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The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Fall '03 Iron DM Tournament -- Wulf Ratbane is Iron DM!
- Thread starter Pielorinho
- Start date
cool hand luke
First Post
I want to be left bloody and battered from my critique, with much wailing and nashing of teeth.
Wicht
Hero
IRON DM: Nifft vs. Wicht
Ingredients:
1. Poppy Field: The First Test
2. Barghest: Crivey – the butler
3. Skeletal Sphinx: The Third Test
4. Cracked Mirror: The gate
5. Nightmare: The ride
6. Oppression: What the people of Glennferry (and their master) are experiencing
Through the Mirror Darkly
Through the mirror darkly is an adventure for PCs of approximately 5th level. Though due to the fact that most of the challenges are mental and not necessarily physical, it can be easily adapted. The adventure takes place in the castle of Glennferr (and parts unknown) which, along with its village (Glennferry) can be easily dropped just about anywhere in most campaign worlds. The mood of the adventure is both dark and fairytale-ish and though PCs have total control over success or failure in the adventure, they should feel as if they have stumbled into a story far greater than their mere individual selves.
”Ye should no have come,” says the despondent knight. “For nigh on three score years I have been sorely cursed and do suffer most grieviously in mind, body and spirit. Those callous brutes you saw are devils incarnate, but so long as my curse remains, I can do nothing to stop them. Oh that there were deliverance at hand!”
Summary: The PCs enter into a village wallowing in filth, decay and despair. The villagers are sickly and most look to have been beaten severely in the not to distant past. The oppressors are quickly evident. A group of well armored knights who seem superhuman. The knights direct concerned PCs to the “Lord of the Castle.” The Lord of the Castle turns out to be a Paladin, trapped in his own castle by a divine curse of unholy origin. He claims that the knights are in reality devils, allowed to oppress his people until such time as his curse is lifted. He furthermore claims that he and his people have been trapped for sixty years. Each night the Paladin, Sir Jorge De’Ferr, is compelled to enter through an enchanted mirror into another place where he must pass three test in order for the curse to be lifted.
The PCs, finding themselves trapped in this hell on earth, if they wish may aid him in lifting the curse but the powers of hell do not play fair and each of the tests is slightly rigged. In sixty years Sir Jorge De’Ferr has yet to pass even the first of the tests and he finds himself in his bed each morning, beat to within an inch of his life. Only his ability to heal himself has kept him going.
If the PCs successfully lift the curse, the evil knights will vanish and De’Ferr and his people will age sixty years and die. But their souls will be at rest.
The Village: PCs will enter into this adventure through the village of Glennferr. Upon entering this out of the way village the oppression of its people will be readily apparent. Half the houses are partially burnt. The streets are muddy and filled with refuse. The people are thin, wasted and appear to have all been recently beaten severely. There is a decrepit inn, but all the food is moldy and vile, though the PCs will observe the starving people of Glennferr eating. The people will talk to the PCs but they will only mention their condition in mutters and whispers of “the curse.”
There is one oddity about the people, though the PCs may never discover it. Though their bodies suffer as any mortal’s would, they are all immortal and though they are wounded or beaten or starved, none of them can die.
Sooner more likely than later, the PCs will meet the Black Knights. This is a group of a dozen knights in full plated black spiky armor riding on black steeds. They are quite evil but though they will freely attack any villager in their way, they will never attack the PCs unless the PCs attack them. Even then, they will not kill the PCs. The faces of the knights are never seen, but their voices are deep and evil. They are in fact powerful devils in mortal guise who have been given free reign to torture the villagers of Glennferr and the PCs have no chance of defeating them in combat.
PCs who have been drubbed senseless or who have courteously made inquiries are directed to the bleak stone castle overlooking the village and “The Lord of the Castle,” who the knights say will answer the PCs questions.
The Castle: There are only two people living within the whole of Glennferr Castle. They are Crivey, the butler and Sir Jorge De’Ferr, the Lord of Glennferr.
It is Crivey who answers the door. Crivey is a Barghest who remains constantly in Goblin shape during the day, but who roams the castle as a wolf at night (villagers can whisper tales to the PCs of some dreadful monster howling within the castle). Like the Black Knights, Crivey will not attack the PCs unless attacked first (though see “The First Test” for an exception to this rule.) Instead he will be polite and servile and take the PCs to meet De’Ferr. If Crivey is ever killed, a new Barghest will take his place on the following morning.
De’Ferr is a despondant man who spends the day in prayer and study. At times he gazes out over his village and watches his people being mistreated, tears in his eyes. His curse does not allow him to leave the castle, attack Crivey, whom he loathes and it furthermore compels him each night to take part once more in the three tests. Sixty years earlier, De’Ferr desecrated an evil temple, a normal act for a Paladin. Upon returning home however he found a mirror awaiting him in his bedroom. The mirror radiated powerful evil and in his righteous fury he smote it. The cracked mirror however was the trigger for a powerful curse upon both De’Ferr and his lands. Even as De’Ferr violated the sanctum of the Dark God, so now De’Ferr’s sanctum (his home) was violated daily and he could do nothing to stop it.
The curse can theoretically be lifted by a powerful cleric, but as De’Ferr was unable to send for help none could come. The PCs will find that the Black Knights will not allow them to leave either. They will beat any PC who tries it senseless.
De’Ferr will gladly explain his problems to the PCs, but he warns them that others have in times past tried to help him and have failed. He will not say what happened to them as he does not know (Crivey ate them).
Crivey will prepare sumptuous meals for the PCs and for De’Ferr and will gloatingly challenge the PCs to try and aid the paladin, though he warns them they will fail.
The Mirror: Each night at midnight De’Ferr stands in full armor before the mirror in his bedroom (it is cracked from side to side. A single jagged crack. He recites the following
“In penance for my righteousness,
I summon Hell’s black steed to bear me forth,
to lands unknown, unseen by men.”
This simple verse causes the mirror to turn black and moments later a Nightmare stamps through the glass. De’Ferr hops on the Nightmare’s back and the steed jumps once more into the mirror. If the PCs do not enter in with De’Ferr, the Nightmare will return at dawn with an unconscious and bloodied De’Ferr upon his back. Crivey will then assist his “master” into bed and return to his duties.
This happens everynight without fail. De’Ferr, like the villagers, cannot be killed, though he has contemplated suicide he suspects it would be futile.
If the PCs wish to accompany De’Ferr they will find that reciting the verse before the mirror works for them as well as for the paladin. Each nightmare will only bear one passenger. Like all the other evil entities, the nightmares will not attack unless attacked. But if attacked, they will fight for dear life before fleeing back into the mirror. Each time the verse is recited, a fresh nightmare is summoned.
The first Test
The first test is a field of poppies that induce sleep. The nightmares place their passengers down atop a steep cliff that stretches down forever. Ahead of them is a path through a field of ripe poppies. Crossing through the Poppies requires both a Will Save (DC 10) and a Fort Save (DC 10) failing one makes the person groggy and requires an additional save to be made after thirty minutes or the character falls asleep. Those that make their save can walk easily through the field for the necessary ten miles and make it to the second test. There are two hidden problems however. One is the food prepared by Crivey. It raises the DC for both saves to 25 if eaten at any time during the day. The second is the legion of imps who hide among the poppies. Anyone who falls asleep in the field is beaten by invisible imps for subdual damage down to –1 hitpoints. If all the PCs fall asleep in the field, when the nightmares bear them back in the morning Crivey will choose one of the unconscious PCs and eat the helpless individual. Elves, it should be noted, are immune to the poppies.
The Second Test: After the poppies is a vast wall stretching high into infinity and off into infinity in both directions. There is a door in the wall where the path ends. A sign upon the door reads: choose the right key and enter. There are ten keys on hooks, hanging from the sign. The door is locked (DC 40 to pick, DC 50 to break) and divinely sturdy. Placing the wrong key in the lock will cause the person who does so to be shocked for 10d6 points of subdual damage. This damage cannot kill but can render someone senseless. Those knocked senseless will be beaten by imps, as in the poppy field. The catch is this - None of the ten keys work. Instead there is an 11th key behind the sign, unseen until the sign is removed from the door.
The third Test: Through the door lies a vast room, in the middle of which is the skeleton of a Gynosphinx. The skeleton will lift its head when anyone enters the room and intone, “To lift the curse you must answer my riddle. But heed, the wrong answer means further peril.” The riddle is this, “What do the devils in heaven see, what do the devils in heaven hear?” Answering wrong or attacking the sphinx will cause the sphinx to attack. The sphinx fights, despite its state, as a normal sphinx would and has all the powers of a typical Gynosphinx. The sphinx does not seek to kill, but like all the other tests only wants to make its victims suffer. If the Sphinx is killed the curse remains in place and the Sphinx will be back with the same riddle on the following night. The answer to the riddle is, “Nothing, there are no devils in heaven.”
The Nightmares will return with the dawn and carry all their passengers back through the mirror, Comatose PCs will be lifted onto the horses by invisible hands.
The Lifted Curse; If the PCs manage to help the paladin reach the sphinx and answer the riddle, they will find themselves immediately back in the paladins bedroom. He will say, “bless you my friends,” and then crumple to dust before their eyes. Outside the villagers will do the same. The evil entities haunting the area will also disappear. The castle will remain, as will the village, and the PCs will find that there is treasure in the castle.
Ingredients:
1. Poppy Field: The First Test
2. Barghest: Crivey – the butler
3. Skeletal Sphinx: The Third Test
4. Cracked Mirror: The gate
5. Nightmare: The ride
6. Oppression: What the people of Glennferry (and their master) are experiencing
Through the Mirror Darkly
Through the mirror darkly is an adventure for PCs of approximately 5th level. Though due to the fact that most of the challenges are mental and not necessarily physical, it can be easily adapted. The adventure takes place in the castle of Glennferr (and parts unknown) which, along with its village (Glennferry) can be easily dropped just about anywhere in most campaign worlds. The mood of the adventure is both dark and fairytale-ish and though PCs have total control over success or failure in the adventure, they should feel as if they have stumbled into a story far greater than their mere individual selves.
”Ye should no have come,” says the despondent knight. “For nigh on three score years I have been sorely cursed and do suffer most grieviously in mind, body and spirit. Those callous brutes you saw are devils incarnate, but so long as my curse remains, I can do nothing to stop them. Oh that there were deliverance at hand!”
Summary: The PCs enter into a village wallowing in filth, decay and despair. The villagers are sickly and most look to have been beaten severely in the not to distant past. The oppressors are quickly evident. A group of well armored knights who seem superhuman. The knights direct concerned PCs to the “Lord of the Castle.” The Lord of the Castle turns out to be a Paladin, trapped in his own castle by a divine curse of unholy origin. He claims that the knights are in reality devils, allowed to oppress his people until such time as his curse is lifted. He furthermore claims that he and his people have been trapped for sixty years. Each night the Paladin, Sir Jorge De’Ferr, is compelled to enter through an enchanted mirror into another place where he must pass three test in order for the curse to be lifted.
The PCs, finding themselves trapped in this hell on earth, if they wish may aid him in lifting the curse but the powers of hell do not play fair and each of the tests is slightly rigged. In sixty years Sir Jorge De’Ferr has yet to pass even the first of the tests and he finds himself in his bed each morning, beat to within an inch of his life. Only his ability to heal himself has kept him going.
If the PCs successfully lift the curse, the evil knights will vanish and De’Ferr and his people will age sixty years and die. But their souls will be at rest.
The Village: PCs will enter into this adventure through the village of Glennferr. Upon entering this out of the way village the oppression of its people will be readily apparent. Half the houses are partially burnt. The streets are muddy and filled with refuse. The people are thin, wasted and appear to have all been recently beaten severely. There is a decrepit inn, but all the food is moldy and vile, though the PCs will observe the starving people of Glennferr eating. The people will talk to the PCs but they will only mention their condition in mutters and whispers of “the curse.”
There is one oddity about the people, though the PCs may never discover it. Though their bodies suffer as any mortal’s would, they are all immortal and though they are wounded or beaten or starved, none of them can die.
Sooner more likely than later, the PCs will meet the Black Knights. This is a group of a dozen knights in full plated black spiky armor riding on black steeds. They are quite evil but though they will freely attack any villager in their way, they will never attack the PCs unless the PCs attack them. Even then, they will not kill the PCs. The faces of the knights are never seen, but their voices are deep and evil. They are in fact powerful devils in mortal guise who have been given free reign to torture the villagers of Glennferr and the PCs have no chance of defeating them in combat.
PCs who have been drubbed senseless or who have courteously made inquiries are directed to the bleak stone castle overlooking the village and “The Lord of the Castle,” who the knights say will answer the PCs questions.
The Castle: There are only two people living within the whole of Glennferr Castle. They are Crivey, the butler and Sir Jorge De’Ferr, the Lord of Glennferr.
It is Crivey who answers the door. Crivey is a Barghest who remains constantly in Goblin shape during the day, but who roams the castle as a wolf at night (villagers can whisper tales to the PCs of some dreadful monster howling within the castle). Like the Black Knights, Crivey will not attack the PCs unless attacked first (though see “The First Test” for an exception to this rule.) Instead he will be polite and servile and take the PCs to meet De’Ferr. If Crivey is ever killed, a new Barghest will take his place on the following morning.
De’Ferr is a despondant man who spends the day in prayer and study. At times he gazes out over his village and watches his people being mistreated, tears in his eyes. His curse does not allow him to leave the castle, attack Crivey, whom he loathes and it furthermore compels him each night to take part once more in the three tests. Sixty years earlier, De’Ferr desecrated an evil temple, a normal act for a Paladin. Upon returning home however he found a mirror awaiting him in his bedroom. The mirror radiated powerful evil and in his righteous fury he smote it. The cracked mirror however was the trigger for a powerful curse upon both De’Ferr and his lands. Even as De’Ferr violated the sanctum of the Dark God, so now De’Ferr’s sanctum (his home) was violated daily and he could do nothing to stop it.
The curse can theoretically be lifted by a powerful cleric, but as De’Ferr was unable to send for help none could come. The PCs will find that the Black Knights will not allow them to leave either. They will beat any PC who tries it senseless.
De’Ferr will gladly explain his problems to the PCs, but he warns them that others have in times past tried to help him and have failed. He will not say what happened to them as he does not know (Crivey ate them).
Crivey will prepare sumptuous meals for the PCs and for De’Ferr and will gloatingly challenge the PCs to try and aid the paladin, though he warns them they will fail.
The Mirror: Each night at midnight De’Ferr stands in full armor before the mirror in his bedroom (it is cracked from side to side. A single jagged crack. He recites the following
“In penance for my righteousness,
I summon Hell’s black steed to bear me forth,
to lands unknown, unseen by men.”
This simple verse causes the mirror to turn black and moments later a Nightmare stamps through the glass. De’Ferr hops on the Nightmare’s back and the steed jumps once more into the mirror. If the PCs do not enter in with De’Ferr, the Nightmare will return at dawn with an unconscious and bloodied De’Ferr upon his back. Crivey will then assist his “master” into bed and return to his duties.
This happens everynight without fail. De’Ferr, like the villagers, cannot be killed, though he has contemplated suicide he suspects it would be futile.
If the PCs wish to accompany De’Ferr they will find that reciting the verse before the mirror works for them as well as for the paladin. Each nightmare will only bear one passenger. Like all the other evil entities, the nightmares will not attack unless attacked. But if attacked, they will fight for dear life before fleeing back into the mirror. Each time the verse is recited, a fresh nightmare is summoned.
The first Test
The first test is a field of poppies that induce sleep. The nightmares place their passengers down atop a steep cliff that stretches down forever. Ahead of them is a path through a field of ripe poppies. Crossing through the Poppies requires both a Will Save (DC 10) and a Fort Save (DC 10) failing one makes the person groggy and requires an additional save to be made after thirty minutes or the character falls asleep. Those that make their save can walk easily through the field for the necessary ten miles and make it to the second test. There are two hidden problems however. One is the food prepared by Crivey. It raises the DC for both saves to 25 if eaten at any time during the day. The second is the legion of imps who hide among the poppies. Anyone who falls asleep in the field is beaten by invisible imps for subdual damage down to –1 hitpoints. If all the PCs fall asleep in the field, when the nightmares bear them back in the morning Crivey will choose one of the unconscious PCs and eat the helpless individual. Elves, it should be noted, are immune to the poppies.
The Second Test: After the poppies is a vast wall stretching high into infinity and off into infinity in both directions. There is a door in the wall where the path ends. A sign upon the door reads: choose the right key and enter. There are ten keys on hooks, hanging from the sign. The door is locked (DC 40 to pick, DC 50 to break) and divinely sturdy. Placing the wrong key in the lock will cause the person who does so to be shocked for 10d6 points of subdual damage. This damage cannot kill but can render someone senseless. Those knocked senseless will be beaten by imps, as in the poppy field. The catch is this - None of the ten keys work. Instead there is an 11th key behind the sign, unseen until the sign is removed from the door.
The third Test: Through the door lies a vast room, in the middle of which is the skeleton of a Gynosphinx. The skeleton will lift its head when anyone enters the room and intone, “To lift the curse you must answer my riddle. But heed, the wrong answer means further peril.” The riddle is this, “What do the devils in heaven see, what do the devils in heaven hear?” Answering wrong or attacking the sphinx will cause the sphinx to attack. The sphinx fights, despite its state, as a normal sphinx would and has all the powers of a typical Gynosphinx. The sphinx does not seek to kill, but like all the other tests only wants to make its victims suffer. If the Sphinx is killed the curse remains in place and the Sphinx will be back with the same riddle on the following night. The answer to the riddle is, “Nothing, there are no devils in heaven.”
The Nightmares will return with the dawn and carry all their passengers back through the mirror, Comatose PCs will be lifted onto the horses by invisible hands.
The Lifted Curse; If the PCs manage to help the paladin reach the sphinx and answer the riddle, they will find themselves immediately back in the paladins bedroom. He will say, “bless you my friends,” and then crumple to dust before their eyes. Outside the villagers will do the same. The evil entities haunting the area will also disappear. The castle will remain, as will the village, and the PCs will find that there is treasure in the castle.
Nifft
Penguin Herder
Nifft vs. Wicht
Ingredients:
You Only Rise From The Void As A Slathering Death God Twice
an Adventure for High-Level Parties
Plot Synopsis
Merenicus, a Baraghest Wizard is exploiting the legend of a risen death-god to oppress slaves who work his poppy fields. The Baraghest impersonates the dead god using a skeletal sphinx-shaped Iron Golem, but his plan has worked too well: the slaves desperation has bred genuine religious fervor, and they are secretly restoring the cracked Mirror of the Pit (a giant black crystal). The dead god has heard their prayers, and that is when the nightmares begin...
History
Ten thousand years ago, the God was slain. His holy land was laid waste: his blood poisoned the water and his flesh salted the soil. His priests were put to the sword, His temple burried, and His every holy scroll burned. The crusaders did what they could to erase all memory of Him from the Earth.
But some remembered who were not of the Earth.
One hundred years ago, a long-toothed figure sat on a midnight black steed, perched atop a sandy knoll, silhouetted against the fading sun. The parched Valley of Kings lay barren, a ruined hollow where a moaning wind twisted bone-dry dust into lurid phantasms.
The figure dismounted and walked to a flat boulder, whereupon it sat and seemed to concentrate. After a minute or so, the wind carried snatches of chanting to the far corners of the valley. After ten minutes or so, the chanting stopped, and the figure mounted his impatient steed, whose oddly visible breath caught the sun's last rays like a cloud of flame -- almost exactly like a cloud of flame.
"To Dis, Nemithius", the figure growled in Infernal. The steed tossed its head back, leapt, and both steed and rider vanished.
Ninety-eight years ago, the earth groaned in protest as powerful magic carved deep furrows in the ground. The valley had not changed since the figure's last visit. Again the earth groaned, but this time the turned soil brought with it the tempting scent of water.
The figure smiled a sharp grin.
Today, the nation of Fellspur fills the valley -- if the huddled slaves could be called a nation.
The Fellspur Fields
The black poppies that grow here seem miraculous, for the climate is not naturally wet enough to see to even a poppy's meager needs. The traveler climbs a slope of sage and scrub brush, then peeks over into what looks like a lush valley awash in fragrant foliage.
The fields are patroled by Baraghest packs who brutally enforce the harsh laws. They take great pleasure in Feeding, and the slaves are told that those who are devoured by the god's enforcers are destroyed utterly -- a fate worse than death for the faithful.
The valley's most visible feature, standing on an obsidian column in the middle of the fields, is the skeletal sphinx Iron Golem -- the "god" itself. Merenicus acts as the god's prophet and voice, and thus directs the "god"'s actions. He has "pre-programmed" some very complex behavior, and augments the "god" with his illusion-magic to good effect.
Merenicus has found a species of Abyssal poppy that will leech the evil power from the soil and concentrate it. From the poppies, he makes two substances:
- Blackfume: a magical drug that enhances the smoker's charisma by +2 and effective caster level for spells of the Necromancy school by +1 for three hours (highly addictive). -- 1,700 gp/dose
- Petalbitters: a magical poison that afflicts its victim with Fatigue and Exhaustion if the first and second saves are failed (Fort DC 21). It is able to affect even Fiends who are normally immune to poison. -- 3,000 gp/dose
Merenicus profits from the sale of these substances, and splits his profits between acquiring new slaves and paying off the loans that enabled him to craft his Iron Golem in the first place. His motive is simple: he wants more power. Wealth, magic, and slavery are simply means to this end. He is happy when his small 'nation' is growing.
The Fellspur Pits
The slaves live in a warren of tunnels under the valley. In fact, they live in the upper stories of the dead god's burried temple, which is a ziggurat. Hopelessness and captivity have bred religion, and the people pray to the dead god's Destroyer aspect to find them worthy and deliver them from their captivity.
In recent months, certain of the most religious slaves have been able to call upon the dead god's divine powers to perform minor miracles -- minor healing, purifying food, creating water. Merenicus does not yet know of these minor clerics, but he actively suppresses "false prophets" -- anyone besides himself who would purport to interpret the god's will is killed on the spot. However, he actively encourages the religion among those who do not dare to question his place as leader of it.
None the less, the slaves have been guided by their dreams to bring together a collection of angular, jagged stones -- pieces of the cracked Mirror of the Pit.
The Mirror of the Pit
The Mirror is a minor artifact. Its power is to blanket the valley in darkness, reflecting the light and power of the sun away from the valley floor. To be activated, it must be re-assembled and a cleric of the dead god must cast Make Whole upon it. If the restored Mirror is brought above ground, it will Unhallow the entire valley.
Force Structure
Adventure Hooks
- School of the Damned -- Merenicus is a powerful Wizard (at least 16th level) to have constructed the Iron Golem 90 years ago. He has an unparalleled collection of Necromancy spells, and he is willing to share them for a high price (usually including fresh slaves).
- Enemy of my Enemy -- In his rise from the underworld, Merenicus made many enemies. A demon prince offers a temporary alliance with the party to end the tyrant's rule (and destroy the fiend-poison's source).
- Captured! -- Merenicus isn't content to trade for what he could seize. His squads of Enforcers regularly patrol the outlying areas for new victims to enslave. Having captured the entire local population of desert nomads, the slavers now raid previously safe regions. The party, or someone whom the party cares about, is captured.
- Nightmares -- Sages and prophets have foretold the rise of the dead god. Now, as the god begins to wake, nightmares plague the region's mortal population. Merenicus, not being mortal, does not dream. The party could directly receive visions of doom, death and destruction, or they could be contacted by a sage who has received visions.
- Raiders of the Lost Zig -- Powerful magic items which once belonged to the heros who slew the dead god are no doubt entombed within the burried ziggurat. As the dead god rises, though, its ancient servants return to stalk the ziggurat's lower levels. Perhaps Merenicus himself pays for heros to "slay the dark forces which are killing my loyal subjects".
- Caravan Guards -- Moral issues abound, especially with shipments of slaves going to Fellspur and drugs coming back.
Rat-Bastardly Complication
The population of slaves are nearly fanatical in their devotion to the dead god -- they have no other outlet for hope. If Merenicus is deposed, they will rejoyce, and continue their worship. If the Mirror is restored, and the dead god rose, He would surely destroy the pretender Merenicus -- but at the cost of bringing an evil demigod back into creation.
-- N
Ingredients:
- Poppy Field
- Barghest
- Skeletal Sphinx
- Cracked Mirror
- Nightmare
- Oppression
You Only Rise From The Void As A Slathering Death God Twice
an Adventure for High-Level Parties
Plot Synopsis
Merenicus, a Baraghest Wizard is exploiting the legend of a risen death-god to oppress slaves who work his poppy fields. The Baraghest impersonates the dead god using a skeletal sphinx-shaped Iron Golem, but his plan has worked too well: the slaves desperation has bred genuine religious fervor, and they are secretly restoring the cracked Mirror of the Pit (a giant black crystal). The dead god has heard their prayers, and that is when the nightmares begin...
History
Ten thousand years ago, the God was slain. His holy land was laid waste: his blood poisoned the water and his flesh salted the soil. His priests were put to the sword, His temple burried, and His every holy scroll burned. The crusaders did what they could to erase all memory of Him from the Earth.
But some remembered who were not of the Earth.
One hundred years ago, a long-toothed figure sat on a midnight black steed, perched atop a sandy knoll, silhouetted against the fading sun. The parched Valley of Kings lay barren, a ruined hollow where a moaning wind twisted bone-dry dust into lurid phantasms.
The figure dismounted and walked to a flat boulder, whereupon it sat and seemed to concentrate. After a minute or so, the wind carried snatches of chanting to the far corners of the valley. After ten minutes or so, the chanting stopped, and the figure mounted his impatient steed, whose oddly visible breath caught the sun's last rays like a cloud of flame -- almost exactly like a cloud of flame.
"To Dis, Nemithius", the figure growled in Infernal. The steed tossed its head back, leapt, and both steed and rider vanished.
Ninety-eight years ago, the earth groaned in protest as powerful magic carved deep furrows in the ground. The valley had not changed since the figure's last visit. Again the earth groaned, but this time the turned soil brought with it the tempting scent of water.
The figure smiled a sharp grin.
Today, the nation of Fellspur fills the valley -- if the huddled slaves could be called a nation.
The Fellspur Fields
The black poppies that grow here seem miraculous, for the climate is not naturally wet enough to see to even a poppy's meager needs. The traveler climbs a slope of sage and scrub brush, then peeks over into what looks like a lush valley awash in fragrant foliage.
The fields are patroled by Baraghest packs who brutally enforce the harsh laws. They take great pleasure in Feeding, and the slaves are told that those who are devoured by the god's enforcers are destroyed utterly -- a fate worse than death for the faithful.
The valley's most visible feature, standing on an obsidian column in the middle of the fields, is the skeletal sphinx Iron Golem -- the "god" itself. Merenicus acts as the god's prophet and voice, and thus directs the "god"'s actions. He has "pre-programmed" some very complex behavior, and augments the "god" with his illusion-magic to good effect.
Merenicus has found a species of Abyssal poppy that will leech the evil power from the soil and concentrate it. From the poppies, he makes two substances:
- Blackfume: a magical drug that enhances the smoker's charisma by +2 and effective caster level for spells of the Necromancy school by +1 for three hours (highly addictive). -- 1,700 gp/dose
- Petalbitters: a magical poison that afflicts its victim with Fatigue and Exhaustion if the first and second saves are failed (Fort DC 21). It is able to affect even Fiends who are normally immune to poison. -- 3,000 gp/dose
Merenicus profits from the sale of these substances, and splits his profits between acquiring new slaves and paying off the loans that enabled him to craft his Iron Golem in the first place. His motive is simple: he wants more power. Wealth, magic, and slavery are simply means to this end. He is happy when his small 'nation' is growing.
The Fellspur Pits
The slaves live in a warren of tunnels under the valley. In fact, they live in the upper stories of the dead god's burried temple, which is a ziggurat. Hopelessness and captivity have bred religion, and the people pray to the dead god's Destroyer aspect to find them worthy and deliver them from their captivity.
In recent months, certain of the most religious slaves have been able to call upon the dead god's divine powers to perform minor miracles -- minor healing, purifying food, creating water. Merenicus does not yet know of these minor clerics, but he actively suppresses "false prophets" -- anyone besides himself who would purport to interpret the god's will is killed on the spot. However, he actively encourages the religion among those who do not dare to question his place as leader of it.
None the less, the slaves have been guided by their dreams to bring together a collection of angular, jagged stones -- pieces of the cracked Mirror of the Pit.
The Mirror of the Pit
The Mirror is a minor artifact. Its power is to blanket the valley in darkness, reflecting the light and power of the sun away from the valley floor. To be activated, it must be re-assembled and a cleric of the dead god must cast Make Whole upon it. If the restored Mirror is brought above ground, it will Unhallow the entire valley.
Force Structure
- Merenicus: Greater Baraghest Wiz17+ (CR 24+)
- Nemithius: Merenicus' steed, an advanced Nightmare
- Enforcers: 100 Baraghest Rangers (level 1-10, favored enemies are slave races)
- Overseers: 30 compacted Bone Devils serve Merenicus
- Guardians: 20 compacted Hellcats stalk the daylight, acting as Merenicus' invisible eyes and ears
- Slaves: 5,000 slaves live in misery; 100 are 1st-level Clerics of the dead god, and 2 are 3rd-level Clerics. Dead God Domains: Chaos, Death, Destruction, Evil, Fire.
Adventure Hooks
- School of the Damned -- Merenicus is a powerful Wizard (at least 16th level) to have constructed the Iron Golem 90 years ago. He has an unparalleled collection of Necromancy spells, and he is willing to share them for a high price (usually including fresh slaves).
- Enemy of my Enemy -- In his rise from the underworld, Merenicus made many enemies. A demon prince offers a temporary alliance with the party to end the tyrant's rule (and destroy the fiend-poison's source).
- Captured! -- Merenicus isn't content to trade for what he could seize. His squads of Enforcers regularly patrol the outlying areas for new victims to enslave. Having captured the entire local population of desert nomads, the slavers now raid previously safe regions. The party, or someone whom the party cares about, is captured.
- Nightmares -- Sages and prophets have foretold the rise of the dead god. Now, as the god begins to wake, nightmares plague the region's mortal population. Merenicus, not being mortal, does not dream. The party could directly receive visions of doom, death and destruction, or they could be contacted by a sage who has received visions.
- Raiders of the Lost Zig -- Powerful magic items which once belonged to the heros who slew the dead god are no doubt entombed within the burried ziggurat. As the dead god rises, though, its ancient servants return to stalk the ziggurat's lower levels. Perhaps Merenicus himself pays for heros to "slay the dark forces which are killing my loyal subjects".
- Caravan Guards -- Moral issues abound, especially with shipments of slaves going to Fellspur and drugs coming back.
Rat-Bastardly Complication
The population of slaves are nearly fanatical in their devotion to the dead god -- they have no other outlet for hope. If Merenicus is deposed, they will rejoyce, and continue their worship. If the Mirror is restored, and the dead god rose, He would surely destroy the pretender Merenicus -- but at the cost of bringing an evil demigod back into creation.
-- N
Pielorinho
Iron Fist of Pelor
Judgment for Wicht vs. Nifft
First, it's good to see that the contestants took radically different approaches to this set of ingredients. I was worried after the first round that my ingredients were too specific, and that they were predetermining the kinds of stories people would tell with them. That said, some overall comments, followed by comments on ingredient usage, followed by a judgment.
Organization and railroading: The two entries were organized in very different ways. Wicht's entry was very straightforward and linear, and was therefore easy for me to follow. Unfortunately, it was a little TOO linear: in each scene in the adventure, there was really only one way forward. Combats are set up to be unwinnable, so fighting is not an option. Because it's a fairy-tale atmosphere, this is more acceptable than usual: fairy-tales often have quests that must be completed in a very specific manner. Still, the railroading has to count against the entry.
Nifft's entry was on the other end of the spectrum: rather than being an adventure, it comes across as more of a collection of related tools that can be used for a wide variety of different stories. There are no scenes described (except for backstory scenes, which don't really count), and only one real location. It came across as scattered when I read it. Speaking of scattered, I like the idea of an epigram, but I couldn't figure out what relationship the epigram had to the adventure. Finally, Nifft, it's Barghest, not Baraghest. Argh! But at least there was no railroading.
Spectacle: Neither adventure really shone in terms of spectacle for me, although both had some decent images in it. Wicht's dreary cursed town recalls nothing so much as the town in The Last Unicorn; whether the homage was deliberate or not, I enjoyed it. And his field of poppies was straight out of the Wizard of Oz. Nifft, meanwhile, conjures a pretty cool image with the skeletal sphinx overseeing a valley full of slaves and black poppies.
Characters and Pathos: Wicht definitely won in this category. The trapped paladin who goes every night to his failed tests and his sadistic butler are great characters, very evocative. Nifft's adventure really only has one character in it - the wizard barghest - and that character doesn't have much in the way of interesting motivation. An evil wizard who wants power? Who woulda thunk? There's the potential for interesting characters in the slave clerics, but none of them were developed. Atmospherewise, Wicht really takes it too: whereas Nifft's entry is more or less like every other evil overlord with slaves in its mood, Wicht crafts a great dark fairy-tale mood. I'm a sucker for dark fairy tales, so this worked for me.
On to specific ingredients:
Skeletal Sphinx: Nifft's skeletal sphinx, as an iron golem, was an interesting twist on the idea. And certainly a skeletal figure is a great symbol of a death god. But why a sphinx? I don't know of any connection between sphinxes and death; this seemed arbitrary to me. Wicht's was almost the other way around: his riddling sphinx made sense, but its skeletal nature was unnecessary. Except, of course, that it was the servant of a bunch of demons and in a twisted sadistic test meant to evoke fear and terror. Wicht's was stronger. (The riddle, however, was pretty weak: it needs more misdirection to be even the slightest bit tough).
Poppy Field: Both of you played with the nature of poppies here. As much as I like Wizard of Oz, Wicht's was a little too straightforward for my tastes: surely everyone who read the ingredient thought immediately of the danger of crossing a field of poppies without falling asleep. And it also raised a niggling mathematical question: even if that paladin eats his butler's food every night, and even if that paladin has terrible saves, he should get a 20 on both saves one night in 400. There should've been some other mechanic to take care of the sleep effects. Nifft's poppies, on the other hand, were a cool demon-poppy with a unique effect. While I wish there had been more that would actually happen in the fields, that's more of a general fault with the adventure (no described possible scenes) than a specific fault with this ingredient; I therefore liked Nifft's use of this ingredient better.
Barghest: Neither of you really impressed me with your use of the barghest. Both of them were barghests simply because they were demons, and could just as easily have been some other type of demon. (Even though you both mentioned their consuming the souls of their victims, another demon could have put forward a different but equal threat). However, I liked Wicht's character better; even though he could've been, for example, an efreet butler, he was still a cool butler. Goes to Wicht.
Nightmare: A reasonable use by both of you, inasmuch as they were steeds to demons. Wicht's were great as transports through the mirror; hopping on a demon horse to enter a demon realm is going to be a very difficult surrender of control for any PC. Nifft's, as the steed of the barghest-wizard, was straightforward. He did, however, mention the nightmares people were having about the rising death-god, letting the ingredient do double-duty. Good show, but the difficult moment Wicht's nightmares present to the PC makes his a stronger use.
Cracked Mirror: Nifft's cracked mirror as an artifact of the god was at the center of the story. I would've liked to have seen some ideas for scenes involving the mirror (how will people react to its reassembling? When will the PCs get a chance to interfere with the reassembling process? What cool underground dangers interfere with the collection of its pieces? And so forth) Wicht's, on the other hand, acted as a portal between worlds, and had the added emotional impact of having been a trap by which the unthinkingly righteous paladin doomed his people. PCs are bound to think of trying to repair the crack in his mirror, and a less railroading adventure would have made this a real possibility. I'm going to give a tie on this ingredient: both were well-integrated in their adventures but also had serious problems.
Oppression: Good oppression in both. As I said before, I loved the feel of Wicht's town. Nifft's slaves add another dimension to the oppression by being semi-willing participants. I found Nifft's oppression, because of its complicated nature, to be his strongest ingredient, stronger than Wicht's by a hair.
Overall, Wicht's adventure is so railroading that, despite its cohesive nature and lovely mood, it suffers badly. However, a straightforward, almost ritualized fairy-tale adventure can work if it's done rarely and done well, and Wicht's is certainly done well. Nifft's, while not railroading, uses a couple of ingredients arbitrarily, and doesn't give the DM enough stuff to work with to really pull off the adventure - it needs some fleshing out of some great basic ideas in order to be a great entry.
Because of the great mood, cool scenes, and superior use of ingredients, I'm awarding this round to Wicht, even though I know other judges, with more hatred of railroading than me, would decide differently.
Congratulations, Wicht, and thanks for the entry, Nifft! I look forward to seeing you in future tournaments.
Daniel
First, it's good to see that the contestants took radically different approaches to this set of ingredients. I was worried after the first round that my ingredients were too specific, and that they were predetermining the kinds of stories people would tell with them. That said, some overall comments, followed by comments on ingredient usage, followed by a judgment.
Organization and railroading: The two entries were organized in very different ways. Wicht's entry was very straightforward and linear, and was therefore easy for me to follow. Unfortunately, it was a little TOO linear: in each scene in the adventure, there was really only one way forward. Combats are set up to be unwinnable, so fighting is not an option. Because it's a fairy-tale atmosphere, this is more acceptable than usual: fairy-tales often have quests that must be completed in a very specific manner. Still, the railroading has to count against the entry.
Nifft's entry was on the other end of the spectrum: rather than being an adventure, it comes across as more of a collection of related tools that can be used for a wide variety of different stories. There are no scenes described (except for backstory scenes, which don't really count), and only one real location. It came across as scattered when I read it. Speaking of scattered, I like the idea of an epigram, but I couldn't figure out what relationship the epigram had to the adventure. Finally, Nifft, it's Barghest, not Baraghest. Argh! But at least there was no railroading.
Spectacle: Neither adventure really shone in terms of spectacle for me, although both had some decent images in it. Wicht's dreary cursed town recalls nothing so much as the town in The Last Unicorn; whether the homage was deliberate or not, I enjoyed it. And his field of poppies was straight out of the Wizard of Oz. Nifft, meanwhile, conjures a pretty cool image with the skeletal sphinx overseeing a valley full of slaves and black poppies.
Characters and Pathos: Wicht definitely won in this category. The trapped paladin who goes every night to his failed tests and his sadistic butler are great characters, very evocative. Nifft's adventure really only has one character in it - the wizard barghest - and that character doesn't have much in the way of interesting motivation. An evil wizard who wants power? Who woulda thunk? There's the potential for interesting characters in the slave clerics, but none of them were developed. Atmospherewise, Wicht really takes it too: whereas Nifft's entry is more or less like every other evil overlord with slaves in its mood, Wicht crafts a great dark fairy-tale mood. I'm a sucker for dark fairy tales, so this worked for me.
On to specific ingredients:
Skeletal Sphinx: Nifft's skeletal sphinx, as an iron golem, was an interesting twist on the idea. And certainly a skeletal figure is a great symbol of a death god. But why a sphinx? I don't know of any connection between sphinxes and death; this seemed arbitrary to me. Wicht's was almost the other way around: his riddling sphinx made sense, but its skeletal nature was unnecessary. Except, of course, that it was the servant of a bunch of demons and in a twisted sadistic test meant to evoke fear and terror. Wicht's was stronger. (The riddle, however, was pretty weak: it needs more misdirection to be even the slightest bit tough).
Poppy Field: Both of you played with the nature of poppies here. As much as I like Wizard of Oz, Wicht's was a little too straightforward for my tastes: surely everyone who read the ingredient thought immediately of the danger of crossing a field of poppies without falling asleep. And it also raised a niggling mathematical question: even if that paladin eats his butler's food every night, and even if that paladin has terrible saves, he should get a 20 on both saves one night in 400. There should've been some other mechanic to take care of the sleep effects. Nifft's poppies, on the other hand, were a cool demon-poppy with a unique effect. While I wish there had been more that would actually happen in the fields, that's more of a general fault with the adventure (no described possible scenes) than a specific fault with this ingredient; I therefore liked Nifft's use of this ingredient better.
Barghest: Neither of you really impressed me with your use of the barghest. Both of them were barghests simply because they were demons, and could just as easily have been some other type of demon. (Even though you both mentioned their consuming the souls of their victims, another demon could have put forward a different but equal threat). However, I liked Wicht's character better; even though he could've been, for example, an efreet butler, he was still a cool butler. Goes to Wicht.
Nightmare: A reasonable use by both of you, inasmuch as they were steeds to demons. Wicht's were great as transports through the mirror; hopping on a demon horse to enter a demon realm is going to be a very difficult surrender of control for any PC. Nifft's, as the steed of the barghest-wizard, was straightforward. He did, however, mention the nightmares people were having about the rising death-god, letting the ingredient do double-duty. Good show, but the difficult moment Wicht's nightmares present to the PC makes his a stronger use.
Cracked Mirror: Nifft's cracked mirror as an artifact of the god was at the center of the story. I would've liked to have seen some ideas for scenes involving the mirror (how will people react to its reassembling? When will the PCs get a chance to interfere with the reassembling process? What cool underground dangers interfere with the collection of its pieces? And so forth) Wicht's, on the other hand, acted as a portal between worlds, and had the added emotional impact of having been a trap by which the unthinkingly righteous paladin doomed his people. PCs are bound to think of trying to repair the crack in his mirror, and a less railroading adventure would have made this a real possibility. I'm going to give a tie on this ingredient: both were well-integrated in their adventures but also had serious problems.
Oppression: Good oppression in both. As I said before, I loved the feel of Wicht's town. Nifft's slaves add another dimension to the oppression by being semi-willing participants. I found Nifft's oppression, because of its complicated nature, to be his strongest ingredient, stronger than Wicht's by a hair.
Overall, Wicht's adventure is so railroading that, despite its cohesive nature and lovely mood, it suffers badly. However, a straightforward, almost ritualized fairy-tale adventure can work if it's done rarely and done well, and Wicht's is certainly done well. Nifft's, while not railroading, uses a couple of ingredients arbitrarily, and doesn't give the DM enough stuff to work with to really pull off the adventure - it needs some fleshing out of some great basic ideas in order to be a great entry.
Because of the great mood, cool scenes, and superior use of ingredients, I'm awarding this round to Wicht, even though I know other judges, with more hatred of railroading than me, would decide differently.
Congratulations, Wicht, and thanks for the entry, Nifft! I look forward to seeing you in future tournaments.
Daniel
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Pielorinho
Iron Fist of Pelor
Macbeth is up for the next round, and has given his three numbers. Who wants to square off against the Scottish Play?
Daniel
Daniel
