some of the Titans who came here became corrupted by these ancient evil forces. Some think these Evil Titans still live under the Spire,
Celdore says. He tells us a story that one of them allied himself with Ghul when he tried to conquer the world, and though Ghul fell, the
Titan himself remained, unliving. Hed still be in Goth Gulgamel, if the storys true. (Calista later tells us that her cousin Aliya and the
Runewardens encountered a giant undead Titan in Goth Gulgamel and, in exchange for their bag of banes, he let them through and into the
chamber of the Entropy Sphere. Wow.)
Celdores not familiar with the fortress of Ar-Nampur, but he thinks the name means Home away from home. We pay Celdore for his
mediating service, and he says we can seek him at Iridithils Home if we have any more questions.

SECOND WEEK OF BLESSING

Calista meets with Taera, one of the heroes who destroyed the gates to the realm of Ravvan, and tries to find out how final their victory real-
ly was. She leaves still not knowing for sure. She hopes to meet with another of their group, named Neles, soon to ask more questions. These
guys dont really look any more powerful than us. How in the world did four people go down there and kill all those blue gnoll demons?
I look into Terris Brunchart, who helped Feegus buy the litorian slaves, and learn that he is a well-to-do merchant. He does a lot of work
in the North Market in the importing and exporting business. Right. Perhaps he can lead us to our last remaining litorian slave. The group
has not seen that one, Sallam, since the slave pens, we recall.

15TH OF BLESSING
Calista learns that Neles and Taera and their demon-gnoll-slaying friends (Carter Dune and Chalderic Noramin) were killed this morning at
their home. It was very grisly, apparently, as though they were torn apart by animals. I guess its not over.
Thuma Peun, a friend of the adventuring group who found them dead, is at the groups house when we arrive in our magical carriage (a
gift from the grateful skulks). We also meet her friend Jerrit. The heroes bodies are as we heard: ripped apart, as though by animals. We find
strands of long animal-like hair near Chalderics body.
Archinemus, Tharn, and Barbatos search the bedrooms upstairs and determine that, while it doesnt look as though anything was touched,
there also appears to be nothing of value left in the rooms (no potions, gold pieces, etc.). A note in the wizards (Carters) spellbook says:
Still owe ten thousand gold for (Brother) Admars rescue. We see that they are all members of the Delvers Guild.
Calista uses magic to determine that Neles was slain by a werewolf. Further spells tell her, shockingly, that the animal-like hairs near
Chalderics body belonged to a werewolf, and that the werewolf was Thuma, who is still there with us! With no hesitation, Calista tries to
trap the deceitful friend with an eldritch web spell, and before our very eyes Thuma transforms into a half-wolf, half-human creature! With a
roar, she launches herself at Tharn and stuns him, but then becomes distracted by Calista. Meanwhile, I manage to grapple Jerrit, just as he
begins transforming into a half-wolf, half-human creature too. We struggle in the hall and in the melee, I find myself shackled to the Jerrit-
wolf figure. Lets take him downtown, Diethan says after applying the manacles. With friends like these!
In desperation I try to bash the creature into the wall, but that move and all our weapons seem ineffective. Only Calistas and Barbatos
magical attacks seem to do any good. Frustrated at his continual (successful) bites at me, I attempt to toss Jerrit over the banister of the stair-
case while everyone else continues pummeling Thuma, hoping to subdue her with magic and smoke bombs. Even though Calista distracts
him magically, Im foiled when he breaks the manacles.
Meanwhile, Thuma escapes out the window and Tharn and Barbatos fly after her and bring her down with one final barrage of magic
missiles. (Wow, I didnt know either of them could fly!) Diethans pet wolf Lunes starts dragging the dead body back now looking like a
human woman again up the street to the house. Some neighbors become agitated at the sight. Call the Watch! Get the constable! A wolf
has killed a woman! Diethan urges them to get to safety. Go back in your house, you morons! he cries.
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 35

Finally I manage to tackle Jerrit just as hes about to jump out the window himself. In a cloud of smoke from the smoke bomb, we all
wind up piling onto him, trying in vain to subdue him. One last bite knocks me out. But Barbatos smacks the creature with a lightning bolt
that unfortunately also takes out Diethan from his position at the window haranguing pedestrians. Calista revives me just in time for me to
see Jerrit leap out the hole in the wall where the lightning bolt broke through. Flying, Tharn and Barbatos give chase, the wizard pelting the
fleeing lupine with magic missiles from his wand. The werewolf ducks into a building as Tharn catches up. The litorian catches sight of him
skulking out of the house, once again in human form. He fires an arrow at Jerrit from the air, crying, Hes a werewolf! Murderer! hoping
to attract attention.
The rest of us take off after them (with Thumas body) in our carriage and finally reach them just as Jerrit ducks into a warehouse. A
crowd is forming outside. These werewolves just murdered the Saviors of Ptolus! I cry, racing inside, only to be cut down again by the foul
lycanthrope. Some well-meaning locals race in with hatchets and for a moment seem to think Archinemus is the werewolf. Jerrit cuts down
Archinemus and has the gall to cry out, I have slain the werewolf! You may all be at peace. Not so fast Tharn, Calista, and Barbatos
harry him with blows and a last few magic missiles as Diethan and his wolf deal the final blows at him.
In the carriage later, taking the bodies back to Barbatos place, Diethan slugs the wizard in thanks for the lightning bolts. Calista and I
stay to talk to the City Watch. How were supposed to explain the missing werewolf bodies Im not sure, but I leave that up to Calista. She
handles the Watch gracefully and we gratefully depart.
I make my way to the Temple of Teun to have all my wolf bites looked at, and Tharn does the same thing at the Temple of Ashe. Calista
goes to inform the Order of the Fist that one of their members (Thuma) was a lycanthrope. They say that it must have happened to her only
recently they would have known, otherwise.
Barbatos takes the werewolf corpses to the temple of Inurath, Mistress of War, to speak to the bodies (good as his word, they are whole).
We must find the idol, Thumas body says, we meaning the followers of Ravvan. We are everywhere. Ah, yes, the idol of Ravvan,
whose effects made Barbatos want to attack me with tooth and claw when we were down in Shilukars lair. The body of Jerrit reveals that
they did not steal any items from their house and explains that the missing Admar is the groups priest of Lothian friend. Barbatos asks: To
whom do you report? The mountain temple of Nerugar in the land of Nar, the corpse says, adding that he knew Shilukar because he
helped the siblings but then he betrayed them. We hate him now.
The main lesson I take away from this whole episode is this: ALWAYS wear my new plate armor, even on social calls. I go home and col-
lapse into bed.

SESSIONS XLI & XLIIGNOLLS GONE WILD

16TH OF BLESSING
I have definitely had better mornings. What a beating I got in the fight yesterday! Definitely wearing my new armor today. I visit the Delvers
Guild office to see what I can find out about the slain adventuring group. The group recently celebrated its one-year anniversary (Brother
Admar Gend, cleric of Lothian, was the fifth member, in addition to Taera Newsun, Neles, Carter Dune, and Chalderic Noramin).
Meanwhile, Barbatos learns that they recently sold their valuable equipment for cash (to rescue Admar, we presume). Calista casts some
spells on the body of Thuma their friend-in-werewolfs-clothing and learns that her last goal was to recover the idol of Ravvan.
We go in search of Admar. Brother Fabitor of St. Gustavs Chapel said he hadnt seen Admar in three weeks. He urged us to go to St.
Valiens rectory and see if he was at his rooms, but when we do, we learn that the people there havent seen him in three weeks either. Back
we go to Brother Fabitors chapel to have him cast a divinatory spell to help us determine whether Admar is okay. Unfortunately, Fabitors
spell range doesnt extend out of Delvers Square. We need to find out where he is.
Nosing around town, we learn that Admar wasnt at the celebration following the groups success in routing the demon-gnolls. That
seemed weird at the time. We get the definite impression that Admar went down into the gnolls with the rest of the group but never came out.
Admar always hated Carter Dunes weasel familiar, folks say it tormented him. But we didnt find the familiar at the house where the others
were slain! Local shopkeepers confirm for us that the group was selling a bunch of possessions, not just the treasure they gained underground,
No one knows why they were trying to raise money, just that they needed to buy something at the Emerald Eye (a competitors magic shop). It
seems that they engineered their own celebration to encourage the townsfolk to give them a reward (a few thousand gold pieces).

17TH OF BLESSING
We deduce that Admars most likely location is somewhere down in Delvers Hole, so in the morning we take Brother Fabitor over there to
work his magic. Sadly, he was still not in range. Hmmm
Off to the Emerald Eye magic shop to try to scare up a lead. Pompous jerk Lord Palkam Mosh (decked out in old-time wizard robes
and pointy hat) there tells us that the group commissioned a special item: a planar breach. It seems that poor Admar got sucked into the
Beastlands, and this item can take its user there. They told him they had to rescue their friend. We agree to give him a final payment so we
can take possession of the planar breach.
Then we go to see Brother Fabitor again with an update. But he has an update for us: Admars friends already learned where the cleric
was: in some small extradimensional space created by magical backlash. Hm, hes not in the Beastlands of Ravvan after all. Could he be in
this pocket dimension with the idol? Brother Fabitor urges us to go after Admar and bring the idol back to St. Valiens Cathedral for destruc-
tion. We agree and plan to go tomorrow.
We return to the Eye to pay for the planar breach. We speak to Moshs coworker, Una Sar hey, I wonder if shes related to Zorin Sar,
the guy who sent us troll fingers because we were buying Myraeths? She simply smirks at our recognition.
36 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

From there, we head off to investigate Thumas spartan residence, but we find nothing. We head back to the shop and assemble the planar
breach in our back room next to the vault. The thing looks to me like just a bunch of pipes. When assembled, though, it forms a doorway
that serves as a two-way portal between our world and the destination world. We discuss the ins and outs of planar travel this, after all, is
a fairly new science, as our world was closed to the rest of the cosmos up until three years ago.

18TH OF BLESSING
Fabitor tells us that all is in readiness at the cathedral for us to bring in Admar and the idol. He gives us a description of Admar so well
know him when we see him. We return to the shop and head through the magical doorway.
We emerge someplace so dark, our light sources make no noticeable difference. The ground is sticky and gives a bit, and all around us we
hear growls. Calistas darkvision spell doesnt work. Its even hard to find our way back to the doorway. We tie ourselves together and tie off
the end of the rope to the vault door, then venture back through into the chill blackness.
With a spell, Calista detects the presence of the idol one hundred feet ahead. Then we hear amid the growing growls, a voice: Is someone
there? Its Admar! We explain who we are, but he warns, Be careful, the gnolls and demons can hear you! We reach him and tie him to
us and turn to leave, but the growls are much louder now they seem almost to be forming words. Then I hear one right in front of me,
and I manage to mow it over. It feels almost as big as me!
Unhand us in the name of Shilukar! shouts Barbatos. I dont know what he was trying to do with that, but of course this enrages our
foes. SHILUKAR! a voice howls. The betrayer!
Then I emerge back into the shop. Behind me come Archinemus and Barbatos. We get ready for the gnolls to come out with the rest of our
party. Diethan and his wolf come through next. I yank on the rope, then Admar makes it out. Poor guy, he looks like hell in his tattered
robes. Hes clutching the idol, but appears terrified. As soon as he emerges with the idol, surprisingly, the blackness in the doorway disap-
pears, and we can see straight through the portal to the other end of the room. And there, looking perplexed, is Calista with a whole bunch
of haggard-looking gnolls. They must have gotten shunted out of the pocket dimension when it closed up after the idol left it.
We launch ourselves at the gnolls. None of them are the blue-skinned demon-gnolls we dreaded so. Archinemus casts a spell of contain-
ment on the idol. Seanus comes running in from the front of the store to see whats going on and gets whacked by a gnoll. Where are we?
We cant let them have the idol! shouts Admar. Not to worry, we dispatch the creatures in short order.
But before we can congratulate ourselves too much, we hear screams and cries coming from the outer shop and the street beyond. Oh
no, when the plane closed, these gnolls popped in all over the place! Whatever you do, do not admit responsibility for this! shouts
Archinemus. More crashes and screams come from the front of the shop. Three gnolls are making mincemeat of the store. Taevel is terrified
and injured, but Jora and Seanus together manage to dispatch one. When were through with them, we dash outside to Delvers Square to
find more of them: dire hyenas, giant spiders with great batwings, two dozen gnolls, and two blue demon-gnolls. Lucky for us and everyone
else, Delvers Square is always full of adventurers, and theyve all engaged the enemies.
With things well in hand there, we summon our magical carriage and dash off to St. Valiens Cathedral. Well, everyone else does except me.
I stay to tear into some gnolls in front of the shop, hacking them to pieces with Rastor (owner of the shop next door) and many other citizens.
Never let it be said that the owners of Myraeths are cowards when things get hot! The carriage barrels off, with Diethan next to the driver crying,
Out of the way! Coming through! People launch themselves out of the road in a panic as they go by and soon they pull up to St. Valiens.
On the ride over, Admar tells my friends the whole story of his groups attack on the demon-gnolls lair. We managed to get to the central
temple area, but the magic of the idol affected our minds. They overwhelmed us, and the only thing I could think of was to get rid of this
idol. So he engineered a magical backlash that shunted him off into that extradimensional space, along with the idol and the foes around him.
A priestess of Lothian meets the group as soon as they arrive at the cathedral. Two acolytes open up a golden chest, which emits lovely
golden light and place the idol inside. They wheel the box away, and the priestess congratulates us all. Admar slumps in relief the group
can see the indentations in his arms from his tight, weeks-long grip on the idol. My friends leave him in the capable hands of the priestess.
By the time the carriage returns to Delvers Square, weve taken care of all the invaders. The City Watch is doing one last sweep of the
alleys with nets, and frightened locals are creeping out into the square again.
Then we go back inside and take stock of our shambles of a shop. And we wonder what were going to do with a planar breach that no
longer has a plane to attach itself to.

19TH OF BLESSING
Today Diethan gets a mysterious message from his sister, Alivia, asking him to find someone named Spyncer Coil, but hes not sure why.
After some digging, Diethan, Archinemus, Barbatos, and Tharn discover that this guys some kind of blacksmith. He had an episode a few
years ago and spent some time in an asylum. He has a shady past, Diethan says he knew the man a long time ago. The group learns that
Spyncer has been working with a well-known weaponsmith named Kalbert Nom to forge three magical Swords of Ptolus: Insight, Deceit,
and Power. They learn this from a guy trapped in a cage but wait, Im getting ahead of myself.
Some of their information they learn from Veda Medaris, head of the Ironworkers Guild, whom Barbatos has a crush on. Another fellow
gives them information as well. This man, Hadrien Runihan (related to the famous delver Abesh Runihan), is also looking for Spyncer Coil.
They decide to seek the man together.
My friends trace Spyncer and Kalbert to their old foundry in the city, a strange, underground, metal-lined subterranean workshop of four
rooms. Examining the workshop, the group finds a bedchamber and a square room with a circle carved on the floor (odd magical symbols
are carved all around it). It seems as though it was made to focus power or a creature or something into the circle. But its not a common
summoning circle.
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 37

They find some creatures imprisoned in cages in the foundrys main chamber: a fiery dwarflike guy, a fiery salamander, and a fire elemen-
tal. The dwarf guy says that Spyncer went to the Pale Dogs for protection for some reason, and that Kalbert was dead. Sounds like Spyncer
killed him. The freed fiery dwarf disappears as soon as the guys let him out of the cage seems like it must have been preventing him from
teleporting away. It and many other items here radiate magic.
This whole place looks as though someone has packed up and gone. Under the bed is a note with some random words on it. Barbatos can
make sense of some of it: the part that refers to some degenerate skulks. Not nice guys like Shim and Nos, but shady customers (pun intend-
ed) who inhabit the shadows of the city, go about in disguise, have strange motivations, and really love magic. It also directs us to a specific
corner in town.

SESSION XLIII & XLIVTHE TROUBLE WITH SPYNCER COIL

20TH OF BLESSING
A guy named Hadrien Runihan is helping my friends find Spyncer Coil (forger of the magical Swords of Ptolus) and Hadrien seems interest-
ed when Tharn brings up Calistas name. But how could he know her? Calista keeps to herself more than any of us do. But Tharn doesnt
trust him. They decide to part ways with him, and in parting Hadrien offers to help us get in touch with the Pale Dogs, a local gang of street
toughs who are supposed to be harboring Spyncer Coil.
Calista and I have spent the last two days working to find someone to teach us the Hu-Charad language: the language of my people. Sadly, no
one in town seems to know how to speak it. No one has any books written in Hu-Charad. The only ones who even knew what we were talking
about told us to seek the elves. Sounds like well have to visit that Moonsilver Forest village north of the city that Celdore told us about after all.
We reunite again back at the store around noon, where Diethan fills in Calista and me on their adventures of the last day. When Diethan
shows us the letter he got from his sister asking him to find Spyncer, Calista takes note of some musical notes imbedded into it. Diethan
explains that his sister is a musician sponsored by House Kath. He adds that this letter seems a little stiff hes not sure its really from her.
Did she write it under duress? He says the notes form a tune called Trouble Is My Birthright, and Calista reports that the style of a varia-
tion in the song is called second child. Hmm, Alivia IS the second child in Diethans family. Barbatos thinks the stilted tone means that
she was writing the letter at someone elses command someone who wants us to find Spyncer for them.
Before we can go any further, Diethan takes off with the letter and some previous letters from her and visits a forger. This dwarf, who runs
a print shop as his legitimate business, confirms that they were written by the same hand, but that the newer letter was written more slowly
with pauses in between words. Next stop for Diethan is House Kath. There, he speaks to a lady of the house, Miss Leeyalla Wort. She con-
firms that she saw Alivia at breakfast that morning and that shes fine, but that now shes off at her studies at the Conservatory. He thanks
her and leaves for the Imperial Academy of Music, where he asks to see his sister. When the gatekeeper gives him trouble, he grabs the guy
and throws him into our magical carriage, instructing the driver, Myraeths Oddities, on the double! With the protesting man out of the
way, Diethan is free to look around. He finds his sister and she appears fine, so he leaves and returns to the shop (where we have by this
point managed to calm down the quite irate gentleman from the school).
That night, Hadrien arrives at the shop. Hes a tall, slight man in a charcoal grey coat and wide-brimmed hat. When Calista sees him, she
goes pale. It seems that while she was held prisoner in the Dark Reliquary years back (shes had quite the interesting life!), he came to see her
with the marilith Drusii. He asks to be invited into the storetwice. He has not aged a day since Calista last saw him years ago. He says that
at the time he visited her, he was looking for an apprentice, but he wont give us a straight answer about what he wanted with Calista.
Barbatos asks whether his interest in the blades of Spyncer Coil and Kalbert Nom has anything to do with the Covenant of Blood vampires.
Im afraid I have no idea what youre talking about, he said with a slight smile. He checks his pocketwatchthe demon-possessed one
from our experience with that little undead girl, Linele!and departs, saying how sorry he was we couldnt do business.
Do the vampires want the three Swords of Ptolus? Did Hadrien want to make Calista a vampire? Thank goodness no one invited him into
the store! And how did he get that demon-possessed watch from Linele anyway? Is she dead now for real?
We decide we dont need Hadrien to help us find the Pale Dogs and we set off first for the intersection noted on that piece of paper we found
under Spyncers bed. This is a residential area in Midtown. One of the houses here has a plaque that says Orth, Second Floor. Hm, Methir Orth
was the name of a guy who came to the store a while back seeking aethel stones! Sure enough, the name is on the note as well. After some debate
over whether we should be prepared to beat up this fellow or just ask him why Spyncer Coil had his name and address, we head up to his door.
Methir Orth is tall and gaunt with a thin face; hes wearing a lot of clothing. When Barbatos tells him we know where he can find a lot of
aethel stones, he invites us into his junky place. After a bit of intimidation from my litorian friends (and me, I guess), he admits that he has
been working to acquire the Swords of Ptolus for a group of evil skulks. He confirms that he knows where Spyncer is and will trade the info
for the location of the cache of aethel stones the members of the Order of the Legacy told us about some time ago.
He divulges that Spyncer is with an centaur named Tarkus in the Pale Dogs refuge. Methir adds that Spyncer owed him money for item
creationsword creationusing aethel stones. Aha, he helped forge the Swords of Ptolus that everyone seems to want! We promise not to
tell anyone he told us about the aram or that hes working for evil skulks, and we agree to return with the info on the stones location once
weve confirmed Spyncers whereabouts. Diethan thinks its weird to be sent to find an aram among the Pale Dogs they wouldnt have
such a high-profile creature as a member.
So we set off into the Warrens to look for him. Call us fools for walking through the absolute worst part of town at midnighteven the
City Watch doesnt come into this maze of narrow filthy streets. There are no street lamps here, so its very dark. With our everburning
torches going, we are real marks. Some foul-mouthed kids try to spit on us from the roof of a nearby building, but Diethan shoots an arrow
at them. I hate everyone Ive met today, Barbatos gripes.
38 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

Thats when the toughs jump us. We make short work of this pathetic band. Barbatos charms one of the thugs (name of Scrud) and gets him to
take us to Tarkus. We arrive at a well-lit building where people are gathered, and Scrud points. Thats Tarkus place, he whispers, then scrams.
We see a number of grey-robed figures with iron staves in front of the building. You dont have the right to say no to me, one of the
robed figures tells a young man with dark circles painted under his eyes and black nail polish. Out of my way, now. Diethan thinks the guys
in robes are members of The Eight Shadows, a spellcasting group that works exclusively for the Balacazars. We hide in the shadows while
Diethan goes off to reconnoiter the house and the grey robes go inside. Tharn sneaks in after them and finds all the Shadows threatening a cen-
taur in the front room. Im your only hope of getting out of here alive, our friend says to the centaur, having quickly sized up the situation.
All right, then, says Tarkus.
A melee ensues, with us and Tarkus fighting all the grey robes in tight quarters. Tharn starts chopping off mage heads to make it harder to
raise them from the dead harder for them to tell the Balacazars what we did.
When its all over, we ask for Spyncer. The centaur tells us he isnt here, but that he knows where he is (apparently Spyncers a friend of a friend
of his named Lyrian Voss). Since we saved Tarkus life in the attack against The Eight Shadows, he agrees to give him up to us for 2,000 gp.
Tarkus warns that Spyncer may no longer have all three swords on him; hes been gone from his house a week now. These magic swords
somehow manage to draw upon the essence of the city. This guys not all there, Tarkus says. I dont know what hes planning. One
minute he wants the swords, and the next minute he wants to get rid of them. Its like he wants to get them in some peoples hands but not
others. But thats all he knows.
Tarkus agrees to dispose of the bodies. If theres one thing we know around here, its that. So off we all go together to find Spyncer.

21ST OF BLESSING
Spyncer Coil has created three magical swords tied somehow to the cityInsight, Power, and Deceitand everybody wants them.
Apparently he thought the Pale Dogs could hide him from all who were looking for him (even the Balacazars). But were onto him now.
Its late at night as Tarkus leads us through the Warrens. We come upon the place, but the guards see us coming and attack! While Tarkus
sneaks away, we engage a bunch of Pale Dog thugs and their mangy hound. Diethan hears that theyre about to take Spyncer out the back,
so Barbatos sneaks back there and arcane locks the door. The ramshackle building catches fire thanks to a burning hands spell by the Pale
Dogs resident wizardess.
A man escapes out along the cliffside, but I use my Shuul potion injector and ring of potion sharing to grant myself and Tharn the ability
to levitate, and we go after him and bring him back. When we return, the others have found Spyncer Coil: an old man lying on a bed, drool-
ing and insensible. After Calista has healed him a bit, he sees Diethan and says, But no, youre not the important one. Wheres your sister?
Calista moves him out as flames from the house fire begin to lick at his bed. Meanwhile, I question the guy we pulled off the ledge of the
cliffs. He says his name is Lizalle, and that he just took a sword from the overdosed-on-shivvel Spyncer. Where are the other two swords? He
wont answer, but Diethan thinks they might be in the hands of Pale Dog leaders.
Spyncer was holding a poem when we found him, a sort of prophecy about three daughters (natives but not born here) for whom the swords
were made. Sounds as though Diethans sister is supposed to wield one! We recall that while Spyncer was mad, he supposedly had some sort of
religious vision. The sword we recover from Lizalle is named Insight. Its not steel but some other dull grey material we cant identify. When
Tharn holds it, he feels as though everything around himeven usis being pulled into the sword. He quickly wraps it up again.
By the time we return to the shop, its four in the morning. We offer a pill to Spyncer to keep him alive and we tie the wizardess to a chair.
Then I keep watch out the shop window for the rest of the early morning, and Seanus keeps his eye on the old man. The rest of the predawn
hours are uneventfuluntil Spyncer awakes. He sees Diethan and starts screaming. Lord Asche, is that you? Whats going on? He seems to
have gone mad again. Diethan pretends to be the god of the city. Who are the native daughters?
Alivia? he asks, then realizes its her brother. No, NO, not you! Oh Lord Asche, please tell me what to do next! Once again I have the
clarity of mind to hear your words! This must be the gist of the religious experience he had back when he was in the asylum.
The wizardess awakes and tells us that Spyncer hid Deceit and that a band of malevolent skulks have Power. They havent activated it and
wont be able to do anything with it unless they have a whole bunch of aethel stones. (Oh, no! We promised to give their agent info about a
cache of stones!) She says the swords are made of marlite, a naturally occurring material that appears near aethel stones; they absorb all the magic
from it and make it totally unable to be affected by magic. She adds that Spyncer was totally insane and begged for shivvel while in her care.
I dont know what happened to him, but it really messed up his mind. In his moments of lucidity he would talk to her of the swords.
She says she knows the Balacazars are after the swords, as well as the Ironworkers Guild and a couple different orders of knights (including
the Knights of the Golden Cross). She doesnt know how many people know of Spyncers poems prophecy. She says he believed Asche told
him that poem and taught him how to make swords out of marlite. Spyncer didnt trust the skulks, because they turned on him and stole
Power. They wanted somethingthe Legacy of something or other. You needed a magical sword to get at the Legacy (the swords name
started with a Z or X, the wizardess thought), but they hoped to use one of the Swords of Ptolus instead.
Power is the only sword that is not activated now, the wizardess explains; the other two have their abilities engaged. They magically draw
on the essence of the city. The longer theyre in your possession, the more they allow you to do. And in certain peoples hands they are more
powerful still. Insight is supposed to give you great wisdom, she said. As she is leaving, she said Spyncer also told her the evil skulks have
been putting some sort of pressure upon a girl at the Conservatory to do somethingshe doesnt know what. Ah, like maybe to get her
brother to find the swords!
Meanwhile, Barbatos goes to visit the Temple of Asche and speaks with our friend Mand Scheben. He said the poem is written in typical
meter of the hymns of Asche, but it is not one he knows. He wonders whether Spyncer has indeed had a revelatory experience and agrees to
come to the shop with Barbatos and take a look at him.
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 39

At the same time, Diethan goes to the Conservatory to wait for his sister. She doesnt want to see Spyncer (bad memories, or so Im told).
Shes creeped out that Spyncer is only lucid when he thinks about her. But I have to know where he is, she says. Some people want oh,
just take me there. When Diethan demands the full story about the note, Alivia explains that a couple of her instructors told her she had to
find Spyncer Coil or shed fail in her classesand that means House Kath would throw her out. She adds that shes lucky she wasnt expelled
over that whole incident with the Conservatorys doorman in our runaway carriage.
When Diethan and Alivia arrive, Mand and Barbatos are already at the shop. When Spyncer sees Alivia, he touches her face and says, Its
you again, finally, after all these years, I knew it was you. Youre one of the three, a second-born daughter. The swords, theyre for you. The
daughters, theyre all here! Asche, my work here is done! Ive done it!! and he begins raving again. Barbatos gives me the sword to hold and
I feel a sort of clarity of thought, along with what Tharn described earlier.
Then Barbatos recalls something that had been nagging at him ever since the wizardess spoke of the Legacy and the sword that started
with an X or Z. Zelambrast was the name of the sword that guarded the Legacy, he remembers. It was placed in the lintel of the doorway in
the fortress of Cordaris, the location of our first adventures together. Oread, a celestial, was supposed to protect Zelambrastwas Oread the
angel in blue from the Book of the Legacy? This is getting really confusing.
(Later, Calistas friends at the Pale Tower tell her of ancient legends about the birth of the world that deal with a power even beyond that
of the Creator, a power that had to visit the world and judge whether it was a worthy creation. The legends say that when the Gilded Angel
came to the world, one of the Vested of the Galchutt, Mrathrach, attempted to slay her, so the creation would be judged unworthy and be
destroyed, but some ancient heroes saved her. This being, called the Gilded Angel, might very well be the same creature as the Angel in Blue,
as the stories say she wore long flowing blue garments. According to the Book of the Legacy, the Angel in Blue is said to have judged the
world and, in a place now called Mrathrachs Pit, given someone named Timonius Creed a secret and a power. Later a woman named
Cordaris discovered the secret and went on to form the Order of the Legacy and build a tower to protect it. As for the sword, one of the
Malkuth recognize the name Zelambrast as being the name of a holy sword and Oread as the name of a powerful solar who is gone now but
was herenot one of the Lords of the Seven Chains, but almost that powerful.)
Wait a minute. Spyncer said that all three daughters were here now. The only women in the room are Alivia, Calista, and me! The
prophecy (if thats what it is) seems frighteningly appropriate to my friend and me. It goes like this:

Three native daughters

But none from here
Second born of their fathers
But none held dear.

This city, this year,

The City by the Spire.

A weapon for each

But none desired.
No lust for blood, nor skilled reach
But none required.

The city conspired.

The City by the Spire.

We try to catch Mand up on whats been going on. When we get to the part about promising to give the skulk agent directions to the
aethel stones, he seems to recognize him, because he asks, Did he read your mind? What?! Oh, how were we supposed to know that he
could read minds? Hes probably already been to the candleshop and found the way to the cache by now!
And how did Spyncer manage to create a magical sword out of marlite anyway? Diethan holds the sword and feels a flash of insight:
Although the prophecy is not about him, it almost is.
We decide to take Spyncer to Castle Shard with Mand, as Alivia is compelled to tell her unethical instructors the old mans location and
thats the safest place for him when his foes come calling. When we arrive at Castle Shard, Kadmus helps Spyncer Coil be a little more at
peace. (I think that butler has powers we dont begin to understand!) Zavere agrees to shelter the ceaselessly screaming Spyncer for the time
being. He also warns us to avoid any further encounters with Hadrien Runihan, the vampireand if we cant avoid them, to get Linechs
demon-watch away from him. (That watch, along with all its other powers, taught humans how to refine shivvel.)

SESSIONS XLV & XLVITHE CATHEDRAL OF HARMONY

STILL THE 21ST OF BLESSING

We see Archinemus at the shop and fill him in on whats been going on the last two days. Were a bit concerned that a bunch of evil skulks
are so interested in the Swords of Ptolus that they are likely to come after Insight, so Diethan had better never be alone with it.
At dinner we decide to follow the map Calista bought a while back to a reputed cache of song magic deep underground. With all the vam-
pires, skulk agents, and who knows who else after us, it would be good to boost her available magic resources. And Archinemus has Seanus
make a sign for the shop saying No Vampires Allowed. Just in case.
40 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

22ND AND 23RD OF BLESSING

I work a couple days at the Delvers Guildgotta pay the rent, you know (the shop isnt always guaranteed to do that, after all our expens-
es). Meanwhile, Calista goes to Alivias Conservatory to apologize to the headmaster for the whole runaway carriage incident. He offers to
introduce her to some resident song mages. A couple different times as were making our way about town, we have the feeling that were
being watched, but it never seems to amount to anything.

24TH OF BLESSING
We head over to the access point shown on Calistas map. We venture down into the sewers to find a shaft about eighty feet deep. A hallway
at the bottom leads us to a series of Undercity rooms of different construction than the previous sewer. One room has a mosaic floor depict-
ing hideous women with brown-feathered wings and claws for hands: harpies. We try to pass through a magically locked door hereour
attempts cause strange markings around the lock (musical notations?) to light up, and we each hear a strain of music repeated in our heads. I
hear a suggestion in the music as well: Free the satyrs. But Calista heard Ring the chimes and Diethan heard Unite the musicians. We
press on down a long hallway on whose walls is painted a procession of life-sized musicians. We reach a doorway enchanted with a compul-
sion that prevents us from going down the stairs. We have to withdraw.
We next enter a room of life-sized statues each depicting a different musician. Perhaps these are the ones Diethan is supposed to unite.
They are all linked by cleverly concealed tracks. When he has moved them all together, he hears the strain of music again and receives no
admonition when he returns to the staircase.
In the next room we see a pair of decorative stone pillars. Hanging from a wire suspended between them are a variety of different-sized
chimes. When Calista picks out the tune she heard in her head before on the chimes, a secret door opens here and she is freed of the enchant-
ment. Beyond the secret door is a hall and rooms with arrow slits and other traps. Some of them have been disabled already, as the map indi-
cates. We find another secret door that leads to a three-way junction. Down one hall is a perfectly round room with a great drum, which
Archinemus just has to strike. It deafens Diethan and creates a shimmer on the circular walls. Now we see paintings on the wall previously
invisible, and the people in them are all screaming with their hands over their ears.
Where are my satyrs that need freeing? In another room we find broken ceramic shards. We think it was one solid large clay man, painted
and carved with symbols like the musical notation we saw at the first door. Another chamber holds boxes and sacks (open and empty) and
three chests behind a wall of flickering sonic energy. Wall of sound, it says on the map. The wall seems to be malfunctioningperhaps it
used to sweep the room. Calista cast a silent sheath spell on me to allow me to go back and forth beyond the wall to retrieve the three chests.
Archinemus opens the chests (triggering a couple traps as he does) and discovers 2,000 Imperial gold coins, a couple of vials, and ten song
magic scrolls. Hooray!
Opening another magically locked door, we see a swirling vortex of opaque violet energy that gives off a sonic pitch. Archinemus is keen
to go in, and Diethan seems to think the sword suggests that he will be safe. We tie him to our winch, Calista casts her good ol silent sheath
spell on him, and he ventures in. Archinemus says he cant see anything in there and can feel solid walls all around him. As we attempt to
winch him back in again, he feels a sense of displacement, as though he has just moved. Calista manages to dispel the vortex magically, but
when we look into the tiny room now revealed, Archinemus is gone! In a few moments, the violet vortex returns and Calista cries out, We
have to go after him! She rushes in and I follow her into the humming purpleness, leaving Diethan behind to go fetch Barbatos and see if
they can follow us.

24TH OF BLESSING
Calista and I find ourselves on a stone platform with Archinemus, a lantern lighting the area. The platform seems suspended above the floor,
and there are bars all the way around the edges of the platform. Theres an iron ceiling above and a wall beyond the platform on all sides; we
cant see the floor. Theres no sign of violet energy, but we do see a small bamboo flute by Archinemus feet (no response when Calista plays
it, but inscribed on the back of it is the message Jazzix was here.). It seems that were in a cage in a shaft. Calista uses a spell to burn one
of the bars with acid, and Archinemus and I manage to break the bar. Enchanted with spider climb, Calista crawls out onto the top of the
cage, then heads down to the floor. Two helmeted and armored figuresthey seem to be simply empty suits of armorconfront her
menacingly. She evades them and hears a slight hum emanating from them. (A musical connection?) At the same time, Archinemus and
I bend another bar so we can climb out, too.
Meanwhile, still deaf from the mighty drumbeat, Diethan grabs the chest of coins I dropped and heads out to find Barbatos. On his way out
he runs afoul of an acrid, many-legged, and many-eyed serpentine spiky creature, which was able to sneak up on him, since hes deaf. After a
short and furious battle, Diethan decapitates the monster! However, he feels as though the creatures awful spikes may have poisoned him.
Archinemus and I climb out of our prison and join Calista down on the floor, where we immediately are engaged by the suits of armor.
They seem only to be trying to subdue us, not really hurt us. We dispatch them and discover a chime that activates these musical spirits to
inhabit the armor. Near a door leading out of the shaft we find a panel that slides down. Theres another chime. It makes the platform start
to rise, and it goes all the way up to the ceiling. Hm. Another ring of the chime brings it down to the floor. We decide to ride up and see if
theres a door at the top of the shaft, so Calista and I return to the platform. Archinemus ties himself to us, then rings the chime. After a
hairy moment or two with him swinging around as the platform ascends, he regains his position on the platform and we ascend through the
ceiling. The bars drop down and we emerge into what appears to be some sort of arena. All the seats are empty.
Two lumbering creatures approach, accompanied by a piece of music that sounds like a march. They are nine or ten feet tall, and they
appear to be made of clay, with musical writing all over them. As we attempt to flee, a blond woman appears, flanked by a destrachan. She
calls out for us to stop, saying she wont let us leave. She does halt the approach of the musical golems (they stand and wait, and their
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 41

musical accompaniment changes to something that sounds like waiting music). The woman, who introduces herself as Chartrene, tells us
were no longer in the place we started out from. When Calista explains that she came here hoping to meet other song mages or learn song
magic lore, Chartrene informs us we are in the Cathedral of Harmony. Calista says she hopes to apply for membership some day (her mentor
told her about this group). Admitting that the arena is not the best place to talk further, Chartrene casts healing spells on us (quite powerful)
and offers us some tea. She sends Archinemus back up to the Nobles Quarter via another violet swirling vortex to find Diethan, then leads
Calista and me further into the Cathedral.
Diethan finally makes it back up to the city with his burden of two hundred pounds of gold coins. On his way to the shop he runs into
Jenna, the woman we released from the Temple of Destor. She offers to give him a hand with the chest. By the time the two of them make it
back to Delvers Square with their heavy load, Archinemus pulls up in a carriage. Diethan glares at him, then they all head off to the Temple
of Asche to help Diethan regain his hearing. Afterward, they discuss our coming plans with Jenna and invite her to join us on our next mis-
sion. She explains that while she can hold her own in a battle, shes more an obtainer of things.
That works out well, Diethan says, since we are sellers of things. She leaves them her calling card and departs, thanking them once
more for sparing her life in the Dungeon.
Meanwhile, Chartrene offers Calista and me some tea and cake in a cozy room and interviews my friend. Music contains the secrets of
the universe, she tells us, its not just something pretty to listen to. She offers to let Calista become an initiate, but she must start immedi-
ately and go through a two-week period of indoctrination. After some debate, Calista decides to stay. We bid each other farewell and I step
through the vortex as Archinemus did.
After updating Diethan and Archinemus about Calistas decision, I head over to the Pale Tower to inform Calistas mentor, Ravena, that
she was accepted to study at the Cathedral of Harmony. Diethan was kind enough to volunteer to take Calistas message over to the
ConservatoryI guess she wont need to meet with the headmasters contacts now!

SESSIONS XLVII & XLVIIIGETTING OUT OF TOWN

8TH OF TOIL
Its been a few weeks since last I wrote. Since then, I have sought and earned a promotion in the Delvers Guild. Im now a Guildguard,
responsible for administrative duties. I report to an administrator named Udalaag, a fascinating individual who seems to be a dragon crossed
with a burrowing creature of some sort. But all this means I have to work a few more hours a week at the Guild.
Our shop hasnt done too well this past month. Archinemus seems concerned and is trying to come up with some tactics to use, especially
considering the competition the Emerald Eye is giving us.
Tharn, meanwhile, is home on the Plains for the Days of Memory and will return on the 20th. We decide that our next mission (when
Tharn returns) will be to travel north of Ptolus to Ar-Nampur and meet the forest elves and inquire about my ancestors. Also in that direc-
tion, Barbatos hopes to discover more about the last known owner of Pythoness House.

9TH OF TOIL
Barbatos gets some unusual visitors this morningwell, unusual in that no one ever visits Barbatos. A man named Thavis Ro and his ugly
friend come to demand the map to the aethel stones we had promised to give Methir Orth as payment for Spyncer Coils whereabouts. (The
key to the location of the cache of aethel stones is a candleshop called the Fevered Moon. But we thought Methir Orth had mind-read that
from us when we visited him) Prevaricating, Barbatos instead gives the two directions to Myraeths Oddities. Well, we figured wed eventu-
ally hear from Methir Orth or his friends.
Back at the shop, we debate how to proceed. I make a copy of the map to the stones and replace the original in the vault. Calista and I visit
our skulk friends to ask what they know of this malevolent faction. Shim cautions us that there is a rift among the evil of their kind, and nei-
ther faction is to be trusted. One side, the keu, is willing to use the dark artsin days past, they worked with the Fallen. But the other group,
the harr, is no better; they feed on magic. These factions are no friends to other skulks, and no friends to humans either: They are killers. Shim
says some of the keu have been following us all around the city. He advises us to lay low for a while, as the Shuul are also keeping their eye on
us, perhaps out for revenge (but he thinks we need not fear in the immediate future). We agree to come see Shim again in a week.
We think the keu have Power and seek the aethel stones to activate it to get at the Legacy. We think the harr want Deceit, and they seek to
learn its hidden (buried) location from crazy old Spyncer Coil.
We wonder why Asche wanted the Swords of Ptolus created now. We think back to the prophecy from Spyncer, and it stresses this year.
Is something happening about the Legacy this year? Diethan concentrates on this idea while holding Insight and gets an unclear response. Its
all very puzzling.

10TH OF TOIL
A hairless man the color of ash dressed all in black meets us in the Ghostly Minstrel at breakfast and tells us our presence is required at
Castle Shard. We arrive, are greeted by Kadmus, and are escorted by our strange companion to a dining hall where Zavere awaits. (The ash
man bows to his master and dissolves into particles that blow away after we are delivered.) We learn that Menon Balacazar visited Zavere
here last night to congratulate him on acquiring Spyncer Coil. The crime lord, thinking Castle Shard had dispatched us to find Spyncer on his
behalf, offered Zavere a huge sum in exchange for the man. The Balacazars desire the Swords of Ptolus, and Zavere warns us that they will
not give up their search. We should expect Menons minions to attempt to get Insight from us. He assures us that he will keep Spyncer for as
long as we desire it. In addition, he says Castle Shard will cast an eye toward our shop for the two weeks we are out of town.
42 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

We depart and head over to the Temple of Asche to see Mand. (I wonder whether the keu are following us.) In his discussions with Spyncer,
during the madmans periods of lucidity, he again mentioned Alivia (Diethans sister), for whom he seems to have a strong fondness. Spyncer
referred also to the Crystal Tenders, and didnt seem to be referring to keu (or harr) but instead to the creatures who helped him activate two of
the swords. The keu were spying upon this process and may have posed as Crystal Tenders these people are rare dwellers in the natural cav-
erns deep below the city. They may know the locations of troves of aethel stones. Mand confirms that the sword named Deceit is hidden away,
but unless we can get the location from Spyncer, no one will likely find it, since obfuscation is part of its power. When activated, Power can be
granted the power of another sword known by the user. Oh, no! The wielders can indeed open the Legacy if they can mimic Zelambrast!
Mand does not know of any event this year that will put the city in particular peril, despite the prophecys words. Barbatos brings up a
name we encountered back in Cordaris: Allitem, Lord of the Mystic Flame, one of the Nine Secret Sons. Mand tells us that these ancient
gods could be the sons of the Elder Godsthey are very old deities going back to the days of the Wizard-Priests of Ni-Gorth, almost to the
time of the new gods arrival. We recall that the Knights of the Golden Cross (yet another group seeking the swords) worship the Elder Gods.
Mand says hes never entirely trusted the Knights of the Golden Cross because their aims (fighting evil) seem too benevolent and because of
their extreme secrecy.
I have heard of the Crystal Tenders, humanoids who live underground and can coax powers from crystal. These people are enigmatic and
aloofalmost like subterranean mineral druids. I learn from the Delvers Guild that there are a number of strange concentrations of
bizarre ores and crystals under the city; the closer one gets to the Spire underground, the stranger these concentrations become. No one
seems to know why, but the Crystal Tenders are always spotted near these concentrations. The Guild has maps to some of them, but they are
mostly tapped out. Their symbol appears on our map to the aethel stone hoard, and this same symbol (two crescent moons with an orb in
between them) is one that Spyncer Coil has been carving into his bedframe at Castle Shard.
Meanwhile, Barbatos researches the works of Phenon DeRegasti, a philosopher who has written about the Legacy. He learns that the Legacy
may be a psionic entity of some kind. Calista, now back from the Cathedral of Harmony, enrolls in the Conservatory for some music classes
there is no charge, as she is now a song mage, a rare and powerful figure around here. She obtains mad Velator Timerians notes from
Barbatos and from them determines that he believed one could use music to tap into some potent power that was normally unreachablehe
sought to manipulate this sonic power for his own Legacy-related ends. And Diethan confirms that, indeed, the Shuul are following us.

17TH OF TOIL
Weve spent the last week doing research and the like, and now its time to meet up with Shim once more. He says hes been watching the
Shuul. He believes that certain radical Shuul factions have delved into advancements that incorporate forbidden magicboth illegal and
immoral. They might be the ones we will face. Specifically, we should beware Nichala Golnath (human) and Buelan Silvertooth (elf). We have
the advantage, however, because they have to remain secret. They might be seeking allies against us as they near readiness to strike at us.
As we discuss what weve learned back at the shop, we receive a visitor: Malkeen Balacazar (the crime lords son) and his vampiric body-
guard. Theyre supposed to be dead, by the way. Rumor has it that Malkeen was assassinated by one of his sisters back on the day three
years ago when magic disappeared; but though many of those who died on that day were unraisable, he somehow made it back for revenge.
Malkeen offers Diethan twenty thousand gold for Spyncer Coil. He claims to care not at all about the Swords of Ptolushe wants Spyncer
because his father wants him. Hell give us a day to think it over. What does he want to do with Spyncer? Hand him over to Dad? Use him
as bait to lure his father into a trap? But before his death, Malkeen and his father were very close. Nevertheless, Diethans connection to the
sword Insight gives him the distinct impression that Malkeen is working against his father.
Well, we certainly arent in the business of selling people, so thats not an option. But we hate to have to act without really knowing whats
going on. And when we say no, well have to warn our employees and our families to watch out for the Balacazar vampirehe could come
after them to get to us.

18TH OF TOIL
We spend a difficult day wrestling with our decision, and all too soon night falls. Malkeen and his vampire bodyguard arrive for our decision
(the bodyguard pulls down our No Vampires Allowed sign and breaks it in front of us). We respectfully decline the offer, explaining that
we know he is working against Menon and we have no wish to run afoul of his fathers organization. Malkeen coldly accepts our decision,
but holds us to a promise: that Spyncer Coil not fall into anyone elses hands. Then he pulls out a brass plate with arcane markings and four
attached leather straps. Theres an oddity for you, he says dryly. One of you should be wearing that the next time Hadrien Runihan
comes to call. Then he turns and leaves.
A present from the dead heir to a crime family? Calista and Barbatos think its a ward that one wears over the heart. The runes seem to
suggest something about blood.
I guess Hadrien is coming for us. We mend our sign and put it back up.

19TH OF TOIL
Taevel tells us the item from Malkeen makes the wearer immune to the special powers of a vampire. But not just one vampire, a particular
group of vampires: The Covenant of Blood. I put it on, just in case. And we agree that its probably time to buy some potions of protection
from evil.
I stock up on supplies for our trip from Ebberts Outfitters. Ebbert asks us to drop off a package for a guy named Turgis Nullid in Larth,
the first village north of Ptolus, four or five miles from here. We should ask for him in the Mud Hen, Larths only tavern. (People from here
refer to Larth residents as mud farmerslow-class.)
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 43

When I buy the map, Im told that if youre going through the Moonsilver Forest, stick to the road. We can ask around about the elves in
villages off the road. However, to seek the elf lorekeepers, Celdore advised us to follow the roads north along the coast then inland to
Faelasith village and speak with Sael Wintersong. (He added that using his name wont help us much except maybe with Sael himself.)

20TH OF TOIL
Tharn has returned from the plains, where he had gone visiting for the Days of Memory festival. He said his brother Charnoth is well and
wanted him to stay with the tribe. But I love the city, he said. Funny, hes arrived just in time for us to pack up and leave in the morning.
I tell Dad that were leaving town and warn him to be carefulthere may be someone watching him.
We decide on a plan to increase sales at our shop: to sponsor a series of dungeoneering lectures here in conjunction with the Delvers
Guild. I spend some time today lining up speakers from the Guild. I plan to do a session on dangerous beasts.

21ST OF TOIL
As we set out in the morning, its a little cloudy. Some of usincluding mehave never even left the city before now! We pass through the
shantytown surrounding the city walls and then some outlying farms before turning onto the main road north. After a couple hours we turn
off toward Larth. It doesnt smell too good here: like part fishing village and part livestock farm. And theres mud EVERYWHERE. Barbatos
is very unhappy to be here. We meet some locals who arent very helpful. A youth named Carvel made some reference to flying things in
the area latelyhe figured we came from Ptolus in one of these airships, but the fat barkeep hushed him up quick. We have to deliver
Ebberts package, but theres no sign of Turgis in the Mud Hen. We search the docks where were told hes fishing, but no sign of him there
either. So we have to wait till he comes in with his catch. While we wait, we learn from Carvel that the Shuul were here in an airship not
long ago. He thinks they left something for someone. Carvel says that someone called Sethirk is the most important man in townhe might
know more about the visitors.
After a bit of time spent goofing around on the docks, we see Turgis approaching through the mud carrying a heavy sack. Hes confused
about the packagehe wasnt expecting anything. Its a warm cloak with a message inside ithe said it was payment for an old debt. Did
anyone know you were coming? Turgis Nullid asks. He asks because the day before yesterday a human and an elf in an airship were here
looking for travelers. Ah, these must be Nichala Golnath and Buelan Silvertooth, the Shuul that Shim warned us about. Turgis confirms that
they did talk to Sethirk and may have left something behind before they moved along.
He takes us to Sethirks barn, where we see a couple deep depressions in the mud, as though from an airships landing. Inside the barn are
oily spots and footprints leading out: one from a human, one from a skeletal human, one from square-toed boots, and one from some spiky
metal animal-like object. From our investigation, it appears that some constructs were left in the barn for some time, then taken away. Well
have to be on the lookout for Shuul constructs wandering around here.
We make it back to the main road, and by the time we reach the next fishing village, Balleton, its almost dark. The two-story stone build-
ing with its warm fire and lamb stew is a welcome change from the cold, dirty road. We see a couple Viridian Lords in the common room,
recognizable by the vines that wind all over (and into) their flesh. We ask one of them for advice on dealing with the local elves. Stick to the
road, he tells us. If we run into trouble, we should keep in mind that the elves dont recognize Imperial law. They have their own rulers and
their own law. He urges us to keep to ourselves.
While on watch that night, Archinemus spies a strange hunched armored figure glowing in the starlight. The flesh not covered by armor
appears to be dead, greenish, and mottled. The figures head is a bare skull. Archinemus comes to warn us, and we all go down to confront
it. We spot the creature, in addition to a metal-shod skeleton. Battle ensues, and in the melee we accidentally catch the stables on fire. More
of the armored, steam-driven undead emerge, as does a decayed human encased in a metal platform with insectoid legs. But Archinemus
blasts the undead to pieces with his Destor-granted lightning bolts. And then come the horned and armored dog-constructs
When the smoke clears, the constructs are all dead, and Balleton is short one oak tree, one outhouse, and half a stable. A Viridian Lord
comes rushing out. Looks like weve got some explaining to do.

SESSIONS XLIX & LON THE ROAD

21ST OF TOIL (LATE AT NIGHT)

The Viridian Lord inspects the stable and tells us that the horses were dead already, even before the fire. It seems the creatures we just fought
killed them three or four hours earlier (the horses would have made noise and given away their presence). We tell the Viridian Lord that
Archinemus saw them while he was outside and called us to help defend the inn. A note on one of these mechanical creatures body said to
wait till one hour before dawn, then kill us at the inn. These must be instructions from Nichala and Buelan, the Shuul who are after us.
There is also a note with the same instructions regarding the inn in Farris (one town up the coast from Balleton here). Thats interesting to
knowclearly the Shuul dont know we plan to veer away from the coast road before we reach Farris.
I inspect the mechanisms on these construct creatures and determine that the creatures were merged with machines at the time of their cre-
ation. These mechanisms seem to run on negative energy. They rely on the fact that they are installed upon an undead creature in order to
work. Meanwhile, Calista casts a spell on one of the bodies and discovers that their secret mission was to find and kill us. She also learns
that it laired in the Necropolis in Ptolus.
The Viridian Lord says hes heard that the people in the airship have gone farther north, looking for mercenaries to hire. He doubts the
craft could go into the Moonsilver Forest. We offer the innkeeper recompense for the destroyed buildings and retire for the rest of the night.
I keep watch.
44 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

22ND OF TOIL
We sleep in and rest today, then help with repair efforts at the inn.

23RD OF TOIL
We leave at dawn, heading for Ashenburg. Its overcast and chilly. In midafternoon, Tharn feels an unusual wind that seems to be isolated on
usjust for a moment, then its gone. Hmmm.
We arrive in Ashenburg around sundown. It seems to be a little larger than Balleton. The tree cover is much thicker here than in Balleton,
too. We get two rooms and dinner at the local inn, Vanitys Mirror. The clientele here is equally divided elf and human. One elf guy seems to
be giving me the eye but wont acknowledge that he was looking at me. I wonder if hes seen other Hu-Charad. This is so exciting! I feel very
close to finding some answers about my heritage on this trip.
Calista spends a little time this evening at the inn teaching me some basic Elvish phrases. It might help when we meet Sael Wintersong and
I need to ask the way to Ar-Nampur. (I think I got thank you and goodbye mixed up when I tried it out on the waiter. Not cool.)
The night is uneventful. During my turn on watch, I sketch some of the strange Shuul mechanism from the undead creatures. Perhaps one
day I can design something this brilliant, and use it to good ends

24TH OF TOIL
When we ask about local customs, the innkeeper suggests that when we see a shrine to Tashandra, elven god of the road, we should stop and
make an offering in thanks for a safe journey. He tells us the airship was here three days ago; Nichala and Buelan were looking for sell-
swords. He also suggests that Barbatos can make contact with the Blueflight (Vaenaris in Elvish) clan in Faelasith, our next destination.
Hes hoping to meet Naelyn Blueflight to ask about the ownership of Pythoness House. I think our wizard friend actually believes he can buy
the place!
We set off into the thickening woods, warned to keep to the path. After a few hours walk, were about to cross a stream when Tharn
spies a humanoid hiding in the trees and cries, Ambush! A giant cougar leaps up and claws at Barbatos. Another one runs at Tharn.
Meanwhile, arrows fly at us from across the stream. An elf tries to sic us with magic from the other side of the bridge, and a water sprite
giggles from a rock by the stream after catching Diethan in a swell. A five-foot squirrel, conjured by some spellcaster in the trees, leaps out at
Archinemus. Meanwhile, the now-invisible Barbatos runs afoul of a dragon! Another one appears on the other side of the stream, and they
both clearly see him. And theyre bronze colored. Why are they attacking us when metallic dragons are supposed to be good guys? As no one
seemed to have told them that, I open fire on them with my hand cannon.
A massive fireball sways us all, and an elf woman spellcaster comes into view. Barbatos attempts to hide in some magical fog, but a drag-
on follows him. When he offers to pay the dragon twice what the Shuul were paying him if hell switch sides, the creature seems intrigued.
But he hears my shot and a squeal from his brother and takes off after me, crying Treachery! in Draconic. Even though I merely winged
the dragon with the gun, he flies off.
Archinemus continues to be plagued by magically overgrown faunahes only just dispatched the squirrel when a huge robin swoops
down from the trees and attacks, amid elfin giggles from the trees. Never have we had such an unusual band of assailants.
The elf woman, whose name is Jaera, lays Barbatos low with a magic wand, and Archinemus falls to a sleep spell cast by his unseen
assailant (not the overlarge robin). When another wildcat fells Tharn, Calista races forward, heedless of danger, and heals him back to
consciousness.
It gets even stranger after that. Following an ill-fated attempt at a truce, battle continues, and the awakened Archinemus charges in, his
head having been turned into a big yellow ball bearing a clown face by the giggly spellcaster. The water sprite nails Barbatos with a spell that
sends him off in peals of uncontrollable laughter. Then Tharn charges the sprite and bites her head right off. (The action seems to surprise
him as much as it did all of us.)
In the aftermath, we are able to heal most of our elf attackers and the water sprite enough to stabilize them. Were told that the Shuul told
Jaera we were evil and out to attack the town of Faelasith. So naturally they lay in wait for us.

24TH OF TOIL (LATER)

Well, now what do we do? We let the water sprite (name of Aestra) go and awaken one of the elves. He fears Shuul reprisals for the fail-
ure of the ambush, but we try to reassure him that they wont find outtheir airship cant penetrate the forest, the Viridian Lord told us a
few days ago. We explain that we are merely seeking Sael Wintersong or elven lorekeepers regarding the way to Ar-Nampur.
A tiny sprite named Phial appears and undoes the enchantment on poor Archinemus balloon head. Eloias (the remaining lead elf) agrees
to accompany us to Faelasith to explain the situation to the Sisters of Vaerimor; apparently they run things there. We resume our journey and
arrive at Faelasith just before nightfall.
The village is made up of clusters of buildings in a couple clearings. The branches of the ash trees merge with crystal lattice to form a
dome over the top of the village. Eloias speaks for us, and some guards escort us out of the dome and into a round stone tower to see the
Sisters. The towers top seems to disappear into the sky! We arrive in something of a throne room near the top of the tower. Seated here are
two seemingly identical elf women whose gaze lingers a little longer on me than on anyone else.
One of the sisters, Iokaelis Vaerimor, asks us our business. After hearing our story, the other, Iapheramon, welcomes us and offers us a fine
meal. Then they tell us they will help us if we perform a service for them: the ruined elven city of Kaelist has been overrun with bugbears and
goblins, and they want us to reconnoiter: find out why theyre there, how many there are, and what they intend (kill them if possible). We are
to find their leader, Swordthrasher, and question him. Oh, and it seems Kaelist also is haunted; its inner sanctum was sealed by magic long ago.
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 45

A woman named Lyosa the Hivemistress (a hostile elf who lives in a hive with giant bees the size of horses) can tell us how to get into this
sanctum. They dont know how the bugbears and goblins got inside. She orders Eloias to take us there. He does not look happy about this.

25TH OF TOIL
After a good nights sleep on pillows stuffed with flower petals (which Tharn refuses to use), were ready to face the bees. We walk quite a
ways until we see running water and hear a droning noise. Looking up, we see a lake and waterfall. Across the lake is a gigantic hive some-
how affixed to a stone cliffside. A boat is waiting to take us across. But before we can all even board, two very large bees approach us, their
stingers as long as lances. AndGreat Kint!Diethan decides to ride one of them! Miraculously, he gets it to cross the lake toward Lyosa
the Hivemistress and we watch, stunned, as he gets it to fly him right into the hive. The rest of us in the boat battle our way across the lake
as well. (Barbatos falls out of the boat twice.)
After flying through various honeycomb chambers, the bee deposits Diethan in a chamber before Lyosa, an elf druid wearing a gossamer
gown and a headband with an amber stone. Giant bees are everywhere. What, exactly, do you think youre doing? she demands. He offers
her a gift in turn for help reaching the inner sanctum of Kaelist (a Shuul-made spyglass). Eventually, we all manage to join Diethan in the
honeycomb chamber. Impressed with his bee-riding skills, Lyosa tells us of the Quill of Illustraya. There were once a dozen such quills; now
it is the only one left. She explains that the sanctum was sealed one hundred twenty summers ago during a time of war with the dark elves
who had come up from their vault. The dark elves victory was short lived, however, and they were driven out of Kaelist again. The dark
elven items that were left behind corrupted the city and those who came to live there. Those elves turned to darkness and slew themselves,
lingering on as undead remnants of their former selves that haunt the city. Once we reach the great red stone on the shore of the lake, we
must use the Quill to write our own true names on the stone. Only then may we enter the inner sanctum. She thinks the goblins and bug-
bears were able to enter the inner sanctum from beneath, same as the dark elves did. She loans us not only the Quill, but also a silver neck-
lace called the strand of Aestor, which will allow Diethan to sense undead creatures, become invisible to them, protect himself from their
horrid touch and slaying effects, and restore one who has been drained.
Thanking her, we return to the boat and depart. I dont know what the Sisters were talking about, I thought Lyosa was great!

SESSIONS LI & LIIA CURSED CITY

STILL THE 25TH OF TOIL

Eloias leads us along a hard-to-see path to the ruins of Kaelist, where we are eager to combat the encroaching bugbears and goblins. He
seems worried. He says the corruption that befell the folk of Kaelist remains a threat to all elves who enter. We decide to camp outside the
ruins within Barbatos rope tricks extradimensional space (sleeping in that place gives us all odd dreamsespecially Diethan. He dreamed
that Lyosa made him the Bee King).

26TH OF TOIL
As we emerge from the rope trick space, we all feel a bit uneasy under the canopy of trees, but were not sure why. Nothing seems amiss.
We head off toward the city, which is built on the edge of a lake. Our goal is to reconnoiter the bugbear and goblin invaders and question
their leader, Swordthrasher, killing them if possible. But first, we must find a great red stone on the shore of the lake, where we are to use the
Quill to write our true names on the stone to gain access to the inner sanctum.
As we approach, we can see the ruined city easily because the trees surrounding it are all dead. The woodland sounds are all silent around
us. We come upon an elf corpse, a couple weeks old. His face is twisted in a grimace of horror. This unfortunate is carrying some magical
items helpful for fighting undeadperhaps thats what he was doing here. We dont think hed mind lending them to us. An owl appears in a
nearby tree and warns us away, telling us to beware of evil. (Talking owls! What next?)
We ignore the owls wisdom and enter Kaelist. The rotting and faded elven buildings here are connected by second-story walkways. As we
enter the town, Diethan is struck by a vision of Barbatos and me hanging from a gantry, dead. Diethan detects overwhelming undead crea-
tures around us. Chilled but undaunted, we move forward.
Coming at us we see six skeletal horses and riders. We hope we can parley. Were here to try to lift the curse from this village, Calista
says to them.
A shadowy, menacing figure on horseback emerges from the gantry. Curse! it says, There is no curse here. This figure appears to be
an empty suit of armor surrounded by an aura of night. Then they begin charging us. A lightning bolt from an invisible Barbatos weakens
them considerably, but their unholy natures unnerve us. After a debilitating force attack from Calista, the wraith orders all the skeletal
undead to kill her. Tharn valiantly serves as her bodyguard, until she and he are both sorely wounded. When the wraith launches himself at
Barbatos, Diethan jumps in to take the blow, and his negative energy protection slays the bastard. We manage to slay the rest of the skeletal
warriors and afterward stand in the street panting with exertion.
After we collect ourselves a bit, we advance and spy a glowing circle of green energy in the street. Glowing runes in Dark Elvish offer
an invitation to knowledge and secrets. It gives Calista the feeling that she should find something called the Master Circle and enter it.
Hmmm perhaps its in the inner sanctum.
We press on, cleverly avoiding some carnivorous climbing rose vines. We pass into an area of many buildings under a large tree-dome,
much like the one we saw in Faelasith, except the roof has a great hole. Jagged shards of glass have imbedded themselves in the ground. We
dispatch one bugbear sentry along the way and are disquieted by fleeting sights of the elven walking dead. Eventually we come to the edge of
a pool beside a C-shaped dais. On the dais theres a graceful statue of an elf woman; the statue is not painted, but the womans lips are
46 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

bright red and dont seem to be stone at all. Barbatos hears a voice from the statue asking him to kiss it, so he does. Then we realize the
truth: Shes a statue of a dark elf! But before we can think any more about it, hoofbeats thunder their way toward us. Racing around the cor-
ner is a wooden chariot pulled by a gigantic, stony-plated bull and carrying an armored goblin and a bugbear.
What a time to have been playing with statues
At the sight of the formidable war chariot barreling toward us, we dash up to a nearby balcony for cover. Before we can begin shooting at
the goblin driver or the bugbear passenger, however, the bulla gorgonbreathes at us and we begin to slow. I realize that we have to hurry
and neutralize the magical congealing effect before our blood turns solid in our bodies and we die! While the unaffected Tharn, Archinemus,
and Barbatos continue attacking our enemies, the rest of us are forced to let our own blood to rid ourselves of the gelling influence, then heal
ourselves again with potions. (In our zeal to help our friends, I accidentally critically injure Diethan, and Tharn manages to bleed Calista
unconscious, but it all turns out okay in the end.)
Still nursing our wounds, we move indoors only to find ourselves in the thick of a nasty fight with a mess of goblins and bugbears. For
most of this battle, at least one of our party was unconscious at any given time, but at last we are victorious. Diethan and Calista relate their
near-death encounters with an elf woman representing death who beckoned to them. We hear the gorgon outside waiting restlessly for us on
the steps below the balcony. Barbatos loots the goblins porn: books of pure evil that originally belonged to the debased elves of this town.
Those of us who look at them find these books the most nauseating and depraved things weve ever seen.
After we rest, we spy (using a periscope) some bugbears trying to corral the gorgon. We decide to charge out, Barbatos unseen servant
going to pick up the weapons we dropped on the stairs leading to the balcony. There are a LOT of bugbears out here, more than we thought.
A couple spells from Barbatos and Calista slow some of our opponents as we wade into the fray. Some goblins arrive on the scene in the
company of a strange goblin-faced wolf creature. It seems able to command the gorgon, telling it to breathe on us again. We came prepared
this time, though, wearing our breathing masks, and the breath affects more bugbears than us. Barbatos takes out that whole clump of gob-
lins with the chaos skull he found in Pythoness House. Now the gorgon is mad! It charges up the stairs amid a bunch of bugbears slowly
dying from their own congealing blood. I manage to halt it with my longsword of animal suggestion. Archinemus jumps up onto the gor-
gons back and finishes it with a mighty blow from his skivver, and Tharn subdues the last bugbear (which Diethan kills when Tharns not
looking). We dont see anyone else about.
In our search of the bodies we find some gold, gems, a ring, potions, scrolls, and so on. The mage-shaman bugbear was wearing a magi-
cal symbol of the Beastlord Ravvan. From a vantage atop the roof of the building were near, Diethan can see a couple towers and the lake
we seek, with an elven structure rising out from the middle of it. However, were uncertain whether we should proceedour spells are
expended and were tired. We decide to withdraw and return in the morning. Hopefully we wont have to fight our way through again
tomorrow.

SESSIONS LIII & LIVPERFECT ONES AND DEMON-BUGBEARS

26TH OF TOIL
Those goblins and bugbears took a lot out of us, so we make our way back through the ruined city beneath the shattered dome. We spy what
appears to be an elf within a crystal, but it turns out that it might have been simply an image. He paid us no attention before we destroyed the
crystal. We continue to see his moving image even in the broken shards. Whoever he is, hes in a wooden building that resembles the lab of
someone who creates and identifies magic items. He stands before a table working with a violet glass globe upon a tripodsome sort of
crystal ball, Barbatos says. The moving image repeats after a while.
We dont allow ourselves to get distracted, though, even when Barbatos finds a wooden building he thinks is tied to the vision. Out in
the woods again we find Eloias in a clearing, where hes made camp. We heal a little and pass an uneventful night, which is all we could
hope for.

27TH OF TOIL
Returning to the city the next day, we meet some other explorers in the ruins, including a couple clerics of Lothian. They look cut up,
bruised, and drained. We offer some help to them: Kerr (a fighter), Maldek and Zeld (dwarves), and Denaeroth Vess and Lynessa Koran (a
human cleric and paladin, respectively). All these folks give Archinemus a strange look. They managed to destroy the undead they encoun-
tered on their way into the city. They have come to parley with the bugbears, because they have the means to get into the home of dark elves
here, their vault. The group is looking for a relic of Lothian (the Teeth of the Saint) stolen by dark elves long, long ago. This band is from
Carpers Bay farther north, and they seem a bit nave to me. For instance, they think the bugbears will help them access the dark elf vault out
of their mutual hatred for dark elves. Chaldesh Delano (grandfather to Shurrin, one of the famed Runewardens) learned long ago that it was
dark elves who stole the relic, they say.
We lead the team back to our camp and discuss the possibility of joining forces once they have rested. This group received help getting
here from some local elves. They reached the lake but could not get to the sanctum beyonda ward there is too strong. They tell us they
learned of the bugbears through a pair of roguish brigands who call themselves the Perfect Ones. (Someone in Ashenburg asked us whether
Archinemus was a Perfect Onethey must be sibeccai, too.) The goblins and bugbears were once slaves of the dark elves. Recently, the dark
elves have suffered major setbacks and have weakened. And working with the Perfect Ones, the goblins and bugbears came up here hoping
to establish a home of their own away from their captors. But the clerics think the dark elves are still down there somewhere.
On the sly, Maldek nods toward Archinemus and asks Calista, Is that one of the Perfect Ones? She assures the dwarf hes been a good
friend to us, that he has no roguish dealings. The dwarves, it seems, are paid mercenaries accompanying the Lothianites.
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 47

We bid farewell to the Lothianites, telling them well return to camp later this afternoon with a report. On our way back into town, we
hear a baby cry. Although we fear a trap, we decide to investigate nonetheless. Diethan comes upon a snakelike shadowy monster with long
arms and fingers and no lower body. It is making the baby noise, but it doesnt hear him, and he slinks away. We move on.
The wrecked chariot from the battle yesterday is still there, but the goblin and bugbear bodies are gone. Some of the trees on this end of
town are still alive, which makes us feel a little better. Then we spy the red rock by the lakeshore and head over. Within the lake rises a great
fortress. Between us and the fortress is a tall tower, and a glass bridge connects them all. Tharn, meanwhile, spots a green woman by a tree
surrounded by an iron fence. We disregard her for the moment, because Diethan spots a bugbear guarding the stone. Fearing he will try to
warn his allies, we attack. More bugbears join the fray but are no match for us.
The green woman is trying to signal us. After the battle, we unlock the gate that secures the fence. She tells us her name is Faestra.
Long, long ago the dark elves put her in there and also trapped her sisters. She says the iron fence is trapping her and her tree; if it were
gone, she and the tree could both leave. Sorrowfully she recounts that the bugbears have already taken many of her sisters and burned
themher people burn like wood but last longer, she says (the dark elves burned her kind as well). She explains that the bugbear leader
is part devil, with scales and horns. He is the cruelest of them all, she said, adding that the bugbears and goblins have been here for
perhaps a year.
Faestra says that some of her sisters may still be alivethey take a long time to burn and theyve only been in the fortress for a month.
With renewed vigor, Tharn and I attack the fence confining her. Meanwhile, Faestra explains that the bugbears are afraid of the tower at
the top of the orchard nearby, but she doesnt know why. She recognizes our description of the elf we saw in the shard of glass: Aelhan
Whiteblade, Kaelists most powerful sorcerer. The residents of Kaelist are still here, all around us, she whispers.
She confirms that the dark elf statue with the living lips was a tool of corruptionthe dark elves left behind many similar tools that
promised their victims great things but instead brought them to evil. But the red stone was put here by the original builders of Kaelist, she
explains; it manages the wards around the sanctum. She says the bugbears came from within and so could bypass the wardsonce you enter
the sanctum, you can always enter it.
It takes us a couple hours to remove the fence and free Faestra. (I rigged up a rough winch arrangement, while Tharn attacked with a
crowbar. If only Id had more tools with me, Im sure I could have managed a better device) While we work, she frees a creature from the
tree: a rainbow-colored lizard with fluttering wings. He talks to Faestra in Draconic in a squeaky voice. He smells like apple blossoms and
looks like a pink and purple dragon with butterfly wings. The two-foot-long creature settles onto Barbatos shoulder. Its a garrulous fairy
dragon named Rathondhir, he says. I try to speak to him, but he speaks only Draconic and Elvish, so all I manage to do is say hello and
count to ten in Elvish for him. (I think it confused him.)
In gratitude, Faestra hands us a gourd and says it contains the Green; it will restore any living creature to health. The dryad asks us to
seek her sisters in the steam furnace in the lower levels of the fortress in the lake. Suddenly the sound of a gong comes from the fortress, and
we can see a drawbridge lowering. Bugbears have been watching us, and theyre starting to come across to the middle tower between us and
them. After a few minutes more, goblins riding wolves start making their way from the fortress to the tower; Diethan manages to pick off a
couple of them while theyre still on the glass bridge.
We position ourselves on the tower on the shore to await the inevitable attack. The bugbears lower the bridges between the two towers
and launch themselves at us from the tower in the middle of the lake. Three barghests pop into being on the tower with us, but Barbatos
unleashes a powerful chaos hammer spell upon them. I manage to grab one and fling it off the tower, and Calista shoots it dead with her
sonic spells. Tharn and Diethan send arrows singing across the bridge at the bugbears. Barbatos seems to command unusual power in his
magic missile spells. Wild magic! gasps one of the goblin-faced wolf creaturesbut we dont have a lot of time to wonder how Barbatos
learned to use that. Our attackers keep coming.
The goblins and their dire wolf mounts and bugbear troops hurl themselves at us from the tower in the middle of the glass bridge. A gob-
lin in blue body paint carrying a staff with a gem appears at the top of the middle tower. Barbatos slays him with another bout of wild
magicwhere did he learn to do that? Diethan, meanwhile, takes delight in slaying goblins, his particularly hated foes, and Calista takes out
a good-sized area of the bridge and everything on it with a spell of wind.
Then Swordthrasher, the bugbear leader, stalks out and we gape in horror: Hes sixteen feet tall and even more ferocious than we thought!
Small winged creatures circle his head and from time to time whisper suggestions to him. Then the horrid demon-bugbear conjures up (in a
nasty way using his violet spittle) a new bridge between the middle tower and the one weve taken. A deathweaver floats out to meet us: Its
a round, floating creature covered with many tentacles each with a mouth at the end. It obeys demonic creatureslike the bugbear leader,
from what Faestra told usand eats like theres no tomorrow.
Thankfully, we take out the deathweaver with a round of attacks, only to be faced by another mess of bugbears charging at us from across
the leaders purple spit-bridge. The leader hawks up another magic purple loogie on one of his minions, which seems to strengthen the crea-
ture. He makes another violet bridge from the middle tower out to the shore, and more of his minions set off toward the red boulder.
Just when it seems we will be overwhelmed, from the forest come a brigade of walking trees and their green-skinned companions called
thorns, summoned by Faestra. They take on a formation of bugbears led by two identical sibeccai with ornate plate armor and black bastard
swords. These must be the Perfect Ones weve heard about. With one touch of the sword, the sibeccais opponents blacken and turn to dust.
They spot Archinemus and speak in tandem:
Is that
who I think it is?
Yes, it is, they agree. We must report this to Nicodemus, they say in unison and disappear through a black magical portal. Who is
Nicodemus? Who do they think Archinemus is?
48 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

Meanwhile, back at the purple bridge, we learn a horrifying fact about the spew that Swordthrasher uses to coat his minions: It keeps
them up and fighting even after death, sustained by the violet energy! Disgusted, I knock one of these unnatural opponents off the violet
bridge. Calista conjures a sonic ape that wreaks havoc on our foes.
Another barghest comes out and tries to take mental control of me. Diethan pelts Swordthrasher with magical arrows to devastating
effect, but sadly the demon-bugbears quasit advisors give him healing potions and hes quickly back in action. Barbatos targets
Swordthrashers quasits.
The battle, which seemed to be turning in our favor, suddenly goes south as the huge Swordthrasher comes in striking distance. In almost
no time we are all reeling from his blows and he has sundered my axe. Brave Tharn, who had been fighting alongside the thorns and magical
trees, dashes up the bridge and calls out the demon-bugbear. Swordthrasher rises to the bait, giving Calista just enough time to share the
magic of a healing gourd Faestra gave her with unconscious Diethan, Archinemus, Barbatos, and me. After taking one massive wallop, Tharn
turns and runs, drawing Swordthrasher into melee with the woodland creatures he has oppressed for so long. The thorns die valiantly, at
which point the magical trees flee back into the woods.
Faestra moves in to join the battle, joined by the faerie dragon Rathondhir, whose rainbow breath weapon has no effect on the demonic
bugbear. Barbatos expends two wands on the creature. After taking out the rest of his bugbear minions, we manage to gang up on
Swordthrasher, who gets his revenge by thrashing Archinemus skivver of Destor. It crumples, and from it emerges the lightning creature we
saw imprisoned in it way back in the caverns of the Shuul. It grabs the broken shards of the skivver, turns itself into a bolt of lightning,
and arcs away toward the southern horizon. I curse you, Destor! cries the outraged Archinemus. Hmm. Wonder if well see that light-
ning guy again.
With our last efforts we dogpile on Swordthrasher and take sore wounds but eventually bring him down. A shout of pure joy erupts from
Faestra at the tyrants death. The dryad pulls from her hair a strand of vine for each of us in thanks, then promises to visit the Vaerimor
sisters and describe the situation to them as wed asked. Then she steps into her tree and is gone.
I turn to thank Barbatos for the displacement effects he cast upon me that saved my life during the battle, but Im dismayed to see him
looking wasted and drawnquite sick. Was his wild magic was somehow sapping him? Barbatos doesnt know. We give him a restorative
potion and turn our attention to the fortress before us.

SESSIONS LV & LVITHE STORY OF THE CHARAD TITANS

STILL THE 27TH OF TOIL

We have beaten all our foes, and now we take a bit of a breather to regroup and write our true names on the red stone with the
Hivemistress Quill. With Swordthrasher dead, the magical bridges have disappeared, so we rig a rope across the gaps in the glass bridge to
the fortress great door. The last surviving thorn warns us that he hears a few bugbears inside the fortress here. Tharn and Diethan decide to
go in through the roof. They stumble upon a horrid charnel room with dozens of bloated dark elf corpses, perhaps a week dead. The room is
so hot and steamy, a sort of haze prevents them from seeing all the way across it.
Meanwhile, Archinemus and I bust through the front door and find the interior to be unseasonably hot. I start to seethe with anger at
the thought of Faestras dryad sister burning in the furnace. We meet three more bugbears inside but make quick work of them. One of
them does reveal that to find the dryad we must take an elevator down to the furnace. We find the elevator (a glass bubble suspended on a
rope in a column of boiling water), but its guarded by some strange floating black pyramid etched with Draconic and Dark Elvish runes
it shoots blasts of magical cold and other effects. Calista manages to dispel it, thank Teun, and while its magic is suppressed we pound it to
pieces.
We come upon a well-kept tower bedroom with some valuable silver and paintings, even some Elvish books. We presume the Perfect Ones
have been staying here. Hidden in this chamber, Archinemus finds a box holding a golden idol in the shape of a ceremonial sibeccai. He is
quite stunned by what has happened, as he has never before seen another of his kind. He and I have that in common.
After searching the rest of this level of the fortress to no avail, we decide that the only way down is, in fact, the elevator. I use the eleva-
tors control levers to ratchet Tharn and the thorn down the tube, which is surprisingly cool. At the bottom level of the fortress, they discov-
er a large bronze boiler and hear crackling flames and a low moaning from that direction. An oversized, almost hairless bugbear is sleeping
with his back propped up against the furnace. When Archinemus gets down there, he and Tharn and the thorn coup de grace the sleeping
sentinel and open the furnace. Chained inside it is a woman who may once have looked like Faestra. Now shes blackened and writhing in
agony. She is the only fuel burning in the furnace.
Tharn takes a gold ring off the dead guards finger and discovers it protects him from the heat. He slices right through the red-hot chains
as the woman notices him and stares at him with eyes that themselves seem to be afire. Just as I arrive, Tharn frees her and rushes her, still
burning, to the elevator. Archinemus puts the magical ring on her, and she stops burning, looking like nothing more than a charred, vaguely
woman-shaped piece of wood. We give her all our curative potions and she finally comes around. The thorn speaks soothingly to her in her
own language. We send her and the thorn back up to the others, knowing that she will need far more healing than we have.
Meanwhile, we quickly search the furnace level for any more prisoners. Archinemus and Tharn find a chained-up creature that seems to be
half misshapen elf and half spidera drider, I recalland a bound dark elf woman. We put the drider out of its misery and take the dark elf
with us so we can hand her over to the elves of Faelasith.
When were all back on the main level, Calista speaks to the dark elf prisoner, who explains that she was from the vault, and that the bug-
bears brought her here against her will. She says the vault is accessible via the Master Circlea teleportation circleat the top of this tower.
Calista thinks that if we break this circle we might be able to end the curse on this city. While Diethan and I and the thorn take the dryad in
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 49

the boat back to shore, Barbatos falls under the spell of the dark elf prisoner and feels compelled to take her up to the roof to the Master
Circle. Calista also feels that compulsion, and Archinemus and Tharn have to restrain them both. It all ends with Barbatos staggered by a
few punches from Tharn (he very nearly sent the prisoner up in the elevator) and Calista tied up and out of spells.
This is the sight that greets those of us in the boat when we reach the shore and turn to look back. While I try to help with this crazy
situation, Diethan and the thorn bathe the poor burned dryad in the lake, then take her to her tree, which catches her up in its embrace, and
shes gone. The thorn takes his leave then, thanking us for our aid and presenting to Diethan a carved wooden unicorn head. He points to
the tower on a hill behind Faestras tree and warns, Demon, then runs off.
We trudge back to camp, each of us carrying a companion or prisoner. The Lothian priest and paladin are still there, but the dwarves and
barbarian are gone. The priest explains that the ones who remain still desperately want to get into the vault to find their relic. Our elf friend
Eloias wants to kill the dark elf prisoner right now on general principle, but we urge him to allow the Lothianites to question her.
The cleric, Denaeroth Vess and paladin, Lynessa Koran, learn from the dark elf how to get to the Master Circle that will take them to the
vault. She asks that they take her back with them, but before we can dissuade them, Diethan surprises us all by leaping in and killing the
dark elf woman. Terse words lead Lynessa and Diethan to blows, and ultimately the two Lothianites depart. Their hard feelings seem to
linger after them, however, and we quarrel over what is best to do: leave now for Faelasith to get the compulsions removed from our friends,
or stay here so we can visit the Master Circle in the morning. The majority of the group decides to keep the afflicted group members con-
fined and return in the morning to Faelasith. Diethan burns the corruptive books that Barbatos couldnt resist taking from the city.

28TH OF TOIL
We make our way back to Faelasith today. When we arrive this evening, elf guards welcome usquite a different story than the last time
we were here. They seem impressed by the leafy circlets were wearing, which we got from the dryad Faestra. We again enter the tower of
Iapheramon and Iokaelis Vaerimor and are the guests at an elven banquet. Faestra is here, too, and she thanks us for rescuing her sister
dryad from that awful furnace.
The elves are very grateful for our cleansing of Kaelist but seem dismayed to see that two of our companions, Barbatos and Calista, are
restrainedtied up due to the enchantment that seized them in the ruined city. So as not to allow the corruption of Kaelist to spread, the elf
rulers summon their priest to rid our friends of the taint. A shaft of silver light bathes them and the compulsion is lifted from Calista, but
they have to take Barbatos to their temple overnight. (He doesnt look too pleased, but we assure him its for the best.)
The elves bestow upon us many gifts in thanks for what weve done in Kaelist. My gift is a greatsword called the Starsword, which long
ago was a gift to these elves from the Hu-Charad! Im sure Barbatos was sad to miss the scrumptious elven banquet. From our reports, they
believe the bugbear threat is now overthey will just have to keep the undead and the rest of the evil in Kaelist contained as before.
Eloias agrees to take the magical strand and Quill back to the Hivemistress for us while we stock up on supplies here in Faelasith.

29TH OF TOIL
We visit the marketplace to sell some of our loot and restock our dwindling supplies. We send next months payment for Myraeth down to
Ptolus with an elf messenger.

THE NEXT TWO WEEKS

We spend the next week training with our new weapons and learning various elven skills.
The following week, Sael Wintersong arrives in Faelasith. We explain that Celdore sent us to him as someone knowledgeable about the
Hu-Charad. He has made a study of it and is willing to teach us the language and history.
The Hu-Charad are also known as the Charad titans (by the elves) and the Elder Titans (by humans). They came to these shores in huge
ships made of stone thousands of years ago, well after the terror of Eslathagos Malkith but before the blight of the Half-God Ghul. Before,
in fact, the building of Dwarvenhearth, before the Dreaming City of Dreta Phantas was stolen away. They were a noble people, and solemn.
They wielded both magic and craft beyond the skills of the Elder Elves then. They were powerful and different. They crafted the Starsword
as a suitable gift for the local elves. Its hard to identify an item of Hu-Charad make, Sael says; it takes a trained eye.
These titans said they came from the North, but the only place north across the sea now is the Endless Sea of Ice. They brought with
them their companions, the sibeccai, who apparently were beholden to the Titans and stayed for centuries. A lot of the sibeccai even stayed
after the Hu-Chard left; many went to the Plains of Rhoth. Sael knows only a little of the Perfect Ones, a pair of sibeccai rogues that works
with low-lifes and bandits up and down the coast.
The Hu-Charad spent only a brief time here, just to explore. They had a real affinity with the land they seemed to bear the responsibili-
ty of caretaking on their shoulders. Sadly, they were drawn to the Spire, at first because it was the result of such an abomination as the
Dread One. As they studied it, a few of them were corrupted by it, and when the Titans finally left, the corrupted ones remained. They
delved deep into the earth around the Spire, seeking knowledge of the ultimate power that lay beneath it. (According to the elves of Dreta
Phantas, this power was the Galchutt.) From that point on, there are no further records. A few Titans surfaced again as allies of Ghul the
Half-God, and there are story fragments of the dwarves encountering them later. Tales even tell of pacts between the Elder Titans and dark
elves, which the Titans betrayed in favor of alliances with the zaug (hated enemies of the dark elves). Sael has heard there is still one Dark
Titan left in Goth Gulgamel, undead.
As for Ar-Nampur, it is a citadel at the very tip of a peninsula to the north. It remains almost always hidden in the mist very hard to
find, even for sailors. It is the site of the original landing of the Hu-Charad, who built the fortress as their temporary home. Their talents
were such that it still stands pristine today. It is difficult to enter, but perhaps I can do so in a way others cannot.
50 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

An elf named Nilovas Haetharys is the expert on Ar-Nampur. This strange hermit lives near the fortress in a crude home and calls himself
the guardian of the place. (Sael thinks hes a little mad.) The citadel is magical, and entering it is a magical process.
Sael has heard a rumor that the Hu-Charad returned twenty years ago to Ar-Nampurthe akashic also told me this was true. If they did
so, they moved in secret, he said. I would love to know more. He points out that the Hu-Charad often knew of things before they hap-
pened. Their intuition or tie with the events of the world was very strong. If they returned twenty years ago, it might have had something to
do with the removal of the dark powers of the Galchutt.
So, how big is she going to get? Diethan asks him. What a thought! I never imagined I might grow more. Sael said that there were some
Charad titans much larger than me who were great people; others were my size. Sometimes height was an indicator of status. He thinks I
couldnt grow any larger without taking some purposeful act. I should hope not Im already more than eight feet tall!
Sael has studied texts that the Hu-Charad left behind and he tutors Calista and me in the language. At the end of the week, I craft him a
gold magnifying reader for his studies as thanks for all he has shared with us. He wishes us good luck in our trip to Ar-Nampur, and asks
that we visit him in Vioth sometime to tell us what we find. He thinks the fortress is three days travel from here.
Barbatos is fully recovered, thank goodness, although hes still a little cranky about the whole bondage issue. Rathondhir the faerie dragon
hangs around him a lot, peppering him with questions. He tries to pawn the little guy off on Calista, with only limited success.
An elf woman arrives this week to talk to Barbatos about Pythoness House. Helene Vaenaris is her name; Barbatos was seeking her grand-
sire, Naelyn. He owns some property Im interested in, he explains. She tells Barbatos that he will sell the property for two hundred thou-
sand silver pieces (payment must be in silver). Or he can choose to wager the amount of four hundred thousand silver pieces worth of
goods in a match of Gold Dragonscalesan extremely complex game of witto be played at the night of Kayhocameus (the Festival of the
Cold Moons, a little over a month away) at a location of his choosing. The elf won the property in this fashion. Barbatos agrees to the wager
and sets the location as the common room of the Ghostly Minstrel in Delvers Square. Helene looks disappointed at his choice. I do not
approve of my grandsires gambling, she says, shaking her head.
I dont think I approve of Barbatos!

SESSIONS LVII & LVIIITHE SECRETS OF AR-NAMPUR

11TH OF HARVEST
A messenger arrives with a note from Seanus, replying that he received the money we sent and handled the monthly payment to Myraeth. He
said the Emerald Eye had three guys out in Delvers Square directing our customers to their store, but Seanus managed to get a rune-covered
guy named Araki Chipestiro to get rid of them by telling him they were saying bad things about him. Weve heard of this guy hes got a
real scary reputation as a powerful mage of dark magic. He has occasionally worked with the Balacazars. Hm.
A guy named Zart Skoyter wants to talk to us. The Sisters of Silence also sent a note saying they want to see us as soon as we return.
Seanus said that word on the street is that Kevris Killraven wants to use the Shuul to make a major strike on the Balacazars before the end
of the year, so our enemies are preoccupied for now.

12TH OF HARVEST
The sisters Vaerimor thank us again, tell us that Faestras sister is recovering slowly, and that they are glad the situation in Kaelist is no
longer a festering wound. They bid us have a good trip.
We depart with Sael, dropping him off near his home on the way through the forest heading north. We promise to send him word of what
we discover in Ar-Nampur.

13TH OF HARVEST
More traveling through the woods. Its chilly and rainy. We stay the night in a roadside inn near Caeralith, but it is likely our last for a while.
From here we go east, and there are no towns between here and Ar-Nampur.

14TH OF HARVEST
The road meets the coast today. Lots of sea mist covers the whole area, and its colder here than in the woods. It feels desolate. We travel
north along the Old Coast Road until it veers inland, then we stick to the coast. Were now on the peninsula where Ar-Nampur is located.
The mist closes in around us as it grows dark. Its slower going off the road. We camp for the night.

15TH OF HARVEST
The terrain is very rough around here. We traverse a ravine, spy a bear, and arrive at a wooden shack. As we walk up, we see two owlbears
lunging at a humanoid figure in front of the shack. Before we can do much more than shout a warning, one of the creatures fades away. The
figure turns and looks at us. He is an elf with dirty blond hair (weird for an elf these daysonly the Solarr elves were golden haired). He has
ugly features: balding, bulging eyes, a protruding forehead, and a stooped stance. Youre early, he mutters as Diethan shoots arrows into
the remaining owlbear.
This is Nilovas Haetharys, the elf hermit and resident Ar-Nampur guardian that Sael told us about. Nilovas insists that I was expected and
am early but wont say why or who expects me. When they came back here after going to your city, they had a couple of them in towthe
ones theyd left behind: the corrupted Titans.
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 51

We discover that hes deaf: Nilovas has to be looking at you while you speak to understand what youre saying. You have never been
there before. Youll have to go through the sanctuaries to get where you need to go, he said. My people came here twenty years ago to take
care of things, he said, to collect the ones theyd left behind. They also had left behind some sibeccai that had been corrupted. And thats
the problem. He makes Archinemus promise to help me and stick close. I feel as though I understand only about half of what hes saying.
He tells us that the remnants of the Hu-Charads ancient menagerie still remains in the fortress. Not everything you find there will be an
enemy, he warns. He wonders whether we are prepared but wont tell us what we should do to get ready.
He takes us through the back wall of his shack to stand in a circle inscribed in the floor. Make sure you watch out for the dragon, he
cautions. Then he lifts his arm and we all vanish.
We appear again somewhere wholly different, but we can still hear Nilovas voice. Air, earth, fire, waterremember! These elements
seem to match four shapes inscribed in the floor (we saw them also near the transport circle in the hermits shack): white circle, black trian-
gle, blue square, and red pentagon. Nothing happens when Archinemus touches them.
Looking around, we see were in a marble corridor. A new voice sounds, a womans voice, speaking in Hu-Charad: You heard the clari-
on. Welcome. All is well. We move forward, past the bones of a behir, and hear the howl of wind. The ceilings are decorated with pictures
of clouds. The air sanctuary must be up ahead.
Inside, the sanctuary is decorated with pictures of whirlwinds, and we feel a wind kick up. Standing on the dais here and uttering the word
air in Hu-Charad creates a breeze around us but thats it. We tie off Archinemus and he tries to make it all the way throughits very slow
going against the wind but he makes it to the end around the corner. We all make it through with the aid of a very long rope. (Rathondhir the
faerie dragon has a great time playing in the wind.) In the next windy chamber Archinemus finds giant-sized steps rising up in midair, but he
gets stuck on them, and the faerie dragon gets blown to who-knows-where. Calista casts flight on Diethan and he goes after the two of them.
He latches onto Archinemus and the two of them swirl upward in the whirlwind. They discover that the giant-sized steps end at nothing in the
exact center of the room, near a hole in the air. Theres an invisible shaft with a staircase going down, but it can be seen only from the top.
They investigate down to the bottom and find a large chamber with exits. I climb across the ledge and up the steps to join them, and we lodge
a grappling hook and pulley system at the lip of the invisible shaft. Then Diethan flies back down to the rest of our group. Ignoring the plan,
Barbatos ties himself to Tharn and casts fly on the litorian. Then Tharn leaps off the ledge. After three revolutions around the whirlwind, he
and Barbatos manages to land in the shaft. Dropping off the wizard, Tharn goes back for Calista (for a litorian, he sure likes to fly), and we
pull Lunes the wolf over on the pulley system. We call out for the faerie dragon, but no response. We hope he got safely away.
Thankfully, we make our way down the stairway in the shaft and into a new series of chambers. We hear loud footfalls on this level that sound
as though theyre heading our way. As they draw close, we hear a screaming roar from an immense, fearsome creature. Oh nothe dragon!
But its not. Its a massive shaggy creature with a big hornlike a giant wooly rhinobut we find it trapped on the other side of an
invisible barrier. We decide to go the other direction, toward some hissing. Big dark blue snakes paralyze me and Tharn almost before we
know whats happening, then Archinemus and Diethan as well. Fortunately the spellcasters take them out from a distance with magic.
The halls of Ar-Nampur are filled with alcoves and faded spots on the walls, as though the place used to be a gallery but all the display
items have been taken away. One chamber beyond another invisible barrier is full of display items, however: works of art like paintings and
sculpture of the Hu-Charad. Theres no way through, however, so we take some stairs down.
In the center of the hall there lies a black triangle, the symbol of earth (we think). We hear a womans voice speaking in Hu-Charad again,
but her voice seems to catch. You have heard the c-c-c-clarion. Welcome. All is You have heard As we proceed down the hall, Im
crushed by a falling stone weight but luckily no one else is hurt. The earth sanctuary here has another dais, but we cant come upon the
proper words to use to deactivate the earth effects (tremors). Then Calista hits on the idea of magically creating candles to place in the empty
candle holders on the dais. However, when I attempt to light them, I begin to feel a bit queasy. Instead, we sprinkle dirt over them and the
candles light not with flame but with shards of earth. Then I stand upon the dais again and repeat the word earth, and dirt and earth
rains down on me from little holes that erupt in the air all around me. I am healed of all damage and feel refreshed with renewed clarity. Im
so excited about this that I convince Tharn to get up and try it. However, all that happens is hes cut to shreds by the rain of stone and rocks.
Guess it only works for the Hu-Charad.
We emerge into a stoneworking shop, but its been closed down, and it seems someone has already been through it. Farther down a corridor
lies a cage area with a large column rising up from a pit of churning earth in the center of the room. As we watch, red stones come out of the
pillar and congeal to form earth elementals. Crush, destroy, pulverize! they cry in voices that sound like chalk screeching on a chalkboard.
More elementals form from the stone and rubble on our side of the cage wall and attack us. Commands in the Hu-Charad language do noth-
ing to dissuade them. While we battle off the new elementals, Diethan and Barbatos cut down those first two with magic arrows and fireballs.
We withdraw to Barbatos rope trick to lick our wounds and rest for the night.

16TH OF HARVEST
Today we start out searching the earth sanctuary for exits, which we finally locate in the ceiling. No sooner do we get through than the noise
of our coming attracts the giant wooly rhino. Using all my newfound clarity, I point at it with the longsword of animal suggestion and com-
pel it to flee. It rears back in apparent fright and turns and runs! We find our way into a room still filled with Hu-Charad artifacts, portraits,
and statuary. I am in awe to be so close to such works of my people. Some of the people named in the portraits include Ao-Storan, leader of
the expedition (a warrior woman); and Ka-Nadar, regent (a noble man).
Sadly, the wooly rhino doesnt flee for very long. Just as we resume our trek down the hall, it returns to trample us. Calista manages to
distract it with a spell so we can get in a few good attacks, but we quickly see that we are no match for it. We run down some stairs too
small for it to follow us. But when we get down there, we step into water over our heads. Its not the water sanctuary, thoughat the
52 PTOLUS BONUS MATERIALS

bottom of the steps under water we see the red pentagon of fire. The water feels strangely warm. The malfunction we detected before earth
must extend out to here.
Calista saves the day again by offering us water breathing spells so we can enter the fire sanctuary. We run smack into some sort of lob-
sterman with a glowing light that transfixes Tharn and tries to carry him off, but Barbatos finishes it with his magic missiles. The current
seems to pick up right around here, and it washes the lobsterman off down a side passage.
We decide to make our way around the current toward the fire sanctuary, but the dais has no candle holders (and even if we wanted to
light candles, doing so underwater would be a challenge). It would take an hour to get through the collapsed passage here, so we retrace our
steps, only to have Tharn get caught up in the current and swept into the room where the lobstermans body floated. He sees a crevasse with
water pouring through it, but we doubt that is the proper way through the sanctuary. So back we go to the dais chamber and clear a path
through the rockfall.
We find double doors marked with the Hu-Charad message The scouring of fire. Ironically, the flood of water we experienced is coming
in here through a pair of iron double doors. Using a complex set of ropes we all manage to pull our way into this new chamber where we see a
column of magma. Whereas the water was warm before, its really hot in here. (Barbatos gets some nasty rope burns in the process.) In the air-
filled area atop the column, Diethan discovers a pool of lava with a horrid-looking, three-armed, large-mouthed creature bathing in it. There is
also a crack in one of the walls where water is pouring throughits the source of all this flooding. We surface and hear a moaning coming
from within the pool, but we cant see the poor creature trapped inside. A xorn bathing in the pool attacks us. Why does it seem interested in
us, and why is an earth elemental in this water-filled fire room? We seem to be getting the better of it, but then it sniffs out Stoneblade, Tharns
latest sword. Luckily, Calista blows it away. By chanting the elemental words engraved on the pool, we manage to drain the lava.
After the pool drains, we spy an exposed staircase going down. But we also see an eight-foot-tall humanoid figure trapped inside the pool.
Strangely, he doesnt look burned. He rises up from the pool and thanks us in Hu-Charad! He says his name is Sha-Bonel, and he has been
trapped here in this sanctuary for years. You must continue on through the water sanctuary, he tells us. She waits for you there. He adds
that the dragon dwells within the water sanctuary and cautions us to beware of it, for he believes it engineered the corrupt elementals that
have wreaked such havoc within the fortress. I ask whether there is a secret here that we can use to fight the dragon, but he says hes not
allowed to say. He does reveal that the one who awaits us is my mother. As he fades away, I slump down onto the stairs in shock.
We spend the afternoon recovering in Barbatos rope trick. Diethan is on watch when he spots a great green reptilian head looking
through the gushing water in the crack in the wall. While he gets in a good initial hit with an arrow, the dragon breathes a cone of corrosive
greenish mist at him. The wounded Diethan scrambles back up the rope again and fills us in. So much for the element of surprise.

SESSIONS LIX & LXHOME WITH OPEN ARMS

17TH OF HARVEST
This morning the rope trick unceremoniously dumps us out onto the stairs, at which point Diethan and I take up guard duty while the rest
try to get a little more sleep. As I head down the steps, suddenly a gout of flame jets up in front of me. It seems the dragon now knows were
awake. Peeking in through the crevice again, he disturbs those sleeping atop the platform and fries poor Diethan and Barbatos with acid. I
hear him whispering something about invisibility and I get off a shot, to no avail. The creature lands on the platform and breathes down on
us; Archinemus stabs it. I guess all our battle plans are for naughtwe wade into melee.
As we hurry down the stairs away from the chuckling dragon, we run smack into an invisible lobsterman, like the one that grabbed Tharn
yesterday. We sustain more wounds before vanquishing the creature and sealing the lava pit shut again. We explore another empty gallery.
Along the way, we argue about whose job it was to remember to buy the curative magic wand. We find what we hope is a safe alcove for the
spellcasters to get another quick hour of sleep.
Thank Teun, nothing more disturbs us for that hour. When the spellcasters awaken, we pick our way up a new staircase that takes us to a
water-filled passage with the square emblem for water. The recessed floor here is covered with munched-on animal bones. Then we spot the
slinky dragon sliding through the water behind us! It breathes its terrible acid breath again, but Calista casts a spell against it that sends a
gout of sonic energy right through its innards, and Tharn uses his Stoneblade to create a wall of stone right behind it so it cant try any more
of its hit-and-run tactics.
Tharn and I manage to flank the creature, while Archinemus stands bravely before it. Barbatos cleverly uses his chaos skull against this
lawful beast and we others gang up on it in melee. We can see in the dragons eyes that hes starting to worry and hunger for escape, but
Tharns stone wall holds and Diethan gives it an arrow in the eye. With a final blow from Stoneblade, Tharn severs the dragons head, and it
collapses heavily into the water.
We decide to take the dragons head as a trophy. After an hours recuperation, we press on toward the chamber beyond the water sanc-
tuary where, according to Sha-Bonel, my mother awaits us. Im so excited and nervous, I hardly even feel the wounds from our dragon
battle.
Making our way down the hall, we find a door labeled The Menagerie, but we decide to avoid it till we know more. Instead we go
searching for the dragons hoard and a passage out of this sanctuary. We find our way into the heart of the sanctuary, where four magical
buckets in all corners of the room continually pour out streams of water that flow down and out the door. Diving, Tharn and Diethan locate
four drains in the floor, three of which are stopped up with debris. They also find what appears to be a sealed staircase down. There below
the surface lies the dragons hoard as well: gold bars, jewels, a magic chest, and so on. Calista casts a water breathing spell on us so we can
all go down to help transfer the hoard into Barbatos rope trick extradimensional area. While we do all this, the room continues to drain
hopefully, by the time were done assessing the haul, we will be able to access the sealed stairway.
 CAMPAIGN JOURNAL II 53

We occupy our time by telling stories of the Hu-Charad. After a time, though, we see a flaw in our planwith the drains unclogged, the
rooms water merely fails to spill over into the passageway. So we haul up the hoard prior to attempting to open the sealed staircase (we
dont want the treasure to accidentally get washed down when we open it). Exhausted, we lay down to rest.

18TH OF HARVEST
Today we embark upon a new search of the sanctuary. At last we find a concealed lever in the floor near the sealed stairway. Barbatos and
Tharn discover an airlock of sorts. With the benefits of water breathing again, we all go down there with the dragons treasure and search
until we locate the hidden switches that operate this sealed tube. When the lower door opens, it reveals a spiral staircase.
The stairs open up into a passageway decorated with reliefs of regal-looking humanoids. A female voice says, You have heard the clarion.
Welcome. All is well. Could this be my mothers voice? Before I can ponder that question any longer, two noble giant figures in beautiful
armor approach. They dont seem to be living people, though. When I introduce our group and request passage, they attack!
We make quick work of them and discover that they are nothing but empty suits of plate armor. We pass into a diamond-shaped chamber
and see a stone table, on which rests an enormous axe. As I approach, a womans illusion appears on the other side of the table. Shes twelve
feet tall, and my friends say she bears a strong resemblance to me. She speaks.
Io-Regalas, welcome. I wish I could have prepared a different greeting for you. The four sanctuaries have been damaged by elementals
but hopefully you have scoured yourself as Lanasal instructed. Clearly, you have already found Lanasal and the Chosen Dusk. That also
means that Nicodemus has the Nemesis Stone. Take up the Di-Vissal and awake the sleeping Ossitorus. When you are done, return and we
can speak in truth.
I am stunned. What does she want of us? Nicodemus was the ally of the Perfect Ones we encountered during our climactic fight in Kaelist.
We recall that the Nemesis Stone is another word for the big purple crystal in the middle of Castle Shard. Nilovas was the elf hermit, so who
is Lanasal? Calista thinks the name Lanasal sounds human (Palastani). If were truly early, perhaps all this hasnt even happened yet.
And is my name really Io-Regalas?
Archinemus uses his magical helm to send a mental message to Zavere at Castle Shard to warn him that Nicodemus intends to obtain their
shard. Then I approach the table again to pick up the axe.
The Di-Vissal is not made of normal metal. Its far, far heavier than anything Ive ever held before and doesnt reflect light as metal would.
The extreme weight is so surprisingly unnatural that I drop the weapon in shock. With a crash, the great axe embeds itself in the stone floor,
cracking the floor tiles and causing a flash. Suddenly, we find ourselves back in a cave with circles drawn on the floor. Nilovas is there, look-
ing uninterested. Im in shock, not only from my failure but from the sudden separation from my heritage. I feel like weeping.
My friends have a lot of questions for Nilovas about the Hu-Charad and what we learned in Ar-Nampur. Lanasal is their agent, he tells
us. Youll find him back where you come from. The Chosen Dusk as well. Beyond that, he doesnt say much, except to reiterate that we
were too early. When will the time be right? I wonder. Did you hear the clarion? he asks by way of an answer. Ah.
We help out the old man, bringing in some more water and firewood, but all he does is complain and putter about with some vile stew.
As we leave, Nilovas last words to us are: When you come back, Ill send you through the sanctuaries of energy.

19TH TO 21ST OF HARVEST

The return journey is a hard one. We decide to go via the Old Coast Road. Our carriage takes us up to three hours a daythe rest we walk.
We stop in a number of elven towns along the way but its wonderful to see the gates of home again at last. We have to pay a toll of a silver
shiny to enter the city, plus a tax on the goods were bringing in.
We return to our shop this evening, and all seems well. Business has been a little slow, but that should pick up when I start by series of
dungeoneering lectures. Seanus and Taevel seem eager to hear our stories. The dragon head, when mounted, will look great in here. And
luckily for Barbatos, Seanus says he can teach him how to play Dragonscales.

Our adventures beyond the city walls have been thrilling, and I feel closer than ever to my mysterious heritage. I know so much more now
than when I first embarked upon my life of adventure. But the journey to Ar-Nampur has given me even more questions than I had when I
started. If my people came back here twenty years ago to collect those who stayed behind, why did they leave me? Who is Lanasal, and when
will I hear the clarion? And what do Nicodemus and the Perfect Ones have to do with anything?
All this will have to wait, I supposea lots been happening around here in our absence. For now, weve got vampires, crime lords, and
evil skulks to deal with. Not to mention a crazy swordsmith, a high-stakes Dragonscales game, and some unscrupulous competitors in the
business of magic item sales. But what do you expect? Thats life in Ptolus.
Io-Regalas

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Campaign Journal II: Benris Journal 20052006 Monte J. Cook. Ptolus is a trademark owned by Monte J. Cook. All rights reserved.
This document is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental.