The House in the Frozen Lands
A mid-level adventure for the AD&D®
game
by James Adams
The House in the Frozen Lands is an AD&D®
game module for
6-10 characters, each of 4th to 8th level. It is recommended that the
party include a balance of each character class, but specifically at
least one ranger character and, if desired, one psionic character,
but
no evil characters. The Dungeon Master should read the entire
module carefully before running this adventure, due to the use of
complex NPCs and situations.
P l a y e r s ' i n t r o d u c t i o n
The House in the Frozen Lands, located in the arctic, is the main
teaching house and one of the three central shrines of Ptah,
Maker
of the Universes, known here as The Sustainer of Order (see reference
on Ptah in <Deities & Demigods>, page 48). This House
of Teaching,
known as the Scholia, trains not only devotees of the Sustainer of
Order who wish to serve in the various temples of Ptah, but also
paying students of nobility or leading members of the merchant
class. Of course, only students of lawful neutral alignment may pass
into the full program of study. The Scholia has gained an excellent
reputation for impartiality and scholarship, primarily due to the
management of its High Priest, Mondaleth of Silverthorne.
The Baron of Lesser Nhollia (whose youngest daughter Dhol is
presently studying at the Scholia) has just been selected to succeed
Talvernesse II, Lord of the Crystal Throne, who has died childless.
In ascending to the Crystal Throne, the Baron wishes to gather a
group of wise councilors around him and desires Mondaleth to be
one of them. Hoping that this position would be of sufficient interest
to Mondaleth, the Baron has hired a group of adventurers to travel
the perilous journey through the vast frozen waste to the Scholia,
in
order to inform the High Priest of the Scholia of the offer and escort
him back in the event he accepts.
?Please inform the Saintly Mondaleth,? intones the Baron, ?that
we desire to have his fathomless wisdom at our side, so that we
might tread new paths of enlightened statesmanship. If he so desires,
he can play a major role in the Select Council that will guide the
helm of our great land. It goes without saying that his assistance
would be of great worth to us. Such appreciation will be shown most
generously to both him and the noble rite of which he is a follower.
Our gratitude will also extend to those who succeed in delivering his
services to us.?
After the player characters accept the Baron?s fee (1000 gp each,
though this amount may be altered by the DM as desired), they are
provided with supplies and equipment (including snowshoes) and
given directions to lead them on their journey through the Frozen
Lands to the Scholia. The Baron also passes some general information
to the PCs about the Scholia, which will be revealed later in the
adventure.
T h e a r c t i c w i l d e r n e s s
The party proceeds almost due north from the Baron's stronghold
and enters the Frozen Lands. The terrain of the arctic wilderness
varies from extremely flat or slightly rolling plains to deeply cut
hilly
areas and jagged mountains, which can reach 7000' in elevation.
Currently, the weather is quite cold (about 10 <degrees> F), but
the sky remains
clear throughout the duration of this adventure. The glare
from the sun on the snow cuts visibility to 1/2 a mile at times. Local
vegetation includes lichens, mosses, sedges, grasses, and rare dwarf
willow and birch trees.
Movement rates will be slowed when traveling through snow-covered
areas". A character with a normal burden may travel only
five miles per day on foot, but twice that with snowshoes. Dog sleds
(15" movement) may be used to carry extra equipment.
While the PCs are in hilly areas or mountains, there is a 1 in 20
chance each day for an avalanche to inundate the entire party for
4-48 hp damage each (save vs. petrification for half damage). A 60%
chance exists for each character to become buried. Use three times
each character?s chance to bend bars/lift gates to see if he can dig
himself out. There is a 5% cumulative chance of finding someone
per round of searching. A character must roll his CON or less
on a d20 to have enough air to survive until uncovered.
E n c o u n t e r t a b l e
The following encounter table may be used as the characters
travel through the arctic wilderness. The base chance for an encounter
is 1 in 12. Check for an encounter three times daily, or six
times daily in the mountains.
| Creature | Plains | Rough/Hills | Mountains | Coast |
| Bear, northern | 01-05 | 01-06 | 01-04 | 01-15 |
| Bowler | - | 07 | 05 | - |
| Devil dog | 06-07 | 08-09 | 06-11 | - |
| Dragon, white* | 08-09 | 10-11 | 12-17 | - |
| Frost men | 10 | 12 | 18-20 | - |
| Galeb duhr | - | 13 | 21-23 | - |
| Giant, frost | 11-13 | 14-16 | 24-28 | - |
| Herd animal | 14-49 | 17-50 | 29-58 | - |
| Hoar fox | 50-52 | 51-52 | 59-60 | - |
| Ice lizard* | 53 | 53 | 61-62 | - |
| Men | 54-62 | 54-60 | 63-67 | 16-33 |
| Owl, ordinary* | 63-66 | 61-66 | 68-74 | - |
| Pudding, white | 67-70 | 67-70 | 75-76 | - |
| Raven, huge* | 71-73 | 71-76 | 77-82 | - |
| Remorhaz | 74-75 | 77-78 | 83-84 | - |
| Sable or mink | 76-77 | 79-80 | 85-86 | - |
| Sea lion | - | - | - | 34-40 |
| Seal | - | - | - | 41-70 |
| Selkie | - | - | - | 71-75 |
| Snake, giant _ white-furred constrictor ** | 78-82 | 81-84 | 87-89 | - |
| Taer | - | - | 90 | - |
| Toad, ice | 83-85 | 85-86 | 91-92 | - |
| Walrus | - | - | - | 76-00 |
| Wolf | 86-94 | 87-95 | 93-97 | - |
| Wolf, winter | 95-97 | 96-97 | 98-99 | - |
| Yeth hound | 98-99 | 98-99 | - | - |
| Yeti | 00 | 00 | 00 | - |
* -- 75% likely to be encountered while airborne.
** -- As per DMG, page 183.
Frost giants encountered will
be a raiding party of six adult males
and three adult females. Their stronghold is located to the east of
the
area described on Map 1. They are searching for
a pair of young
frost giants who have been captured by someone called the Mage of
the Ice Tower. They are extremely aggravated and will automatically
assume that any human party they encounter is at fault. Give them
a +4 to their save vs. charm monster.
Herd animals encountered will
either be musk oxen or caribou
(equal chance of either). Treat musk oxen as the wild ox or bull
in
the Monster Manual, page 12. Musk oxen are dark brown to black
in color and give off a musky odor. Both sexes have very sharp, low
curved horns, the bases of which meet across the forehead. Treat
caribou encounters as the Irish deer
in the Monster Manual, page
55, but with a movement rate of 24?//12?. Caribou or reindeer are
brownish in color, lighter on the back, darker on the head and legs.
They have a throat mane of whitish hair. Both sexes have antlers.
They can trot for long periods of time, even outrunning wolves, and
can swim fairly well. A single caribou used as a pack animal can
carry 90 lbs. of equipment, or pull a sled loaded with 450 lbs. or
two
men forty miles per day.
Men encountered inland
will either be l0-60 tribesmen
(70%
chance) or 30-80 merchants (30%
chance). However, none of the
merchants will be mounted (nor armed with lances or pole arms).
The party will have either l0-30 caribou as pack animals (80%) or
be using 2-8 sleighs pulled by caribou (20%). Their merchandise
will consist of furs, gems, and walrus ivory.
Men encountered on the coast will be 50-100 merchants. However,
none of them will be mounted. They will be armored as buccaneers,
and will have 1-4 dog sleds and a boat anchored offshore.
Their merchandise will consist of seal carcasses, whale blubber, and
walrus ivory. The pay chest will be hidden aboard the ship. There is
a 60% chance that they are harvesting seal fur, and a 40% chance
they are taking walrus tusks and blubber; in either case, the appropriate
animal will also be present.
Sable or mink encounters are treated as the weasel
in Monster
Manual II.
Seal encounters will be with 40-100 northern fur
seals (AC 7, MV
6?//36?, HD 3, #AT 2, DAM 1-6 plus tail swat for 1-4). Seals are
air breathers, but can remain submerged for as long as 15 minutes.
They are gregarious and can congregate in large groups on the ice,
playing in and out of the water. This species is dark chocolate in
color, with some grayish hair around the shoulders; it can reach 6?
in length and weigh 600 lbs. The cow is grayish and somewhat
smaller than the bull.
Walrus encounters will be with 20-60 animals (AC
6, MV 6?//
24?, HD 11, #AT 2, DAM 2-12 plus tail swat for 2-12). Walrus can
reach 11? long and weigh 3000 lbs. Their skin is rough and weathered
with coarse, sparse hair and a thick layer of blubber as insulation.
Both sexes have tusks which sometimes reach a length of 40
inches and a weight of 9 lbs. They are used both for digging for
clams and in self-defense. Cow tusks are more slender than the ones
on the bulls. Even polar bears do not attack walruses.
P r e - s e t e n c o u n t e r s
Two nights after the party ventures into the arctic lands, it will
discover a frozen body half-buried in the snow. It is that of a man
wearing black robes belted with a silver cord, a helm of black metal,
and a loose black hood (the raiment of a cleric of Ptah, as the party
was informed by the Baron). The man was stabbed in the back, but
the injury was not severe enough to justify his death from that
wound alone. (This may suggest poison to an inquisitive PC.) At his
waist is a leather pouch which has been slashed open. Tracks lead up
to the man; then head back in the direction from which both they
and the tracks of the slain man came. After a few hundred yards, the
tracks are eliminated by blowing snow.
A ranger PC, if he successfully follows the trail to its end, may
judge that the slain man was in a hurry, but probably stopped for a
brief rest when he was killed by surprise. The one who presumably
followed and killed him was in no hurry on the way back to his place
of origin. Little else can be told.
One day later in their travels, the player characters will hear the
confusing sounds of a battle: howls, yips, snarls, grunts, and so
forth. When they make their way to the source of the sounds (several
hundred yards distant), the PCs will see a pack of wolves attacking
a
lone human female figure. Several scattered wolf bodies attest to the
fact that she has been standing her own so far. There are still eight
wolves attacking the fighter (wolves:
AC 7, MV 18?, HD 2 + 2; hp
18, 15, 15, 15, 10, 8, 8, 7; #AT 1, DAM 2-5).
After the battle has ended, the fighter, Loorha, will claim to be the
sole survivor of an ill-fated venture into a place called the Crystal
Caverns, which claimed 9 companions. She will then become
upset and refuse to speak any further about that. She is in reality
Loorha-ged-Thylorh, a member of an evil religious cult known as
the Sept of Infamy (described below). If any ranger (and only
a
ranger) asks if Loorha's boots produce prints like those of the one
who slew the robed man, the answer is an unqualified YES.
Loorha is a 6th-level assassin (CE, AC 2, MV 12?, hp 29 [25
when encountered]) wearing leather armor +2 and a ring of protection
+2, and using a long sword +1 and a dagger +2. She has two
poisoned daggers hidden on her person and wears two gold earrings
(worth 6 and 8 gp). The dagger poison takes 3-4 rounds to take
effect and delivers 5-30 hit points of damage at the rate of 5 hp per
round (or none, if a save vs. poison is made at + 1). She also has
one
potion each of flying and climbing, and four vials of the same poison
that is on her daggers. Her thieving abilities are: 45% pick pockets,
37% open locks, 35% detect traps, 33% move silently, 25% hide in
shadows, 15% hear noise, 88% climb walls, and 20% read languages.
She also has a psionic ability of 146, attack/defense modes
ABE/FH, and the disciplines of body weaponry (6th level of mastery),
invisibility (4th level), and aura alteration (2nd level). She
is
an impious liar and prankster, appearing friendly but quite ruthless
in nature, with extremely hedonistic tendencies.
Loorha will try to ingratiate herself with the party, using seduction
and her power of aura alteration to deceive PCs as to her true nature,
always trying to influence them NOT to head in the direction of
the Scholia. Eventually, she will try to slip away from the party
and
return to the Scholia ahead of the adventurers. If she succeeds
in
this, Oolay'ah (the leader of the Sept) will be prepared for the adventurers
who arrive there. In this case, the randomly encountered
parties will be on the lookout for the characters (+2 on their rolls
to
surprise). If Loorha's disguise as a thief is penetrated (2%
cumulative
chance per day), she will attempt an immediate escape and will
try to kill anyone who hinders her.
DM's introduction
An uncertain reception at journey's end awaits the
PCs, because
all is not well at the Scholia. Several weeks ago, as a storm
was
raging fiercely, 2 weather-beaten travellers, a man and a woman,
stumbled up to the gates of the Scholia. The High Priest's offer
of
refuge to the travellers was eagerly accepted, but this generous gesture
was repaid with terror. After recovering from the raves of the
winds and snow, aided by the tender care of the residents, the travellers,
Karlekh and Manorlah (see room 49), managed to elude the
security guards and defense of the Scholia. and opened the gate to
allow INVADERS to TAKE over the building entirely. Several of
the
guards were captured by a mirror of life trapping that had been
substituted for a normal mirror. Several of the leading figures
of the
Scholia were then banished to the depths of the mirror. Others,
including the paying students, have since been killed or enslaved.
The invaders were then revealed to be members of a locally feared
matriarchal society known as the Sept of Infamy. This particular
group is led by Oolay?ah-ben-Ethrah-mah-Lanoorha-Tis (from now
on referred to as simply Oolay?ah, or the Lanoorha-Tis). Her name
shows that she can claim both male descent from the Ethrah clan
and female descent from the Lanoorha clan. She is also the ?Tis,? or
clan leader, of all those who claim descent from the legendary Sept
founder Lanoorha.
After Oolay?ah took over, she captured a band of fur trappers who
innocently came to the Scholia for help. This group of sturdy
dwarves was then put to work expanding a cavern system behind the
Scholia into a labyrinth, smoothing out passages and making them
more easily traveled. The Sept then set up a shrine to the lawful evil
deity Loviatar, known as the Maiden of Pain or the Pain-Giver.
Most recently, one of the Scholia?s clerics managed to escape, but
he
was tracked down by Loorha before he could reach help. Loorha is
an outcast of the Thylorh clan because of her lowborn heritage, now
loosely associated with the Lanoorha-Tis.
A legend lore spell or similar power will produce the following
information. The Sept of Infamy was founded by a group of nine
who banded together against a presumed affront from another evil
clan, though this is often disputed by scholars. The nine swore a
blood oath of loyalty to Loviatar and successfully avenged their
insult. Their victory over supposed oppression and other similar
bloody feats have attracted strong adversity over the years, but the
Sept has managed to hold its own and even thrive, often despite
violent disagreement with itself. As an example, the Lanoorha and
Thylorh clans have enjoyed a long-standing blood feud, the wound
of which heals over from time to time only to explode again into
barbaric violence. In this respect, it must be mentioned that Sept
members will fight to the death with wild cries of ?unlech Tis!? and
the appropriate clan name. Both male and female members of the
Sept have a strong attraction to jewelry and gems of all kinds. It
is
also noteworthy that the Ethrah clan has a strong elvish strain to
this
day, which surfaces in the affinity its members have for magic.
The DM may wish to use members of the Sept in further adventures.
Any surviving members of the Lanoorha clan will certainly
not take the capture of its Regalia (see AREA 52)
at all lightly. It is
also possible that a rival family, such as the Thylorh clan, would
also
be interested in acquiring these items in order to embarrass the
Lanoorha-Tis.
This adventure includes several other possibilities for expansion
into the DM?s own campaign, including passing references to the
Crystal Caverns and the Mage of the Ice Tower. These can be tailored
into clues to other adventures appropriate to each campaign.
There may also prove to be interesting complications caused by the
release of all of the victims of the mirror of life trapping. The PCs
may even wish to aid Mylo?omha (see AREA 28) to return
to his distant
and possibly extinct home.
The Scholia is nestled in a valley in the mountains, away from the
civilized lands, where (according to its founders) those seeking the
higher paths of law may do so in relative peace. The entrance to the
valley is quite narrow (l00?), but the valley then widens out to a
width of several hundred feet for most of its 20-mile length. The
mountains on the west side slope up very gradually ? first a line of
low hills and then progressively higher slopes. Several streams of
freezing water gush down between the hills and join in a brook
which runs through the length of the valley. The east side of the
valley, however, consists of a long line of almost vertical cliffs
that
stand 100? high. Mountains begin directly behind these cliffs; thus,
the only easy approach to the Scholia is through the valley opening.
The opening to the valley, between a large hillock and the beginning
of the cliff, is blocked by a 20? high wall. The wall is 5? wide
and extends 60? from a round tower to a square tower that abuts on
the cliff. There is a large gate in the wall. To the left is a cord
that
will ring a bell located in the guards? common room. On the far side
of the gate, a path guides guests around to the main entrance to the
guest quarters. A small path leads on further to the private entrance
into the clerical portion of the building. To the left as one enters,
the
ground slopes down to an entrance to the Dog Stables. To the right,
the round tower has a door opening into a spiral stairway up to the
battlement along the top of the wall. At the far end of the battlement,
a door opens into the armory.
The Scholia itself is constructed of cut stone blocks, and consists
of
two above-ground stories plus a cellar. A small octagonal tower
projects over one part of the building. Interior walls and ceiling
surfaces are finished with plaster. Floors are mostly bare stone. The
ceiling height of the ground floor is 12?, that of the upper floor
only
10?. The cellar rooms all have arched ceilings of 6-10?. The location
of the Scholia was selected because of the hot springs that issue into
a natural cavern within the cliff face. The residents of the Scholia
have long since widened the orifice leading to the hot springs, for
their own use as hot baths and a natural source of hot water.
If the PCs approach the Scholia openly, Phel?akh, the guard captain
on duty (see AREA 17), will answer the bell and question
them at
length through a small grating in the door as to their purpose in
coming, who they are, where they hail from, etc. If he is attacked
and defeated, it will only be 20 minutes before the remainder of the
guards call for reinforcements to search for him. If he is not attacked,
he will tell the PCs that no guests may be received at present
because it is High Feast Week. If they insist, he will re-enter the
Scholia; after 20 minutes, Karlekh (see area 49) will return, with
all
of the guards on duty, and reluctantly admit the party to the guest
rooms. Karlekh will inform the PCs that it may be some time before
the High Priest has time to properly receive them. During the night,
the Lanoorha-Tis will order a group of her guards (labyrinth random
encounter group #1) to take the PCs captive.
If, on the other hand, the PCs decide to attempt a clandestine
entry, they must either scale the wall in some manner or force the
gate (three characters of strength 17 or better must roll their bend
bars/lift gates scores at the same time; one try per character per
round). The gate will take 16 points of battering damage (from blunt
weapons only) before breaking, but if this tactic is used there is
a
90% chance for the guards to be alerted. If the PCs have not previously
approached the Scholia openly, there is only a 15% chance for
one of the guards to observe a silent attempt; if the PCs are noisy,
there is an 80% chance for them to be observed. After the PCs have
passed the wall, they may then reconnoiter the yard area and decide
which of the three doors they wish to attempt to enter.
Scholia random encounter table
Check for a random encounter only when the room description
indicates the possibility for one. Roll a d8 to select an encounter.
None of the encounters may be repeated.
Note that all students of the Scholia are young adults, ranging in
age from 15-18. Those students who have a character class are the
minimum ages for those classes (see
DMG,
page 12).
| Roll | Result |
| 1 | Two of the Sept members are on an errand. One is a Priestess (LE, AC 4, MV 6", hp 19) wearing splint mail and using a <horseman's> flail +1. Her spells are bless, command, remove fear, sanctuary, chant, slow poison, and spiritual hammer. She has a leather belt with 6 obsidians (95 gp) and a small ivory box holding fragrant petals (185 gp). The other is a female half-elf _
Spellblade
(Warrior/
|
| 2 | Two escaped prisoners, clerics of
the Scholia, will attempt
to flee at their first glimpse of the PCs. They will only be surprised on a 1 in 6. One is a male Acolyte (LN, AC 10, MV 12?, hp 5) trained with a <horseman's> flail. His spells are protection from evil, cure light wounds, and bless. The other is a female Adept (LN, AC 10, MV 12?, hp 12) trained in footman's mace and <horseman's> flail. Her spells are all those indicated above, plus sanctuary. They have no useful information- about their captors. |
| 3 | Two frightened students on an errand for the Sept. They
are both 0-level male humans (LN and NG, AC 10, MV 12?; hp 5, 4), both trained with daggers. They have the following information concerning the situation in the Scholia: The Scholia staff has mysteriously vanished; devotees of an evil deity have taken over, led by a powerful woman who has some demonic-looking familiar; the usurpers have a shrine in some caves beyond the hot springs; and, there are still many captives alive, but the number is rapidly dwindling, and they are being taken away somewhere. |
| 4 | One of the Scholia clerics, on an errand. He is dominated
by Manorlah and will attempt to flee to warn the guards on the upper level. He is an Acolyte (LN, AC 10, MV 12?, hp 6) trained in <horseman's> mace. His spells are bless and light. |
| 5 | One of the Sept on a personal errand. He is a Champion
(CE, AC 2, MV 9?, hp 54 [CON 16], #AT 3/2)
wearing plate mail +1 and using a bastard sword +1, +3 vs. lycanthropes and shape-changers (Oolay'ah doesn't know about the sword's special powers). The sword has an intelligence of 12, an ego of 5, CE, and can detect sloping passages in a 1" radius. It communicates by semi-empathy. Any character whose alignment is not CE will suffer 5 hp damage each time he touches any portion of the sword, unless it is in the grasp of a CE character. He also has a ring of spell storing with 4 magic-user spells (stinking cloud, charm monster, minor globe of invulnerability, and feeblemind), a gold buckle (30 gp), a bracelet consisting of a single platinum band (250 gp), and a silver clasp set with a chrysoberyl (90 gp) on his cloak. |
| 6 | 3 Sept members delivering more treasure
to the
strongroom (the secret chamber next to room 27). The 1st is a Swordswoman (NE, AC 3, MV 6?, hp 24) wearing plate mail and using a long sword. She wears an armband of filigree silver (65 gp). The second is a male Adept (LE, AC 5, MV 9?, hp 11) wearing chain mail and using a <footman's> mace. His spells are bless, cure light wounds, and protection from good. He has an earring of silver (1 gp). The third is a female Evoker (LE, AC 6, MV 12", hp 6) wearing bracers of defense AC 6 and using a staff. Her spells are sleep and Tenser's floating disc -- currently in use to transport 900 sp, 500 ep, 300 gp, 200 pp, and a small coffer of 30 gems worth a total of 8500 gp. She wears an earring of silver set with a moonstone (60 gp). The treasure was found elsewhere in the Scholia. |
| 7 | 3 of the Scholia clerics on an errand.
They are
charmed by the Sept and will attempt to warn the Sept members in the Labyrinth. They are Acolytes, 2 female and 1 male (LN, AC 10, MV 12?; hp 9, 7, 6), trained in <footman's> mace and <horseman's> flail. Their spells are cure light wounds and resist cold; bless, command and remove fear; and cure light wounds and sanctuary. They know only that a group of women with "powerful eyes" (a reference to psionics) have taken over the Scholia. |
| 8 | Leph, a student serving the Sept out of fear, will run to the <>
party, assuming they are members of the Sept, in order to tattle on some of the other students who are planning to jump the next Sept member to enter their room. He is a 0- level male (CN, AC 10, MV 12", hp 3) trained in dagger. He has been snooping on the Sept and has the following information, but will be reluctant to reveal it until he is assured the party will defeat Oolay'ah: The Scholia staff have been put "in storage"; the INVADERS are led by a magic-user named Oolay'ah; Oolay'ah and her party (forty strong!) are devoted to The Pain-Giver; Oolay'ah has an affinity for cats; her consort is a very powerful cleric named Karlekh; and, there are a pair of twin female fighters who are both deadly and beautiful. |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1. Entry Hall: This room contains six statues of famous
clerics
devoted to The Sustainer of Order.
From left of the door clockwise
they are: A) a cleric in a hooded robe offering a flask; B) a cleric
in a
heavy fur robe holding a child; C) a female cleric in traveling dress
brandishing a scroll; D) a seated cleric with head lowered, as if in
defeat; E) a group of 2 clerics supporting a 3rd figure, their arms
raised as if to ward off evil; and F) a female cleric meditating. The
door to the outside is locked ( -10% to chance to pick lock, due to
its complexity). There is a 5% chance each 10-minute turn of a
random encounter. <link>
2. Hallway: There is a 5% chance each turn of a random encounter.
3. The Saffron Salon: The walls of this room are decorated
with
attractive murals. One shows several scenes from the saga of a cleric
who healed a chieftain of the Winged
Folk (see Best of DRAGON®
Magazine Volume III, page 71). The chieftain later returns the
favor
by assisting him when under attack by several perytons,
on his quest
for an alpine blossom necessary for healing.
Another depicts the
fabled cleric Mendelberah in his struggle to rescue one of his henchmen
from The Ghoul Marshal at the cost
of his own life.
The furniture consists of two oval tables, each surrounded by six
armchairs, and a divan. There are also two large carpets on the
floor. All of the chairs and the divan are upholstered in saffron-colored
velvet. There is a sideboard along the north wall. A crystal
decanter and eight glasses on a silver tray are placed on it. The four
cabinet doors in the sideboard contain 12 other glasses, several
bottles of liquors (one is an herbal distillate which can heal 1-2
hp
damage once per day, but will slightly intoxicate each indulger;
another is a sleep potion which will
put any taster to sleep for 2-8
turns if a save vs. spells fails), a silver dinner service for 10 (150
gp),
and candles and linen cloths.
4. Guest Room: This room is furnished with two large
beds with
plain but sturdy wooden frames covered with sleeping furs, two
wooden chests, and a wardrobe. There are also three wooden chairs
with cushions, a small wooden cabinet with a ceramic bowl and a
pitcher of tepid water on top, and a divan which can be used for
overflow visitors. The room is rather dusty, as it has not been
cleaned or used since Oolay'ah's arrival. There are rough woolen
hangings with symbolic patterns. There are also wall sconces with
candles in them, shielded from drafts by covers made from seal hide.
<candles=x>
A fireplace in one corner has a pile of coals and tinder ready for
use
beside it. Each of the chests has a brass lock. They are unlocked,
and the key is inside in a removable wooden shelf (Karlekh has an
extra copy of each key). The wardrobe has several
black robes with
hoods of a rough, nubby homespun cloth and a
black cord for guests
to wear at the worship ceremonies. A secret drawer in the bed frame
(5% cumulative chance per round of searching to find it) contains a
clerical scroll of remove curse.
Oolay'ah has replaced the sleeping furs on one bed with enchanted
furs from an arctic constrictor snake, which act as a rope
of
entanglement. The
furs can constrict 3 man-sized victims in
three segments: one for the trigger (darkness), one to strike, and
one
to entwine. They will deliver 1-3 hp damage per round to each
victim. The furs are AC 3 and take 16 hp damage from edged weapons
before being destroyed.
<DMG.183: Snake,
giant _ white-furred constrictor>
5. Guest Room: This room is similar in most respects
to the other
guest room. A secret door is located in the back wall of the wardrobe,
behind removable shelves. If a hidden lever is not pressed
(check against find/remove traps),
a pale green gas will billow out of
a small hole in the ceiling of the passage beyond the door. The gas
will cause 2-4 characters to suffer spasms of weakness, resulting in
the loss of 2-5 points of STR
for 1-6 turns (save vs. poison for no
effect). There is a 5% chance each turn of a random encounter. <link>
6. Waiting Room: This room is furnished with two low,
round
tables, each surrounded by four chairs upholstered in white velvet
with silver piping. A dagger
+1, cursed is hidden underneath 1
table. The dagger acts as a dagger +1, but will force its owner
to
attack until an enemy is dead. The owner can never USE another
weapon until exorcised. The ceiling of this room is only 8' high,
both to emphasize the grandeur of the chapel and audience chamber
beyond, and to allow for the lavabo above. Murals on the walls
are
enchanted to soothe and ease the occupants of the room (SAVE vs.
spells or receive the effects of a remove
fear spell; SAVE can be negated
at PC's will). There is a 5% chance for a random encounter. <link>
7. Audience Chamber: This room features a dais with
a simple
stone throne and four chairs on it. Carvings along the front edge of
the dais read: "He Who Follows The Lawful Way Shall Pass."
There are four pillars shaped like female figures supporting an elaborate
ceiling of symbols appropriate to The
Sustainer of Order. The
walls are also covered with intricate designs of squares, circles,
triangles,
and interlocking diamonds worked in silver. The floor is of tile,
mostly off-white but with single gold tiles seemingly scattered at
random. The gold tiles outline a vague path leading out to the east
doors. There is only a 5% chance per point of intelligence for each
character to spot the path. If anyone attempts to exit through these
doors without following the path, two of the pillars (M and N on the
map) will animate as caryatid
columns. Anyone who has entered
through the east doors will be permitted to exit through them without
attack. (The columns are AC 5, MV 6?, HD 5, hp 22 each, #AT
1, DAM 2-8, special defense.) If the party members retreat from the
door, the columns will revert to stone.
The stone throne will radiate lawful neutral magic. Any good or
evil character who sits in it will receive 6 hp damage; any chaotic
character who sits in it will receive 12 hp damage. These shocks are
cumulative in effect, but will affect each character only once. The
chair is enchanted and will bestow the following powers upon a
lawful neutral occupant: protection from good or evil, 10' radius
<protection
from good, 10' radius>
<protection
from evil, 10' radius>
continuously, detect lie and
fear
at will, hold person three times
a
day, domination once per day,
and commune once per week.
8. Chapel: The room has bare stone walls, but
these are obscured
by 6 inches of ice covering every surface. There are elaborate,
almost gothic traceries of ice creating magnificent arches and lacy
curtains. Continual light spells
have been CAST in many locations
with the most artistic purposes in mind, creating intricate patterns
on the floor. Clever use of a wish has
served to protect the ice sculpting
for centuries to come. A large round altar
of yellow marble
stands on a raised square dais. Another raised AREA, triangular in
shape, has a marble front. Oolay'ah has commanded 2 charmed
gargoyles to stay here, appealing
to their greed (AC 5, MV 9"/15",
HD 4+4, hp 27 and 21, #AT 4, DAM l-3/1-3/1-6/1-4, +1 or better
weapon to hit). The south door is protected by a glyph
of warding <>
on the floor that will deliver 18 hp cold
damage to anyone who triggers
it.
9. Portico: This area is raised above ground
level. An inscription
over the door reads: "He Who Sees The Balance May Enter." There
are 9 pillars that support the extension of the floor above. Ornamental
screens close off most of the spaces between the pillars. The
doors are kept locked ( -20% to chance to pick lock) and are
guarded by a glyph of warding
that will blind anyone who triggers <>
it.
10. Hallway: There is a 10% cumulative chance
per turn of a
random encounter here. <link>
11. Refectory: The room holds 2 large plain
wooden tables
surrounded by chairs. One of the chairs (marked T on the map) is <chairs=x>
really a lesser mimic (AC 7, MV 3",
HD 7, #AT 1, DAM 3-12,
glue). The mimic will attack until offered food. If properly bribed,
it
will describe what it knows: A party of at least 20 has successfully
invaded the Scholia; there are caves "across the springs;" and,
it has smelled large cats. The mimic crept into the Scholia
during
the confusion of the attack.
12. Kitchen: The room has the usual cabinets,
counters, cupboards,
drawers of utensils, spices, pots, and pans. There are brick
ovens on both sides of a large fireplace, with several spits
and hooks
on which to hang kettles. There is a dumbwaiter to deliver food
to
the private dining room upstairs. One cabinet contains ceramic
dishes and an inexpensive brass table service. Another cabinet
(locked) hoolds silver dishes and a table service for twenty (250 gp).
There are 2 bedrolls on the floor with packs beside them. The
packs contain standard adventuring equipment, and traveling illusionist
spell books with the following spells: color
spray, dancing
lights, detect
illusion,
wall of fog, blindness,
detect
magic, and misdirection.
There is a 20% cumulative chance per turn of a random
encounter here.
13. Pantry: The WALLS of this room are covered
with cabinets and
storage bins of every size. Small amounts of every food
available are
kept here. At present, the stores are rather stale. There is only a
1%
cumulative chance per turn of a random encounter here.
| - | - | - | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
14. Hallway: There is a 20% chance per turn
of a random encounter.
Any resulting battle gives a chance for the guards in rooms
15 and 17 (65% chance) or the Sept
members in room 24 (35%
chance) to hear and investigate.
15. Common Room: There are a large table
and a small round
table here with a total of 8 chairs. A small cabinet
with a surface
for preparing food stands near the
fireplace. A normal mirror is
hidden behind the cabinet, and a blank space on the wall reveals
where it once was hung. Scattered on the small table are 2 decks
of cards and several dice. There is a member of the Sept in the
room, a male Swordsman (NE, AC
4, MV 9", hp 17) wearing
chain mail and shield, and using a long sword. A short bow with
8 arrows is on the table near him. He wears a golden armband
engraved and highlighted with silver (180 gp). There is a normal
chance to surprise him. If the characters enter from the hallway, he
will call for help before attacking. The guards in the next room will
arrive during the next round. There is also a 15% chance for the
party in room 24 to hear the sounds of any battle
and come to assist.
16. The Guard Captain's Quarters: This room
is furnished for
the Master of Combat's use, with a sturdy wooden bed piled high
with sleeping furs, a large locked wooden chest (-20% to chance
to
pick lock; takes 8 hp battering damage before breaking), a padded
armchair near a table with a brass lamp on it, and an oval rug on
the floor. A secret compartment in the bed frame holds 23 sp, 17 gp,
4 pp, three 50 gp gems, a small ivory statue of a white
dragon (200
gp), and 2 potions: heroism
and invulnerability. Nythel,
the Master
of Combat, has a small collection of oil landscapes on the wall.
The 6 paintings, works of Ness-uther, show scenes varying from
the infamous Black Fortress Zethyra-nezra, and the wondrous lake
Lassorah-lathra ("Star-mirror"), to a view of the Great Forest (200-
500 gp each). There is a pack of standard adventuring equipment
thrown on the bed. The chest holds a small box of inlaid wood,
containing a gold seal set with three small topazes (900 gp); this
is
the seal of the Lanoorha Clan. The room is unoccupied at present,
but now serves as quarters for Karlekh when he is not with
Oolay'ah.
17. Guard Dormitory: There are 3 bunk beds with
two
locked chests at the foot of each bed. The chests have all been forced
open, but still have ordinary clothing
and other personal belongings
of the Scholia's guards in them. The area around one of the bunk
beds is separated from the rest of the room by woolen hangings. The
room also has a small table with 4 chairs.
There are four members of the Sept lounging around in the room,
but they are in armor, weapons at hand -- Oolay'ah's wrath is to be
feared as much as are enemies. There is a 3 in 6 chance of surprising
them. The other guard in the common room will arrive in 2
rounds after battle erupts. There is only a 5% chance for the 3
Sept members in Room 24 to hear any disturbance and
come to
assist. The first villain is Phel'akh-ged-Lanoorha, a male Swashbuckler
(CE, AC 2, MV 9", hp 31) wearing plate
mail +1, using a
long sword +1 and a hand
axe. He has +1 to hit and +3 on damage,
due to his strength. He has a ring
of water walking, wears a
gold earring with a topaz (515 gp), and has an ivory box with a
leather pouch of six pearls in it (800 gp). Phel'akh is inquisitive,
opinionated, sometimes rude, but always very energetic.
The second is a female Priestess
(LE, AC 4, MV 12", hp
15) wearing chain mail +1 and using
a mace. She has +1 on damage.
Her spells are bless, cure
light wounds, cause
light wounds,
sanctuary, chant,
hold
person, and silence 15" radius.
She wears a
gold ring with an amethyst set in a serpent's head (95 gp), and a
chain of ornate silver (60 gp).
The third is a male half-elf Spellblade
(Hero/Theurgist)
(LE,
AC 5, MV 12", hp 18) wearing elfin chainmail, using a long sword
and a dagger +1. His spells are
hold
portal, magic missile, sleep,
mirror image, and ray
of enfeeblement. He has a medallion jade
on a silver chain (800 gp), an earring of silver with a moonstone (60
gp), and a pair of ivory dice in a small leather pouch (15 gp).
The fourth guard is a female Warrior
(CE, AC 4, MV
9", hp 13) wearing chain mail with a shield, and using a short
sword. She wears a belt with a silver buckle (20 gp) and a gold earring
with a carnelian (55 gp).
18. Armory: This room has several racks of weapons.
There are
10 spears, two light crossbows with 30 bolts, four short swords, one
long sword, two short bows with 20 arrows
(10 are +l), a mace, two
hand axes, and a bastard sword (which belongs to Nythel, the Master
of Combat). It is a vorpal
weapon +3 with an intelligence of 13,
an ego of 6, LN, and the abilities to detect traps of large size in
a 1"
radius and to heal once a day. It
can speak common, the lawful
neutral tongue, shedu, and centaur.
A locked door ( -15% to chance
to pick lock) leads to the wall rampart and on to the watch tower.
The door itself will take 18 hp of battering damage before bursting.
A spiral staircase descends to the Dog Stables. Another stair leads
up <link>
to the roof. There is a 20% cumulative chance per round for the
guards next door to hear any noise and investigate, if the guards
were not previously encountered. If a fight with them results, it will
take the guard in the Common Room only 4 rounds to arrive to
assist.
19. The High Priest's Private Chamber: The door
to Mondaleth
's room is guarded by a glyph
of warding that will deliver a
lightning bolt of 18 hp damage
to anyone who triggers it. Curtains
divide the room into a living area, a sleeping area, and a study. The
living area has a sofa and 3 chairs grouped around a low oval <chairs=x>
table. A narrow rectangular rug leads favored guests to the study
area. This area has a large carpet with an elaborate floral design
(700 gp) with 4 armchairs upholstered in cream velvet arranged
on it. A small altar of white marble veined
with gold and a large
writing desk with chair complete the study. The sleeping area
has a
large comfortable bed with sleeping furs, a wardrobe, 2 locked
wooden chests, and a circular rug. The wardrobe contains ordinary
clothing in addition to robes
appropriate to Mondaleth's rank: black
robes, silver belt,
black
helm, and a silver hood.
Papers and records kept in the drawers of the writing desk deal
with the day-to-day routine of the Scholia. Closer examination will
reveal that 2 weeks before the records cease (several weeks ago),
2 travelers (a man and woman) were found ill and alone near the
Scholia. They were brought in and nursed back to health before
their real names were learned to be "Norlah" and "Karl." They
were unable to explain their PRESENCE in so remote a location. The
records cease abruptly at that point.
20. Meditation Room: This is the private meditation
room of
Mondaleth. It is furnished with 2 curved cushions made of cream
velvet with delicate saffron designs. Between the couches is a low
square table of a fragrant wood, upon which are a small brass lamp
and a small box holding * pieces of incense
of meditation. The
floor is covered with soft white rugs,
the walls with hangings of a
nubby cloth patterned in saffron, silver,
white,
and beige. Oolay'ah
has released a giant white-furred
constrictor snake in the room (AC
5, MV 9", HD 6 + 1, hp 29, #AT 2, DAM l-4/2-8, plus constriction,
surprise 3 in 6).
21. Lavabo: This room contains a wooden bench,
pegs on the
walls for clothing, a set of
shelves with towels, and a large sunken
ceramic bathing pool with steps leading down into it. The curative
powers of the water have been disrupted by the presence of a water
weird (summoned by Oolay'ah)
which will form in two rounds (AC
4, MV 12", HD 3 + 3, hp 18, #AT 1, special attack and defense).
22. Clerics' Room: This room normally houses
6 clerics. It is
divided by woolen hangings into 3 sleeping areas and a common
area. The common area holds a small table with 4 chairs, a small
cabinet, and a kneeling bench. Each of the sleeping areas has a set
of
bunk beds and two chests. Oolay'ah has stationed some of her people
in this room, but at the moment the room is unoccupied. Their
packs and personal articles are scattered throughout the room. After
10 minutes of SEARCHING, the PCs will find the following items:
several daggers, rations, a copper armband (1 gp), 2 potions
(climbing and fire
resistance), a battle axe, and a spell book with the
following spells: affect
normal fires, burning hands,
erase,
hold
portal and read
magic. Other useless items will also be found. There
is a 5% chance each turn for a random encounter.
23. Clerics' Room: This room is similar in most
respects to the
other cleric's room; however, the door is locked (-15% to chance to
pick locks). It is being used to house the remaining 10 of the Scholia
clerics. They have been severely mishandled, starved, and beaten,
and their morale is quite low. Present are 7 male and three
female clerics (LN, AC 10, MV 9"; hp 7, 5, 5, 4, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2).
Only one of the Acolytes, Telora
(a female with 7 hp) will
fight. She will insist on going with the party to assist in whatever
way she can to return the Scholia to its lawful masters. She is trained
with the flail and has the spells: protection
from evil, cure light
wounds, and sanctuary.
The other clerics are too exhausted and will
refuse to go against Oolay'ah.
24. The Masters' Room: The door to this room
is trapped with a
Leomund's trap. The room itself
is divided by woolen hangings into
a living and study AREA, and three individual sleeping areas. The
living area has 2 sofas, a soft upholstered chair, and a small table.
The study area has a writing desk, a chair, and a bookshelf. A lamp,
<chair=x>
an inkwell, and several scrolls are scattered in disarray on the desk.
The books in the shelf are also in disorder, some having been thrown
on the floor. The scrolls deal with the progress of the students. One
is a letter to the Baron of Lesser Nhollia concerning his daughter
Dhol's exceptional progress. Each of the 3 sleeping areas has a
comfortable bed and a chest. The chests all have locks, but each has
been forced open and the contents scattered.
The first area, from left, belongs to Be'ezhom, Master of Magic.
It has a secret door that opens on the stairway down to the cellar
and
up to the laboratory. A Sept member's pack is on the bed. Among
other standard equipment, it holds a potion
of heroism. There is a
secret vault in the wall next to the door that hides Be'ezhom's spell
books. Each volume is trapped by a randomly placed page inscribed
with explosive runes (5%
cumulative chance for each page examined,
but if not encountered before, the last page will be so inscribed).
The books contain the following spells: burning
hands,
charm person, detect
magic, hold portal, light,
magic
missile, continual
light, forget,
knock,
levitate,
web,
wizard
lock, blink,
explosive
runes (the spell), fire
ball, hold person, slow,
cone
of cold, and
passwall.
The middle sleeping area belongs to Ni'osyl, the Apprentice Master.
A pack on the bed holds personal items, thieves tools, several
daggers, a flask of poison,
and 3 potions of healing.
3 members of the Sept are engaged in meditation in the 3rd
sleeping area belonging to Gildah, the Master of Healing. They will
surprise the PCs on a 1-4 on a d6. The 1st is a female 5th-level
magic-user (NE, AC 5, MV 12", hp 12) wearing bracers
of defense
AC 6 ( +1 for dexterity), and using a staff. Her spells are burning
hands, magic
missile, shocking grasp,
sleep,
ray
of enfeeblement,
scare, and monster
summoning I. She wears an earring of gold with
a pearl (105 gp). Her pack contains her spell books, with the following
spells in addition to the ones she has memorized: dancing
lights,
read magic, forget
and slow. The second is a male 4th-level
assassin
(CE, AC 4, MV 12?) hp 14) wearing leather
armor +2 and using a
long sword and three daggers; two daggers are poisoned. The poison
takes 1-4 rounds to take effect, and delivers 5-30 hp damage at the
rate of 5 hp per round (save vs. poison for no damage). He wears an
ivory medallion on a silver chain (180 gp) and an earring of silver
(2
gp). The third of the villains is a male 3rd-level lighter (LE, AC
4,
MV 9?) hp 17) wearing splint mail and using a bastard sword. He
wears a ring of gold with a carnelian (80 gp). There is a 20% chance
for the guards in Rooms 15 and 17
to hear the sounds of any battle
and investigate.
25. Lecture Hall: This room has all the typical
furnishings of a
lecture room. There is a small lectern, a table with a chair next to
it,
2 map boards, and 30 stools. Tacked on one of the map boards
are a map of the general area and a detailed map of the valley and
the Scholia (game maps #1 and #2).
On the other map board is a
crude list of about 50 names, each with a line drawn through or
under it, or a checkmark beside it. Only the name Gildah is without
any mark. The list begins as follows:
| Mondaleth | Nythel | Be'ezhom | Gildah |
| Telranuth | Lesethere | Besh-roh | Kaftikel |
| Telora | Kilphor | Selevona | Leo-nath |
| Dhol | Leph | Benn | Gedenna |
| Ni'osyl | etc. | - | - |
Oolay'ah composed this list of persons living at the Scholia (and
the dwarves who came later and were
caught) from studying the
Scholia's records and questioning captives. (She is nothing if not
methodical.) Names with check marks are live captives; those with
lines drawn under them are prisoners of the mirror, and those
crossed out are dead, killed in combat or as sacrifices. Benn, for
example, was one of the students slain by the caterwaul (see area
44); Lyrha is the hobbit
encountered on the labyrinth random
encounters table, being taken to area 49 for sacrifice.
A drawer in the lectern holds the following papers, in order from top
to bottom:
lecture notes on arctic flowering plants
lecture notes on the dangers of exposure and frostbite
lecture notes on the ecology of white
dragons.
diagrams of rock strata showing glacial erosion
lecture notes on basic principles of magic
lecture notes on the history of the worship of Ptah.
lecture notes on various armor types
a detailed floor plan of the Scholia (game maps
#3-6, without secret doors, as far as the hot springs) <links>
lecture notes on gems and jewelry
lecture notes on a recent battle
The lecture notes on gems seem to have been much handled, as
have the detailed floor plans of the Scholia.
There is a 10% chance each turn of a random encounter.
26. Private Dining Room: This room is paneled
in wood. The
furnishings consist of a polished, dark wood table surrounded by
8 chairs. The floor is finished with tile, mostly black but with
single randomly placed saffron and silver
tiles. A dumbwaiter in the
wall connects with the kitchen. There are lighter areas on the walls
which correspond to missing tapestries. Nothing of particular interest
for the PCs is to be found in this room. There is a 5% chance per
turn of a random encounter.
27. Examination Room: The furnishings of this
room consist
solely of 4 work tables, each covered with a variety of odd items
designed to test the abilities of students and other individuals. The
north table has a multitude of rocks, metal spheres, ceramic cubes,
wooden rods, etc. Certain of these have been treated with Nystul's
magic aura (a test for
the use of detect magic) or with
fool's
gold.
There are also illusory objects, a glass sphere in a leather pouch
with
continual light cast on
it, a dish that has been shattered
and mended
several times, mysterious writings on parchment scraps, invisible
objects, a box which when opened still has a vestige of an audible
glamer left in it, etc. The
west table has locks to be opened, traps to
be set, removed or detected, including several Leomund's
traps, etc.
The east table has objects to check for evil
or magic, water
to purify,
flasks to fill with water,
things
to locate in the middle on the table,
etc. The south table has glass balls to lift, things to crush or stretch,
a dagger -1 with which to test dexterity,
a helm that covers the eyes
to test hearing (for sneaky footsteps and the like), and a nonmagical
glove.
The small secret chamber next door is used by the Scholia to store
medications, bandages, and salves. It now holds 4 chests almost
hidden beneath fur clothing, rugs, and tapestries. 2 of the chests
hold coins: 900 sp, 5000 gp, 4000 ep, and 2000 pp; the 3rd holds
seven jeweled daggers (10-70 gp each) and other assorted jewelry,
including an ivory scroll case (10 gp), a silver
beltbuckle shaped like
a symbol of Ptah
(8 gp), a gold bell (50 gp), a silver ring set with 5
onyx stones arranged in a pattern (140 gp), an oval moonstone
pendant engraved in a likeness of Ptah (95 gp), a small statue of
Ptah made of electrum (300 gp), an inlaid wood coffer (10 gp), and
a
necklace made of electrum (30 gp). The fourth and smallest chest
holds 40 gems worth a total of 12,000 gp. There are also several
tapestries and paintings taken from the clerics' private rooms, the
private dining room and the waiting room. There is a 5% chance
each turn for a random encounter here.
28. Council Chamber: This room has wood-paneled
walls and an
elaborate ceiling with large wooden beams. There are 2 chande-
liers of cut crystal (700 gp each). A large polished wood table stands
in the middle of the room with 15 padded armchairs around it.
There are 2 padded chairs, one to each side of the head chair,
each with a small writing table near it. Each place around the table
is equipped with an inkwell and pen. There is also a small drawer at
each place containing paper or vellum. The drawer at the chair
marked Z on the map also contains a scroll
of protection from
magick. There
are 3 paintings on the west wall, works of Nessuther.
One is an excellent rendering of the Scholia in spring, with
tiny alpine blossoms on the ground. The other two are arctic winter
landscapes. The south wall has a mirror on it. It is a mirror
of life
trapping, measuring
36 by 16 inches, framed in a dark wood. 7
of the Scholia's lawful inhabitants are trapped in the mirror along
with 5 previous victims. The prisoners from the Scholia are described
below.
Mondaleth, the High Priest of the Scholia, is a male High
Priest (LN, AC 0, MV 9") hp 52) wearing splint
mail +4 under his
robes, and using a <horseman's>
mace +3. He wears black robes belted with a
silver cord, a black helm, silver hood, sandals, a silver holy symbol
(an equilateral triangle within a circle), a ring of keys to the Scholia,
a ring of fire resistance,
and a jade necklace (1600 gp). He also has a
scroll with a heal spell on it, another
scroll containing sticks to
snakes and snake
charm, and potions of extra
healing and levitation.
His spells are bless, command,
cure
light wounds ( x 2), protection
from evil, sanctuary,
chant,
hold
person ( x 2), resist fire,
silence
15'
radius, spiritual
hammer, animate dead, dispel
magic, prayer, cure
serious wounds, neutralize
poison, and flame strike. He
is the perfect
diplomat: optimistic, pious, and perceptive, yet cautious and
always devoted to the service of Ptah.
Nythel, the Master of Combat, is a male Guide
(NG,
AC 0, MV 12") wearing chain mail
+5, and trained in bastard
sword, scimitar, and short bow. His vorpal
_ bastard sword +3 is in
the armory,-but he has a short
bow with 10 arrows +1
with him. He
wears a ring of free
action. Nythel is quite fearless, very well spoken,
and cheerful.
Be'ezhom, the Master of Magic, is a male elf Thaumaturgist
(LN, AC 4, MV 12", hp 24) wearing bracers
of defense AC 4 and
using a staff +1. He
carries scrolls of hold person,
slow,
and mirror
image and traveling spell books
with the following spells: burning
hands, charm
person, detect magic, hold
portal, light, magic
missile,
continual light, forget,
knock,
levitate,
web,
wizard
lock, blink,
explosive runes, fireball,
hold
person, and slow. His memorized
spells are charm person, burning
hands, hold portal, magic
missile,
knock, and fireball.
Be'ezhom is the supreme intellectual, always
aloof and only concerned with the aesthetic.
Ni'osyl, the Apprentice Master, is a female 4th-level cleric (LN,
AC 3, MV 6", hp 25) wearing plate mail
and using a <horseman's>
mace +1. Her
spells are cure light wounds
(x2), detect evil, detect
magick, sanctuary,
chant, detect
charm, hold person, and spiritual
hammer. She
has a psionic ability of 106, attack/defense modes CD/FGHI, and
the disciplines of hypnosis (2nd
level of mastery) and empathy (4th
level). She is retiring and studious.
Selevona, one of the Scholia's surviving guards, is a female elf
Spellblade (Warrior
/ Conjurer) (N, AC 5, MV 12", hp
14) wearing
elfin chain mail and using
a long sword. Her spells are
magic
missile,
sleep, and mirror
image. She is curious and moody.
Kilphor, the other guard trapped in the mirror, is a male dwarf
Hero (NG, AC 2, MV 9", hp
31) wearing plate mail +1
and using a battle axe +1. He
has strength of 18/58, giving him +2
to hit and +3 on damage. He is extremely loyal and very precise.
Besh-roh, the secretary of the Scholia, is a male Adept
(LN, AC 4, MV 9") hp 16 [CON 18]), wearing splint
mail under
his robes and using a <horseman's>
flail. His spells are command,
cure
light
wounds (x 2) and SANCTUARY.
He is loyal, trustworthy, and very
dedicated to Mondaleth.
The other prisoners of the mirror are not affiliated with the Scholia.
Seelohnor Delohvra, a female elf Wizardess
11th, CN, was
a fellow apprentice of Oolay'ah's master before her betrayal by
Oolay'ah. Geskhy'-ged-Ethrah, a male Swashbuckler,
LE, was a
former consort of Oolay'ah, displaced by Karlekh. Mylo'omha, a
male Curate, NG, was already a
prisoner of the mirror when
Oolay'ah acquired it. He can be used by the DM as a connection
with "ages past." Ghanorlah-ben-Thylorh-mah-Lanoorha, a female
Canon, CE (worships a death goddess,
Tuonetar,
from DEITIES & DEMIGODS, page 56))
is the true heir to the Lanoorha-Tis. She is
Oolay'ah's only older half-sister. Her disappearance rekindled the
long-standing feud with the Thylorh clan to its present bloody
height. Selthor'ah-mah-Lanoorha, a female Visionist,
LE,
is one of Oolay'ah's many younger half-sisters. She tried to assassinate
Oolay'ah but was betrayed by Karlekh, then her lover, who
later became Oolay'ah's consort. If any of them are released from
the mirror, the DM may fill these NPCs out as desired.
There is a 2% chance per turn for a random encounter in this
room.
29. Library: This
large
room holds many bound volumes and
scrolls, all stored in rows of shelves. There are also 2 writing desks
and several reading stands. For each turn the PCs spend searching
the shelves of scrolls, there is a 20% chance to find scrolls of purify
water and cure
serious wounds. There is also a 2% cumulative
chance per turn to find a tome
of understanding and a additional
2% cumulative chance to find a volume dealing with the Sept of
Infamy. A brief perusal of this volume is sufficient to explain who
"the Tis" is. There is a 5% chance per turn for a random encounter
here.
30. Laboratory: This octagonal chamber with
a peaked roof is a
tower which extends above the upper level. It holds 3 long work
tables covered with equipment and several stools. There is a small
bookcase along one wall. The equipment includes balances and
bottles, vials and phials, jars and flasks, caldrons and crucibles,
mortar and pestle, and any number of containers of herbs and other
<herbs=x>
less natural items. Several scrolls are scattered about but none of
them, nor any of the books, are magical. The binding of one book is
labeled "Third Level Spells." It has been prepared for the inscription
of spells but remains empty. If any of the concoctions on the
tables are disturbed, there is a 45% chance for either creating a
potion of healing or an explosion
(8" radius) that will cause 3-12 hp
damage (save vs. wands for half); equal possibility for either of these
results, if one or the other is indicated. There is a 1% chance per
turn of a random encounter.
| 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 |
| 41 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
31. Dog Stables: 16 large sled dogs are kept
here. Treat
them as war dogs (AC 6, MV 12?,
HD 2 + 2; hp 18, 18, 18, 17, 17, <check>
16, 16, 15, 14, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 10, 8). They are not trained to
fight but, due to their natural tendencies, they are extremely vicious
and will attack anyone except their usual trainers if released from
their individual kennels. At present, they have not been fed in a
week, so they will cower and whine when anyone enters the room,
but when released will immediately attack at +1 to hit. Anyone
other than their trainers who attempts to harness them must beat
them into submission. See the method for subduing dragons in
the
Monster Manual, page 30. Subdual
(UNEARTHED ARCANA).
2 sleds are kept in storage room A. Each sleds can be loaded
with up to 90 lbs. of equipment and pulled by 6 dogs at the rate of
15 miles per day. Room B holds crates of meat (dog food), twenty
pairs of snowshoes, 6 pairs of skis and the harnesses for the sleds.
An unlit lantern hangs from the middle of the ceiling. The secret
door is trapped, causing the gates to the kennels to spring open. The
door leads to a steep spiral stairway that connects with the Armory
and also the ground floor. The outside door is always barred shut.
It
will take 12 hp battering damage before bursting. The noise has a
70% chance of alerting Phelakh' and the other guards on duty in the
room above.
32. Hallway: There is a 5% chance per turn of
a random encounter
here.
33. Crypt: The doorway to this room is guarded
by a glyph of
warding that will deliver
18 hp fire damage to anyone who
blunders
in to it. The room itself has an arched ceiling of 4-7'. There is an
altar at the far end of the room which will deliver 12 hp cold
damage
to any chaotic character who touches it. A secret compartment in the
altar holds altar cloths and a silver lamp
(15 gp). A small flask holds
oil for the lamp. There are 4 rows of 8 niches on each side of
the room. Many of them contain a skeleton wrapped in moldy and
decayed cloths. One of the empty niches (3rd from the bottom at
the location marked on the map) has a secret door at its end. It
opens, if merely pushed, onto a passage that leads to Room
42. The
secret passage is only 3' high and 2' wide. <dsg:tight squeeze>
The DM should play up the possibility that there are undead
in
this room (crypts always seem to have undead in them). Odd sounds
(actually caused by the wind), strange smells (as one would expect
in
a crypt), and other odds and ends can serve the heighten the suspense
here. Of course, no undead are here at all.
34. Junior Dormitory: The door to this room
is locked. The
room contains 12 bunk beds, 24 small chests under the beds, and
several wooden benches. There are rough woolen hangings on the
WALLS. The beds have a few sleeping furs. Each chest contains the few
personal items allowed by the Scholia, any other items the student
wishes to keep hidden, 2 changes of clothing,
a chant book, and a
saffron robe with a black cord.
There are 28 students cowering in the room: human,
elf,
half-elf
and hobbit, ages from 15-18 (all
0 level or 1 HD, hp 1-6, AC 10,
MV 12"). The students have been terrorized by Oolay'ah, and most
are too much in shock to even describe the Sept members. Only one,
the Baron's daughter Dhol (5 hp), can provide any information:
Something has happened to the clerics of the Scholia; she has only
seen one recently, and he seemed to be in a trance; there are 3
women of some tiger cult, one called
"Oolie the Tis"; Oolie has
brought horrors from the caves beyond the baths into the Scholia;
and, they keep taking people away who never return.
35. Senior Dormitory: This door also has a lock,
but it has been
opened. The beds have all been pushed together in one end of the
room. The other end of the room now contains a makeshift torture <dmg.i>
chamber. Present are 2 students, Tal and Yannah (0-level humans),
and an Acolyte, Volneff, all suffering
from severe torture.
The teachings of Loviatar require
her followers to administer
pain as often as possible to other beings in a ritualistic fashion,
and
Oolay'ah is dedicated to her cult teachings.
Gildah, Master of Healing, has thus far managed to avoid capture.
He slinks around trying to ease the pains of Oolay'ah's victims.
He is a Canon (LN, AC 7, MV 12",
hp 32) wearing <healer?> a
black robe belted with a
silver cord (he wears no armor in order to
avoid noise during his stealthy missions of mercy), a ring
of protection
+3, and a ring of invisibility.
He uses a staff. He carries
scroll
of cure serious wounds
and neutralize poison, and
3 potions of
healing. His spells are cure
light wounds (x3), purify
food and drink,
resist cold, hold
person, slow poison, detect
charm, know alignment,
resist fire, cure
blindness, cure disease, and
remove
curse. He will
first speak in dwarf to test the PCs' loyalties. He is precise, cautious,
and an extreme pacifist; as a result, he is not interested in combating
Oolay'ah, only in healing. He does know that the INVADERS have a
lair beyond the hot springs.
36. The Square Classroom: This room normally
serves as a
meditation area for the students. Plain rugs cover the floor. There
are no other furnishings. There are 20 giant
centipedes loose in the
room, brought here by the Sept (AC 9, MV 15", HD ¼, #AT 1,
poison).
37. The Octagonal Classroom: This room is outfitted
as a combat
practice area. Along the walls are racks of weapons of various
kinds including those not used by clerics -- all the students are not
necessarily destined for the cleric class. Most of the weapons are
only
for practice, thus they will have dull edges, rounded points, or will
be made of wood instead of metal; however, there are a matched set
of 4 scimitars, each with gems inset on the hilt: carnelian (6 x 50
gp), zircon (5 x 50 gp), rhodochrosite (12 x 10 gp), and tourmaline
(3 x 100 gp). The set of scimitars (together valued at 1200 gp)
is the property of Manorlah.
There are also a pair of tigers in the room, beloved pets of the
Lanoorha-Tis (tigers: AC 6,
MV 12", HD 5 + 5, hp 42, 36, #AT 3,
DAM 2-5/2-5/1-10, special attack). Note that if one is killed, the
other will attack at +2 to hit. There are several skeletons (the bodies
of dead torture victims) scattered about the room.
The secret door is actually
a revolving wall, covered with a huge
rack of staves,
<bats>, and padded <footman's>
maces. One of the staves has a
metallic tip, and is placed in the rack with the metal tip up. If removed
from the rack and replaced, with the metal tip down and
fitting into a special socket, the door is activated by magick and
makes a 90-degree turn. Removing the staff entirely causes the door
to rotate back into position. The secret door is wooden, and weighs
about 800 lbs.
38, 39, 40, 41. Storage Rooms: The storage space
in Room 38 is
used for cloth, clothing,
wood, torches, oil, etc. Any type
of robe
used by the Scholia can be found here. If these are used by the PCs
for disguise, it will add 2 to their surprise rolls. Any disguise will
also keep any escaped prisoners the PCs may encounter from immediately
fleeing.
The shelves in Room 39 contain staples such as salt,
sugar, potatoes,
beans, etc. Large casks in the middle of the room hold water,
grain and flour. A huge
spider lurks among the stores, brought here
by the Tis (spider: AC 6, MV 18”, HD 2 + 2, hp 13, #AT 1, DAM
1-6, poison).
Room 40 is the cold storage room. Large shelves on
the walls hold
cheeses, dried apples, etc. Large pieces of slated
|or| smoked meats
hang from hooks in the ceiling. There is a secret door to a stairway
that leads up to Rooms 24 and 30.
Room 41 is the wine cellar. Liquors and wines are stored
here in
all sizes of containers from small liter kegs to huge casks. Roll 2d4
to
determine the nature of any beverage tested. A result of 2 indicates
a
beverage that has become foul; there is only a 35% chance for the
tester to detect this. If drunk, the tester will suffer stomach cramps
for d4 + 2 turns if a save vs. poison fails. The indulger attacks at
-2
and save at -1 during the course of the effects. A result of 3 or 4
indicates a highly intoxicating distilled beverage; a mere sip will
be
enough to inflict great intoxication within 2 rounds (see DMG,
pages 82-83). A result of 5-7 indicates
a normal ale, wine, or distilled
liquor with no special effects. A result of 8 indicates an herbal
distillate which can heal 1-2 hp of damage once per day, but which
will slightly intoxicate each indulger. The same beverage is also
found in smaller quantities in Room 3.
There is a 5% cumulative chance per turn the PCs spend in the
storage rooms for a random encounter to occur.
42. Storage Room: The walls of this room are
covered with
shelves containing jars and sealed boxes of every imaginable kind of
preserved food, from asparagus to zucchini. There are some cracks
in one corner of the wall that have recently allowed a group of 12
stirges access to this room. They
will begin entering the room 1
turn after the characters do. First 6 stirges will enter, then 2 each
round thereafter (AC 8, MV 3“/18“, HD 1 + 1; hp 9, 9, 9, 8, 8, 7,
7, 7, 6, 6, 4, 3; #AT 1, DAM 1-3, blood drain).
| - | - | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 |
| 51 | 52 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The residents of the Scholia many years ago constructed 2
passages leading to the hot springs (from rooms 37
and 11). Both are
smoothly carved, with a floor leveled by the passage of time and
many feet. The remainder of the underground
construction was
recently finished by 6 dwarves with
Oolay’ah’s guidance and “encouragement.”
These passages are only 5’ wide and typically follow
fissures that lead from one natural cave to another through the limestone
cliffs. In many places, only minor work was needed to make
the passages passable.
As the PCs MOVE through the labyrinth, there is a 30% chance
each turn for them to encounter a natural obstacle. Roll a d10 to
select an obstacle:
A result of 1-4 indicates ice covering a 20-50’ length of passage.
While in this AREA, each character must save vs. DEX on a d20
each round or slip and fall, suffering 1-4 hp damage. There is also
a
60% chance of the character sliding into the walls of the passage for
2-5 additional hp damage.
A result of 5 indicates a crevice, 1-5’ wide and 10-40’ deep. To
successfully jump <(d93, WSG)> over a crevice, each character must
save vs. DEX
on a d20, at -2 for each foot of width less than five.
A result of 6-7 indicates falling rocks that will bombard the PCs
for 2-16 hp damage apiece, save vs. petrification for no damage.
A result of 8-10 indicates a concealed pit, 10’ deep with a spiked
bottom. The first 2 characters in line must save vs. the average of
their INT and DEX on a d20 or fall in. Those who fall in
suffer falling damage of 1-6 hp, plus damage from the spikes of 2-8
hp; the spikes do 1/2 damage to any character who saves vs. DEX
and has an AC of 5 or better.
The rooms near the Shrine were also based on the shape of natural
caverns, but were roughly finished to more regular, square
shapes. Hence the ceilings of these rooms will be natural, but the
walls and floors will be fairly squared off.
Labyrinth random encounter tables
There is a 15% chance for a random encounter each turn. To
select an encounter, roll a d6. Only encounters 5 and 6 may be
repeated.
| Roll | Result |
| 1 | 5 members of the Sept, finished with some
business, are
returning to the Scholia for guard duty. The first is a Heroine (NE, AC 2, MV 9”, hp 43 [CON <sentinel?> 17]) wearing splint mail +1 and <spiked buckler>, and using a long sword +1. Her strength of 17 gives her +1 to hit and damage. She wears a ring of free action, a ring of warmth, and a gold earring (20 gp). Next is a male Swordsman (CE,
AC 5, MV 9”, hp
The third is a female Curate (LE,
AC 5, MV 9”,
Fourth is a female Trickster
(CE, AC 4 [DEX
The last guard is a male Waghalter
(CE, AC 3
|
| 2 | 3 members of the Sept are bringing a prisoner
from
the Scholia to prepare for the next ritual. The first guard is a male Curate (LE, AC 3, MV 9“, hp 30) wearing splint mail, a ring of protection +1, and using a <footman's> mace +1. His spells are bless, cure light wounds, light, resist cold, SANCTUARY, hold person, chant, resist fire, and spiritual hammer. He has a scroll of dispel magick and wears an armband of hammered gold (22 gp) on his tunic. The 2nd GUARD is a female Adept
(LE, AC 5,
The 3rd GUARD is a male Conjurer
(CE, AC
THE PRISONER (0-level hobbit, 2
hp) wears mere rags and
|
| 3 | A homonculous
lurks in the labyrinth (AC 6, MV 6“/18“,
HD 2, hp 11, #AT 1, DAM 1-3, bite causes sleep). If it is killed, Oolay’ah will suffer 2-20 hp of damage. |
| 4 | A caterwaul
prowls the labyrinth (AC 3, MV 18" (24" in
bursts), HD 4 + 2, hp 22, #AT 3 (twice each round), DAM 1-4/1-4/1-6, special attack, special defense). It is friendly only with Sept members. |
| 5 | 3 to 12 piercers will be encountered
in the next
cavern entered (AC 3, MV 1”) HD 1-4, #AT 1, DAM 1-6 per HD, 95% chance to surprise). |
| 6 | A colony of yellow mold is
discovered growing on the WALLS
and floor of a passage or cavern (AC 9, MV 0“, #AT 1, DAM 1-8, special attack, special defense). |
43. The Hot Springs: The passage from the refectory
opens into
a large natural cavern. The ceiling height varies from around
6' at
the edges to 40' in the center. The ground slopes
gradually down
into water from which steam rises.
Natural hot springs issue into this
cavern through small inlets off to the left. For this reason, the water
becomes hotter as one moves in that direction. At the edge of the
water, the characters will see a few rocky projections out in the water
before the steam closes in to obstruct the view of the far side of
the
cavern. To cross the stepping stones successfully, each character must
save against his DEX on a d20 at +2. Anyone who falls into the
water will only get a dousing (2% chance of 1-4 hp battering damage)
as the water is merely warm at this point.
When the PCs reach the far side, they will see another shelf-like
AREA. Ahead, it narrows to another more roughly hewn passage. To
the left, a narrow shelf continues until it disappears into the steam.
At this point, there is another set of stepping stones. Anyone who
falls off this set of stones will suffer 1-6 hp damage as the water
here
is quite hot. This set leads to another shelf AREA, but there are no
exits here.
44. Caterwaul Lair: This rather small cave is
the lair of the
caterwaul from the labyrinth random encounters
table. It is littered
with rags, scraps of mosses, etc. The walls are covered with raking
scratch marks where the caterwaul has honed its claws. If searched
for a turn, the following items will be found: a potion
of strength, 15
arrows +1, a necklace
of gold (85 gp), and six gems. If searched
longer, the following additional items will be located: a potion
of
extra healing, a ring
of feather falling, a wand
of magic detection,
two earrings of silver (4 gp each), and 6 more gems. The bodies of
3 students are here; they had attempted to enter the caverns to
fight the Sept (with much of the above equipment), but were slain in
the process.
If the caterwaul was not encountered in the labyrinth,
it will certainly
be found here.
45. The Ledge: The passageway opens out into
a
large cavern
with steam rising from the water.
The surface of water can just be
seen about 20' below. At 1st, it may seem that this is a dead end,
but an observant character will see that a ledge continues along to
the right. The ledge is narrow enough that the PCs must negotiate it
carefully in single file. It is so slippery with condensation from
the
steam that each character must save vs. his DEX
on a d20 at +1
to avoid falling off. If someone does slip off into the scalding water
below, he will receive 2-8 hp damage per round of immersion in
this, the hottest end of the hot springs. If a rope
is lowered to rescue
someone, they must save vs. the average of their STR
and CON
on a d20 or be too weak to HOLD ON until raised to safety.
If the characters are roped
together, a single character who slips
will be safe. If 2 slip, there is a 25% chance to pull another off
the
ledge. If 3 slip, there is a 55% chance to pull two further characters
off. If more than 1/2 the party is pulled off, the remaining
characters must all have strengths of 16 or better in order to keep
the
entire group from sliding into the boiling water.
46. Slave Pen: The entrance to this cave is
hidden by a phantasmal
force spell and appears
to be a dead end. The door itself is also
wizard locked. Inside the cave
are the 6 fur trappers whom
Oolay'ah deceived and captured. Oolay'ah has had them beaten
several times; since she is a lycanthrope,
she is particularly enraged
with their occupation. Recently, the dwarves
have been left in the
room without food, so they are fairly weak by now. Water does
trickle down one wall of the cave; otherwise, they would be unconscious.
One of the dwarves is Kaftikel, a Hero
(N, AC 10,
MV 3" [due to weakness], hp 22 [down to 9 now], trained in short
sword, hand
axe, and light crossbow.
His armor and other belongings
are in Area 48. The other dwarves are all semi-comatose
(1 hp
each). Kaftikel will offer to go with the party and lead them to where
he presumes the Sept leaders will be. He and the other dwarves
know the construction of the Labyrinth only too intimately, but do
not know to what use the rooms they built have been put.
47. Cavern of Vortices: This cavern is extremely
large, with an
irregular ceiling varying from 15-40' high. There are many stalactites
and stalagmites, several of which connect to form huge pillars. As
soon as the PCs enter this cavern, any torches they have will be
blown out. Lanterns will flicker sharply, creating strong shadows
which will interfere with the PCs' ability to fight ( -1 to hit). There
are 4 vortices in here. They will
automatically surprise the party
(vortices: AC 0, MV 15?, HD 2 + 2; hp 14, 12, 11, 9; special attack).
The vortices were summoned by Oolay'ah in a special ceremony,
and will not attack any Sept member.
48. Refuse Pile: This small cave has several
piles of rubble and
other refuse. If examined more closely (40% chance), equipment
including armor, weapons,
and clothing belonging to the
party of
dwarves can be seen. The items include
fur coats, snow shoes, packs <fur=x>
with rations, torches, and traps of various sizes. There is also a
set of
chain mail +1 sized for a dwarf,
a hand axe +1, other weapons
(short swords, axes,
and hammers), and a light
crossbow with 10
bolts.
49. Shrine: The final 6' of the passage leading
to the shrine are
covered by a continual
darkness spell. The door to the shrine itself is
wizard locked. There is an 80%
chance to encounter Oolay'ah's
homonculous here (unless found
in the labyrinth; see labyrinth
random encounters table). If not, it will
be with Oolay'ah.
The shrine, the largest of the caverns, is shaped roughly like a
five-pointed star, with several pillars of stone supporting the roof:
The roof height varies from 6-20'. 2 natural chimneys over the
center of the cavern allow smoke from the numerous torches to
escape. A crude, circular altar stands in the center, surrounded by
5 braziers and dressed with ivory-colored cloths. A brass stand
nearby supports a large bell. When the characters enter, Oolay'ah
and her lieutenants are gathered around the altar, waiting for a new
sacrifice to be brought down from the Scholia. There are 5 members
of the Sept gathered in the room, 6 if Loorha has managed to
separate herself from the PCs. Note that if either Loorha is present
or if the homonculous has encountered
the party, Oolay'ah and the
other Sept members will not be surprised. In this case, there is a
25% chance that one of the random encounter groups not previously
encountered will also be present as reinforcement (encounter
group
#1 would be best). Random encounter
group #2, the one with THE
PRISONER, may enter this AREA several melee rounds after the party
arrives and begins combat with those present.
The first and most important of the Sept members present is
Oolay'ah-ben-Ethrah-man-Lanoorha-Tis, a female Necromancer
and weretiger (LE, AC 4 [3 in
weretiger form], MV 12", wearing
bracers of defense
AC 4 and using a dagger +2. She can
be hit
only by +1 or better weapons. She can change at will to weretiger
form, in which case she has the following attacks: #AT 3, DAM 1-4/
1-4/1-2 (rake with hind paws when both forepaws hit for DAM 2-5/
2-5). Her spells are charm person,
hold
portal, shocking grasp,
spider climb, darkness
15' radius, mirror image, strength,
fireball,
haste, protection
from normal missiles, dimension
door, fire shield,
and animate dead. She carries
scrolls of jump, sleep,
web,
and fly
She is extremely haughty, arrogant, and suspicious, and can be
rather moody and quite vengeful. In battle, she is fearless and somewhat
sadistic. Oolay'ah wears a simple fillet of two intertwined
bands of platinum (800 gp), rings of gold on each finger (eight rings
worth 30 gp each), also two thumb rings with pearls (115 gp each)
and a nose ring of red and yellow gold (65 gp). She has a wild
cat,
Ootis, for a familiar (AC 5, MV 18?, hp 4, #AT 3, DAM 1-2/1-2/
1-2, rear claws DAM 1-2/1-2, surprise 1-4). His intelligence is 4,
and he adds 4 hp to Oolay'ah when within 12". Loviatar
allowed
Oolay'ah to retain her LE alignment when she gained lycanthropy,
but Oolay'ah's spells can only be used in human form.
Karlekh-tel-Anathrah-Lanoorha-Dohl is Oolay'ah's current consort.
He is a male Canon (LE, AC 1,
MV 6?, hp 38) wearing
splint mail, a ring
of protection +3, and using a <horseman's>
mace +1. His
spells are cause
light wounds ( x 2), cure light
wounds ( x 2), SANCTUARY,
hold person, obscure
alignment, silence 15' radius,
snake
charm, spiritual
hammer, continual
darkness, animate dead, and
prayer. He is fanatical and scheming,
but capricious, abrasive, and
quite immoral. Karlekh wears a brooch
of shielding and has a scroll
of feign death, an earring of
gold with a topaz (520 gp) and a silver
necklace with an ivory pendant shaped like a hand holding a dagger
(225 gp).
The third Sept member is Sahlay'rha-tel-Ethrah, a male Cabalist
(CE, AC 4, MV 12?, hp 14) wearing a ring
of protection
+2, a ring of fire
resistance, and using a staff.
His spells are color
spray, darkness,
hypnotism,
wall of fog, hypnotic
pattern,
mirror
image, and spectral
force. Sahlay'rha is bored and looking for
action.
Manorlah-mah-Lanoorha-Zel is Oolay'ah's heir-apparent, a
Superheroine (LE, AC 3, MV 12",
hp 69, #AT 3/2) wearing
chain mail, boots
of striding and springing, a ring
of free action,
and using a scimitar +1
and a dagger +2. She has a psionic ability
of 258, attack/defense modes B/FH, and the disciplines of domination
(8th level of mastery), mind over
body (6th level), teleportation
(4th level), and aura alteration
(2nd level). She has 2 ioun stones:
a pearly white spindle which allows her to regenerate 1 hp per turn,
and a burned out dull grey sphere which adds 10 psionic ability
points, giving her a total of 268. She wears a medallion of three
small sapphires and gold (1700 gp) and a gold buckle with an eye of
jade (190 gp).
Her twin is Neshay'loo-mah-Lanoorha, a female Swashbuckler
(NE, AC 3, MV 12", hp 52) wearing chain
mail +2, and using a
bastard sword +2. She
has a standard ring of
regeneration, and
wears a silver necklace (38 gp) and a ring of gold with a chrysoberyl
set in a platinum hawk's head (300 gp). The twins, Manorlah and
Neshay'loo, are violent, cruel, and hot tempered. Both are extremely
avaricious and lusty, but in battle are quite brave though
careless.
The 6th Sept member is Koptekh-bel-Anathrah, a male Hero
(NE, AC 5, MV 9", hp 29) wearing chain mail,
a ring of
protection +1, and
using a battle axe +1. He
has +1 to hit and
damage. He wears an anklet of gold (25 gp) and an earring of silver
with a single citrine (65 gp). Koptekh is cold and brutal, with an
aloof manner.
If the battle goes against the Sept, they will retreat into the robing
room, attempt to bar the door with hold
portal, escape by means of
the secret tunnel, and return to the Scholia. Once there, they will
regroup, gather reinforcements from the random parties not yet
encountered, and prepare an ambush for the PCs near the refectory.
The DM should carefully time the movement of both the Sept party
and the PC party during this disengagement period. If the characters
do manage to decimate the Sept in a further battle, Oolay'ah,
Karlekh, and Manorlah, if alive, will cut their losses and run.
50. Robing Room: This small room contains a
large wardrobe
holding robes and other paraphenalia for the rites of Loviatar.
Shelves to the left of the door hold several daggers,
bowls, 2 candlesticks,
a lamp, a tray, and several bells, all of gold. These items
are worth 1200 gp, but good clerics will sense that these infamous
tools of a vile belief should be melted down, and the proceeds from
the sale of the gold (only 800 gp) given to a deserving temple. There
are 30 robes of various styles in the wardrobe, ranging from 2
very elaborate ones, belonging to Karlekh and Oolay'ah, to more
simple ones.
If the lamp on the shelf is examined and shaken, a rattling sound
will indicate the presence of something inside. It is in fact only
a
small stone, though greedy PCs may be led to think it is a gem.
Anyone who opens the lamp will trigger a fire
trap. The resulting
explosion delivers 9 + 1d4 hp damage to all within a 5' radius (save
vs. spells for half).
In the floor of one corner of the room is a secret trap door which
leads to a passage ending in a steep spiral. At the top of the spiral
is
a dead-end wall, painted like stone but made of thick paper, which
can easily be broken through as an escape route.
51. Sept Dormitory: This large irregularly-shaped,
rough-carved
room is the living quarters for 10 members of the Sept. It is divided
by silk hangings into 5 sleeping areas and a small common AREA.
The floor of the common AREA has an exotic rug (300 gp) with several
large pillows scattered about. An oil lamp hangs from a chain.
attached to the ceiling. The 1st three sleeping chambers each have
a
set of bunk beds (stolen from the Scholia, as was nearly everything
else in this area). The last 2 each have a double bed. Packs, clothing,
and other personal articles are scattered about in all the areas. If
the PCs search the room thoroughly (requiring 30 minutes), the
following items of value will be found: 12 gems worth 950 gp, three
jeweled ornamental daggers
(30 gp each), a scroll
of protection from
lycanthropes
(owned by someone who doesn't trust Oolay'ah), a
cursed scroll (which will
polymorph
the reader into a monster of
equal level that will attack any
creatures nearby), and a potion
of
longevity.
52. Secret Lair: This is Oolay'ah's secret hideaway.
8 of
Oolay'ah's cats are scattered
about the room. They will attack only
if Oolay'ah personally directs them (cats: AC 6, MV 3", ½ HD,
hp
1-4, #AT 2, DAM 1-2/1 (rear claws for DAM 1-2), surprise 1-3).
The first and larger room is divided by a silk hanging into 2 sections.
One is a comfortably appointed lounging area with 3
divans and a low round table, obviously taken out of the Scholia. A
silver tray holds several small flasks of liqueurs and a small bowl
of
fungus reputed to have hallucinogenic power.
Beyond the silk hanging, which depicts arcane runes and other
symbols, is Oolay'ah's study. There are several work tables covered
with equipment for magical research, a writing desk, and a pentagram
drawn on the floor.
<get a smaller pentagram, inverted>
A secret drawer in the desk, holding
Oolay'ah's spell books, is wizard
locked. The cover of the second
volume is trapped with explosive
runes. An explosion in the desk
will destroy all the books. The spell books contain all of the spells
Oolay'ah has memorized, plus the following: comprehend
languages,
dancing lights, Nystul's
magic aura, message, mending,
unseen servant, locate
object, fool's gold, scare,
blink,
charm monster,
clairaudience, dispel
magic, slow, fire
trap, hallucinatory terrain,
wall of force, and passwall.
Another silk hanging separates Oolay'ah's sleeping chamber from
the first room. A large bed covered with silk bedding and sleeping
furs fills most of the room. A small book is concealed in the bed;
it is
Oolay'ah's private diary, and contains the details of her plan to
invade the Scholia and loot it of all its varied treasures (and perhaps
turn the Scholia into the new home for the Sept, too). There are also
lists of genealogical tables pertaining to the Lanoorha lineage, and
detailed descriptions and appraisals of its Regalia (royal treasures).
One final page has the following information:
1. Be'ezhom
2. Seelohnor Delohvra
3. Nythel
4. Besh-roh
5. Kilphor
6. _ _ _
7. Geskhy'-ged-Ethrah
8. ____________
9. Selevona
10. Mylo'omha
11. Ni'osyl
12. Mondaleth
13. Ghanorlah-ben-Thylorh-mah-Lanoorha
14. Selthor'ah-mah-Lanoorha
15. ____________
By the magnificent wrath of Lhachthuss, I, _______________
command _______________ the occupant of cell ________ to
come forth!
Clever players will associate these writings with the mirror
of
life trapping
in area 28.
Opposite the bed is a large wardrobe, containing Oolay'ah's
personal clothing. A chest, trapped with a poison needle (save vs.
poison or die), holds coins: 12,000 cp, 7000 sp, 4000 gp, 15,000
ep, and 900 pp. A secret compartment in the lid holds 25 gems
worth a total of 14,250 gp. A scroll case in the corner behind the
chest holds four scrolls: a magic-user scroll with ice
storm, blink,
and flame arrow; a magic-user
scroll of airy water; a cleric scroll
of true seeing and sticks
to snakes; and a druid scroll of summon
insects, entangle,
and pass without trace.
A secret compartment in the back of the wardrobe conceals
some of the Regalia of the Lanoorha Clan. Over the years, each
Lanoorha-Tis has added to the Regalia. With her gains from the
assault on the Scholia, Oolay'ah seeks to top even the Orb of
Lanoorha in extravagance. The Orb of Lanoorha is a gold sphere
with platinum bands, encrusted with gems worth 18,000 gp. The
Coronet of Lesh is made of silver with five gems (fire opal, oriental
topaz, sapphire, diamond, and jacinth) worth 16,000 gp. The
Rod of Lyreth is jade with electrum ends (2500 gp). The secret
compartment also holds an ivory statue of The
Pain-Giver worth
1400 gp.
Concluding the adventure
After the party has dealt with the Lanoorha-Tis, all may not be
over. There may still be further members of the Sept lurking
around (any of the remaining random encounter groups who did
not become involved in the final battle). Once the PCs have
discovered Oolay'ah's private diary, they are free to release Mondaleth,
et. al., from the depths of the mirror
of life trapping.
Mondaleth will, of course, be grateful for the restoral of the
Scholia, and will wish to reward the party well, both with any
spells they might need (healing, remove
curse, exorcise, and even
raise dead) and with 5000 gp
or the equivalent and 10,000 gp in
gems from the Scholia treasury. He will also permit the adventurers
to keep any booty they may have gained from the members of
the Sept of Infamy. However, he will not allow the removal of any
of the Scholia's furnishings or remaining treasure, nor the removal
of the personal items of any of its residents (weapons, spell
books, etc.). He will attempt to prevent this to the limit of his
power and that of his staff.
Mondaleth puts the offer of the Baron of Lesser Nhollia under
consideration, but must consult both with Ptah
and his superiors
before any response can be given. If the PCs are not overly
greedy and don't attempt to pillage the Scholia, they will have
gained a valuable ally in Mondaleth of Silverthorne and a welcome
base for further adventures in the Frozen Lands.
