MAGICAL CHAOS TABLE

Employ this table whenever magic or natural powers akin to magic are used at any point in this adventure.
The spells of Midnight, avatars, and Elminster are affected least by Magical Chaos. They roll on this table nor-
mally. All other beings roll with a penalty of -20% (since the Fall, chaos has been increasing throughout the
Realms, so magic is less reliable than it was in the earlier modules in this series).
Within the city of Waterdeep, decrease the penalty to 10%, and allow Midnight, avatars, Khelben, and
Elminster a +10% bonus. This is due to the many powerful defensive magics cast on the city, which lessen
magical chaos.
The DM should further modify percentile dice rolls as follows: +1 for every experience level of the spell-
caster (magic items are considered 6th level, artifacts are 12th level); +12 if the spell or effect contributes to
chaos or drastic change of a given locale (e.g. fireball or polymorph spells); and +4 if the spell is small and
simple, such as a 1st or 2nd level spell or a cantrip (items and artifacts cannot receive this bonus). When the
modified score is determined, consult the table below. The DM should not feel bound by the results of this
table, and should indeed decide on a case-by-case basis whether spells function or not, to best suit play as it
unfolds (but don’t reveal this to the players).

Percentile
Score Result
01-19 Spell rebounds on caster, with full effects (if impossible due to nature of spell, reroll).
20-23 Pit opens instantly beneath the caster (depth varies at DM’s option); there is no other
spell effect.
24-27 Target of spell (or caster, if spell has no target) is instantly pelted with fiery red flower
blossoms that materialize and vanish again 1 round later. Blossoms do no damage, but
prohibit accurate aiming of wands or missile weapons, and prevent reading of books,
scrolls, inscriptions, and the like.
28-31 Spell affects random creature or area (DM’s option) rather than the intended target area.
32-35 Spell functions normally, but any material components are not consumed, and spell
knowledge is retained by the caster or the charge is retained by the item.
36-39 Spell functions normally, but magical energy is released around the caster, healing any
injuries of any beings within 10 yards of the caster (includes fatigue, feeblemindedness,
etc.).
40-43 Total darkness and silence occur in a 30-yard radius about the caster, and last 2-8
rounds.
44-47 Reverse gravity (cf. spell) effect occurs in a 30-yard radius sphere about the caster, last-
ing 1 round; caster included in the effect.
48-51 Shimmering colors dance and play in a nimbus around the caster, blinding caster and all
creatures within 20 yards for 1-4 rounds.
52-59 Nothing happens; no spell effect occurs.
60-71 Nothing occurs; no spell effect, but spell knowledge or charge is not lost.
72-98 Spell functions normally.
99-00+ Spell functions with maximum possible effects, full damage, maximum duration.

Special Effects Subtable

With any result on the above table, the DM can add to play excitement by adding one or more of the following
“special effects” (roll 1d12):
01: Earth tremor underfoot (minor, with rolling echoes).
02: Sun dims and then brightens again or a star falls.
03: Violent roaring or screaming sound.
04: Intense wave of heat (no damage) felt in the vicinity.
05: Non-harmful, oily green slime forms on everything within 120 yards.
06: Maniacal, echoing laughter is heard. Flowers fall from the sky.
07: Old, brittle bones (3d20) rain down for 2 rounds, in a 60-yard radius.
08: Caster and everything within 60 yards lose all hair; plants grow hair.
09: Harmless yellow-green and purple smoke rises from the ground.
10: Boulders rise, swirling in midair like leaves (2d12 impact damage).
11: Nearby tree is uprooted (indoors, rock or furniture moves by itself).
12: Whispering voice is heard, murmuring a random character’s name—and—a prediction about that
character’s future (the DM can make it as specific as he wants; given the PCs’ circumstances, por-
tents of danger and doom would probably not be too far off...).
 Waterdeep
Table of Contents

Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 1: Cold Welcome in Cormyr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 2: Danger, Danger Everywhere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter 3: Magic—And Murder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Chapter 4: Darkness and Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Chapter 5: Interesting Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Chapter 6: To Save the Realms! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Non-Player Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Avatars of the Gods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
New Magical Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
New Monster: Denizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
New Monster: Night Rider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Magical Chaos Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside front cover

Physical Chaos Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside back cover
Random Encounter Tables and
Monster Summary Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside gatefold

Credits
Design: Ed Greenwood
Editing: Allen Varney, Kim Mohan
Avatar Trilogy Coordinator: Jim Lowder
Cover Art: Clyde Caldwell
Interior Art: Allen Nunis
Cartography: Diesel
Typography: Angelika Lokotz
Keylining: Stephanie Tabat

Copyright ©1989 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in U.S.A.

TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd.

POB 756 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton
Lake Geneva Cambridge CB1 3LB
WI 53147 USA United Kingdom

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, FORGOTTEN REALMS, DRAGON, PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION, and the TSR logo are
trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.
Distributed to the book trade in the United States by Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby
trade by regional distributors. Distributed in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd.
This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork con-
tained herein is prohibited without the express permission of TSR, Inc.
9249 ISBN 0-88038-757-2
 Ye’ll hear tales tonight, aye, and other
nights besides, until ye know them well.
enough, the land itself is in chaos; unnatu-
ral effects may occur at any time.
Allies
And all of them tell of folk getting hurt, Unless the gods soon regain their In the Avatar Trilogy of novels, Mid-
and enduring hardship and suffering, places, the Forgotten Realms must perish. night travels with three companions
and spilling blood, too much of it their named Adon, Kelemvor, and Cyric. Adon
is a good-hearted but rather prim 5th
own. And ye’ll laugh and enjoy it and
think it grand—as ye can be sure they did
Lord Ao level priest of Sune Firehair. Kelemvor, a
not, during its unfolding. “High adven- The gods are victims of an enigmatic be- 5th level fighter, is a warrior who is prone
ture,” ‘tis called; more’s the joke. ing who calls himself Ao, the overlord of to impulsive actions. In these adventures
—From an address given by the gods who is also known as “The One the PCs fulfill their roles as guardians.
Elminster the Sage Who Is Hidden.” Ao’s power exceeds that Nevertheless, Adon and Kelemvor can ac-
at GENCON 20; Milwaukee, of the gods by as much as theirs exceeds company the party as NPCs.
1987 humanity’s. Cyric, a fighter and former thief, began
Ao grew angry at the gods’ petty behav- as Midnight’s ally and guard. However, in
ior, and finally had all he could stand the course of the story he has grown cor-
Notes for the when two of the deities, Bane and rupt and turned to evil. Midnight has so

Dungeon Master Myrkul, made off with the Tablets of

Fate—two artifacts that Ao had specially
far refused to believe that he has
changed. However, in the adventure that
Waterdeep is the last in a trilogy of mod- crafted. By casting the gods down into the follows, Cyric becomes the PCs’ chief an-
ules that describe the Time of Troubles, Realms as avatars, Ao is teaching them tagonist and rival for the tablets. At last
called by some “the Godswar,” in the humility . . . and also testing them. Ao has even Midnight recognizes his evil. Cyric’s
Forgotten Realms. commanded the gods to seek the Tablets fate is detailed at the climax of the adven-
These modules loosely parallel the action of Fate. Only when one entity possesses ture.
described in the Avatar trilogy of novels by both tablets and returns them to Ao can Descriptions of all three companions,
Richard Awlinson, published by TSR, Inc. the gods ascend again. Until then, the way along with Midnight, appear in an appen-
Neither you nor your players need to read back to the celestial realm is blocked by dix at the end of this booklet.
the novels before playing this adventure, the guardian god Helm, the only one of Several other allies help the PCs on
nor is the action herein identical to that of their number who was not cast down. their quest. Most significant of these is the
the novels. Players should use their own sage Elminster, a legendary figure in the
characters, though several non-player Midnight Forgotten Realms. Though immensely
powerful, Elminster can render only
characters (NPCs) will prove valuable if not
necessary. Among the gods cast down was Mystra, spotty aid to the party, for he is preoccu-
This module is not a guidebook to the Goddess of Magic. Always a wise and kind pied with fighting chaos elsewhere in the
city of Waterdeep itself. For this informa- deity, Mystra has of late grown tired of Realms. Many cities owe their survival to
tion, consult sourcebook FR1, Waterdeep her fellow gods’ endless scheming. She Elminster’s courage. However, from the
and the North, and the boxed City System wishes for dissolution, and so she has lo- PCs’ point of view, the sage serves primar-
accessory set. cated a suitable successor. ily as a source of clues and information.
This candidate is a young woman For more about Elminster, consult FR7,
named Ariel Manx, otherwise known as Hall of Heroes.
The Time “Midnight.” Midnight has some inkling of
the fate awaiting her, as do her friends
of Troubles and allies. She has shown amazing magi-
Running the
The gods of the Forgotten Realms have cal powers, and she is less prone to the Adventure
fallen. Now vastly reduced in power, they effects of magical chaos than other wiz-
In this adventure, Midnight must ac-
walk the earth as “avatars,” mortal incar- ards. Everyone realizes now that she is
company the party of player characters
nations of their godly forms. Avatars are important.
(PCs); the NPC Cyric must also appear as a
markedly weaker than the deities they That, unfortunately, includes the evil
sometime ally, sometime foe of the party;
represent, but still far outstrip PC adven- avatars Bane, Myrkul, and Bhaal. These and both of these characters must survive
turers in power. However, an avatar can gods have hunted her ceaselessly as the
to the end of the adventure.
be killed, and this can mean true death trail to the tablets grows warmer. Mid-
Other NPCs are optional as party mem-
for the god. night has faced danger bravely, and so far
bers, but in any case the PCs should have
Because the gods no longer maintain or- she has survived. In fact, she grows great
some allies. The challenges they face in
der in this dimension, chaos has over- in magical power, and by the time this ad-
this adventure are deadly. With both heal-
whelmed the land. During the Time of venture opens, she has played a major
ing and attack magic unreliable, they
Troubles, magic spells and magical items part in bringing about the death of Bane’s
need all the help they can find.
work abnormally or not at all. Because de- avatar.
Do not hesitate to provide NPC party re-
But Midnight needs a lot of protection
ities are disregarding their usual respon- inforcements from among the “back-
sibilities, priest characters cannot gain or against the dangers ahead. That mission
ground” characters included herein, or
regain any spells of 3rd level or higher. falls to the player characters.
from another source. The good DM will
And as if this magical upheaval wasn’t bad aim to entertain his players while pushing

2
them to the utmost limits of their playing Grabbing: In this story the PCs carry a
skill—not to slaughter their characters Priests and valuable item, one of the Tablets of Fate.
out of hand. Allowing the party to occa-
sionally escape from encounters may
Turning Many evil beings will stop at nothing to
get this tablet. At points, in fact, the story
help their survival, too! The increasing chaos of the Time of Trou- requires them to get it. But since that
bles, coupled with the lessened power of would usually result in the death of PCs
guarding it, the DM should use an alterna-
How the the gods and their preoccupation with per-
sonal troubles, has rapidly weakened the tive rule that gives villains the tablet but

Adventure is power of priestly turning attempts.

Unless a priest is within two miles of the
still keeps PCs alive.
Use the “overbearing” rules offered in
Laid Out current physical location of his deity’s ava-
tar, no undead-turning attempt will be suc-
the AD&D 2nd Edition Player’s Handbook
(page 98). The enemy tries to pull down
This module is divided into chapters. cessful. (If the priest is within two miles of and pin a character holding a tablet. If
Each chapter contains events keyed to a his god, normal chances apply.) This state of successful, the enemy has gotten the tab-
given time or part of the adventure; these affairs lasts until the morning after the last let without injuring the character.
occur regardless of what the PCs do. day described in this adventure.
Some chapters also suggest encounters,
which are keyed to a particular location; For New Players
if the PCs enter that location, the encoun- A Note About If Waterdeep is being played alone, in-
ter takes place.
A few sections are labeled “Offstage AD&D™ dependent of the rest of the modules in
this series, use this section to bring the
Events”— information, meant for the DM’s
eyes only, that explains more of the “big
2nd Edition PCs into the story. If they have already
played the previous adventures, skip to
picture” about what is happening in the This adventure is written for the the next section.
Realms. AD&D™ 2nd Edition game rules. Terms Terrible times have befallen the Realms.
Any text that appears in a box is in- and references new to AD&D 2nd Edition During their past adventures, the PCs
tended to be read aloud to the players, or should be self-explanatory to DMs who have seen bizarre weather, felt frequent
given directly to them in summary form. are not familiar with this new edition. earthquakes, and noticed omens in the
The remaining information is for the DM, Some noticeable differences are changes trees and sky. (Improvise suitably weird
and most of the time should only be re- in name only. The term “magic-user” has phenomena here.) Wizards can no longer
vealed in response to PC actions. been replaced by “wizard” and “mage.” control their spells. At times their magic
Read the module through carefully be- The “cleric” character class is now the does not work; at other times it works too
fore play begins, and note what encoun- “priest” class, although members of that well, with disastrous effects.
ters need preparation beforehand. Tailor class are still often referred to as “clerics.” Describe to the players the situation
the adventure to your players and your The new edition of the game specifi- outlined in the above section entitled
campaign. cally describes benefits of extraordinary “The Time of Troubles,” presenting it in
ability scores. Much of that information is the form of rumors or news from distant
The Setting summarized here in the appendix on ava-
tars of the gods.
lands. Stress the turbulence and danger
of the times, and make it clear that the
This adventure is set in the continent of Another noticeable change involves the Forgotten Realms themselves are in
Faerun, in the Forgotten Realms. Its presentation of monsters. The new mon- jeopardy.
action spans Cormyr, Tunland, the Sunset sters in this adventure are presented in a For the PCs, the breaking point came
Mountains, the High Moor country, and format used in the new Monstrous Com- when they stopped at a tavern outside
the city of Waterdeep itself. These areas pendium series. Again, the changes are Marsember, in the land of Cormyr. Dur-
are described in detail in the boxed not significant enough to cause any prob- ing a heavy storm, the entire tavern
FORGOTTEN REALMS™ Campaign Set; lems for DMs and players who are contin- floated into the air! It hovered 40 feet off
supplement FR1, W a t e r d e e p a n d t h e uing to use the original rules. the ground for perhaps half a minute,
North; and the boxed City System set. Ability Checks: From time to time the then settled back to its foundations. No
Consult these sources to add depth to this adventure calls for a character to make one was hurt, but the PCs decided to take
adventure, and to include other adven- an ability check. Roll 1d20 and compare refuge in the nearby forest of Hermit’s
tures along the way. the result with the character’s appropri- Wood.
DMs who place this adventure in other ate ability score (Intelligence, for exam- While searching for a campsite, they
settings can modify the gods, settings, and ple). Players may roll their own ability stumbled on the unconscious body of
perhaps the rulers and other powerful checks, although it is usually better for Midnight, along with other (also uncon-
beings to suit their own world. Much of the DM to ask for the roll without identi- scious) NPCs that the DM wishes to in-
the action described in these pages should fying the particular ability being checked. clude in the adventure.
be easily adaptable to another campaign. If the roll is equal to or less than the Rousing the victims, the PCs learned of
character’s ability score, the action suc- Midnight’s quest for the Tablets of Fate.
ceeds. If the roll is greater than the ability She has already gained one (at the end of
score, the action fails. the previous module in this series, Tan-

3
 on the Lake of Dragons. There they in-
tended to join a caravan for the overland
journey to Waterdeep.
The ship set sail through capricious
seas, passing lots of floating wreckage on
the Reach. Running west through the
Neck, the ship’s lookouts several times
saw a galley with the black-and-red sails
of Zhentil Keep far behind, following
them. Midnight believed it to be Cyric’s
ship.
In the Lake of Dragons a fierce squall,
with howling winds and dangerous wa-
terspouts, arose from a calm sea to drive
the adventurers’ ship north toward the
port of Marsember.
The harried captain, fearing for his life
and openly suspecting hostile magic of
causing the storm, wanted to be rid of the
band of heroes. He battled the wild waves
to turn back east, whereupon the storm
tras). She believes the other is in Water- have her steal the tablet there, and bring slackened immediately. This increased his
deep, far to the north. But en route, she it back to the Realms. Through many sub- certainty that magic was involved.
and her party were attacked while she tle spells that Myrkul wove into that tab- The party was put ashore in Cormyr, on
slept. Many died, and she (along with the let, its theft lets all the denizens of Hades the wrong side of the lake from Ilipur.
other surviving NPCs) barely escaped. follow it across the dimensions. Unwit- They came in by open boat amid the dan-
Now she needs the PCs’ help to guard her tingly, Midnight will fetch not only the gerous rocks and sand shoals near the
and the tablet on the way to Waterdeep. tablet, but the souls that will strengthen mouth of the Wyvernflow (the lower Im-
The party camps in Hermit’s Wood. Af- Myrkul’s avatar enormously. merflow), south of Wheloon, within pa-
ter they learn more about Midnight, her Then, aided by Bhaal, Myrkul will take trol distance of Marsember. Horses and
adventures, her quest, and its goal, turn both tablets from Midnight, ascend the heavy gear could not be landed; as it was,
to Chapter 1 to begin the adventure. Celestial Stairway atop Mount Water- it took everyone’s strength poling the boat
deep, and overthrow Lord Ao. to hold it off the rocks amid the surging
Myrkul’s Plan To fool Midnight into visiting Hades,
Myrkul pretends he doesn’t want her to
waves.
The PCs and Midnight gathered wearily
In Waterdeep the PCs seek the second go there—reverse psychology! He sends on the beach. The first order of business
Tablet of Fate, and fight Cyric’s attempts undead minions to (fail to) seize Mid- was to get supplies, which were readily
to steal the one they already have. In addi- night’s tablet. And he sends Bhaal to kid- available in well-to-do Cormyr. They
tion, they fight the forces of Bhaal (God of nap Midnight. wouldn’t face attack from the locals if
Murder) and Myrkul (Lord of the Dead). The PCs think Bhaal wants Midnight so they kept quiet and moved quickly, but
These two avatars seek the party’s tablet he can gain the tablet. Actually, this is a they dared not visit the nearby city of Su-
as well . . . or so the adventurers think. ruse. Bhaal “accidentally” tells Midnight zail or make more of a public appearance
Actually, the two evil gods are using the location of a gate to Hades, and “lets than they had to. Cormyreans are suspi-
Midnight and the PCs in a subtle scheme. slip” that Myrkul’s tablet is there. Then he cious of travelers right now, given Zhenti-
True, they want the tablets. But even allows Midnight to escape, knowing she lar activities, the general unrest of nature
more, they plot to gain the power to over- will head straight for the gate. And the and magic, and the schemes of avatars
throw Lord Ao himself! rest of Myrkul’s plan proceeds from and worshipers alike.
Myrkul already possesses one of the there—if all goes well for him. The party, facing evening and exhaus-
tablets. He stole it himself and now holds tion, and wishing to avoid undue atten-
it in his home dimension of Hades. How-
ever, since he has been thrown down to
From Tantras tion, camped in a wooded hollow near the
edge of Hermit’s Wood. Chapter 1 of this
the Realms as an avatar, he cannot go
back to Hades. And as an avatar, he can-
to Here adventure begins in the middle of the
night, in that encampment.
not draw on the power of all the souls This section briefly describes the events
trapped there. So Myrkul wants to bring linking this module with its predecessor,
those souls here, where they can increase FRE2, Tantras. Use this section if this ad-
his power. How? venture is played as part of its trilogy.
Humans can still travel the Planes, At the end of Tantras, the party hired a
though the gods cannot. Myrkul, aided by ship to take them down the Dragon Reach
Bhaal, plans to lure Midnight to Hades, and across the Sea of Fallen Stars to Ilipur,

4
 This chapter begins on the evening of If the check succeeds, the watchman In life, this last rider was Ogden the
the day the adventurers land in Cormyr. sees much vigorous movement in the Hardrider, sergeant of the patrol. He has
If this adventure continues from FRE2, darkness beyond the firelight, but does 24 hp and attacks as a 4th level fighter. He
Tantras, the heroes are footsore and thor- not hear anything; the character can raise hangs back, committing his four-man re-
oughly weary after facing the storm’s full the alarm. If the check fails, the character serve force to spoil any spellcasting.
fury. sees nothing, and the attack that follows Then, if he can, he tries to snatch up Mid-
Without supplies, the party cannot comes completely by surprise. night across his saddle and ride back
reach Waterdeep. Nearby supply towns Myrkul has animated 13 night riders (a north toward Myrkul.
include Marsember, to the west, and special, intelligent sort of zombie) to at- The night riders raid and harry, repeat-
Wheloon, to the north. Beyond Marsem- tack the encamped PCs by night. They edly turning their mounts to ride past PCs
ber lies Cormyr’s royal capital, Suzail, and their undead mounts, called gaunts, and strike, rather than staying to face the
where Midnight hopes to charter a ship to are fully described in the New Monsters party in melee. The darkness and thickly
Ilipur. First, though, it’s time to camp for appendix at the end of this adventure. clustered trees should make this a con-
the night. Their orders are to kidnap Midnight fused, disorganized fray.
The party finds a wooded hollow at the and any other human females in the party
edge of Hermit’s Wood, well east of Mar-
sember, where they can hide from brig-
(to avoid cases of mistaken identity) and
locate a stone tablet to be found some-
Cyric Intervenes
ands, Zhentilar agents, and Cormyrean where in the party’s saddlebags. The Cyric, observing the battle from a dis-
patrols alike. (If Adon is along as an NPC, night riders must then kill all the others tance, is too far from his Zhentilar to offer
he remembers the name of the forest and take the hostages and tablet to the a great deal of help to the party against
from his temple teachings. The long- Lord of the Dead. Myrkul’s riders. But he does aid the ad-
dead hermit for whom the wood is (If the kidnapping attempt succeeds, venturers with sniper fire.
named was a devotee of Sune Firehair, Myrkul intends to connive so as to get Whenever a member of the party
Adon’s deity.) Midnight to do his “dirty work” for him. seems hard pressed by a night rider, an
The party settles down to sleep. He will “let slip” the whereabouts of the arrow comes out of the night to strike the
tablet he possesses and the location of the monster. Note that night riders feel no
OFFSTAGE EVENT gate to his realm in Hades. Then the deity pain, but can in a fight be distracted by
Two rival factions seek the party. will allow Midnight to escape. At this unexpected attacks and sights, even as liv-
Unknown to Midnight or the PCs, the early point in this adventure, Myrkul re- ing beings are.
NPC Cyric is trying to prevent the party gards the PCs as expendable. Later he PCs do not see the mysterious archer;
from reaching Marsember or Suzail. To sees their importance in protecting Mid- he slips away into the night at the end of
this end he has enlisted the evil Zhentilar; night, so he treats them less ruthlessly.) the battle. PCs who pursue can identify
he also plays informant to the standing the archer as Cyric, but they should not
army of Cormyr, the Purple Dragons, tell-
ing them that one or more of the PCs are
Night Rider Tactics catch him.

fugitive criminals.
Cyric has learned that servants of the
In life, these riders were a Purple
Dragon patrol, and accordingly wear
Aftermath
deceased god Bane are swarming across chain mail with the Cormyrean insignia The battle should end with the defeat of
the south, seeking revenge on the woman emblazoned on their surcoats. Their the undead. Magical chaos permitting,
who “caused” Bane’s death: Midnight. shields bounce unused at their saddles. Midnight hurls a fireball to dispose of sev-
Cyric does not want the party (and the Each is armed with a light horse lance eral of them. The spell sets the hollow
Tablet of Fate in the group’s possession) to (1d6 damage), long sword, mace, and aflame. Characters are in no immediate
fall into anyone else’s hands but his own. dagger. danger from the fire, but unless they put
Therefore he intends to drive the adven- The undead are all mounted on gaunts: it out or flee, the light will attract Cormy-
turers northward to Wheloon, then to the skeletal, bloated horses covered with rean patrols or further attacks.
small village of Eveningstar. blackened, twisted strips of rotting skin If the PCs have had an easy time of the
Unfortunately for both Cyric and the and flesh. These mounts have 12 hp each. fight, provide additional challenges while
PCs, Myrkul has also located the adven- The mounted undead charge down into the party is putting out the fire or stum-
turers. In Event 1, agents of the God of the the wooded hollow where the PCs are bling through the darkened wood.
Dead try to kidnap Midnight. sleeping. Two are in the lead, and six more
ride fast behind them, spread out. A sin-
gle rider follows slowly to tackle any es- Event 2: Well Met
Event 1: caping or especially powerful adventurer,
in WheIoon
Happening in and four of the undead remain farther
back, in reserve. The rest of the night passes unevent-
Hermit’s Wood The two lead night riders and the outer-
most two of the six that follow have 15 hp
fully. In the morning the party heads to-
ward Wheloon. There they hope to rest,
In the third watch of the night, a few each and attack as 2nd level fighters. The buy horses and supplies, and, if neces-
hours before morning, have the charac- others have 7 hp each and attack as 1st sary, seek healing at the local shrines.
ter(s) on watch (if any) make an Intelli- level fighters, except for the very last Should the party head toward Marsem-
gence check. night rider. ber, try to discourage them with numer-

5
ous Zhentilar or Purple Dragon patrols. stucco and timbered upper stories. The mors from the the following table (roll d12 or
Dragon patrols are described in Event 3 visitors see an occasional thatched roof, simply select), or devise others that may
of this chapter, the Zhentilar in Event 4. If but most roofs are dark green slate shin- lead to offshoot adventures.
you allow the party to bypass the patrols gles. Road-lamps glimmer here and there
and reach Marsember, the following de- in the gathering dusk. Despite the late
hour, characters hear clanging, chatter
Wheloon Rumor
scription of Wheloon can be adapted for
use with the other city. No map of Mar- and the hubbub of work from many Table
sember is provided; in a pinch, the map of shops. Carts rumble through the muddy, 1. All ships on the waves of the open
Suzail in the FORGOTTEN REALMS™ patch-cobbled streets. This is a way-town Dragon Reach a tenday or so ago were
Campaign Set can be used. of busy trade and skilled craftsmen. sunk by the shock waves of a terrific explo-
Travelers whom PCs meet on the road The best-looking inn the party sees is sion. Wreckage enough to make men rich
to Wheloon warn the characters to con- the Wyvern Watch Inn, operated by has been washing up on Sembian beaches
ceal their weapons as much as possible; Buldegas Mhaerkoon (F4, hp 42, Str 17, this last ride. The blast was heard as far
citizens must have a charter, or license, to Dex 13, Con 17). He is ruddy-faced and west as Ordulin. Some say that it came
bear arms in Cormyr. overweight, with a cynical way of speak- from Tantras. (DM Note: The blast marked
A hot day of walking follows, through ing but a kindly demeanor overall. the death of the god Bane's avatar.)
rising, rolling farm country. Walls made The inn is cozy and not overly busy. 2. A fleet set sail from Scardale over a
of stone rubble and stumps separate Buldegas charges a silver piece a head per tenday ago—a Zhentilar fleet led by a
many small fields. Deep, muddy lanes zig- day (all meals, drinks, and a bath in- mysterious warrior named Cyric. It
zag everywhere, sometimes sheltered by cluded; a stable stall and horse care, two headed east to land troops north of Tan-
hedges. When the travelers reach a fork coppers extra). He readily agrees to hide tras, and the soldiers attacked that city.
or an intersection of two paths, they must the party away for a few days. Cormyr is mustered to arms, expecting
proceed north or northwest to remain on If he sees their weapons, the stout inn- war, and Sembia is offering a gold piece a
the route toward Wheloon. Small, faded keeper adds, “You need not trouble about week to anyone who can hold a sword to
white symbols of wyverns painted on those.” Amid the chaos that has gripped bolster its border levies.
rocks at crossroads indicate the direction Cormyr, King Azoun has relaxed the pro- 3. Strange tales have come out of the
to Wheloon. Symbols in the shape of a hibition against citizens carrying arms. south of gods walking the lands, spells go-
crown show the way to Suzail; anchor Plain folk must defend themselves against ing wild, and the like. A high priestess of
symbols represent Marsember. The ad- increasingly numerous monsters and des- Loviatar died when her own blade bar-
venturers see more birds and cows than perate brigands; the Purple Dragons can- rier spell went awry.
they do people. not be everywhere at once. 4. All mages of power seem to have van-
Near sunset, the road rises, broadens, In the taproom of the Wyvern Watch, or ished from Cormyr. Even Vangerdahast,
and enters the prosperous town of Whe- elsewhere in Wheloon, PCs may engage the Court Wizard, has not been seen for a
loon. The buildings are stone; some have in, and overhear, conversation. Reveal ru- tenday now.

6
 5. Daggerdale is one vast, smoking pit.
The goddesses Tymora and Beshaba are
Outfitting and Chalannos “the Masked” Firehawk,
8th level fighter, retired adventurer. His
said to have fought each other there. Training cottage lies on a lane at the northeastern
(False rumor.) The trip from Cormyr to Waterdeep is fringe of town. As a training fee he de-
6. A great black statue as tall as the low- lengthy and dangerous under the best mands a permanent (not one-shot) magical
est clouds is said to have marched east into conditions, let alone in the Time of Trou- item he can use, or 2,000 gp/level (counting
the sea at Scardale, walking steadily until bles. While they are in Wheloon, PCs can the level to be attained), or some combina-
the deepening waves swallowed it up. keep busy outfitting themselves for their tion of these. He is very good; if the PC de-
7. Dragons have been seen dancing in upcoming long overland trip. sires to acquire proficiency in a particular
the air over the Thunder Peaks. Some They must buy provisions, particularly weapon, allow Chalannos to provide it.
sages have held that these are the “nine safe drinking water, and pack them for Haerldoun “Hawkmaster,” 6th level
black doves” referred to in the prophecies rugged travel. They must replenish, re- fighter (Wis 17), a mercenary warrior by
of the ancient seer Alaundo. Others say pair, or replace cooking gear, tents, and the trade. Haerldoun, a veteran man of battle,
that the “war among wizards” that he like. Above all, they must buy horses, in- knows the Dragon Reach lands well. He is
foretold long ago has begun. cluding spare mounts, and buy and modify especially skilled at the art of command,
8. Elminster the Sage, the Old Mage of tack to fit them. You can either detail in full organization, tactics, and scouting tech-
Shadowdale, has been killed in a battle the mounts used by the party throughout niques.
there, in the temple of Lathander. Wander- this adventure, or simply give them aver- Wounded in Daggerdale while fighting
ing brigands were captured and found age values of AC 7, MV 22, and 16 hp. orcs, bugbears, and trolls allied to the
guilty, but some say the god Bane appeared If the optional training rules are being Zhentilar, Haerldoun has rented a house
and killed the sage himself. Others say that used, those characters who aren’t busy here in Wheloon while recovering. Here
Elminster still lives, and that the Harpers outfitting themselves can take the oppor- he keeps an eye on his sideline, a helm and
are seeking his whereabouts. (DM note: tunity to train. Midnight agrees to pro- shield importing business run by his niece,
This refers to events in FRE1, Shadowdale. vide training, free of charge, for any PC Albhaera (F2, Dex 18, Cha 16). Haerldoun
As Midnight and her companions found in mage who agrees to accompany her to will train a PC for a flat fee of 4,000 gp, or a
FRE2, Elminster is not dead.) Waterdeep. PCs of other classes can scout magical item and 2,000 gp.
9. Sylune “the Witch,” the Lady of around Wheloon for tutors. If the party is weak or a PC has perished,
Shadowdale, was slain a few seasons ago To determine how long training takes, the DM could allow Albhaera to join the
while defending Shadowdale against the decide which tutors hired by PCs have party as a replacement PC or NPC. She is
great attacking flight of dragons that 17+ Wisdom. Midnight accepts a maxi- young, soft-spoken, and demure but rest-
swept down over the Dragon Reach. Now mum delay of twenty days—two weeks, less. Albhaera knows the value, repair, and
her glowing white phantom has been in the Realms. After that, she will proper fashioning of helms, bracers,
seen walking the corridors of the Royal threaten to take off for Waterdeep by her- shields, belts, and baldrics. She is fit, lithe,
Court in Suzail. She smiled at several no- self. The threat should be sufficient to and well trained as a warrior.
ble ladies, who fainted dead away. Sylune persuade any procrastinating PCs to Haerldoun dotes on her. If word reaches
walked through guards and doors alike, break off what they’re doing and make him that a PC has mistreated her, that PC
into Azoun’s throne room, and moved her ready to accompany her. If it isn’t, then has acquired a tireless and wary foe who
hands in a series of silent signs. Vangerda- the tutors themselves will break off any will track him across the entire Realms to
hast, the Court Wizard, turned pale and ongoing training sessions, saying some- take revenge.
whispered something urgent to Azoun, thing like, “I hear that it’s time for you to
then left the chamber and has not been be on your way—not much point in train- Mhezenter Mirilar, 5th level thief (Wis
seen since. Sylune’s form then faded ing anymore, when the fate of the world 16), a thin, beak-nosed man who pretends
away. is at stake!” to be deaf. By day he loads crates of goods
10. Alusair Nacacia, younger princess Priests may have difficulty gaining levels for a hardware merchant, Zendaros Rallo-
of Cormyr, has been seen several times in at this time. Most deities are too weak or gar, whose old, rambling shop is located
the Dalelands, riding hard with a sword too busy to answer the prayers of their near the center of town.
on her back. Merchants have seen her faithful. And besides, most priests are too Mhezenter sleeps in an attic of the shop,
striding through the ruins of Myth Dran- shocked and frantically busy seeking news and plies his other trade by night. He robs
nor with a bloody blade. Some say that of their deities to do any training. mainly warehouse goods or wagonloads
she rode down a man in the streets of Sel- The nature-oriented deities, such as passing through town.
gaunt. Silvanus, Eldath, and Mielikki, have taken He does not advertise his profession; PCs
11. The forces of the Citadel of the to avatar form well and remain diligent in wishing to train must find and catch up
Raven have grown larger and more active with him by night, then survive the
their responsibilities. Their priests can
than ever before. They patrol the area encounter—Mhezenter is very quick with
complete training normally. But of the
ceaselessly, putting all trespassers to throwing darts and a slim, rapierlike short
other deities, only clerics of Lathander, Ty-
death. sword. The best way to persuade Mhezen-
mora, Tempus, Gond, and Chauntea can
12. A patch of darkness that never complete training—and such training ter to train a PC is with payment of a magi-
moves has apparently settled in beyond takes twice as long as usual. cal item, but Mhezenter settles for 3,000
the Sunset Mountains. No one who has Tutors available in Wheloon include gp/level (counting the level to be attained),
gone into it has emerged alive. these individuals: preferably in the form of gems.

7
 He cannot be blackmailed. Threats to ex- in his former profession, he remains a 5th Four rounds after combat begins, 46
pose him just make him shrug; then he tar- level thief and retains the combat abilities Purple Dragon soldiers rush up the street
gets the threatening character with a 3d6 (HD 5, hp 24) he gained while a member of on the double. Since their presence virtu-
fireball— the last missile of a necklace of that class. ally ensures that the PCs must flee, the sol-
missiles— before making his escape. diers are described in the next subsection.
Mhezenter has a ring of the ram hidden
away somewhere in Wheloon. If he is at- Event 3:Arrests, Attacking the constabulary guarantees
that the PCs and their companions will be
tacked by PCs, he takes to wearing it, and
to tipping his weapons with a sleep-
Alarums, and hunted fugitives for the remainder of their
stay in Cormyr. If they are caught, the lord
inducing drug. Give his victims +2 on
saves against this venom; it has been
Ambushes of the city imprisons them and sentences
them to public execution. Then the PCs
stored for a long time, and has lost some of This optional event takes place at the must stage a jailbreak, or Cyric and his
its efficacy. time when the PCs gather as they prepare Zhentilar can do so. Improvise details of
to leave Wheloon. This event can be the jail, or consult the jail (and jailbreak)
Orlenstar Thirlthorn, 4th level druid skipped to speed up play. description on pp. 6-7 of FRE2, Tantras.
(Wis 18), who keeps a shrine to Silvanus When the party has outfitted, healed,
east of Wheloon, north of the road in a trained, and is ready to travel onward, the Flee: If the PCs want to make a break
grove of duskwood trees. Wheloon Watch arrives to arrest a PC on a for it, Midnight and other NPCs leap to
Everyone in town knows where the charge of murder. their aid, attacking the nearest constables
grove is. Citizens take injured animals to A local merchant (the one the PC bought in an attempt to screen the player charac-
Orlenstar; town children are always wel- horses from) has been found murdered, ters’ escape and then joining the flight
come in the grove; and Orlenstar keeps his goods missing. Someone testified to the themselves. (If Kelemvor is along as an
goodberries and home-brewed spruce local lord, Sarp Redbeard, that they saw NPC, he may try this tactic, taking the
beer on hand at all times. He is a gentle, sat- the PC leaving the merchant’s house with choice away from the PCs.) Battle ensues.
urnine young man, willing to train anyone bloody sword in hand. This false witness The party can grab their horses and flee
who makes an offering to Silvanus of at was one of Cyric’s men, seeking to drive just before the 46 hurrying Purple Dragon
least 1,000 gp/level, counting the level to be the PCs from the safety of Wheloon. soldiers arrive. Make this departure ur-
attained. The dour captain of the watch warns all gent, with armed townsfolk gathering to
the PCs to “bide peace” until Lord Sarp ar- watch. Lord Sarp Redbeard (F9, 77 hp, Str
Devise other NPC tutors as desired. Al-
rives. Expected within the hour, he will 17, neutral good with CN tendencies), his
low PCs time to “spread their wings” in solo
quickly pronounce a sentence of execu- jeweled blade drawn, can be seen shouting
operations if they are not being trained.
tion. “There’s not much doubt, ye see,” the angrily and pointing his sword, as he or-
They can seek out Zhentilar spies, for ex-
captain adds fiercely through his bristling ders the Purple Dragons to pursue the
ample. Or, if they figured in the events of
moustache. adventurers.
FRE1 and FRE2, they might have to explain
The PCs have three options: cooperate, Fourteen of the Purple Dragons, a local
their actions to agents of the Harpers who
fight, or flee. road patrol, are mounted. These men
identify them and accuse them again of
chase the PCs, brandishing lances and
slaying Elminster. Cooperate: They can wait for Lord maces. All are F2, 16 hp each, wearing
The party should be at maximum Sarp, then tell him their story. Judge the chain mail, armed with light lances, long
strength before journeying onward. evidence as Wheloon’s lord would—with a swords, maces, and daggers. The leader of
strong bias toward declaring guilt and get- this patrol, Roadcaptain Thondar (F4, 37
OFFSTAGE EVENT ting the whole matter over with. If he pro- hp), wields a battle axe and a wand of
Not far from Starwater Bridge near the nounces the PC guilty, the party’s only magic missiles with 14 charges.
village of Hilp, Cyric and his band of Zhen- chance is to break and run; see below. All of this should cause the PCs to flee
tilar attack the small halfling village of If the evidence for innocence is compel- along the nearest road out of town, head-
Black Oaks. While his men destroy the vil- ling, Lord Sarp apologizes to the PCs. But ing west and north toward the village of
lage, Cyric assaults a young halfling called he doesn’t want them staying in Wheloon Hilp. (If they don’t run away, conduct com-
Sneakabout, whom the PCs will meet in and drawing further trouble, so he politely bat normally; if the PCs haven’t attacked
Event 5 of this chapter. Cyric steals Sneak- offers them an armed escort—the Watch the constabulary, the Purple Dragons will
about’s magic sword, a cursed blade that and its captain—to the village of Hilp (or to fight to subdue and capture them.)
gradually enslaves its owner’s will (see the the next village or city on the PCs’ journey). Assuming that they do flee, the chase
New Magic appendix). Sneakabout, still af- The PCs shouldn’t refuse this offer, or the continues for quite some time; the Purple
fected by the sword’s curse after it is watch will make their lives hard during Dragons are hot on the heels of the party,
stolen, will not rest until he retrieves the their remaining time in Wheloon. so no map of Wheloon’s surroundings is
weapon. The curse does not affect Cyric,
Fight: The watch consists of 16 provided.
whose will is so strong that he masters the
constables—volunteer militia, all mer- Guardsmen and terrified citizens alike
sword, bending the weapon’s will to the
chants by daily trade—in leather armor, scramble to get out of the way. The PCs gain
strength of his own.
bearing maces, short swords, daggers, and opportunities to jump their horses over
In his adventuring, Cyric has gained a
crossbows. Each constable is F1, THAC0 abandoned crates and stumbling people,
level, so that he is now a 4th level fighter.
20, 6 hp, AC 8. watch their pursuers crash into a cart, spill-
Being dual-classed and unable to advance
ing potatoes all over the street, and so on.

8
 plans to buy passage for the party on a lo-
cal merchant ship that will take them
across Dragonmere to Ilipur, where the
party can join an overland caravan to
Waterdeep.
When the party reaches Starwater
Bridge, read the following:

The River Starwater glimmers before

you, sparkling in the morning sun. It
lies in an old, broad valley, mirroring
the blue sky overhead, and your road
crosses over it by means of a broad
stone span: Starwater Bridge.
There are men on the bridge with
spears in their hands. As you draw
nearer, you see that they are hard-
faced fighting men, clad in a variety of
armor. Some even wear black field
plate. All wear scarves or surcoats
bearing badges of a red circle on a
If the PCs outdistance the guards too Event 4 below.) In any case, whether or
black field.
easily, have a heavily loaded stonecutter’s not they were pursued, they are tired They’re Zhentilar! Here in the heart
cart block the road. The PCs must turn from their journey.
of Cormyr!
(slowing down) or ride right into it. Any- Night begins to fall as the party mem-
one who tries to jump the cart or cut bers wind their way south, walking their
These Zhentilar are loyal to Cyric.
around it must make a Proficiency check exhausted horses. (If the PCs are cap-
There are 24 warriors on the bridge, and
for land-based riding (if the proficiency tured and must escape jail, assume the es-
16 more mounted troops hiding in the
rules are used). Unless the check is suc- cape takes place as evening falls, whether
nearby trees to the west. Cyric is watch-
cessful, the rider cannot pass the cart, on the day of Event 3 or the next.)
ing from within the trees, along with 10
and must make a Dexterity check or As the shadows lengthen, the party
other men who guard the tethered horses
crash into it, suffering 3d4 impact dam- heads southwest along the fringe of the
of the entire troop.
age and killing the horse. Such unfortu- King’s Forest, which cloaks the heart of
Stress to the players that the presence
nates must abandon horse and gear and Cormyr. As they proceed cautiously in the
of Zhentilar troops here is highly unu-
flee quickly, or be captured. dusk, the lane the party is following ends
sual. Midnight believes, correctly, that
The PCs should think of employing in a secluded woodcutter’s glade. This
Cyric is using them to warn the party
magic or clever strategies to elude their looks as good a place as any to camp.
away from the south. But she doesn’t yet
pursuers. If they try and their efforts fail, Well, perhaps. Refer to the High Forest
believe he has evil motives.
Midnight turns to confront their pursu- Encounter Table on the inside of the fold-
If the PCs show themselves, the fighters
ers. She asks the PCs to shield her while out cover of this adventure. Four times
waiting on the bridge lower their spears
she tries to cast sleep spells. (Let PC wiz- during the night, roll for encounters.
to menace their horses, bracing them-
ards try to cast magic as well, if they Most monsters turn away if they encoun-
selves to face any charge the PCs might
wish.) ter alert, determined opposition; let the
mount. If the PCs attack the 24 fighting
Assuming magical chaos does not alter vigilance of the PCs determine what hap-
men on the bridge, the 16 warriors in the
the spells, the onrushing Purple Dragon pens. The exhausted NPCs cannot stand
trees ride to the attack.
riders slump in their saddles. They tum- watch all night, but do not point this out
The party can fight, though the odds
ble off to be trampled underfoot, or they to the PCs unless the PCs raise the subject
are overwhelming. If the PCs win, they
ride into each other, and everyone hits of posting a watch.
can travel unmolested for a time. But
the ground with a crash and a cloud of Cyric escapes and eventually forms an-
dust.
Event 4: other band. Skip to the next event.
More likely, however, the party flees
Aftermath Starwater northward again, while those PCs who
Regardless of the outcome of this event,
the party must by now have left Wheloon
Bridge feel inclined can fight a rear-guard action.
However, Cyric has ordered the Zhentilar
In the morning the party hastens on not to kill the party, and in fact the fight-
behind. After traveling through Hilp—
south toward Suzail, hoping to outdis- ers pursue the PCs only a short distance
which doesn’t take long—the PCs should
tance any word from Wheloon (the NPCs northward.
be encouraged to take the road leading
know that in the absence of mages from The Zhentilar’s purpose is to force the
southwest toward Suzail. (Midnight has
the kingdom, messages must travel by adventurers to go north. They dare not
her own reasons for wanting to go this
riders on the roads). In Suzail, Midnight remain assembled in strength for long, or
way, as explained in the beginning of

9
chase the adventurers along the roads. again. Midnight and other NPCs argue You can decree that the halfling thieves
They know that if they try, they’ll soon about the Zhentilar: whether they are ac- simply will not be caught in the act, re-
find Purple Dragons moving against tually Cyric’s men, and whether he is gardless of PC precautions. This moves
them, several hundred strong. helping or hindering them. The PCs can the story along smoothly. But if the PCs
take part or try to guide this argument as posted an alert guard or took clever pre-
Cyric's Zhentilar they wish, but Midnight refuses to believe
Cyric is really an enemy.
cautions, they can catch the thieves red-
handed.
All these men have chain mail and Suddenly PCs smell smoke in the woods In this case, alert PCs notice the half-
shield (AC 4) or better. All have access to a to the west of the road. If they investigate, lings just as one thief is heading into the
light crossbow and two cases of 21 quar- they find a narrow trail. Tree branches forest with Midnight’s spell book. The
rels each, and to a spear or a pike. All meet above it at about chest height (for a others are looting the party’s saddlebags.
carry a long sword or a mace, a hand axe, human), forming a very low roof. These Try to focus attention on the ones still in
and two daggers. Optionally, some may branches can be cut away to clear the the camp, and not on the thief who lifted
also wield war hammers, battle axes, or trail. the spell book.
bastard swords. The halflings, once discovered, run like
They are all experienced fighters. bunnies. PCs can attack, trap, or pursue
The trail winds down and then up
Dalzhel, Cyric’s second in command, is a them. But in the forest the halflings prob-
through thick stands of sumac, until it
4th level fighter with 36 hp. The others in ably outdistance their pursuit. By the
reaches a stand of black oaks. From
the troop include 10 3rd level fighters (25 time the PCs follow the trail to the halfling
the center of the stand, in a small
hp), 20 2nd level (18 hp), and 19 1st level lair, the thieves have already destroyed
glade, wisps of smoke are drifting. The
(10 hp). If desired, you can give Cyric’s Midnight’s spell book.
smells of burnt wood and flesh are
men individual names and hit point totals Assuming the party fails to discover the
strong in the air.
. . . but some of them may not live long thefts at once, they find out about their
Midnight points at a ring of stones.
enough to be worth the work. missing gear by dusk. PCs can track the
“A well,” she says quietly.
However, you should prepare a simple thieves, aided by crumbs from some corn
roster list of Cyric’s band. They reappear biscuits that were in the saddlebags.
This was a halfling village known as
throughout this module as foes of the PCs, Aghast at the loss of her spell book, Mid-
Black Oaks. The Zhentilar, impatient to
and it may prove easier to keep track of night insists they search, or she deserts
loot something, chose this village by
their declining strength and numbers in the party to search by herself.
chance. Cyric, their leader, merely
this manner.
shrugged and allowed them to sack it. For
Another approach is to assign Cyric’s
command a variable strength. Simply fol-
himself he took only one item, but what a The Thieves’ Lair
treasure: a magical sword of incredible The trail leads some distance northwest
low the encounter descriptions given
power, formerly owned by a halfling through deep forest to a tiny campfire.
throughout the adventure, suitably ad-
named Sneakabout. There PCs discover two dozen halflings,
justing the band’s numbers according to
the effects of physical chaos, desertions, obviously survivors from the village. The
reinforcements, sickness, offstage fight- Amid the Ruins PCs see that the halflings are using their
ing or scouting, and so on. Though not as own stolen possessions. An old, matronly
PCs may want to scout around, to
realistic as the first approach, this halfling woman is slicing up the missing
make sure there are no lurking brig-
method guarantees that the band always corn biscuits with a PC’s dagger. An old
ands or other menaces. Most of the ad-
presents a threat to the PCs. halfling man drinks wine from the fingers
venturers will probably want to search
of a glove that another PC recognizes. If
the tumbled piles of stone rubble and
the PCs carried spears, the broken spears
Events 5: Ashes at smoking burrow-holes, all that remains
of the village.
are propped over the campfire, and three

Black Oaks Amid the wreckage they discover the

ashes of much wickerware and cloth, the
rabbits are roasting on them.
Because Midnight has lost her spell
The Zhentilar do not pursue the party book (this must occur, regardless of how
trampled remnants of many plants, and
out of sight of the bridge. But if the PCs the rest of the thievery turns out), stealth
forty-five halfling bodies. Ten are males,
try going east or west and then turning and surprise are impossible. With a
the others women and children. Many
south again, they meet the whole band of shriek of horror, Midnight recognizes
were crushed under their collapsed huts.
Zhentilar, moving to intercept them and amid the flames the blackening, crum-
The searchers find no valuables, not even
force them back. If they evade or some- bling ashes of her spell book.
stray arrows or broken weapons. Lawful
how defeat this band, let them proceed Alarmed, the halflings scramble to grab
good PCs should consider gathering the
to their destination. Most of the follow- weapons. They have slings, spears and
slain halflings for burial.
ing encounters can easily be adapted to atlatls (also called woomeras), and a few
While the PCs are busy searching the
their new surroundings, but you must daggers.
ruined village, halfling thieves from the
improvise many details of a southern ad- surrounding woods go silently to work.
venture. They try to steal most or all of the party’s
The rest of this chapter presumes that food and bedrolls, Midnight’s spell book,
the adventurers are warily heading north and a flint-and-steel pouch.

10
 In any case, the party can camp for the
The old halfling mother faces you “She might not have understood the night with the halflings. Berengaria’s
fiercely, raising a stolen dagger with a spell book,” says a new voice. “But faulty Common proves to be a deception.
hiss. “So! What you want?” she says in that’d be all she didn’t understand.” A She can and will answer any PCs’ ques-
broken Common. “Come back to finish gaunt halfling male steps out of the tions about conditions in Cormyr, the
job? Tall ones all the same. Come to loot darkness. A bandage is bound around whereabouts of possible supplies and tu-
rich halfling cities.” She steps forward, his forehead. His eyes are red, and his tors, and the like. She can furnish the PCs
waving the dagger. “Not take Berenga- skin an unhealthy gray. with water and many fresh berries and
ria without fight!” The other halflings back away, whis- carrots for their journey.
Midnight, ignoring Berengaria’s dag- pering among themselves. The new- Allow the heroes, especially lawful
ger, rushes to the fire and scrabbles in comer steps to the fire and picks up good PCs, to help the halflings. They
it for her spell book. She is too late. the rabbits. “Have these,” he says to could donate money or supplies; a priest
Nothing is left. “Gone,” she says softly, you. “There are plenty more where PC could send a message to his temples
staring into the flames. A single tear they came from, and it’s less than a fair seeking aid for the demihumans; they
runs down her cheek. trade for what you’ve lost. could even take the halflings with them
“The name’s Atherton Cooper,” says on a search for a new home. However, the
PCs can fight the halflings or call a the newcomer. “But most call me rest of the adventure makes no provision
truce. NPCs, even Midnight, recommend Sneakabout.” for the continued presence of any of the
a truce. They do not take part in attacks halflings except for Sneakabout.
on the halflings.
Fight: The able-bodied halflings of the
Meet Sneakabout Setting Out
village were away hunting when the Sneakabout is a 4th level halfling thief:
Sneakabout tells the party he knows the
Zhentilar raided. Now they are back, so AC 4 (leather plus Dex bonus); hp 22;
deep forest trails, and he asks their route
the PCs don’t have an easy time of it. THAC0 19 (17 with missiles); #AT 1; Dmg
of travel. If the PCs don’t have a route in
There are 16 able-bodied halflings, all by weapon (short sword, 2 daggers, sling
mind, he suggests that they go to Evening-
LN, all equipped with with short swords with 16 stones); Str 14, Dex 18, Con 15, Int
star, and from there find their way west-
(1d6 damage) but no armor (AC 7). Four 16, Wis 12, Cha 16; AL CG (CN tendencies,
ward out of Cormyr.
2nd level fighters have 14 hp each. Four due to his recent ownership of the magi-
The next morning the party sets off. If
2nd level thieves have 10 hp. Four fighter/ cal sword now in Cyric’s possession). An
they have accepted Sneakabout as their
thieves are 1st level in each class, with empty sword scabbard swings at his belt.
guide, he promises to take them through
only 6 hp each. Finally, four 1st level If asked about it, he simply shrugs and
the very heart of the King’s Forest, where
thieves have 6 hp. say, “I lost it. I’ll get it back.”
men seldom go, in hopes of avoiding
Eight 0-level halflings, old people or Sneakabout asks the party if they’ve
Zhentilar and zealous Purple Dragon offi-
children, have no weapons and do not at- run into any Zhentilar in Cormyr.
cers alike.
tack. However, they bravely rush in the
path of the PCs’ attacks to protect their “I have unfinished business with those
loved ones. Throwing themselves at the
PCs’ feet, they scream for mercy. PCs who
butchers,” he says grimly. “As do all the Event 6:
murder these halflings are showing evil
menfolk of Black Oaks! It might have
been different if all the fathers had not Walking Trees
alignment tendencies.
Try to show bloodthirsty PCs that these
been out hunting!
“To think men’d come with swords
and Wildwood
halflings represent no threat. Their vil- and all, here in Cormyr! King Azoun’ll The party travels on through old, deep
lage and families have been destroyed; hear of this, see if he doesn’t! And those woods of shady gloom and ancient, tower-
they have nothing left and nowhere to go. Zhentilar—they’ll hear of it too, before ing trees. Consult the King’s Forest
They stole the supplies just to survive. long!” A dagger flashes up into the air Encounter Table, checking for encounters
Truce: These pathetic halflings evoke from his boot, twinkles in the firelight, once every 1d10 turns (or 1d6 turns when-
the NPCs’ sympathy. To avoid a fight and and falls back into his waiting hand. ever the party makes a lot of noise). Brig-
prove their friendship, the NPCs suggest He looks at you all in the gathering ands encountered have meager treasure;
letting the halflings keep what they have twilight. “It seems to me,” he says prepare such booty before play begins.
taken. This is for the PCs to decide ulti- softly, “that you might be in need of a Whenever an encounter is called for,
mately, of course. The halflings sadly sur- guide—and protection, too, just in case roll 1d6. If the result is a 6, do not check
render their stolen goods if asked. you run into any more Zhentilar here- the table; instead, the encounter is an at-
Though Midnight laments her lost spell abouts. Well?” tempted ambush by one of Cyric’s Zhenti-
book, she does not blame the thieves. “It’s lar patrols.
all right,” she tells them. “You didn’t un- The PCs can accept or reject Sneak- The patrol consists of seven men: six 1st
derstand.” about as a guide. Establish him as a sym- level fighters, all AC 4 and having 10 hp,
pathetic character with goals much like led by a 2nd level fighter. The leader
those of the PCs. The adventure proceeds wears plate mail (AC 3), has 18 hp, and
more smoothly if Sneakabout is along, but wields a battle axe or bastard sword as his
his presence is not vital. primary weapon.

11
 The men of the patrol wear chain mail midway between Eveningstar and the
and bear shields. All except the leader Dhedluk/Immersea bridge, where gravel Event 7: The
have a spear and a light crossbow with 21
quarrels. Everyone carries a long sword
bars allow the party to cross over the
Starwater River to the western side. If an Glowing Glade
or a mace, a hand axe, and two daggers. encounter occurs here, it should be with When at last the exhausted party de-
If the party runs into three Zhentilar an aquatic monster such as a giant gar. cides to camp for the night, they come
patrols, the third should be larger than The western bank of the Starwater at upon a glade in the deep forest. It is in a
the others—11 men, including two 2nd this spot is thickly grown, an old and dark hollow atop a wooded hill, amid rolling
level fighters. woods (some say haunted). Here only ground deep in the forest, not far from
If the PCs question captive Zhentilar, elves, rangers, halflings, and the bravest the Starwater. It is of natural origin, and is
the prisoners say they sailed from Scar- of hunters go. The Zhentilar do not know safe and uninhabited.
dale to Tantras and then to Cormyr—with their way around this area. The party eats as dusk falls. Read the
Cyric, who promised them much loot. So following:
3. Trees on the March
far Cyric hasn’t led them to this loot; some
The lead character scouts ahead along
discontented Zhentilar sacked Sneak-
an unfamiliar trail—and comes running An orange glow steals silently into ex-
about’s village, though Cyric gave no or-
back to the party screaming in terror. istence above the fire. As you notice it
der to do this.
curling gently in midair, it splits into
(Midnight uses this statement as proof
“Off the trail!” the scout cries. “Now!” nine little spheres of radiance. These
that Cyric is not truly evil. In fact, Cyric
Behind the onrushing scout you hear a darken and start to spin, turning blue
didn’t care that the village was destroyed;
deep rumbling, crashing noise. and then silver. They drift outward in
he simply saw no purpose in doing so.)
Leaves stir and dance, and a huge syc- a widening ring.
The prisoners say Cyric has ordered the
amore tree suddenly lurches forward The ring silently expands until it en-
Zhentilar to drive the PCs north to
into view, swinging its branches like a closes the entire glade. The spheres
Eveningstar, arranging ambushes and tip-
dozen flailing arms. Its roots creak as change shape in the air. Each forms the
ping off the Purple Dragons if the PCs go
they crawl along the ground like the image of a mouth—a human mouth,
south. “Suzail is already closed to you . . .
and Marsember, too.” rushing feet of a centipede. The ground surrounded by a moustache and
trembles as the trunk of the tree twists beard! No faces appear; all of these
bearded mouths hang disembodied in
Encounters along the ground. Then the trunk rises
again as the tree strides on. the air in a huge ring around the glade.
During this event, introduce the Another tree follows right behind One mouth moves. You hear a famil-
encounters that follow when the party the first. Mud rises in showers as many iar dry, fussy, accented voice. “Well
reaches appropriate locations in the sycamores march in its wake. The met, friends! We are still friends, are
woods. noise is awesome, the ground shakes, we not? We both, I trust, wish the
and trees topple or are smashed aside Realms to survive.” It is the voice of
1. Watching the Watchmen Elminster the Sage.
If Sneakabout is guiding the party, he by the marching sycamores.
offers to lead them along the banks of the Though currently far away across
Starwater, under the bridge that carries The sycamores are part of the chaos of
the Realms, perhaps directed by an avatar Faerun, Elminster has clairvoyantly lo-
the Dhedluk/Immersea road across it, to cated the heroes. He wants to remind
avoid patrols. or a spell gone wrong. They march to a vil-
lage or city of the DM’s choice and attack them of their mission and answer their
Unknown to Sneakabout, seven Zhenti- questions, and he has chosen a typically
lar watchmen hold the bridge. These are its walls, not ceasing until the end of this
adventure. They do not attack PCs or ap- flashy method of doing so.
identical in strength to the seven-man The mouths are unaffected by physical
Zhentilar patrol described above, except pear to notice PC activities, but any charac-
ter who gets in the way is simply trampled, attacks or any magic—including, for the
that two horses are tethered nearby. If moment at least, dispel magic.
the watchmen spot the PCs, two men hurled aside, or torn limb from limb.
Allow Dexterity checks to avoid any or The initial glow above the fire is equiva-
mount the horses and ride off to report to lent to an amber faerie fire, and the
Cyric. The other watchmen engage the all of these misfortunes. Suggested dam-
age is 1d6 per misfortune if a check is suc- bearded magic mouths speak even if
party and try to hold them at the spot un- characters flee out of the ring as it forms.
til Cyric and the other warriors arrive cessful, and 2d8 if a check fails. Horses
four rounds later. suffer the same damage.
The party should easily win though, A resourceful party could “ride” the Talking With
especially if they dispose of the messen- trees, or tag along in their wake to avoid
enemy encounters. This can be challeng-
Nine Mouths
gers before they can get away. But add ex-
ing, for the trees move quickly, without Allow the characters to talk with
citement by pursuing them for a while
stopping. But if the PCs have too easy a Elminster as long as they like. He can an-
with crossbow quarrels through the
time of their journey, physical chaos even- swer most of their questions, particu-
trees.
tually subsides, and the trees collapse into larly those that let them go forward with
2. Starwater Ford so many logs. the adventure.
Eventually the party should reach Here are some typical questions and
Starwater Ford, along the river about

12
samples of Elminster’s answers. If the For anyone may win the tablets and re-
players don’t ask all these questions, don’t deem the Balance. Ao has hinted at god-
go out of the way to work in the extra an- hood for any being who gives him the
swers; just let them pass. Don’t tell the tablets.
players more than they want to know. “Ao would see that which sets us all
What is happening to the Realms? apart from the beasts: the magnificence
One mouth along the ring speaks: of deed and achievement, love and friend-
“What’s going on? Well you might ask. It’s ship and aiding one another—that which
soars above mere survival. And so, of
all rather confusing, really.” The mouth
clears its throat and says, “This bit’s course, ye come into the picture.” The
mouth chuckles.
rather important. So bend thy ears.”
A second mouth takes up the tale. “Each What should we do?
god of Faerun has a portfolio, a profession “All ye need do is find the second tablet,
or natural force which that being and take both to the highest point in the
dominates—and know ye, that good and city of Waterdeep.”
evil, law and chaos and neutrality all are The next mouth over gives a warning.
balanced evenly, greater gods and lesser, “Ye need not worry about Bane. But the
demigods and all. All hangs in the second thief, Myrkul, is still your foe—and
Balance—an ever-shifting Balance, to be it is his tablet that ye now seek. I’m afraid I
true, but a Balance nonetheless.” know not where it is, but the old seer
Another mouth speaks. “Or, as ye might Alaundo mentions that ‘in the Time of
guess, is supposed to. The Balance is no Troubles, all roads will end in Waterdeep.’
more, for the gods have fallen down into So perhaps you’d best head up that way.
Faerun. Now every great power and “As you search, take care. Other gods
demigod strives among mortals, hardly are just as dangerous as Myrkul—Bhaal,
more than mortals themselves. They ne- his servant, for one. The God of
glect the Balance, and chaos has stricken Murder. . . .”
What happened to Bane and Torm?
the lands.”
“The God of Strife battled the God of
How did the gods fall? Duty in mortal combat—or perhaps I Concluding the Talk
“Know ye that there is one god above all mean immortal combat. They destroyed
PCs can ask other questions of Elmin-
the gods of Faerun, a being known as Ao, one another. As ye have seen, when a god
ster; improvise the answers at will, but
the One Who Is Hidden. dies, his energies scatter in an instant,
note the following: Elminster knows noth-
“Ao it was, so we are told, who created with the power of ten thousand bolts of
ing, yet, of Myrkul and Bhaal’s plan to herd
the gods, to bring order out of chaos, so lightning.
Midnight toward the gate to Hades. Elmin-
that our world could exist, each beast in “Those forces have wrought strange
ster knows nothing about Cyric. Elminster
its place and each plant in its niche, all in new forms in the lands around Tantras,
cannot warn the PCs regarding any sur-
harmony.” though not, fortunately, in the city itself.
prises still to come in this adventure.
The mouth falls silent, and another “When Midnight rang the Bell of Aylen
After the PCs have finished asking ques-
mouth takes up the tale. “Standard talk, I Attricus in that tower in Tantras, she acti-
tions of Elminster, conclude the scene
know, but evidently true. Two of the vated an age-old power. The bell protected
with this passage:
gods, Bane and Myrkul, dared to go the city from destruction when the gods
against the Balance created by Ao. They exploded. Only a wizard of great power
stole the two Tablets of Fate. Their theft and caring heart could ring the bell. It is “Forget not this: Whatever befalls ye,
so angered Ao that he cast the gods down, only because her friends got her there to all roads end in Waterdeep. Go on with
supposedly to teach them weakness and ring the bell that Tantras survives today. my good wishes, all of you, and save
humility. But the gods are willful, and “Ye need not fear Bane, nor his well- the Realms. The gods know it’s high
usurp each other’s powers and influence, meaning brother Torm—one so blind with time someone else should do so!”
and strive one with the other.” pride that he knew not that Bane’s tablet The mouths fade into silver motes of
lay hidden in his own temple cellar!” radiance, and then drift to join each
What happened to Mystra? other in a shimmering, silvery ring of
“Ah, Mystra! Her power was within How can the problem be solved?
“The gods’ planes are shut against them, radiance. It encircles the entire glade
everything, and gathered stronger within in midair.
a few in these lands, including one among the ways there guarded by Helm. To get
ye. Yet even Mystra fought and argued back, the gods must find the Tablets of
Fate and present them to Helm. We must The ring remains until morning, unless
and connived, as if she were . . . human.” it is dispelled. It poses no barrier or harm
The mouth chuckles. hope that, once they resume their sta-
tions, the gods can restore order.” to any party member, but turns aside all
Another mouth speaks. “Mystra is no wandering woodland creatures.
more, although her power will pass on. Why should we look for the tablets?
She will never entirely perish, so long as “This test Ao has set for the gods. And
there is magic in the world.” for men, too, aye, and all the mortal races.

13
 This chapter opens as the characters lage from the west to avoid the guarded unlimited food and drink.
awaken in the deep woods of Cormyr. bridges. The innkeeper is Dunman Kiriag,
The ring of light caused by Elminster’s If Sneakabout is not guiding the party, known for his kindness and soft-spoken
spell has faded. Midnight can think of PCs may run into a guard at a bridge. honesty. Dunman is a burly, black-haired,
nothing but her lost spell book. She needs Each guard has the same abilities and affable man (F5, hp 42, Str 17, AL NG). He
a spell book to cast spells, and the party equipment as the constables in Event 3 of understands at least the basics of most
certainly needs her magic! Everyone the last chapter. languages spoken by humans and demi-
should agree at this point that one of the The guard may or may not be expecting humans in these parts, and is never with-
first things they must do is find a way to trouble, depending on details of the PCs’ out a dagger +4 that is strapped to one
replace the lost book. departure from Wheloon. If the Purple forearm under his sleeve.
Dragons are hunting the party, Evening-

Event 1: star’s guards will recognize the adventur-

ers and try to sound the alarm. Otherwise
Dunman ushers you all through a cur-
tain into a dim, quiet room in the back.
The King’s Forest the guard greets them peaceably, asks
their destination and business, and allows
A small fire in a fireplace throws re-
flections off polished shields on the
As the party travels, consult the King’s them to pass unmolested. He recom-
walls. “If you’d spend the night here,
Forest Encounter Table, checking for mends lodging at the Lonesome Tankard
we’ll have wine and roast boar before
encounters every 1d10 turns (or 1d6 Inn (see below). you in but a breath or two. Khair will
turns whenever the party makes a lot of serve you. Would you like to see the
noise).
Twice during the day the adventurers
Eveningstar rooms?”
meet Zhentilar patrols, who harry them This is a pretty market town set among
prosperous farms. Windowboxes are A young serving girl, her long hair tied
with crossbow quarrels from behind, back with a scarf, hurries in with a smile
hurrying them northward. Introduce crowded with many flowers. Trees grow
in plenty among the small, pretty wooden and a decanter of chilled wine.
these patrols whenever the PCs turn the Any PC who wants to see the rooms ac-
party toward any destination other than houses and stone-and-timber shops.
Unfortunately, like those of many other companies Dunman up a broad wooden
Eveningstar. stair that rises out of the dining room.
Zhentilar patrols are identical with farm villages, the folk of Eveningstar are
up before dawn but go to bed early. As Opening off a hallway, the rooms all over-
those described in the previous chapter: look the stables. Behind them, a curve of
six 1st level fighters, all with 10 hp and AC the PCs travel the streets in the gathering
night, the shops are shuttered and dark. the Starwater glimmers in the growing
4 (chain mail and shield), led by a 2nd level moonlight. A light rain has begun to fall.
fighter with 18 hp and AC 3 (plate mail, no The streets are empty.
Midnight knocks hopefully at several The party should be quite tired. NPCs
shield). The leader is armed with a battle
shop doors in hopes of finding someone will retire; PCs can stay up late if they
axe or a bastard sword. The warriors wish. In the dining room they can pick up
carry spears and light crossbows with 21 willing to trade gold for a bottle of ink, a
quill or two, and a ledger or chapbook. No rumors; draw them from the Wheloon
quarrels. Everyone also has a long sword, Rumor Table in the previous chapter, or
a mace, a hand axe, and two daggers. one answers her rappings.
At a crossroads stands a large, three- make up new ones.
The adventurers spend a wary, weary Everyone seems especially sure that the
day of tramping through seemingly story stone building, lamps lit and a faint
murmur of speech audible from within. Darkhold fortress is making passage
endless damp, dark forest, approaching through the Far Hills impossible. This is
Eveningstar only at dusk. Above the broad, rolling roof of the front
porch hangs a signboard proclaiming this true, and the PCs should reconsider if they
to be “The Lonesome Tankard: Inn and Sta- had planned that route to Waterdeep. A
Event 2: bles. Fine Ale and Finer Meals.” This looks safer way to travel is through Stormhorn
Pass, which takes the party past the for-
An Evening in like the most suitable place for lodgings.
tress of High Horn, and then through the

Eveningstar The Lonesome Sunset Mountains north of Darkhold, em-

erging due east of Corm Orp.
Tankard If PCs engage Dunman in conversation,
he proves to be a garrulous veteran of
As purple twilight settles over the for- A map of The Lonesome Tankard Inn is many campaigns. Assuming they say
est, you see twinkling lights far ahead, provided. Two smiling stableboys come
glimmering through the trees: the nothing to offend the honor of the Purple
forward to take the party’s horses; they Dragons, Dunman takes a liking to them.
lights of Eveningstar, the prettiest vil- wave away any coins offered them. En-
lage in Cormyr. tering by the sets of double doors opening
in from the porch, the adventurers find “A little traveler’s tip,” he says. “When
If Sneakabout is guiding the party, he themselves in a happily noisy dining you need a Dragon’s help, just say, ‘Aid,
says there is a lone guard standing watch, room. Here they can locate the innkeeper in Azoun’s name!’ Then they’ll know
under one of those road-lanterns, at each and arrange rooms for the party. The cost it’s an emergency . . . because if you in-
bridge. The halfling recommends they is 2 sp per room per night, stabling and an voke the king’s name in vain, you’re in
cross over the road and come in to the vil- evening and morning meal included, with trouble!”

14
 PCs can also slip away to explore great mountain fortress of High Horn,
Eveningstar. However, nothing of interest north? They’re yours as well?” several hours’ journey to the west.
is happening in this quiet village so late at “Right again,” says Cyric. “I wanted 2. The avatar of Bhaal is seeking Mid-
night. Eventually the characters should you in Eveningstar.” night and the tablet.
go to bed. “Why? What hazards lie to the 3. Cyric can defend Midnight better
south?” than the PCs can. With the Tablets of Fate,
A Meeting With Cyric “Why, the forces of Bane’s allies, of
course. The Black Lord may have per-
the two of them can command immense
power.
Much later that night, one or more of ished, but he has many friends—and Midnight never agrees to desert her
the PCs (make Intelligence checks to de- dead men are the least of them. That is friends and join Cyric—and Cyric will not
termine who) is disturbed by the scrape why I came.” join the PCs.
of a boot in the hall outside, followed al- “To rejoin us?” she asks quietly. If the PCs try to capture or kill Cyric, his
most immediately by the faint sound of “That is not what I mean. I’ve come magical sword protects him; go to the “At-
one of the room doors opening. for you—and the tablet. Your friends tack” section (above). If they permit him
Then they hear Midnight whisper, “I’m cannot protect you. I can. Leave with to leave freely, Cyric goes outside and sig-
so happy to see you!” me.” nals his Zhentilar warriors to attack.
Inquisitive PCs find that their room Midnight shakes her head. “I can’t,”
doors can be opened in silence. If they
watch, they see Midnight standing in the
she says. “I won’t.”
Cyric says, “Think! Do you not real-
The Zhentilar Attack
hall. At the head of the stairs is a hawk- ize the power we can possess? With Cyric sends 50 Zhentilar soldiers to
nosed man—Cyric. Observers note a red- the Tablets of Fate, we can be gods!” drive the party westward toward High
dish glow briefly from within his cloak, as His voice trembles with excitement. He Horn. They approach the inn with maxi-
he sheathes a half-drawn blade. “You . . . looks wild-eyed and dangerous. mum noise and no great speed, since
er, I’m happy to see you as well,” he replies. Midnight says sharply, “That’s blas- Cyric wants the adventurers to flee, not
PCs may or may not be happy to see phemy!” fight. Anyone looking outside can see
Cyric. They can attack, eavesdrop on the “Blasphemy?” Cyric laughs. “Against huge numbers of soldiers, clearly too
conversation, or join it. whom? The gods are here, tearing the many to battle.
Realms apart trying to recover the tab- The party should be caught up in a wild
Attack: If they attack immediately, Mid-
lets. Our destiny is now ours to make!” frenzy of scurrying, snatching up things
night tries to cast a wall of force or other
“Let me warn you,” he continues. and packing, and getting half-dressed. If
magic to prevent their impulsive actions.
“The gods are trailing you. Not two Sneakabout is along, he has dangled a
(Although her spell book is gone, she still
nights past, Bhaal butchered three of rope out the open window of his room,
has some spells in memory . . . or so it
my best men. The Lord of Murder! scurried down it, and saddled the party’s
would appear; see Event 5 in this chapter
Had Bhaal wished to stay for a few mo- horses for a quick getaway. Otherwise,
for a full explanation of what is happening
ments, he could have killed us all. But PCs can choose their own escape route
to Midnight.) After using her magic, or try-
he did not. Do you know why?” and either saddle their own horses or
ing to, she steps aside in smooth haste. “Do
Midnight remains silent. steal others.
not force me to choose between friends,”
Cyric hisses, “Because Bhaal wants If the PCs disagree on whether to fight
she says to Cyric warningly.
you. You and the tablet!” He lets go of or flee, read the following section aloud:
If her magic fails, Cyric fights defen-
sively with his new magical sword. “You Midnight and steps back, their gazes
will have to make that decision sooner still locked. “You will never live to de- The rain has stopped. You hear the
than you think,” he spits out. Then he flees, liver the tablet,” he adds calmly. “No front door of the inn crash open, and
if possible; the sword can teleport him out- matter where you go, Bhaal will find the thunder of booted feet. A chair ov-
side the inn, if necessary. From there he you and he will kill your friends—kill erturns with a crash. Thumps from
signals his troops to attack (see below). them in ways more painful than you heavy boots sound on the stairs, and
can imagine.” then you hear the quiet, steely voice of
Eavesdrop: Read players as much of Midnight shudders. “No,” she says. “I Dunman, the innkeeper.
the following conversation as they care won’t permit it." “Just a moment, gentlemen. Rooms
to hear. Let them interrupt at any time, are two silver falcons a night” —you
and when they do, go to the “Join” sec-
At this point, the conversation ends. If hear the clash of steel upon steel— “and
tion (below).
the PCs don’t interfere, Cyric leaves to I let them only to those folk I choose to
signal his Zhentilar to attack the inn (see have under my roof.” Steel rings and
Midnight takes Cyric’s arm and draws below). clashes again, and you hear a curse.
him away from the stairs. She asks in a “And I must admit,” the innkeeper‘s
low voice, “Were those your arrows Join: Any watching PCs can join in at voice resumes, “that I’m beginning to
aiding us against those warriors in any time. Cyric treats them contemptu- entertain negative thoughts as to ad-
Hermit’s Wood?” ously. In talking with them, Cyric tries to mitting yourselves!”
Cyric nods. “I trust the tablet is safe?” get across the following points: There is a short scream, a grunt, the
“Of course,” Midnight replies. “And 1. The southern route is too dangerous clatter of a dropped blade, and Dun-
the Zhentilar who’ve been forcing us to travel. The only safe route lies past the man chuckles. You can hear no more.

15
 If any PCs try to stay and fight, they are
shoved aside by Khair (the girl who
Flee: The PCs must ride off the road,
going either north or south into the foot- Event 4: Dinner
served them dinner earlier), who hisses at
them, “Get you gone! You’ll be in the way!
hills west of Tyrluk. Suspicious at the ad-
venturers’ behavior, the Cormyreans at High Horn
Go!” She has a heavy double crossbow in pursue. The soldiers break off the chase, High Horn is a mighty, many-towered
her hand. She fires over Dunman’s shoul- however, when a rear guard shouts castle perched atop a crag overlooking
der into the faces of oncoming Zhentilar, “Zhentilar!” The Purple Dragons chase the narrowest point in Stormhorn Pass.
as the innkeeper holds the stairs with a Cyric’s band back toward Eveningstar, Frowning gatehouses guard the three
great two-handed sword. leaving the PCs to continue their journey. windswept paths that bend and twist up
The snorting of horses and the creak of (However, the Zhentilar escape.) to it.
leather as everyone mounts and ties on The only safe route lies toward High Alert guardsmen sound long horns as
packs drowns out further sounds of com- Horn in the west, but let the PCs take the party comes within sight of High Horn
bat. A moment later, the PCs are riding whatever path they like. Run encounters castle. Over 60 mounted, plate-mailed
hard across the crossroads. with monsters or Zhentilar patrols, and Purple Dragons emerge from the nearest
There is one surprised Zhentilar soldier translate later events into the PCs’ new gatehouse to block the road.
here. The PCs should have no trouble dis- surroundings.
patching him. Then the adventurers ride
Enlist Aid: The PCs can tell a convinc- Tharsar rides forward alone to report.
into the night. They soon find that Cyric’s
ing story; offer the code phrase “Aid, in He confers with the Swordcaptain of
men block all avenues out of Eveningstar
Azoun’s name!” if they learned it from the the Pass for quite some time. Then he
except the road to the west, toward
innkeeper Dunman; or just stall until the returns, smiling.
Stormhorn Pass.
Zhentilar appear. When the Purple Drag- “You are to be guests of the Lord
ons see the Zhentilar, the Cormyreans Commander of High Horn, Kae
Event 3: Meeting part to pass by the adventurers without a Deverell,” he says. “Follow us on up.
word, and promptly charge at the oncom- But draw no weapons, I warn you.
in the Peaks ing Zhentilar. Some of the lads tend to loose shafts in
The Cormyrean soldiers are 2nd level haste, and think on it later.”
Fleeing with Cyric’s men hot on their fighters with 17 hp each. All wear chain
heels, the adventurers ride desperately mail and carry shields (AC 4), and are As the PCs pass through the thick cur-
west toward the far-off safety of High armed with light horse lances (1d6 dam- tain wall into the castle proper, the cloud-
Horn. Streaming clouds cloak the moon pe- age), crossbows, long swords, darts, and strewn night skies open up, and a gentle
riodically, plunging the road into darkness. daggers. but chilly autumn rain begins to fall.
Dodging the occasional crossbow bolt, The PCs hear barked orders. Cyric’s
they charge through Tyrluk. No map of men wheel about and flee back east on
the village is provided, as the night is dark Tharsar points across a vast courtyard
the road, soon outdistancing the ponies of
and the chase very close, offering PCs no to an inner tower, a keep surrounded
the Purple Dragons with their larger,
time to turn aside, take cover, call for aid, by a moat, which in turn is sur-
stronger chargers.
or snatch up anything. rounded by a low ring-wall. “Leave
The trailcaptain of the Cormyrean pa-
The four rearmost adventurers are your mounts with the gate guard,” he
trol is Tharsar Immerlund (F5, AC 1, Int
each attacked twice during their wild says, “and walk across the drawbridge
17, Dex 17). He is armed with a long
ride. The hard-riding Zhentilar are slowly to the portal within. The Lord Com-
sword + 1. Tharsar sends 12 soldiers to
overtaking the party, but the pace is fran- mander awaits your attendance at ta-
follow and scout the Zhentilar, then con-
tic and the night dark: only rolls of 20 suc- ble.” He grins. “I hope you like ale.”
tinues toward High Horn. If the PCs ha-
ceed in striking PCs. The Zhentilar light ven’t fled out of easy earshot, he offers
crossbow bolts do 1d4 damage. Tharsar’s patrol turns aside to a bar-
the adventurers an escort.
The pursuing soldiers are too numer- racks. The party rides straight across the
If the PCs accept the offer, they and
ous for the adventurers to safely turn and courtyard to the drawbridge, where sen-
their new escort reach High Horn in the
fight them. The NPCs will certainly not tinels armed with pikes await them.
dark of night without further incident. Go
stop—and if the PCs know what’s good for Guards escort the advrenturers into the
to the next event.
them, they will keep on riding as well. keep, guiding them to a high-ceilinged,
If any PCs want to go elsewhere, chase
Eventually, while riding up the rising road shield-hung feast hall. There the Lord Kae
the Zhentilar, or split up, let them. Cyric’s
into the mountains, the adventurers Deverell, a stout, bearded man, rises from
band continues to harry them until they
come upon a troop of 36 Cormyrean sol- his seat, tankard in hand.
evade or defeat it. If they don’t go to High
diers riding hardy mountain ponies. Horn, skip the next event. When the PCs
These Purple Dragons are returning to settle down for the night, translate Event “Well met, travelers! I’m told you were
High Horn from extended patrol in the 5 to their new surroundings. set upon by Zhentilar this night! In
Stonelands. The Purple Dragons turn at atonement, I offer the safety of the
the party’s approach, spear points swing- keep, and a ready, hot meal! What say
ing around. you?”
PCs can flee in another direction or try
to enlist the soldiers’ aid.

16
 As Lord Deverell speaks, servants carry passed out by now), this is impolite at
fresh platters in from the kitchen on their best. Event 5:
shoulders: steaming roast goat on rice, in
mushroom sauce. The smell is delightful.
Prying characters must avoid discovery
by the castle’s numerous guards. A char- To Battle Murder
Fifteen officers and six “war wizards” of acter caught snooping gets one diplo- In the early hours of the morning,
the Purple Dragons sit around the long ta- matic warning from the watchcaptain; if shouts awaken the PCs:
ble, drinking wine and sipping cabbage the PC is caught a second time, the guards “Halt in the name of Azoun, the Purple
soup. Tubs of ice on the table hold ale jugs. politely lock the character in his or her Dragon!”
Servants have set fresh places for the ad- room. “Stay back! Back, or I’ll—aiieee!”
venturers. No map of High Horn is provided in this "No! No!”
PCs can accept or reject the invitation. adventure. If a PC successfully sneaks “Watch him! He’ll—aaghh!”
If they reject it, Lord Deverell appears around the castle, improvise descriptions PCs must take at least two rounds to
amused and bears no ill will. The party of a routine castle operation, or adapt a grab a weapon and shield, prepare a mag-
can eat in their quarters in the castle. Skip castle map from another TSR product. ical item, and/or put on armor before
to the next section (“Looking Around”). The only notable feature of High Horn in- they rush outside to investigate. (Sneak-
However, the NPCs recommend accept- volves the central keep; see “The Stair- about, if he is with the party, is already
ing Deverell’s invitation. If the party ac- case,” below. prowling around the keep on his own.
cepts the invitation, they follow servants Midnight also awakens, but stays in her
Talking to Guards: PCs can stay
to their seats, and dig into the feast with room, unsure of her usefulness without
where they’re supposed to and talk to the
gusto. her spells.)
guards. Regarding the disappearances that
Twice during the meal, a page boy run- In the flickering torchlight, PCs who
the page mentioned to Lord Deverell, the
ning messages from the watchcaptain in- leave their rooms see the reason for the
guards know nothing definite. But they
terrupts Lord Deverell to whisper in his shouting. Read this aloud:
gladly pass along plenty of stories about
ear. Each time, allow the nearest PCs In-
ghosts that supposedly haunted the keep.
telligence checks to notice the brief inter-
These stories are completely false—at least On the stone stair below the landing,
ruption. A successful check means that
so far as this adventure is concerned. four chain mail-clad guards armed
the PCs overhear that, according to the
The Staircase: Investigating the cas- with halberds and short swords face a
watchcaptain, guards are missing—first
tle, PCs may find one interesting architec- single unarmed man. The man is
two from the outer curtain wall, then
tural feature. If the proficiency rules are climbing upward, empty-handed. His
three from the inner curtain. Lord
simple tunic is torn wide open, show-
Deverell nods each time, but does not dis- being used, give characters with engi-
ing a gaunt, bony body covered with
cuss the matter with PCs. neering, carpentry, or other construction
skills a proficiency check. If the profi- many cuts and gouges. He stands little
Lord Deverell drinks heartily. From the
ciency rules are not used, give any char- more than a head taller than a halfling.
expressions of the officers around, it is
acter an Intelligence check. His head is shaved bald and tattooed
apparent that the lord often gets roaring
If the check succeeds, the character ob- with green and red swirls.
drunk at evenfeast. Establish his jovial, es-
serves that the staircase landings on each The man’s face is ugly, with nervous,
sentially shallow personality for the PCs.
floor of the keep are built to collapse! The bulging eyes, buck teeth, a small nose,
Later in the adventure, they encounter
landings are made of loose stones, fitted and flaplike ears. His eyes burn with a
Lord Deverell—or at least his form—in a
into wooden frames. The frames are sup- strange intensity as he calmly walks up
far different context.
ported by single-beam supports, wedged the stairs.
When Deverell finally succumbs to
drink, two grumbling officers put him to in massive wooden brackets.
Iron cranks located in rooms on each This is the avatar of Bhaal, the God of
bed. Another four carry drunken PCs and
landing can retract these brackets into Murder. He has possessed the body of a
NPCs up to their rooms. The guest apart-
the walls by means of rack-and-pinion disciple and punished it mercilessly during
ments are on the fourth floor of the keep:
plain chambers that open off staircase gears. This is evidently a defensive mea- his long journey to High Horn. (The abili-
sure; defenders retreating into upper ties of Bhaal’s avatar appear in the appen-
landings. PCs may go up to bed at any
rooms of the keep can cut off access to dix section at the end of this adventure.)
time, by asking a servant to take them.
their refuges. If the PCs continue to watch, Bhaal kills
the four guards within four rounds. From
Looking Around The staircase itself is solid, although the
collapsing of landings would cause it to one halberdier he grabs the weapon in his
the Castle have long gaps at each collapsed level. bare hands, ignoring the gash it creates;
with the weapon he casually sweeps two
Important: Make it clear to the players The collapsible landings are not espe-
cially easy to detect because they were in- guards off the staircase.
that the staircase to their quarters spirals A third halberdier impales the avatar.
up the open center of the keep. This may corporated into the original construction
of the keep. The architecture of the for- Bhaal grabs the halberd’s shaft protrud-
become important later in the event. ing from his chest, holds it firmly in place
PCs can try to wander the castle. If tress looks centuries old.
and charges up the stairs. He drives the
Sneakabout is along, he encourages this. weapon’s shaft through the guard’s
However, without Lord Deverell as a mailed chest.
guide (and he’s either busy drinking or

17
 The avatar then punches the fourth and Stress the word “previous.” Bhaal has present him with an illusory Tablet of
last guard, shattering his blade as though taken over the guard’s dead body; it is Fate or pretend to “summon” a rival ava-
it is made of glass, and hurls him down- now his avatar. As such, he again has his tar, Bhaal casts dispel magic or true seeing
stairs. Bhaal then steps onto the landing full hit point total. Bhaal turns smoothly to detect the fraud.
to battle PCs who stand against him. He and hurls his old body down the stairs At any rate, Bhaal enjoys killing. Even if
appears especially interested in the char- into the oncoming soldiers. he is fooled into accepting a false tablet, he
acter who carries the Tablet of Fate. First, should still try to kidnap Midnight. The PCs
he speaks. Fighting Bhaal probably must beat him some other way.

PCs have several options: attack, run, Collapsing the Landing: There is a
The short man stares up at you. In a try to trick Bhaal, or, if they have discov- crank just inside one PC’s room, behind
deep voice he says, “I am Bhaal. Your the door. Turning the crank causes an ear-
ered the feature of the staircase de-
tablet belongs to me.” splitting metallic screeching, as rusty
scribed above, arrange to collapse the
gears pull the support for the landing
staircase on Bhaal.
This is a feint. Bhaal offers this obvious These options are described below. At back into the room.
motive to conceal his real strategy: to kid- the end of this event, a section called “If And then the entire landing collapses
nap Midnight, tell her the location of the PCs Lose” discusses the PCs’ possible with a roar.
Myrkul’s tablet, then let her free so she failure and Bhaal’s victory. Bhaal and any PCs on the landing fall to
can fetch it. However, the PCs should the floor below, amid the loose stones.
have no reason to suspect that Bhaal Attack: A powerful party can chal- The fall does 4d6 damage to everyone. A
wants anything other than the tablet that lenge Bhaal—possibly. After all, he is AC 0 successful PC Dexterity check halves
the party is carrying. and has only 84 hp and 45% magic resist- damage. All items carried or worn must
Make it clear to the PCs that they can- ance. Since he regenerates only 2 hp per save vs. crushing blow.
not, under any circumstances, allow the round, they might overwhelm him. However, Bhaal probably does not die
god to get their Tablet of Fate. According However, when he is in danger of dying this easily:
to Midnight and the other NPCs, to do so during combat, he can simply possess a
would mean Bhaal could rule the Realms! new body, regaining full strength as he
As the dust clears, the avatar of Bhaal
Before the god can engage the PCs, he does so. Bhaal does not possess PCs or im-
lies amid the loose stone rubble. His
passes the door to Midnight’s room. The portant NPCs; instead, he chooses an-
head twists sharply to one side, and his
door suddenly flies open, and Midnight other guard. There is no shortage of these
sprawled body looks crushed and life-
sinks her dagger hilt-deep in the avatar’s men, who throw themselves bravely
less. But his eyes are still open. He
back. against the god. Other than this, Bhaal
stares up at Midnight in anger, and
Bhaal’s eyes open wide in surprise. He prefers not to use magic in combat.
slowly curls his hands into fists, one af-
starts to turn, and PCs can seize the op- The PCs are probably aware by now
ter the other.
portunity to attack. Treat Bhaal’s AC as 10 that when an avatar of a god dies, the ex-
for this surprise attack. NPCs attack as plosion is tremendous. So they may be re-
luctant to inflict fatal damage on Bhaal. If Bhaal ignores PCs crawling away, or
well (including Adon, if he is along). others pulling PCs out of the rubble near
Bhaal’s knees buckle, and the avatar col- they kill Bhaal and he explodes, they have
him. Laboriously he hauls his shattered
lapses, tumbling down the stairs with a one round to prepare defenses or use
magic to escape before the god blows up. body into a sitting position.
roar of anger. At this point the players may think to
Consult Event 2 of Chapter 4 for ways to
collapse the landings on other floors. (If
handle the explosion.
From below, you hear the clatter of they don’t, give them Intelligence checks
The DM may prefer to keep Bhaal alive
boots on the stairs, and shouted or- to think of this, if desired.) It takes one
for the later meeting in Chapter 3, but the
ders. More guards are arriving. round to move upstairs; floors below are
PCs and Midnight may be in no condition
Midnight asks, “Is he . . . dead?” not accessible except through careful
to entrap him (as described below). If so,
Bhaal rolls to his feet and leaps up climbing or magic. Once on other floors,
Bhaal can teleport away when the battle
the stairs, dripping blood. A guard PCs have no difficulty finding the cranks
goes against him.
charges to meet him. that retract the landing supports.
Bhaal smashes the attacking sword Run: This is a prudent idea. Bhaal One stone falls, then another. Then the
aside, then grabs the man’s throat with keeps hard on the party’s heels as they whole landing gives way, plummeting
his other hand. There is a sickening flee High Horn. If they try to move east onto the rubble of the first landing’s fall.
crack, and the guard goes limp. over the pass, he attacks, perhaps killing Bhaal and anyone still in the rubble take a
Suddenly, the guard stands upright, their mounts. If the PCs move west, Bhaal full 4d8 damage from the fall of the sec-
and Bhaal’s body falls. The short man allows the party to “lose” him. He makes ond landing (no saving throws allowed).
you fought now lies limp on the stairs. another attempt on Midnight in the next For those on a level beneath a collapsing
But the guard turns to look up at you chapter. landing: Anyone whose body partly pro-
. . . and in his eyes burns the madness Trick: In general, this tactic does not jects from any room doorway is swept
you just saw in Bhaal’s previous body. work. Bhaal can automatically see away by the fall of the second landing.
through 1st level illusions. And he is They suffer 4d6 damage, but allow Dex-
deeply suspicious. For instance, if the PCs terity checks for half damage.

18
 Everyone stares down at the dust-
shrouded rubble.
As the dust clears, all you can see of
Bhaal is a bloodied hand and foot pro-
jecting from the stones. The hand
twitches, and then slowly pushes a
stone away.

Midnight frowns, and murmurs some-

thing. Making a pass with one hand, she
takes something from a pocket of her robe,
and sprinkles it on the rubble below.
The rubble glows briefly, turns orange,
seems to melt and shift, and turns trans-
parent. Soon the mangled form of Bhaal is
encased in something that looks like pine
sap.
Bhaal continues to struggle slowly.
Midnight, eyes shut, is quietly chanting
and making intricate patterns in the air
with her hands. The sap hardens until conceivable form of wizard magic (but possesses a very surprised guard, then
Bhaal—all except for one feebly moving not magic specifically in the domain of steals a fast horse and flees out of the
hand—is encased in a huge drop of rock- priests, such as cure spells). When she keep.
hard amber. thinks about using magic to achieve a cer- However, he waits long enough for PCs
tain effect, she forms in her mind the to pursue. If the PCs are in no shape to
knowledge of how to cast a spell that du- chase Bhaal, he allows Purple Dragon pa-
Midnight shrugs wearily. “It just came
plicates or closely approximates the effect trols to trail him and report back to the
to me,” she says. “I don’t understand it
she desires. If the spell ordinarily re- heroes about his route.
myself.” She turns and walks across
quires a material component, she still Bhaal wants the PCs to find him. He
the ruined door, disappearing into the
must possess that component in order to leaves a clear trail, and he travels slowly
depths of her room.
cast the magic. The particular compo- without being obvious about it. (Don’t
Far below, a Purple Dragon officer
nents needed are made known to her point out his slow rate of travel unless the
taps Bhaal’s prison timidly with his
with the spell knowledge. PCs wonder why they can track him this
sword. “Will this hold?” he asks, warily.
She can hold only one spell in her mind easily.)
Bhaal stares balefully up at him
at a time. The spell appears only after Try to extend the pursuit over several
through the solid amber.
1d4 + 1 rounds of continuous concentra- days. Bhaal’s avatar needs no sleep, so he
tion. (When Chapter 5 begins, shorten can simply ride his horse to death, steal
Midnight's Change this time to 1d4 rounds.) Her concentra- another from passing travelers, and con-
tion is automatically broken by any attack tinue. Also, PCs can be delayed by ran-
Midnight spoke the truth when she said
that hits her, regardless of damage done. dom encounters, or by bands of night
she didn’t understand how she cast the
Midnight’s spells remain subject to mag- riders sent by Myrkul.
spell that imprisoned Bhaal. Do not reveal
ical chaos throughout this adventure, and During the chase, as an offstage event,
this directly to the players, but this is due
casting times are unchanged. The dura- Bhaal “lets slip” the information he in-
to Midnight’s growing magical powers.
tion and damage of one of her spells may tended to convey to Midnight.
The power of Mystra now causes spells to
extend beyond normal maximums, begin- Along the trail the PCs encounter
appear fully formed in Midnight’s mind.
ning in Chapter 5. Cyric’s band of Zhentilar. They may or
Thus, while wondering how to dispose
Midnight need not cast a spell to get rid may not make an alliance to rescue Mid-
of Bhaal, Midnight thought about encas-
of it; she can intentionally “forget” it, and night. See Event 8 in the next chapter.
ing him in amber, and an appropriate type
the spell fades from her mind within a sin- In this way the chase eventually leads to
of magic came into her mind. The instant
gle round. But any spell desired in its place Boareskyr Bridge. At that time, run Event
it happened, she knew what had
requires the additional 1d4 + 1 (or later 9 from the next chapter.
occurred—but she still (at this point) isn’t
1d4) rounds of concentration to appear. The next chapter assumes that the PCs
sure why.
successfully fight off Bhaal’s attack with-
This ability remains with Midnight for
the rest of this adventure. Its details fol- If the PCs Lose out disabling or killing him.
low. Bhaal is a god, after all. If he can get past
Midnight is not restricted to spells the PCs to Midnight, he knocks her un-
known previously, to spells of one school conscious, grabs her, and leaps out a high
of magic, or even to spells described in window of the keep. This breaks his cur-
the AD&D™ game books. She can use any rent body’s legs—so outside, he kills and

19
Event 1: water until needed) on a long rein.
Deverell outfits the PCs with all the nor-
jestically overhead. Perhaps it is some
spell or manifestation of Tempus. Who
Perilous Paths mal, nonmagical gear they request, such
as mounts, rope, food and drink, armor,
knows? Use similar mysterious effects to
remind the players of the chaos that
The next morning, over morningfeast, a and weaponry. All equipment is of top blights the land.
grateful Lord Deverell offers the most re- quality. Note that there is no time to The next two encounters are optional.
sourceful PCs the post of Watchcaptain at custom-make armor; thus, PCs cannot Run them if the players are in the mood
High Horn as a reward for their quick gain field plate or full plate armor. for combat, or if it suits the story’s needs.
thinking. For the trip westward, a PC can strap
PCs who accept the offer need not re-
main at High Horn; Lord Deverell can ap-
the wrapped Tablet of Fate securely to his
or her back.
Attack of the
point them as “escorts” to Midnight and DM Note: Keep careful track from this
Lizard Men
the others. They wear the Purple Dragon, point on of the adventurers’ provisions. The lizard men who dwell in the Marsh
carry High Horn’s reputation for honor Shortages of food and drink may well of Tun have developed a sophisticated
and duty with them, and will gain respect force the PCs to hunt in the Sunset Moun- raiding and trading society. They use
throughout Cormyr. After the adventure tains. For example, they may have to fight stolen weapons themselves, and trade all
ends, they have a new position waiting a given monster, rather than flee. The ad- the seized goods they cannot use for heal-
for them. venturers are undertaking an overland ing potions. They deal with certain un-
If PCs reject the offer, Lord Deverell journey that is dangerous and exhausting scrupulous traders based in Eagle Peak
says that he understands why they can- at the best of times—and this is definitely and Proskur.
not accept. He adds that 40 halflings not the best of times. Drawn by the adventurers’ campfires,
passed High Horn before dawn, heading the lizard men come to raid. After dark of
west in search of the Zhentilar band that
destroyed the halfling village of Black A Night in the the first nightfall on Tun Plain, in the cool
of the night, the party is set upon by hiss-
Oaks. High Horn’s patrols sighted the Stormhorns ing, gray-skinned scaly horrors.
Zhentilar once, and believes them to have If the party is accompanied by the Pur-
passed west out of Cormyr, through the The adventurers (and the patrol, if it is
along) get underway in the late morning, ple Dragon patrol, there are 36 lizard
Stormhorns. men. If the party refused the Cormyrean
Lord Deverell offers to send a large pa- and are still in the Stormhorns when
escort, the lizard-man force is a scouting
trol west into Tun Plain, to escort the ad- night falls. Check twice per hour for over-
night monster encounters, using an ap- party numbering one monster per PC and
venturers as far as the Sunset Mountains. NPC in the party.
The presence of many Purple Dragons propriate table from the Monstrous
Compendium or some other AD&D™ These lizards are after plunder, not a
should discourage attacks from the rov- fight to the death. Trying to draw the ad-
ing Zhentilar band, which by now could game monster collection. Assign a chance
venturers (and Purple Dragons) away
be on its way back to the Zhentilar base at for having encounters based on how
much of a challenge you want the party to from the camp, they attack repeatedly
Darkhold, in the Far Hills. from various directions. The lizard men
If asked why he’s aiding them, Deverell experience.
hurl javelins from the darkness to fell
says coyly, “A certain mage asked me to If the Purple Dragons escort the party,
they mount a strong watch. Non-flying those on watch, or anyone who appears
look out for you.” This, obviously, is Elmin- to be casting spells. If the characters leave
ster the Sage. monsters of lesser power do not attack
their goods unattended, the lizards steal
the encamped warriors, or else the sol-
diers defeat them without even awaken- them and try to escape.
Martial Aid ing the PCs. The arrival of more powerful Lizard Men: AC 5 (4 with shield); MV
creatures, however, may result in a mid- 6; HD 2 + 1; hp 15 each; THAC0 19; #AT 2
If the PCs accept the escort, 50 fully or 3; damage by weapon type plus 1d6
armed Purple Dragons ride out with the night battle.
(bite), or 1d2/1d2 (claws) and 1d6 (bite);
PC party. They are AC 4 (chain mail and AL N. Each carries six darts (range 30’,
shield) and are armed with light cross- Across Tun Plain 1d4 damage), two javelins (1d6), a short
bows, with 2 quivers of 21 quarrels each, sword (1d6), and a dagger (1d4).
horse lances, long swords, maces, and 2 The next day the travelers emerge onto
Tun Plain. In the northern reaches where All lizard men also have shields and
daggers each. All are 2nd level fighters large canvas sacks with shoulder straps,
(16 hp), except the leader, Swordcaptain the force is crossing, the plain is rolling
grassland, broken by gravel ridges. The for the carrying of booty. Six lizard men
Lunt, who is 4th level and has 33 hp. Lunt carry potions of healing in vials attached
has a bastard sword but no shield, cross- size of the force discourages most mon-
ster attacks. But if the party travels with- to their belts.
bow, or lance; he is still AC 4 because of
high Dexterity. out the escort from High Horn, consult
All the Cormyrean soldiers ride hardy the High Moor Encounter Table inside the The Dead Are Always
ponies and wear surcoats emblazoned foldout back cover of this adventure.
Late in the afternoon of the first day,
With Us
with the Purple Dragon. Every third rider
leads a “pack horse” (actually a spare rid- the travelers are startled to see clouds in On the second night of their journey
ing mount, used for carrying food and the shape of a great armored warrior on a across the plain, the travelers camp atop
galloping horse passing silently and ma- some grassy hills. They see lizard men

20
just after dusk, but the scaled ones do not tract attention. Should they do so, let
attack or approach again. “It splits, up there somewhere. One them travel normally, but stage monster
Later there is a sudden, silent charge of route goes up into Yellow Snake Pass— encounters every 1d6 turns. The best
night riders on gaunts, activated offstage avoid that, or you’ll all find death for plan is to look for a place to camp.
by Myrkul. (Both monsters are described sure. The other winds west, coming The likeliest spot is a stand of pines atop
in the appendix of this adventure.) The out between the pass and Corm Orp. a cliff, overlooking the lower Bonerun
undead attack in eerie silence. Go warily; plenty of flying beasts prey they have been climbing all day. (If the
There are 16 night riders, all mounted on the mountain ways.” PCs choose another spot, translate details
and armed with light horse lances (1d6), He grins. “Good luck! And when you of the following encounter to fit the new
morning stars (2d4), and scimitars (1d8). run short on that, make your own!” surroundings.) All characters should rec-
They attack as 4th level fighters and have ognize that they dare not lay a fire.
30 hp each. Their mounts have 18 hp The PCs can use a narrow, twisting trail It is a clear, moonlit night. With no at-
apiece. along one wall of the Bonerun. It is lined tempt at stealth, a cloaked and hooded
Two of the night riders also have with thick stands of pine, already gloomy man—Cyric!—steps into the camp clear-
scythes of wounding +1. These do a base in the late afternoon light. ing. “I’m here to see Midnight,” he an-
damage of 2d4 + 1, and have magical ef- Roll 1d6 for encounters every hour: nounces. This wakes up everyone in the
fects identical to those of a sword of 1-3: Nothing occurs. camp.
wounding (detailed in the DMG). 4: 3d4 stirges or 1d3 wyverns (DM’s
These hills are ancient barrow-tombs. If
desired, these can contain treasure and
choice) attack.
5: 1d4 hungry griffons attack.
Cyric’s Motives
even extensive dungeon complexes for 6: Rockfall on the party. Cyric is making one more try to con-
further adventuring. vince Midnight to join him, bring the Tab-
Rockfalls let of Fate, and desert the PCs. This time
he hopes a show of force, and perhaps a
Event 2: A rockfall in the Bonerun lasts two threat against her friends, will convince
Through the rounds. Each round, four rocks “attack”
each character (roll four to-hit rolls,
her.
The PCs very likely try to attack Cyric.
Bonerun THAC0 13). Each rock does 1d6 damage.
Characters get a Dexterity check against
If Kelemvor is along, he certainly tries.
Midnight protests that Cyric only came to
The trip across Tun Plain takes at least each strike; if it is successful, reduce dam- talk, and demands that everyone put
three days. During that time the weather age by half, rounding fractions down. aside their weapons.
gets steadily colder and more wintry. Mid- Consider a damage result of 6 (before a However, Cyric did not come without
night is thoughtful and withdrawn, medi- Dexterity check is applied) to hit the char- backup. Whether or not the PCs attack,
tating on her new power. acter’s head. Two head hits knock out a Cyric draws his own glowing red short
If the Purple Dragons accompanied the character for 1-2 turns. No means short sword and calls, “Dalzhel!”
party, the adventurers part ways with the of magical healing can rouse the charac- Cyric’s Zhentilar number over 30, un-
Cormyrean patrol in the foothills of the ter. Shouting, slapping, and even further less their casualties so far in this adven-
Sunset Mountains. While the characters attacks have no effect. ture have been very heavy. They emerge
make their farewells, a Purple Dragon For the effects of rockfalls on charac- from the night in a long line, cocked cross-
scout gallops up to report that a Zhentilar ters who try to climb the walls of the bows in hand. (Event 4 of Chapter 1 lists
force is hurrying north from Darkhold to Bonerun, refer to p. 82 of the Wilderness their statistics and weaponry.) They close
intercept them. Survival Guide rulebook. in, trapping the party against the cliff
edge.
Swordcaptain Lunt smiles slowly. “Are
they, now? Well, we’ll have to greet
Event 3: Midnight casts a wall of fire. It rises up
as a raging 20-foot-high wall of green
them in the appropriate manner, won’t
we?”
Darkness flame. It sets the pine copse alight, and
separates Cyric, the adventurers, and
He turns back to you. “We’ll keep Attacks their mounts from the Zhentilar. Cyric,
for once, appears impressed.
them busy for you—but hurry now, PCs find no Zhentilar guards alive in the
lest you be caught up in the fray be-
fore you can get clear!”
Bonerun. Dead ones, yes, and lots of
dropped weapons, fireball scorch marks
Engaging Cyric
Lunt points up into the rising moun- on the rocks, and the like—but living The encounter proceeds according to
tains ahead of you. “Your best route is guards, no. Though they cannot know it, whether the PCs avoid fighting or attack
the Bonerun. It’s a valley, just there— this is the aftermath of an encounter be- Cyric; and, if they attack, whether they
see? It heads west, but never reaches tween Cyric’s forces and the avatar of defeat him. They cannot “lose,” since for
the other side. On its northern wall, Bhaal, God of Murder. the moment Cyric does not attack.
near the end, you’ll have to climb up As dusk approaches, the adventurers
out of it. Look for a trail marked by hu- Avoid Fighting: Cyric proposes that
are unable to continue along the moun-
man skulls. . . it’s the Zhents’ back way the two parties join. Go to “Conversation,”
tain trail. They should not try to use
up over the lowest peaks. below.
torches or magical light and thereby at-

21
 Attack: Regardless of how many PCs
join in, Cyric can hold off the attacking
weapons. Whenever he parries, the touch
of his magical sword (detailed in the New
Magic appendix) stops other weapons
cold, as though they had been swung
against a stone wall.
If Sneakabout is present, he charges in,
crying “My sword!” Brainwashed by the
curse he suffers, Sneakabout wants to kill
Cyric himself, but gladly allows anyone
else to try.
Take into account the chance that an ad-
venturer might fall over the edge of the
cliff. The chance varies according to what
tactics PCs use and where they position
themselves during the fight.
If the PCs Defeat Cyric: NPCs such
as Kelemvor and Sneakabout argue that
they should kill Cyric at once. If PCs
agree, read the following aloud:
The two bands can join to increase their
strength against the gods who seek the “Stand up,” you order Cyric. “Order
“Stop!” Midnight screams. “If you kill tablet. them back.”
him, what’s to stop his men from kill- “Hold, Dalzhel!” Cyric yells. At a
Choosing Alliance: PCs can decide
ing us?” wave from Cyric’s second in com-
whether to ally with Cyric; Midnight ar-
Cyric smiles. “I was wondering when mand, the Zhentilar halt. Dalzhel asks
gues strongly for it.
you’d take note of that.” He frees his calmly, “Your command, milord?”
Any alliance, needless to say, is ex-
sword arm. “Can we reason together?
tremely cool. The Zhentilar travel and
Many men serve me. Let us join forces;
camp at a distance from the PCs; they Let the PCs tell Dalzhel what his troops
we all want the same thing—to bring
shout sneering insults in battle; and they should do. Probably they order the Zhen-
both tablets to Helm, and save the
always try to make the PCs lead or take tilar to go away.
Realms!”
risks in combat.
At the first opportunity, Cyric betrays
If PCs decide not to kill Cyric, the bellig- Cyric looks at Dalzhel. “Do as they say,”
the party, tries to steal their tablet, and he says briefly.
erent NPCs acquiesce, grumbling. Cyric
deserts them, preferably in the midst of
makes the offer above, and discussion There is a tense silence. Dalzhel sur-
battle with Bhaal or at some other peril-
continues from there. Go to “Conversa- veys the scene coldly, and then says, “If
ous time. you do not release him unharmed, we
tion,” below.
If PCs still try to kill Cyric, read the Refusing Alliance: Cyric, infuriated, will be back.” Then in silence he leads
following: commits an atrocity that alienates Mid- the Zhentilar away. Some of them keep
night from him. See “The Deed of Blood,” bows leveled on you all until they have
below. retreated out of sight.
“Wait!” Midnight screams. “We will not
become butchers!” And she wills the
wall of fire into nothingness. As your Battle The Deed of Blood
companions stand amazed, the Zhenti- PCs can try to fight Cyric’s Zhentilar (a Assuming the party does not ally with
lar raise their crossbows and take aim. foolhardy choice). The Zhentilar get one Cyric, the purpose of this scene is to alien-
free attack before any PC can attack; then ate the entire party from him. (If they do
If this happens, go to “Battle,” below. combat continues normally. ally with him, the alienation comes later.)
If they do fight, this should be a very dif- Even Midnight must now recognize his
Conversation ficult battle for the PCs. All of them, even evil. To this end, Cyric must commit an
Midnight, should become convinced that atrocity, a genuinely evil deed.
Cyric makes his pitch to Midnight,
Cyric means them no good. The party The specific deed varies according to
much like the one he made at the Lone-
should eventually have to retreat into the the players’ actions. Be ready to take
some Tankard Inn in Chapter 2. He argues
darkness, with Cyric’s troops in pursuit. many kinds of opportunities. Some sam-
that since his Zhentilar got the drop on
Cyric himself, of course, survives. ple atrocities:
the PCs, the heroes are unfit to protect
PCs can also try to avoid battle by taking * Cyric slays an important NPC. In the
her. And so on.
Cyric hostage. If they do this, read the novel, Cyric kills Sneakabout; this event is
When Midnight refuses his offer, Cyric
following: described in more detail below, as a sam-
then counters with an offer of alliance.
ple for the DM’s own improvisation.

22
 * A Zhentilar soldier makes some ele- the party to move on, quickly, before If the PCs test the darkness, they find
mentary blunder, such as accidentally fir- Cyric can lead his men back up to trap that its touch instantly disintegrates all in-
ing at Cyric. Though the sword deflects them again. This is excellent advice; en- organic matter, including magical items.
the blow, Cyric grows furious. Before the courage the PCs to take it. Artifacts leave their wielders and are
party’s eyes, he brutally slays his own Using the light of the last of the blazing plane shifted at random.
man in grotesque fashion. pines, and illumination conjured by Mid- The chaos field also causes all living be-
* Cyric spitefully mutilates or inflicts an night (assuming magical chaos allows it), ings to suffer 2d4 internal damage per
ugly wound on any PC. The wound does the party should flee along the trail in the round of contact. Intelligent creatures in
little damage, but it leaves an unsightly, darkness. contact with the field must also save vs.
unconcealable scar. Reduce the victim’s poison once per round. Whenever the
Charisma score by 2 or 3. Treat this as a OFFSTAGE EVENT save fails, one of the following effects is
magical power of Cyric’s sword, so that Bhaal is back. . . . instantly visited upon the affected being
the damage cannot easily be healed. This If the avatar escaped from High Horn, (roll 1d6):
kind of deed gets on players’ nerves in a he returns to the fortress under cover of 1: Victim is slowed for 1d4 rounds (as
truly personal way. As much as a killing, a darkness. If he was encased in amber by the 3rd level wizard spell).
mutilation can turn the PCs into Cyric’s Midnight’s magic, he manages to get free 2: Permanent blindness.
most determined foes. when Lord Deverall orders his men to tie 3: Some form of insanity. Choose a men-
Here is a sample atrocity, drawn from ropes onto the mass and hang it up near tal illness (paranoia, pyromania, delu-
the corresponding event in the novel. the front gates for display. The ropes sions, etc.) and tell the player of the
Cyric has confronted the party on the break, the amber casing hits the ground affected character to role-play it.
cliffside. The heroes take him hostage, and shatters, and Bhaal is unleashed once 4: Victim suffers a feeblemind effect (as
send away the Zhentilar, and (bound by a again. the 5th level wizard spell). This applies
promise not to kill Cyric) let him go. He The avatar wreaks havoc throughout even to non-spellcasters.
uses Sneakabout’s rope to climb down the the fortress, killing any guard who tries to 5: Victim receives permanent infra-
cliff and rejoin his troops. If events fall block his way. His trail of slaughter leads vision (60-foot range). If the victim al-
this way in the game, read the following: from the gates to Deverell’s rooms. There ready possesses infravision, it is increased
he kills and possesses Deverell. Investiga- in range by 60 feet.
tors find no sign of the Lord Commander, 6: Victim permanently loses 1d4 hp. The
Without sheathing his sword, Cyric
only the shriveled skin and bones of a life energy is expended in a discharge
wraps the rope around himself to rap-
stranger, lying in Deverell’s apartments. from the victim’s eyes, a straight beam
pel down the cliff, and disappears
from view. that strikes anything in its path (i.e.,
“Please don’t make me regret saving
your life, Cyric,” Midnight calls. A
Event 4: A Wall wherever the victim is looking) up to 90’
distant, for 2d8 hp of damage. The beam
grunt from below is his only answer. of Darkness can injure up to three beings before it
fades.
Suddenly Sneakabout shoves her
aside. “I can’t take it any longer! My This event begins as the chilly morning
sword! I must have my sword!” he finds the adventurers still in the Bonerun.
PCs who investigate discover that Cyric’s
Diverted
cries, and scrambles down the rope af-
troops are following them. The party must turn aside on a narrow,
ter Cyric.
The trail winds on, climbing out of the ever-climbing trail and take the route
Bonerun north through a rocky cleft be- westward over the peaks, whether or not
Midnight gasps and casts a light spell
tween two mist-shrouded peaks. From they want to. A day of difficult climbing
down into the valley below as the party
that vantage point, the adventurers look passes. Midnight is short-tempered and
peers over the cliff. Assuming the spell is morose.
out over Yellow Snake Pass. It stretches
not affected by chaos, her magic is in time
below them for as far as the eye can see, a Roll 1d6 every hour to check for
to show the PCs the scene of Sneakabout encounters.
great channel through the mountains,
struggling atop Cyric’s shoulders, clawing 1-3: Nothing occurs.
running west to east.
for the glowing short sword. An instant 4-5: A random encounter, selected pur-
But the pass is entirely filled with dark-
later, that blade pulses, and the halfling’s posefully or taken from a table in the
ness: black, impenetrable darkness.
body falls away from the rope, plummet- Monstrous Compendium or some other
ing silently down to the valley below.
PCs can cut the rope, but Cyric has al- The Chaos Field source.
6: Rockfall; see Event 6 in Chapter 2 for
ready swung in toward the cliff face, out The darkness is the result of a Zhentilar details.
of view. They do not see him fall; he must experiment. In the service of Bane, many
be safely clinging to the cliff. Zhentilar worked together to create a gate
to allow the Black Lord to escape from the
Aftermath Realms. They failed, due in part to Helm.
The backlash created a temporary planar
In the wake of his atrocity, Cyric es-
rift, or chaos field. The presence of this
capes. Assuming the party did not destroy
vast field of darkness has rendered the
all the Zhentilar, the sickened NPCs urge
pass useless for the time being.

23
 sary, invisibility to conceal her actions, The NPCs recommend pressing on to-
Event 5: Midnight takes the tablet from the sleep- ward Hill’s Edge. There seems little else to
Black Rain ing character who carries it.
If a PC has cleverly hidden the tablet,
do. If the PCs decide on another course,
let them take it. The events that follow
The next day dawns cold and gray, a Midnight may resort to mind-reading or still take place.
warning that winter is not far off. As the other magic to obtain it. If absolutely nec-
adventurers struggle upward, check for essary, she leaves without the tablet. She OFFSTAGE EVENT
encounters and rockfalls as described assumes that those who menace the party Midnight travels alone for several days,
above. will assume she carries the tablet and fol- through the time of the next event. Then
Around highsun (noon), wyverns attack low her instead of her friends. she encounters Bhaal’s avatar, and he
the PCs on the mountain trail. These four Midnight wants to discourage pursuit quickly captures her.
hungry wyverns have 49, 47, 40, and 32 until she builds a long lead. Therefore,
hp. They carry no treasure. If the battle
grows too close for comfort, Midnight
she patiently bridles all the horses, ties to-
gether their reins, and attaches the com- Event 7: Battle
slays or drives them off with a meteor
swarm— and then collapses, exhausted.
bined lead rein to her own saddle. Then
she mounts her own pony and leads them
in the Trees
After the adventurers defeat the away. She leaves saddles and saddlebags Riding on the trail soon after Event 6,
wyverns, they crest the high saddle be- behind. the adventurers hear a faint crashing in
tween the peaks. They see the mountains When the PCs awaken in the morning, the underbrush ahead. A man rises out of
falling away to the west, with the green their only choice (besides cursing) is to brush beside the trail and runs away
expanse of the Far Lands beyond. The follow the trail left by the horses. It will be through the pines, clawing and scratch-
scene would usually be beautiful, but at slow going. Allow the PCs to abandon ing at small dark furry things swarming
that moment an ice-cold driving rain be- whatever gear they want . . . but they all over him.
gins to fall. Its drops are jet black (a mani- may wish they hadn’t, later. PCs who succeed in an Intelligence
festation of physical chaos), and where it Check for encounters in the mountains check recognize the man as one of Cyric’s
touches flesh, it leaves itching red circles periodically, as the adventurers walk for Zhentilar. This sentry turns and runs into
behind. two days. The nights are clear and frosty. the woods. He seeks his fellows, so they
Check for encounters as the adventur- On one of these nights, with the PCs can brush all these things off of him.
ers follow the trail down the western side camped well off the trail, Cyric’s band Try to arouse the players’ curiosity, if
of the mountains. Midnight continues to catches up to them and unwittingly this hasn’t already done so. If PCs decide
ride in grim silence, responding angrily passes them by. not to investigate, skip the remainder of
when spoken to. this event and proceed to the next one.
When the sun is sinking low, the party Night Riders Redux PCs can investigate among the pines
and creep along after the faint crashing
finds a sheltered overhang at the base of a
cliff in a steep-sided valley, and makes Use this optional encounter as desired. noises. Bent double amid the prickly
camp. A small, clear pool nearby contains On the morning of the third day after boughs, they are suddenly beset by a
a human skeleton—and nothing else. The Midnight’s disappearance, the party is at- swarm of biting, clawing black squirrels.
water is cursed; horses can drink it safely, tacked by seven of Myrkul’s night riders.
but it makes humans sick and weak (- 1 All are armed with clubs (1d6) and
scythes of wounding. These are +1
Squirrel Warfare
to hit, - 3 on all damage dealt, + 1 on AC)
for 24 hours after drinking from its magic weapons that do 2d4 + 1 damage, Physical chaos has driven every squir-
water. plus magical wounding effects identical rel in this wooded area fighting mad. PC
Any monster encounters here are with with those of a sword of wounding, as de- spellcasters can dispel this effect, but on
stirges or mountain lions. Because of the tailed in the DMG. All night riders attack only one squirrel at a time. Any character
heavily overcast sky, night comes early. as 3rd level fighters, and have 20 hp. can attack and kill a squirrel, but again,
only one at a time. And there are hun-

Event 6: Midnight Back in the Saddle dreds of them!

Each character must make a successful
By midafternoon the party reaches a Dexterity check every round or suffer 1
Goes Missing tall stand of pines on the trail. In its center hp of bite damage. All attacks by charac-
is a glade—and waiting in its shade are the ters during this event are at -1 to hit,
Blaming herself for Cyric’s atrocity (due
missing horses, hobbled with their reins. since the attacker must constantly tear
to her misjudgment of Cyric), and reason-
However, there is no sign of Midnight. squirrels away from face, throat, and
ing that as long as she is with the party,
Where has she gone? Characters who are hands.
she will bring death to her friends, Mid-
familiar with this area (including Kelem- Cyric and his band are now about 22
night resolves to seek the second tablet on
vor, if he is along) expect that Midnight is strong, unless previous losses dictate oth-
her own.
heading for Hill’s Edge, the only easy river erwise. The men are sleeping in the
In the early hours of the morning, Mid-
crossing for many days’ ride. It’s also the woods. If the party tries to take them by
night leaves. If any PCs are standing
only strong fortified city for miles surprise, the noises of the attacking squir-
watch and see her, she casts sleep on
around, and inhabited by men who hate rels and the returning road-sentry alert
them. Using magical silence and, if neces-
the Zhentilar. the Zhentilar.

24
Zhentilar Warfare
At this time, unless your up-to-date ros-
ter indicates otherwise, the band of Zhen-
tilar includes Cyric, his second in
command Dalzhel (F4, 36 hp), and the fol-
lowing troops: eight 3rd level fighters,
each with 25 hp; ten 2nd level fighters of
18 hp; and three 1st level fighters with 10
hp each.
All Zhentilar wear chain mail and carry
a shield (AC 4). All have a light crossbow
and a quiver of 21 quarrels, a long sword
or a mace, a hand axe, and 2 daggers. Op-
tionally, some may also wield war ham-
mers, battle axes, or bastard swords.
Depending on PC actions, there may or
may not be a big battle amid the trees. If
the PCs feel like talking, so does Cyric; see
below. If PCs run, the Zhentilar follow
and try to surround them; once they are
surrounded, Cyric offers a truce. Again, If the PCs ask where Midnight is, Cyric tering Soubar and other cities. If the PCs
see below. says, “I’ve nothing to do with her. Bhaal disagree, Cyric assents to their wishes.
If headstrong characters attack, con- has her—and now that we’re all about to The next event takes place regardless of
duct battle. Try to arrange a pause in the kill each other, it looks like he’ll keep her.” the adventurers’ route.
battle. At that point Cyric tensely calls for Cyric knows this because he witnessed The party meets several large and heav-
a halt to the fighting. To support his re- Bhaal capturing Midnight. Cyric was trail- ily armed caravans. They can trade trea-
quest, Cyric’s men pull out menacing ing Midnight, looking for a chance to steal sure, if any, for food and fresh mounts.
wands and brandish them as weapons. her tablet; he dared not attack the god Cyric produces many gold coins to buy
This is a ruse; the wands are nonmagical, alone. food for his men.
tapered sticks of wood, painted black. PCs can accept or reject a truce to battle The caravans have heard nothing about
PCs can keep fighting or stop and talk. Bhaal and recover Midnight. If they Bhaal, which indicates that he is not in a
The consequences of these choices fol- refuse, Cyric and his lieutenant, Dalzhel, city. The news would spread quickly if he
low. covertly follow the party. In the battle were, for Bhaal just can’t seem to stop kill-
with Bhaal (Event 9), they try to find Mid- ing people. He enjoys it too much.
Keep Fighting: The battle continues.
Cyric warns the adventurers not to attack night and steal her tablet. But they get
him. He says that if he is injured or re-
strained, the magical blade he carries can
caught up in the battle themselves.
Event 9:
animate to attack by itself; only his expert Event 8: Boareskyr
control prevents it from draining the life
blood of anything it strikes. Heroes’ Roads Bridge—and
This is all a lie. Anyone can wield the
sword, and the user must do so for at Go Ever On Bhaal
least a round before releasing it to fight The combined bands travel on uneasily Just after nightfall on the brightly
for itself. It cannot enter battle spontane- moonlit third night of their traveling to-
together for three days, toward
ously. (See the description of Cyric’s Boareskyr Bridge. Select encounters from gether, the combined party reaches an
sword in the New Magic appendix.) abandoned tent city at the southern end
the High Moor Encounter Table to test the
Stop to Talk: Cyric once more tries to PCs and whittle the numbers of Cyric’s of Boareskyr Bridge.
persuade the PCs to join forces with him. men down still further (to around a The massive 30-foot-wide stone span of
To support his point, he tells them the lat- dozen). Boareskyr Bridge crosses the broad
est news from Cormyr, gleaned from Cyric suspects that Bhaal is heading for Winding Water in five long stone arches.
Zhentish spies: Bhaal is on the loose. (See the ruins of Dragonspear Castle, although Eyeing the bridge in the moonlight, Cyric
the Offstage Event earlier in this chapter.) he remains mysterious about why he suggests that they should explore the
Cyric suspects that Bhaal now inhabits thinks this. (Riding alone, he caught up to tents. They should make sure the cause of
Deverell’s body. Bhaal. He crept up as the avatar was tell- the abandonment is not lurking nearby,
Cyric openly admits that he wants the ing Midnight about the gate beneath the and they also need to find a defensible
Tablets of Fate himself. But that also castle. However, Cyric did not want to at- camp.
means he doesn’t want Bhaal to get them. tack the god alone.)
So to that extent, his aims coincide with Cyric suggests that the party head in
those of the PCs. that direction, avoiding the delays of en-

25
Battle Is Joined Enter Midnight A God's Demise
This is an area of rolling wilderland, Bhaal is heading back toward Midnight; By all rights Bhaal could escape now,
covered with brush and stunted trees. he left her tied up with the tablet bound since he has told Midnight about Myrkul’s
Very soon, the searching party rides into a to her. He plans to “accidentally” show the tablet and the gate to Hades beneath Dra-
gully—right into Bhaal! PCs where she is, then escape with his gonspear Castle.
Unless past events have somehow pre- mission accomplished. But the Lord of Murder enjoys the bat-
vented it, his current avatar is indeed the Midnight, however, has already won tle too much. He remains, and the PCs can
bloated, wound-covered body of Kae free of her bonds. She is walking warily attack at will. In describing the battle, em-
Deverell. through the moonlit wilderness with a phasize Bhaal’s brutality, his impervious-
Dalzhel nearly rides over the avatar, not lightning bolt spell in her mind, the tablet ness to pain, and the disfigured, broken
seeing him in the dappled moonlight of safely secured on her back, and murder body he has possessed.
the gully. Bhaal snatches one foreleg of in her heart. The PCs should eventually kill Bhaal’s
Dalzhel’s horse and simply tears it off, She happens upon Dalzhel in the forest. avatar. If they cannot do so, Cyric attacks
spilling Dalzhel and the horse down into Recognizing the Zhentilar, Midnight from behind, plunging his sword through
the bottom of the gully. Battle ensues (of blasts him, rightly assuming that he will the god’s chest. Now describe the dying
course). attack her if she doesn’t. god’s screams—the energy that pulsates
Bhaal uses the leg as a club to fell one of To her astonishment, the bolt she re- around his withering form—the bass hum
Cyric’s men. He grabs any PC who con- leases achieves titanic strength. It blasts that rises in volume. Clearly, the god is
fronts him in both hands, ignores attacks, Dalzhel into nothingness and does 12d6 about to explode.
and hurls the PC 30 feet through the air, damage to all within 20’ of him; allow PCs The party has one round to set up de-
to land on a grassy hill (3d6 damage; Dex- to save vs. spell for half damage. Its elec- fenses or escape. Their salvation lies with
terity check for half damage). trical storm blinds all characters for Midnight. She has prepared one of two
The PCs become embroiled in a nasty 1d4 + 1 rounds unless they save vs. spell. spells, depending on whether the PCs are
knock-down fight. Refer to the appendix (Note that Midnight’s bolt has dealt more all near her.
for Bhaal’s avatar powers. than the 10d6 maximum of the wizard Prismatic wall: Midnight casts this if
At some point, preferably after a PC or spell!) some PCs cannot reach her in time for a
Cyric has just inflicted a severe wound on Bhaal is caught in the spell, too, but of teleport (see below). The wall protects
Bhaal, the avatar roars in pain or rage and course he survives. Cyric and all nearby those who stand behind it against the ex-
races into the forest. However, he moves PCs are thrown to the ground. plosion’s effects. This spell leaves the
slowly enough that the party can chase Bhaal’s battered, smoking avatar ad- party near Boareskyr Bridge, which is de-
him. If they don’t want to, tell them they vances on Midnight. The PCs see Cyric stroyed in the explosion. Cyric makes a
hear Midnight calling to them from the slowly and painfully crawling toward wild leap to reach the wall’s protection.
forest beyond. Bhaal, the sword in his hand glowing with Teleport: This is the spell used in the
The PCs and Cyric pursue, their snort- a faint red radiance. novel, and the best choice to speed the ad-
ing horses scrambling through the night. The PCs get a round of free attacks on venture. If the heroes can all reach her,
Bhaal, as the avatar kills and possesses the Midnight calls, “Join hands, and touch
last of Cyric’s underlings. On later rounds me!” Cyric stumbles back, still holding the
he hurls the PCs away as before, for 3d6 blade, to slap at her as the spell goes off—
damage per time (Dexterity check for half and the screaming Bhaal explodes.
damage). Everything whirls away into oblivion.

26
 If Midnight teleported the party away
from Bhaal’s explosive demise, begin this Event 2: How Long
chapter with Event 1. Transfigured Does It Last?
If the party did not escape Bhaal’s de- Since Midnight survives the explosion,
mise, the explosion may have transformed Use this event only if the party was she can use her magic to remedy prob-
or moved them. Begin with Event 2. caught in the explosion of Bhaal’s avatar. lems right away. Or can she? If desired,
Don’t just kill them outright; that is not she can fall into a comalike slumber or
Event 1: On the much of a conclusion to an adventure
story, when the party’s major goal re-
temporarily lose her magic. This forces
the PCs to find their way around the
Road Again mains unfulfilled. As described in the ap-
pendix, an avatar explosion is not physical
Happy Hunting Grounds, adjust to life as
narwhals or shambling mounds, or other-
This event begins as Midnight’s teleport but magical. Therefore, it can have un- wise deal with their new problems.
dumps the party elsewhere. They have no predictable effects on player characters. The transfigurations of the explosion
horses and none of the supplies that the The effects should not be pleasant, but should not prove permanent, unless both
horses carried. However, the tablet is they need not be fatal, either. Some ef- DM and players prefer them that way. Let
safely tied to Midnight’s back, or carried fects to consider: the changes last only so long as they enter-
by a PC. 1. Transformation. The characters get tain, then restore the PCs to their previous
"Elsewhere” in this case is the snow- turned into random creatures from the circumstances. Proceed with Event 3.
covered road to Waterdeep, a few days’ Monstrous Compendium. In general, they
ride south of Dragonspear Castle. should still be mobile and able to fight or
Midnight knows this spot through prac- do interesting things. This can be a fresh Event 3: Travel
tice with a crystal ball at Mystra’s temple
in Deepingdale, long ago. Her tutor, Sun-
role-playing experience for jaded players.
If they become monsters, choose mon- and Chaos
lar, was familiar with a spot where an old sters roughly as powerful as the original The party walks north, seeing ice on the
shadowtop tree had fallen just off the characters. (If a PC becomes something as streams and frost glittering on shadowed
road. He often called up this place in the powerful as a beholder, he or she may hollows. An early winter is coming. Be-
crystal, then asked Midnight to observe outclass the rest of the characters—and cause of the ice and cold, use the “tundra”
and try to maintain the image. may not want to become human again!) terrain cost for overland movement in
Cyric—burned, twisted, and apparently A variant idea is to switch the charac- this area (DMG, p. 125).
lifeless—lies in the snow beside the PCs. ters’ bodies. Each PC’s mind ends up in After daylight the party encounters an-
Above his body hovers his sword. (He is the body of another. This lends a comedic other effect of chaos, even stranger than
actually feigning death, and has released touch to adventures, but should not be the squirrels in the mountains: a troop of
the sword to defend his body.) carried on too long. wolves marching in precise unison like
Assuming Cyric played a part in killing 2. Teleportation. If Midnight could not soldiers. The wolves ignore the adventur-
Bhaal, the sword is aglow with the life en- teleport them, the explosion might—but ers unless attacked. The wolves are on a
ergy of an avatar. It fights on by itself in- not to any place so convenient as Dragon- search-and-destroy mission against a rival
definitely, deflecting attacks (including spear Castle. The party may end up some- wolfpack, as PCs can find out if they fol-
missiles) away from Cyric’s body, and re- where else in the Realms, in Kara-Tur, on low the lupine troop.
flecting any magic cast at him or it back at another plane, or even stranded in his- Later still, the adventurers meet with a
the caster. tory. Midnight’s magic has temporarily tough-looking band of over 30 warriors
This should discourage anyone from “burned out,” so the party must under- traveling from Waterdeep to Baldur’s
harming or robbing Cyric. Since the take a new adventure to return. Gate. They guard valuable cargo (gems
sword also keeps him warm in the snow, This is an excellent chance to work in and fine wine). They keep their weapons
he lies still and listens. shorter mini-adventures as part of the ready and refuse to sell the party any
Midnight reveals her destination: Dra- larger story. Also, teleported PCs can lose horses.
gonspear Castle. Beneath it, Bhaal told troublesome magical items that have Veterans in the band can tell the PCs
her, there is a gate— unusable by the gods, proven too powerful. common knowledge about Dragonspear
but open to mortals. It opens into the 3. Crippling. If the PCs have proven too Castle: a ruin east of the Trade Way, less
Realm of the Dead, Hades. There stands strong for the opposition so far, the explo- than a century old, but taken over by evil
the Bone Castle of Myrkul, Lord of the sion can drain them of levels, ability forces that made the whole land unsafe.
Dead, the resting place of the second Tab- scores, or special powers. Or it can de- After two years of steady siege, armies
let of Fate. stroy possessions. This type of unfortu- from Waterdeep and elsewhere finally
Once the party leaves him behind and is nate circumstance can arouse players’ cleaned it out. For more information, con-
out of sight, Cyric retrieves the sword bitterest anger if it is applied in heavy- sult the “Dragonspear Castle” entry in the
and uses it to heal his wounds. (Clever PCs handed fashion, so choose calamities Cyclopedia of the Realms, part of the
can hide and try to observe this, but Cyric wisely. FORGOTTEN REALMS™ Campaign Set.
detects obvious spying attempts and re- Should the PCs inquire about specific
mains still.) He follows the party toward details of Dragonspear, one veteran men-
Dragonspear Castle. tions that, though the entire complex is in
Go to Event 3. ruins, he has heard that the inner ward

27
still stands intact. (This is true.) He knows They can bar the gate, leaving all the tombstones: the cover of a well opening.
nothing else of interest. night riders outside. The attack of these Shifting the stones takes at least three
The PCs cannot persuade the soldiers to undead is futile. rounds; heaving the hatch cover aside
join them. But from his observing station high takes a fourth. All this time, the party
overhead, the god Myrkul raises more must fight off the undead.
night riders within the inner ward! The As soon as they uncover the hatch, the
Event 4: undead rise from the burial chamber be- sound of rushing water from the dark-
Death Walks at neath the ward (see below), grab rusted
weapons from the armory, and totter out-
ness below grows louder.
An instant later, the light in the cellar
Dragonspear side to attack. This might catch the PCs
completely by surprise.
dims slightly as an undead archer, outside
with bow ready, steps forward to one of
The party reaches Dragonspear Castle. Another way to stage this is to have the the slit windows.
A map of the ruins is included in this ad- undead wait until the PCs happen to dis- The archer’s shaft hums across the
venture. cover the cellar beneath the castle, de- chamber and strikes an NPC (in the novel,
Exploring, they discover that its outer scribed below. Adon is the character felled by the arrow;
ward is utterly ruined, and its main tower In either case, go to the next section. here, it can be any NPC except Midnight).
is a gutted shell open to the sky above. But (Note that the PCs cannot observe or in- Silently he topples forward. Give the two
its inner ward is defensible. Give the PCs teract with Myrkul; he is too far away.) nearest PCs Dexterity checks at -5 to
time enough to find the cellar beneath the catch his falling body. If they fail their
castle (see below), then start this event.
Dragonspear Battle checks, the NPC falls through the open
hatch and splashes into the river below.
Caravan Trap The undead attack. All of these night
riders are 1st level fighters, with 10 hp
Only powerful magic or extreme clever-
ness can rescue the NPC, who has taken
each. The 12 “merchants” are mounted 10 hp damage and is stunned.
While you explore the inner ward, you on living horses with 18 hp each; the 60
hear noises outside the ruins: galloping “chasing” night riders are astride gaunts.
horses. You run to the battlements to Midnight points one finger at the win-
All are armed with long swords (1d6 dam-
look, and you see a small group of peo- dow and mutters rapid, angry words.
age), and half of them carry bows and 10
ple fleeing toward the castle. They are She finishes her incantation, then spits
arrows each.
dressed in rich clothing; they look like toward the window.
Freshly raised night riders have no
merchants. In close pursuit behind In the air, her spittle becomes a black
mounts. They quickly move to open the
them, in total silence, ride scores of un- ball of ice-drops. You feel waves of cold
ward’s gate and let in the rest of the night
dead night riders. radiating from it. It spins toward the
riders. All night riders have orders to
window, growing larger and faster.
seize the Tablet of Fate, if possible, but
PCs may let the caravan into the safety Midnight watches it rush outside.
above all to force Midnight down beneath
of the inner ward, close the gate, and then Then she staggers and falls to the cel-
the castle. They do not need to kill the
hold off the undead. lar floor.
other party members.
Many more undead come silently
If PCs Let in the Caravan: It’s a trap. There are over 70 night riders, and
down the stairs. Death has come for
Myrkul can raise more as required. If the
you all.
PCs are not already in the castle’s cellar,
The inner ward’s wooden gate creaks the sheer numbers of night riders should
as you start to push it closed. The mer- finally force them to flee there. What happened? Midnight cast a cone
chants ride hard to make it through of cold spell out the window at the archer,
the opening. The last of them pushes but magical chaos made the spell misfire.
through just as you slam the gate shut. Worn stone stairs lead down into a This created a rolling black iceball of de-
Before you can drop the bolt, the low-ceilinged room smelling of mil- struction.
riders turn to face you. And you stop dew. You hear rushing water some- If any PCs watch out the window, they
in your tracks. Their skin is withered, where below. Faint light comes into see the ball crumble stone to dust with its
the eyes dry in their sockets. They the room from narrow slit windows in intense chill. It rolls away out of sight
smell like spoiled meat. These riders, one wall. The light falls upon molder- across the High Moor. (It does not retain
too, are night riders! ing sacking and casks, some rusty such destructive force for long.)
weapons, and a pile of stone slabs. The twisted spell also released a back-
Go to “Dragonspear Battle,” below. “Awlinson Lieth Beneath, In Peace,” lash of energy, reducing Midnight to
reads one. They’re tombstones! weak, shivering helplessness.
If PCs Don’t Fall For It: Give suspi- If anyone approaches any window, the
cious characters an Intelligence check. If None of the piles of rotting goods con- undead archers’ arrows strike with
they succeed, they realize that the mer- tain anything of interest. deadly accuracy. Add a + 6 bonus to all of
chants, too, make no noise—a sign that As the undead spill down into the room, the monsters’ attack rolls, for this event
something is wrong. They look very or rise from shallow graves in the cellar, only.
closely then, and see that the merchants let PCs (or, if they don’t search, Midnight) Hurl endless waves of night riders at
are undead too. find a circular wooden hatch under the the party until the PCs make a fighting re-

28
treat. During this assault, unless the char- nearby underground caverns. (In the
acter bearing the Tablet of Fate takes spe- novel, this is Adon’s fate.) But these char- Something large and black is bounding
cial pains to avoid coming into contact acters are delayed in reaching Water- toward you, across the High Moor. It’s
with the undead, the night riders succeed deep, and so are out of the adventure for a sphere, moving quickly. As you
in grabbing the tablet, whereupon some a while. watch, it glances off the edge of the
of them break off and head for Water- Lost characters can reappear at a dra- cliff and strikes the waterfall.
deep to deliver the tablet to Myrkul. As it matic moment at the adventure’s climax, The waterfall turns dark, and its wa-
becomes obvious that vanquishing all the to rescue the party as they battle Myrkul’s ters slow with a slushy sound. In a mo-
night riders is impossible, one by one avatar. ment the fall becomes a black, curving
each of the party members should leap pillar. Water falls over it in a torrent.
down the hole into the blackness below. OFFSTAGE EVENT The sphere is driven up and out into
Midnight, swept downward by the the air by the rushing waters of the

Event 5: whirlpool in the underground river,

winds up in an abandoned underground
fall. Slowly it falls toward the lake.

Downriver city, the legendary Kanaglym. The city

was built by dwarves long ago, then aban-
The iceball created by Midnight’s spell
drops into the lake, menacing PCs swim-
The stream is ice-cold, fast-flowing, and doned when the dwarves accidentally ming in it. Adventurers can only swim 20
dark. If Midnight is still with the party, tunneled down to a portal that leads to feet before the widening circle of black
she vanishes now. Despite anything the Myrkul’s realm in Hades. ice catches up with them. Thereafter,
PCs do, she is sucked down into a whirl- Here Midnight encounters the souls of they must make a successful Strength
pool and away. the recently dead, who are trapped here check every round (moving at only one
The adventurers float along helplessly. and cannot reach Hades. (Lord Kae foot per point of current Strength).
Apply damage as detailed below, as the Deverell is among them.) This is because A failed check means the character is
adventurers crash into rocky walls and Myrkul no longer dwells in Hades; he can- trapped and held motionless by the hard-
submerged rocks, then go over a 20-foot not force the dead spirits to go to his ening ice. Adventurers who reach the
waterfall. Here the underground river realm. shore before the ice reaches them are un-
emerges from the edge of the High Moor The portal lies beneath a still pool of wa- harmed.
plateau to drop down a cliff and into a ter, enchanted to remove the memories of Every round spent battling the ice does
lake. dead souls that pass through it. Midnight, a character 1 hp of damage. A PC held by
The adventurers are in the water for six through her magic, enters the portal the ice suffers no further damage. But be-
rounds before emerging into the water- without memory loss and arrives in gin a time countdown for hypothermia
fall. During this time they are swept along Hades, where she sets out to locate the damage; see “Hypothermia,” below.
at 70 feet per round. They cannot slow second Tablet of Fate. The iceball dissipates upon contact with
their passage by grabbing onto things; the lake. It causes the entire lake to freeze
there’s nothing to grab onto! They cannot
swim against the current; it’s too strong, Event 6: All This, to a depth of two feet through the next
day. Water flowing over the frozen falls
and too dark to tell directions accurately.
If the proficiency rules are being used,
and Ice Too rests atop the ice, its level rising to flood
the surrounding shore. Perhaps this de-
have every PC make a Swimming profi- All the adventurers who are still alive stroys party supplies.
ciency check each round. If proficiencies and conscious eventually come down the
rules are not used, or if some characters
do not have Swimming proficiency, each
waterfall to land in a small, round lake.
Each character floats d100 feet from
Hypothermia
character must make a Strength check and shore. The Wilderness Survival Guide rule-
a Dexterity check, each round. Failing any Use the rest of this event only if, during book provides detailed rules for this situa-
check means 1d4 battering damage. the battle in Dragonspear Castle, Mid- tion. A simplified method follows.
Characters who are unconscious or night cast the spell that turned into an ice- Ability Losses: At the end of one turn of
bound make no checks, but automatically ball. If she did not, assume the PCs get out being trapped in the ice, each trapped
suffer 1d4 damage per round. of the lake without incident. (Stage an character loses one point of Strength,
The waterfall does a further 1d6 dam- aquatic monster encounter if desired, Dexterity, and Constitution. At the end of
age. A successful Dexterity check allows a such as a giant gar.) Proceed to Event 8. the next turn, the character loses one
character to escape the waterfall without But if Midnight cast the iceball spell, con- more point from each, and one point of
damage. For more detailed hazards of wa- tinue with the rest of this event. Wisdom. Losses continue at this rate until
ter journeys, consult the Dungeoneer’s PCs must make a Constitution check or the character is free of the ice.
Survival Guide and Wilderness Survival be stunned for 2-5 rounds after coming When any of a character’s ability scores
Guide rulebooks. over the fall. They float to the surface and reach 3, the reduction of that score ends.
PCs who lose consciousness and vanish can breathe, regardless of whether or not However, when two of a character’s
beneath the roiling river, or who suc- they succeed—but stunned characters abilities reach 3, the character can no
cumb while fighting in Dragonspear Cas- cannot swim. longer move. The character falls uncon-
tle, do not die. They are found later and This rapidly becomes important. scious 1d3 turns thereafter and, unless
nursed back to health by gnomes in rescued, dies 2d4 turns after that (regard-
less of hit points remaining).

29
 The hypothermia time-count does not
end until the character is out of the water,
Magic: Spellcasting is impossible for ice-
bound characters. The ice prevents free-
Merchants
clothed in dry garments or wrappings, dom of movement for gestures and the On their journey the PCs soon encoun-
and sheltered from the wind. reaching of material components; the cold ter a hard-riding company of ten mer-
Getting Free of the Ice: During every causes teeth-chattering and stuttering, chants traveling from Scornubel to
round from initial entrapment until hypo- making verbal incantations error-prone. Waterdeep.
thermia causes two ability scores to reach These are all 2nd level fighters, with 16
hp, and armed with a variety of weapons.
3, beings trapped by the ice may attempt
to free themselves. Event 7: The They have no armor and are low on cross-
Any character may strike the ice with
fists and feet, suffering 1 hp of damage.
Road, Once More bow bolts from fighting off orc raiders and
brigands. They would be glad for a few
Allow a Strength check (against current The surviving adventurers consider friendly sword arms. PCs can join them or
Strength total) and a saving throw vs. pet- their options. continue to travel alone, as they wish.
rification. If both are successful, the char- If they still have their Tablet of Fate, The merchants carry medicinal herbs,
acter has wrenched free of the ice’s grip, they should definitely head for Water- gems, and rare ingredients for spellcast-
and now lies atop the ice. deep, on or near the overland caravan ing, potions, and gourmet cooking—all
Rescues: Freed characters can help oth- road. Elminster suggested this in the valuable but lightweight, nonbulky goods.
ers. They can easily walk on the ice to strongest terms. They fight ferociously to protect them.
reach companions. For simplicity’s (and If the PCs have lost their Tablet of Fate, The merchant leader is a grim,
mercy’s) sake, characters trapped in ice going to the City of Splendors is still the sardonic-humored man named Sarlgon
can be broken free in 1-2 rounds by best thing they can do. They might be able the Tall (he is tall, and thin, too). Others
chopping and striking the ice around to find Elminster in Waterdeep, and there- among them include the steadfast Uith
them. fore receive aid to find Midnight and the Thongh of far-off Rashemen; the long-
If the freed character has no weapons tablet. If Kelemvor is along, he advances suffering Elbaerl of Tethyr; and the sar-
to strike the ice, allow him or her to make this line of reasoning and strongly recom- castic, sneering Zzun Tzhar of Calimport.
a Strength check and a saving throw vs. mends the party head for Waterdeep. Play these fellows for comic relief, re-
petrification each round. If the check suc- If the PCs decide to go somewhere else, counting all the bad jokes that the DM
ceeds (and the trapped character’s check conduct random encounters or mini- feels like inflicting on the players. Zzun
fails), the rescuing character can substi- adventures in other settings. Kelemvor Tzhar makes a good straight man for
tute the successful check. In like manner, and other NPCs desert them, saying that jokes the PCs tell in return.
a successful save can be substituted for Midnight’s rescue lies in Waterdeep. The The merchants know that many magi-
the trapped character’s failed save. crisis of the Time of Troubles is eventually cians of renown live in and around Water-
Checks and saving throws cannot be resolved without the PCs, though not deep. That is why they’re trading in
substituted one for the other. And if the without tremendous damage to Water- material components right now—“a ready
rescuer fails both the check and the sav- deep. The remainder of this adventure, market up there, though they sometimes
ing throw, the rescuer has fallen back however, assumes that the PCs continue pay in odd coin,” says Sarlgon.
into the ice and become trapped again! toward Waterdeep. So the journey continues.

30
 If the PCs managed to hang onto their all that remains of the stables. Dead draft Encounter Tables to see what appears. If
Tablet of Fate through the battle at Dra- animals litter the stream nearby. the result is even, the encounter will be
gonspear Castle, they should lose it be- If the party searches the inn, they al- with tirelessly attacking night riders.
fore they reach Waterdeep. Harry them most immediately see an intact wooden DMs who have access to the description
with more night riders, or have Myrkul table near the stairs, with two chairs of the environs of Waterdeep (published
himself steal into camp invisibly and steal drawn up to it. In one is slumped the un- in issue #128 of DRAGON™ Magazine) may
the tablet from its sleeping guard. burned body of a short, portly man wear- have the night rider attacks force the ad-
Once they lose the tablet, the PCs still ing an apron. The innkeeper’s name is venturers into the Rat Hills southeast of
should head for Waterdeep. They can (was) Farl. the city. Or, these encounters can tie this
guess that is where Myrkul will be, with If the PCs use magic to question him, adventure more closely to the DM’s own
one or both tablets. Besides, they still they learn he was slain by Cyric after sur- campaign.
want to meet Elminster, so that the sage viving the earlier burning of the inn by Scenes of physical chaos as the adven-
can help them find Midnight. night riders. Cyric’s sword has entirely turers hurry toward Waterdeep include
drained Farl’s body of blood. If Kelemvor these:

Event 1: is with the party, his eyes narrow when

he sees this. He snarls, “Cyric! What will it
* Thousands of fish wriggling and flop-
ping inland, traveling away from the sea;
Roasted Griffon take to kill him?”
There is no treasure in the inn. The
* Leaves of entire stands of trees break-
ing free of their branches to fly about,
As the PCs, NPCs, and merchants travel heat of the fire has melted a few copper swooping and soaring like swifts or other
north together on the road to Waterdeep, and silver coins into little circular puddles fly-catching birds, changing color all the
consult the two High Moor Encounter Ta- (now hardened) on the charred floor. while;
bles (see the foldout back cover). If the PCs investigate the rear of the inn * Grass growing with astonishing speed
If the merchants are traveling with the carefully, they find stone stairs covered into tree-high stooks and tangles;
party, most intelligent foes avoid battle by the fallen roof-timbers of the kitchen, * And so on. Chaos rules the land.
with such a large, dangerous-looking leading down to a stone-lined under-
force. Many beasts of the wild, however,
are starving and half-crazed by the chaos
ground storage pantry. They can salvage
food and casks of wine from this room. It Event 3:
affecting nature, and they may attack
anyway.
shows evidence that it has been raided
already—Cyric at work again? Welcome to
Use physical chaos more frequently, to
give players a sense of mounting ur-
What the PCs don’t (and shouldn’t)
know at this point is that Cyric has been
Waterdeep
gency. Use monsters that “don’t fit” the trailing the night riders back to Water- The adventurers eventually see the
surroundings. Inappropriate scenes that deep. He knows that Myrkul is the key to great walls of the city of Waterdeep in the
you have always wanted to use in play gaining both Tablets of Fate, and he has distance. Mount Waterdeep rises from
can appear as illusions, cloud-scenes in correctly deduced that the Lord of the within them like a great shoulder shelter-
the sky, or as shared dreams. If anyone Dead is in the City of Splendors. ing the city from the sea.
casts spells, use magical chaos whenever Overhead fly many griffons, each bear-
ing a mailed rider armed with long joust-
possible. The Realms are in a perilous
state. Event 2: ing lances and javelins. One griffon-rider
After the party has traveled for at least
a day and a half, read the following:
Clutching Claws sees the party and circles overhead, ob-
serving. He ignores attacks or attempts to
of Death communicate with him, and hurries back
to the city to report.
Ahead of you in the distance stands a Run this event when the party makes As the adventurers approach the gate
stone building. It is shaded by a stand camp at night. There comes a sudden of their choice, they see that it is open and
of maples beside the road, and looks
shout of alarm from whoever is on watch. guarded by over 20 warriors in full plate
empty and lifeless, its upper level
Night riders are attacking the camp! of gleaming silver-blue.
blackened and somehow . . . wrong.
All of the 20 attackers in this case have 8 The guards hold leveled pikes, and re-
hp each, and strike as 1st level fighters. gard the PCs in steady silence until one
The building is a roofless, burnt-out They seek to extinguish all sources of man steps forward from between the
ruin. A signboard trampled into the dirt light and then slaughter the adventurers pikes, speaking to the armored men on ei-
proclaims it “The Roosting Griffon Inn.” in the dark. If the merchants accompany ther side. The pikes rise in smooth uni-
Its front doors are gone. Within, the ad- the party, use this attack to slay most of son, and the soldiers stand aside, leaving
venturers can see a tangle of charred and the merchants. The surviving merchants only two doorwardens in black scale mail.
fallen timbers, with a blackened wooden flee into the night with cries of terror. On the breast of each gleams a golden
stair leading up to empty air. The chest- From this point on, the adventurers crescent moon surrounded by nine silver
high stone walls of the ground floor re- face repeated undead attacks as they stars.
main, but the upper story has entirely struggle toward Waterdeep. Whenever a
burned away. monster encounter is indicated (check
Charred ground behind the inn, with every 1d10 turns), roll any die. If the re-
stray wisps of smoke still rising from it, is sult is odd, consult one of the High Moor

31
 The lone man who ordered the pikes
aside steps forward. He wears green
leather armor and a black chain mail
shirt emblazoned with a crescent
moon.
“Well met, travelers. We yet hope for
peace amid these troubled times. Ac-
cordingly, tell me your names and
business in Waterdeep, if you would
pass within.”

The man looks pleased at hearing their

names. Introducing himself as Ylarell “of
the Watch,” he says, “Please come with
me. There’s someone in the city who very
much wants to see you.”
Ylarell is a lawful good 4th level fighter
of 36 hp, armed with a short sword of
quickness, a +2 weapon that always
strikes first (DMG, p. 185). Ylarell takes
the adventurers through the streets of
Waterdeep to Blackstaff Tower. He prom-
ises that any needs they have can be met
there. Elminster prompts the PCs to tell the
entire tale of their adventures since he
Talking With
If any PC attacks Ylarell, griffons and
watch patrols arrive from all directions. last saw the adventurers in Tantras. He Archmages
The adventurers are magically held or and Khelben stroke their beards in si- Upon hearing of Midnight’s plans to re-
charmed, and the party is marched to lence as the tale unfolds. cover the second tablet alone, Elminster
Blackstaff Tower under guard. If anyone (PCs or otherwise) tries to shakes his head. “She’s not ready for such
threaten or attack Elminster, the two doings, yet. Mystra aid her, for the Realms
archmages are both 26th level (Khelben is
Blackstaff Tower AC 3 and has 70 hp; Elminster, AC 7 and
must depend upon her!”
The archmages dispense potions of
Consult the map of Blackstaff Tower 96 hp). extra-healing and vitality to the adventur-
provided in this adventure. Ylarell takes Elminster has only his spells, a ring of ers as needed, from stone chests that rise
the adventurers up to the parlor. Read the protection +3, and a ring of regenera- silently out of the floor (appearing the
following: tion. rest of the time as flagstones visible be-
Khelben, however, has at hand his staff tween the various old and opulent rugs
of power (the “Black Staff”) and a seem- scattered about the floor). They tell the
Worn, comfortable chairs and sofas
ingly endless store of magic items (i.e., adventurers something of the present sit-
crowd a room that is littered with
whatever you wish to throw against any- uation in Waterdeep.
maps and scrolls. A crystal ball sits in
one so foolish as to attack him). Also, the One of the most important facts is that a
an ornately carved waist-high holder
protective magics of his tower make him Celestial Stair now rises from Mount
in one corner. A huge globe with its
less subject to magical chaos while Waterdeep, and one of the sayings of
own elbow-rail of smooth, gleaming
spellcasting within it. (Assess no negative Azuth is that “in time to come, battle will
wood stands in another. In two over-
modifiers on the Magical Chaos Table.) come to the great City of Splendors, and
stuffed chairs sit bearded men.
Even if someone in the party mounts an in that hour gods will meet amid strife at
One is clad in robes of black,
attack against them, the two archmages the Stair, and all must stand to defend
adorned with many tiny silver stars.
are not interested in destroying any PCs— what they hold dear, lest all be lost.”
He is handsome, his black hair shot merely in preventing them from hurting
through with silver and white combed Accordingly, the watch has been
themselves, or from getting in the way armed. Piergeiron, Commander of the
back from a high forehead. A neatly while truly important things are dis-
trimmed beard adorns his chin. Watch, has been steadily gathering food,
cussed. drink, and weaponry these last few
He smiles at you with bright, almost Both archmages are more fully de-
hawkish interest. His voice is pleasant, months to hold the city against a pro-
scribed in FR7, Hall of Heroes. But no longed attack.
yet commanding. “Well met, heroes! I more detail is really necessary to run
am Khelben Arunsun, called by some Mirt the Moneylender has organized
them in this adventure. The PCs have too ships friendly to Waterdhavians to supply
‘Blackstaff,’ and this is—”
much else to worry about! the city, and to provide escape from it,
“They already know me, I think,”
says Elminster the Sage. should things go awry. He is now on the is-
land of Mintarn, organizing additional

32
ships to scour the seas for pirates, and pa- streets. The PCs see many hurrying sol-
trolling to give warning of approaching diers, and feel the vigilant eyes of numer- The dwarf sighs. “It'll cost you.
naval invaders. ous watch patrols. The wizards walk fifteen—no, make it twenty—mugs of
Khelben reveals that “my lady” Laeral, purposefully through the bustling crowds, ale.” He eyes your tankards.
his right hand (and former leader of the around the spur of mountain crowned by
adventuring group known as the Nine), Castle Waterdeep, to the narrower, dirtier PCs can bargain Gower back down to
has taken all of Khelben’s apprentices and streets leading to the harbor. fifteen mugs, but at Durnan’s reasonable
much of the Tower’s magic to a secret Consult the simplified map of Water- prices this would be stingy indeed.
place on another plane. “For if all else is deep included in this adventure, or use If they choose not to employ Gower as a
lost,” Khelben says softly, “the great and FR1, Waterdeep and the North, or the City guide, PCs can still find their way around
beautiful Art must survive, to lighten the System accessory set. Both products con- beneath the inn. Durnan gives them di-
lives and loads of others, somewhere else, tain detailed maps of Waterdeep. (Map 7 rections to the Pool of Loss. But this is
in days to come.” of City System also contains a floor plan of awkward work, and the wizards advise
Whatever occurs in the Realms, the Yawning Portal Inn.) using Gower. The rest of this event and
Khelben hopes, something of the Art of The wizards lead the adventurers to a the next one assume that Gower is the
magic will survive down the ages, should large, rambling building with a signboard PCs’ guide beneath the inn.
Waterdeep—or indeed, civilization in over its rounded front door that says, Should he overhear that the party is go-
general—fall. “The Yawning Portal.” On the door itself ing “downstairs,” Durnan the innkeeper
someone has chalked, “Come Ye Inn.” volunteers to accompany them. Elminster
It is dimly lit inside. Chatter ceases as and Khelben both suggest this is a good
“You have done well,” Khelben con-
the two wizards enter. Elminster and idea, but they allow the PCs to decide.
cludes. “Even if you lost one tablet and
Khelben thread their ways steadily be-
never reached another, we know how
far you came and what you did manage.
tween tables, nodding to old men seated Venturing
there.
Few would have survived the Zhen-
tarim and Myrkul this long—to say
Unless the PCs have other ideas, the Downward
wizards troop into a private side room, sit Durnan leads the party to the back of
nothing of destroying Bhaal and rescu-
down at a bare wooden table, and wave at the inn. He takes down a burning torch
ing the tablet from the temple in Tan-
the adventurers to pull up chairs for from a wall bracket with one hand and a
tras, ere it fell. Now your task is done.
themselves. They pull out long clay pipes. glittering sword from over the next door
“Ylarell, fetch Gower and meet us at
A 14-year-old girl sweeps into the room with the other.
the Yawning Portal. Farewell, my
to take orders for ale or food. A sword
friends.”
swings at her hip. Khelben says, “Would
you bring Gower, please?” The girl The innkeeper lifts a huge bar from
Allow—in fact, encourage—the PCs to the door with one hand, as though it
sweeps out again.
argue against this abrupt dismissal. weighs nothing, and leans it against
A stocky, grim-looking man with broad
Though Khelben has only their own wel- the wall. Then he opens the door and
shoulders and a weathered face comes
fare at heart, the adventurers should leads you into a dark room. The torch’s
into the room a breath or two later, with
want to see their mission through to their flickering light shows a covered well
Ylarell and a ruby-nosed dwarf.
conclusion. If players think they’re sup- and a table. On the table lie coils of
The grim man is Durnan, the innkeeper.
posed to do whatever Khelben tells them, rope, a tinder box, and half a dozen un-
This iron-strong warrior, now retired,
Elminster can cue them by arguing in fa- lit torches.
had a career very much like that of a cer-
vor of taking the PCs along. Give the char- Durnan uncovers the well, lights a
tain famous barbarian; in cases of trou-
acters a chance to make heroic speeches. wall lamp and a torch for himself from
ble, play him accordingly.
At last, they convince Khelben to take Ylarell’s torch, and then steps into the
them along to the Yawning Portal Inn. well, planting one foot in the well
Bargaining With bucket.
To the Gower He tests the rope’s strength. “I ha-
ven’t been down this back way in some
Yawning Portal The dwarf, beery and fat for his kind, is time,” he says. “We usually go down the
named Gower. Now retired from an illus- dry one; it keeps the water cleaner.”
Gravely wounded adventurers are
trious career, Gower rents out his services
tended in a wing of Piergeiron’s Palace,
as a guide to the cavern complex beneath Ylarell cranks Durnan, Gower, the two
which has been equipped as a crude hos-
the Yawning Portal. Gower has heard from
pital. Anyone merely tired of the quest is wizards, and each adventurer down the
Khelben that the PCs want to go down be- well in turn. The adventurers are pulled
escorted by the Watch to the green and
low; this may be the first that the PCs into a side-passage well above the dark sur-
beautiful calm of The City of the Dead. In
themselves have heard about the matter! face of the well water, and into a labyrinth
this huge cemetery they sit idly out of the
way in the coming conflict. They get of dark, dripping passages and caverns.
caught up in Event 2 of Chapter 6, rejoin- “Gower,” Khelben says, not bothering Gower strolls ahead unconcernedly, hav-
ing the action then. with any introductions, “you’re going ing produced a rather large axe from
Ylarell salutes and runs out. Khelben and to guide us to the Pool of Loss.” somewhere beneath his clothing.
Elminster calmly follow him down to the The speed of the trip, coupled with the

33
numerous twists and slopes of the pas- The well is currently filled with the up-
sages and intersecting caverns, make per half of a prismatic sphere. Elminster At last Khelben stirs. “If this is Mid-
mapping impossible. Gower leads them says that he and Khelben believe that Mid- night’s work, she must command
ahead for only a short time before he night has created the sphere, and is prob- power at least equal to Azuth’s! No
says, “Here we be!” He steps into nothing- ably still inside it. The problem is how to mere mage can hold a sphere this
ness, vanishing into the floor. get her out. long!”
The adventurers face a dirt-walled
chute plunging down six feet and curving Rescuing Midnight Contacting Midnight: If Elminster
describes the effects of a prismatic
sideways. Assuming they go down, they
are tossed out into a huge cavern, its soar- Should PCs inquire about the nature of sphere, be sure he mentions that (a) only
ing ceiling and farther reaches lost in a prismatic sphere, Elminster launches the first of its seven globes bars physical
darkness. This is merely a part of the into a long-winded explanation of the objects; and (b) the caster can pass
complex beneath the Yawning Portal. seven globes and the effects that negate through the globes without harm.
“Here’s the Pool of Loss,” Gower says them (Player’s Handbook, p. 196). This may give alert players a clue to res-
calmly. “I don’t recall seeing all this excite- Even without his explanation, PC wiz- cuing Midnight. Following Kelemvor’s ex-
ment here before, though.” ards know that touching a sphere is ex- ample in the novel, a PC can get Elminster
tremely hazardous, and dispelling it is to dispel the first globe, then throw a mes-
intricate work. Elminster and Khelben sage or recognizable token through the
Event 4: both believe the simplest course is to wait; sphere.
The Pool of Loss no human wizard can maintain the en-
chantment indefinitely.
This recognition signal lets Midnight
know she is among friends. She passes
PCs can wait for the sphere to disperse, through the sphere, leaving it intact, and
The cavern is full of glowing white or—if the players are clever—devise a rejoins her friends outside the Pool of
shapes drifting aimlessly through the way to contact Midnight. (Trying to de- Loss. Weary but jubilant, she holds out
air. In the center of the room is a shim- stroy the barrier is an extremely the recognition token: “Is this yours, by
mering dome. “Look away from the unwise—and difficult—thing to do; if the any chance?”
sphere!” Khelben commands sharply. PCs attempt this, they will simply fail.)

Each adventurer must make an Intelli-

If PCs do not want to rescue Midnight,
let them return to the surface and have
News From Hades
gence check to avoid looking at the adventures in Waterdeep. After a few The NPCs with the party are overjoyed
sphere. It blinds anyone of less than 8th hours, Elminster and Khelben eventually to see Midnight alive and well. Amid their
level for 2d4 turns. rescue Midnight without destroying the whooping and embracing, Elminster fills
barrier. She rejoins the PCs . . . but she and lights his pipe, and asks, “Perhaps
may be less well disposed toward them at you’d care to explain your need for a
About the Pool the story’s conclusion, because they did sphere?”
In answer to PCs’ questions (if any), not stand by her. “Not here,” Gower says firmly. “I’m
Elminster explains that the Pool of Loss is The outcomes of likely choices: thirsty—and those mugs of ale are calling
a portal to Hades. The drifting shapes are me, from Durnan’s taproom!” Durnan
Wait: This does not work. The wizards
“soul spectres” from that plane. and Gower, with Midnight and the arch-
bide their time patiently. Inquisitive PCs
These harmless phantoms are waiting mages, head back to the inn.
can explore the passages, though Khelben
to enter the Realm of the Dead. They can En route, Midnight gives her most ur-
advises against it: “If we fall, here, who’s
see, move freely and speak, but have no gent news: The Denizens of Hades wait
to stop the creatures of Hades from over-
tangible existence (appearing only as beyond the Pool of Loss to invade Water-
whelming the city? Then Myrkul would
translucent images), and can neither at- deep. If she hadn’t erected the sphere,
win the tablets after all—and I’d not want
tack nor be attacked on the Prime Mate- they would be flooding out even now. She
to live in the Realms if they were ruled by
rial Plane. They can only have come here believes Myrkul’s tablet has been en-
the Lord of The Dead!”
through the pool, which is customarily an chanted to allow these monsters to enter
If PCs still insist on exploring the pas-
open gate between the Realms and the this dimension.
sages, improvise dungeon adventures us-
Land of Always Night. (Hearing this news, players may think
ing published cavern complexes or others
In ancient days, barbaric northern peo- of posting a guard over the Pool of Loss.
from the campaign. No cavern maps are
ples hurled the bodies of great leaders The magicians say this is not necessary,
provided.
into the pool, so that their greatness for Midnight’s barrier bars the denizens’
PCs can also return to the surface and
would not be lost to the service of the way. In this case, the magicians are
undertake encounters there. When the
clan. The pool today exists as a well in this wrong. If the PCs insist on posting a
PCs return below, the sphere is still in-
hidden cavern beneath Mount Water- guard, the guard(s) will witness the col-
tact, and the wizards still wait.
deep. lapse of the barrier at the start of the next
While the adventurers watch, several
If the PCs have told Elminster what they chapter. Award the players extra experi-
soul spectres drift too close to the sphere.
know about the second tablet, he says it ence at the end of the adventure.)
They vanish in silent flashes of white
lies beyond this portal, in Hades. light, destroyed by its magic.

34
Now What? der one massive arm.
While Midnight sleeps, the party can dis-
kidnapped Midnight, he carried her in
that direction.
The party may now want to head for cuss what must come next. Midnight’s 3. However powerful Midnight is, it
Mount Waterdeep. If so, start the events sphere prevents the foul Denizens of Hades seems impossible that she could have
in the next chapter immediately. How- from invading Waterdeep, but the adven- overcome the legions of Hades single-
ever, the heroes should consider Mid- turers must still fight Myrkul himself. For handedly. Since the realm belongs to
night’s extreme weariness. She’s too tired this they may have to depend on Midnight, Myrkul, the feat should be beyond a sin-
to go right now, and wants to be at full who apparently commands more power gle being’s power, even a god’s.
strength for the coming confrontation. than any other mage in the city. 4. How is it that Midnight escaped the
What’s more, it is probably night by denizens by fleeing into exactly the gate
now. And Elminster recommends that the
heroes get some rest . . . or at least let him
Uncovering the Plot that would bring her to Waterdeep?
Let the players speculate as little or as
get some, before they bring Myrkul down Smoking his pipe, Elminster raises some much as they wish. In any case, establish
on his neck. points that have been troubling him. Use the mystery. Over the rest of the adven-
PCs who so desire can explore the un- this opportunity to drop clues and pro- ture, the PCs may or may not ever deduce
derground ways beneath the Yawning mote the players’ speculation. Allow them that Myrkul has manipulated them. Un-
Portal Inn. However, these labyrinths are to unravel as much as they can of derstanding the plan is not vital to the
not described in this adventure. Employ Myrkul’s subtle plot to overthrow Lord adventure.
any cavern complex for adventures be- Ao.
neath Waterdeep. PCs should be aware,
though, that it isn’t very heroic to spend
The players can’t figure out the whole
scheme yet, for they don’t have enough
An Ending
extensive time underground while the information. But Elminster can start them While the adventurers talk, news
city above is in chaos. thinking with the following observations: comes that Ylarell is dead. While tracking
1. Bhaal’s avatar let slip the location of the undead in the sewers under the city,

Event 5: Rest and Myrkul’s tablet, and of a gate to Hades.

Bhaal is an absolutely loyal servant of
the watchman was slain by Myrkul him-
self. The news leaves Khelben and Elmin-
Revelations Myrkul. This was stupid behavior for a
god.
ster solemn. They retire to meditate,
leaving the PCs to their own devices.
The wizards return to the side room. 2. The gate is in Dragonspear Castle. PCs can venture into Waterdeep. For
Durnan promptly serves everyone a hot Bhaal and Myrkul presumably wouldn’t typical adventures in the City of Splen-
meal of beans and bread (or whatever the want mortals using it to enter Hades— dors, consult the published products
PCs wish, if they’re not rude and it’s not especially not Midnight, who had the mentioned earlier. Eventually, the adven-
fancy). Noticing Midnight’s weariness, power to steal the tablet. Yet Myrkul’s turers grow tired and should get some
Durnan steps out of the room and re- forces kept driving the party north and sleep at Blackstaff Tower. Then begin the
turns, hefting a full-size wooden bed un- west, toward Dragonspear. When Bhaal next chapter.

35
 Midnight has seen the Realm of the denizens leave the cavern, giving him or
Dead, and she would rather be destroyed A black fog rises from the ground. It her an opportunity to run for it. Since a
utterly than live in the Realms if Myrkul smells of sulphur. Inside it you can few denizens continue to pass through
rules them. What actually happened make out a human figure dressed in the portal at random intervals, the PC
there? “Don’t ask,” Midnight replies, shak- loose black robes. As the fog clears, may have to fight one or more on the way
ing her head. “Never ask me that again.” you see that the figure is not human— to the surface.
The only fact she will reveal about her exactly. Its head is a bare white human
time in Hades is that she succeeded in skull. Sounding the Alarm
gaining possession of the second Tablet of
Fate—the one that had been held by This is Myrkul. Finally ready to come The PC can warn the rest of the party
Myrkul. As the PCs can deduce, her suc- out in the open and make his move and Elminster. With this early warning,
cess occurred at just about the same time against Ao, Myrkul starts by destroying Midnight, one of the archmages, or a
that Myrkul’s minions stole the first tab- the barrier blocking his denizens from powerful PC can quickly return to the
let. Thus, an ironic and uneasy balance is entering the Realms. Pool of Loss, fight the escaping denizens
maintained—and the fate of Realms, as Myrkul has set a special version of a (three for every member of the party
before, still hinges on which faction will hold portal spell on the Tablet of Fate he present), and cast another barrier spell to
ultimately possess both tablets at the holds, so that it will keep the passageway block the portal.
same time. open once it has passed through it. When If they reseal the portal, fewer denizens
If the players think to post a guard over the sphere is gone, the denizens will be can escape to plague Waterdeep. This re-
Midnight’s sphere in the Pool of Loss, go able to enter the Realms! duces the turmoil seen in this chapter.
to Event 1. However, don’t remind them Give the PC(s) present one round to do Leave the actual effects vague, depending
of this if they don’t think of it! No NPC something—either attack, flee, or hide. on how soon the PCs blocked the portal. If
thinks of it, either. they acted very quickly, there are few
Attack: Myrkul pauses before destroy- denizens in Waterdeep; if the PCs acted
If the PCs post no guard, skip the next ing the sphere to kill the foolhardy PC
event. PCs can undertake more adven- slowly, the numbers of denizens are un-
who attempts this. If an NPC guard is also changed.
tures in Waterdeep (left as exercises to present, Myrkul destroys the NPC first, so
the DM). If and when they return to However, note that the wizards cannot
the player can reconsider this fatal course close the portal permanently. Myrkul’s
Blackstaff Tower to rest, go to Event 2. of action. tablet keeps the gateway open between
Flee: If the PC flees, Myrkul allows him Hades and the Realms. Only when Myrkul
Event 1: or her to escape; the avatar fears no oppo- and the tablet are both destroyed, later in
this chapter, can the party return and
The Gate Opens sition now. (Myrkul’s abilities appear in
the appendix to this adventure.) The char- close the Pool of Loss for good.
Use this event only if the players post acter easily escapes. In the tunnel behind,
PC guards at the Pool of Loss, the gate to
Hades beneath the Yawning Portal Inn. If
the fleeing character hears the sounds of
many attacks striking the sphere, and Event 2:
they fail to post PC guards, or post NPCs
as guards, simply skip this event and go to
then devilish laughter as the Denizens of
Hades swarm through the opened portal.
Marching
the next one. Hide: The character can hide behind Orders
The watches pass uneventfully through an outcropping of rock or just inside a This event begins on the following
the afternoon and into the night. Then, tunnel. If hidden, the PC can watch every- morning, when a sudden noise outside
take aside the players whose characters thing that follows without being detected. the tower awakens the PCs.
guard the pool in the last watch before Myrkul’s avatar makes wide gestures in A company of over 200 soldiers arrives
dawn. the air. He attacks the globes of Midnight’s at Blackstaff Tower, their nailed boots
Describe the quiet cavern, Midnight’s prismatic sphere with all the spells clattering on the cobbles. The PCs can
amazingly persistent prismatic sphere, needed to destroy it. open their windows and look down on
and the wispy soul spectres who now and Then the fiendish denizens from Hades the tower courtyard below.
then collide with the sphere and annihi- swarm into the cave through the portal. The company’s captain presents
late themselves. Let the PC take whatever (For descriptions of the two kinds of deni- Khelben with orders from Piergeiron.
precautions he or she likes. Then have the zens appearing in this adventure, see the Blackstaff must assume immediate com-
PC make an Intelligence check. appendix.) mand of this newly mustered Wyvern
If the check fails, the PC does not notice Myrkul commands them to head Company of the Waterdeep Guard, and
the arrival of Myrkul’s avatar—not until straight for the surface and overwhelm lead them into battle.
it’s too late. the mortals who oppose him. “Find the
But if the check succeeds, read this tablet, kill its bearer, and bring it to me!”
aloud: he cries. “Battle?” Khelben asks, blinking.
Then Myrkul vanishes, and most of the “Against whom?”
denizens fly upward. If the PC attacks, “Hundreds of fiends are ruining
the denizens tear the foolish character to Dock Ward, sir,” said the captain.
pieces. If the PC waits for a chance, the “They're coming up from below, from

36
 legions of undead night riders storm in- Let the PCs fight enough denizens, save
the sewers, sir, and tearing apart every- side to battle the PCs. Go to the next enough lives, and stop enough fires to earn
thing they can’t kill. They’ve got every- event. the title of “hero” several times over.
thing from Harborwatch Tower to Snail
Street. We’ve got every man under
arms to the city fighting ‘em, and we’ve
Taking the Initiative Meeting With Myrkul
just slowed them down. Even the grif- Kelemvor, if he is along, argues that ev- A detailed map of the city is not neces-
fons are taking a beating—some of eryone should attack Myrkul, rather than sary to run this part of the adventure. As
those devils can fly. Before long they’ll sitting in the tower waiting to be killed by they search for Myrkul, the route the PCs
have all of Waterdeep—unless you can him. Taking the battle to the god is the last follow—at Midnight’s direction—is a cir-
stop ‘em, sir.” thing he’ll be expecting. cuit of streets going south from the tower,
“Oh,” Khelben replies mildly. “I see.” Elminster wonders how the party can then east, north, and west, ending back at
sneak up on Myrkul, since the avatar re- the tower again.
From this news PCs can deduce, or mains attuned to the tablet he once pos- The PCs hurry down Swords Street.
Elminster can tell them, that Myrkul must sessed and thus will always know, via the Then Midnight directs them east, onto
have destroyed Midnight’s sphere. “And tablet, where they are. Keltarn Street. A short block later, this
he’ll be on his way here for the tablet,” Elminster suggests hiding the tablet in joins the Street of Silks, and Midnight
says Elminster, “while his denizens pour one of Khelben’s hidey-holes: an extradi- frowns. “That’s odd indeed,” she murmurs.
through that pool and tear apart the city!” mensional vault in the tower. If the PCs “He’s to our north now.”
Obviously, therefore, Khelben wants to agree, they discover that Myrkul’s web of The PCs race up the Street of Silks, turn
stay in his place of power, the better to magic on the tablet includes a hold portal west onto Tharleon Street at Midnight’s di-
battle Myrkul. But the captain’s orders spell that prevents the vault from closing, rection, and wind up at Swords Street—
are firm; Piergeiron, ruler of Waterdeep, and keeps the tablet from leaving the and Blackstaff Tower—again!
insists Khelben lead the troops into battle. Prime Material Plane. Ah, well, no one Walking up to the tower gates is a figure
Since Khelben is a good soldier, he reluc- ever promised that battling a god would in a ragged robe, carrying saddlebags over
tantly leaves. be easy. . . . his shoulder. As he walks, he hurls people
The next problem: How to find Myrkul? in his path violently out of the way.
He could be anywhere in, above, or under “Myrkul!” Elminster says, pointing.
Khelben says, “So be it. Come, captain!”
Waterdeep. The PCs’ magic or a clever Midnight hurls a lightning bolt, but it
Blackstaff turns and steps through the
plan can both work. Also, if the PCs sug- misfires, spraying the entire street with
solid stone courtyard wall. The captain
gest it, Midnight can work a spell to track small arcs of blue flame. People scream,
stares at it, sighs, and then turns to-
Myrkul just as well as Myrkul can track horses bolt, and Myrkul stands unharmed.
ward the open gate. “Wizards,” he mut-
his tablet. He turns at the gates, sees his attackers,
ters, just loud enough to be heard, as
and waves an arm at them.
he leaves.
A City at War Up from the underground sewers rise a
horde of night riders! There are at least
The adventurers set out. Elminster can three for every character in the party; all
Event 3: War in go along or not as they prefer, but Mid- attack as 2nd level fighters and have 14 hp
night absolutely insists on coming with
Waterdeep them.
each. As Myrkul disappears within the
tower gates, the undead advance to attack
The adventurers dress in haste. Make it In the city, columns of smoke are rising the PCs. However, no more than two at a
clear to the players that Myrkul’s avatar in the distance above Dock Ward. Over- time attack a given PC.
will probably attack soon. Let them plot head, griffons hurry south from the The night riders have gone berserk due
strategy. Their options include waiting in northern outposts of the City Guard, to to the Hades-derived magic in the air.
the tower, or going out and actively seek- join a confused battle in the skies. Those not directly involved in combat turn
ing Myrkul. Almost three thousand city guardsmen, on one another with ferocity. Given this,
watchmen, and hastily mustered militia the PCs should be able to break through
are gathering in the streets northeast of
A Waiting Game Dock Ward. These forces include merce-
them to chase Myrkul. But the night riders
pursue the adventurers throughout the
If the PCs decide to wait in the tower, let naries, the bodyguards of the nobility, next event, attacking until destroyed.
them set traps, plan ambushes, and pre- and volunteers such as the Wvyern
Company.
pare for battle. Stress the danger of con-
fronting an avatar, though by now the The denizens lurk everywhere. The Event 4:
players probably need no reminders of
this. As battle rages through the city,
battle for the city will be a long and
bloody fight. To Battle a God
build suspense while the adventurers Every time the PCs move through city The tower’s door is open, and the reek of
look out from the deceptive calm of the streets for the rest of this adventure, roll a decay is strong within. The night riders
tower. die. An even result means the way is clear pursue the adventurers into the tower.
At last Myrkul appears . . . in force. The for that trip; an odd number means that The specifics of this battle depend very
god shatters the door to the tower, and his 2d6 denizens leap, fly, or charge to attack much on what the PCs try to do. Midnight
the PCs, and the adventurers must fight.

37
and Elminster are plagued by magical
chaos during this fight. Until pressed,
Myrkul has little interest in fighting the ad-
venturers; his night riders do that for him.
On the second floor, the library door is
closed. Elminster warns everyone that
Myrkul is probably inside, because off the
library is the vault where the tablet is hid-
den. If the PCs haven’t stopped the night
riders yet, Elminster turns and (successful-
ly) casts a wall of stone to close the stair be-
hind him. This keeps the night riders at
bay.
PCs who succeed in Strength checks or
use magic can break down the library
door. Inside, the room is deserted. The
vault stands open and empty. “Mystra’s
dark folly!” Elminster curses. “He’s got the
tablet already!”
The parlor opens off the other side of
the landing from the library. It is empty.
The bedrooms beyond are also empty. ready Torm. Myrkul will not make that the magical silence). After three rounds,
Khelben has magically sealed off most of sort of mistake. Midnight awakens and tries to help the
his keep, but both Elminster and Midnight party, though she is still weak.
can tell that the seals have not been dis-
turbed: Myrkul has not exited the staircase
Rooftop Struggles The party may well slay Myrkul now. If
they do, Waterdeep survives; Myrkul’s si-
by any of the doors on the third or fourth On the roof of Blackstaff Tower, the PCs lence spell lapses, and in that moment
floors. That leaves the roof. Sooner or realize that Myrkul has eluded them. Mid- Midnight desperately casts a dimension
later, the PCs head up there. night, though tired, says, “Let me try door spell to shunt the avatar’s explosion
something.” Her power has grown to the far out over the Sea of Swords. Run the
OFFSTAGE EVENT point that (she thinks) she can fetch the following conclusion to the battle only if
As soon as the adventurers reach the tablets out of Myrkul’s hands! the PCs cannot make much headway
roof, the study’s stone floor rises, twists, Midnight concentrates, and then sways against Myrkul.
and flows back into Myrkul’s humanlike and falls. Across her prone body lies one,
form. Picking up the two tablets from the
real floor of the landing, Myrkul puts one
but only one, of the Tablets of Fate.
Midnight is unconscious, and PCs can- The End of a God
in each of the saddlebags he carries and not rouse her for several rounds. At this While they are engaged in their futile
walks down the stair to Elminster’s wall of inconvenient time, the night riders ad- battle with Myrkul, give PCs an Intelli-
stone. vance from below. Every round six night gence check. Successful PCs note a grif-
“Remarkable,” he says aloud. ”They’re riders come through the roof’s trap door, fon and rider diving out of the sky toward
hunting me! We can’t have that!” He two at a time. PCs can probably pick them Blackstaff Tower. It appears to be heading
touches the wall and mutters a spell. A off as they emerge, but their numbers ap- straight at Myrkul. They can’t make out
door-sized section separates neatly from pear endless. Adjust the numbers of at- the griffon’s rider.
the rest of the wall and hops down the tackers to wear down the PCs. If necessary, cue the players that some-
stairs as though alive. When the battle grows exhausting or one should distract Myrkul from noticing
Dispassionately watching the bounding tedious, Myrkul himself makes a dramatic this attack. Any especially heroic attack
stone crush one of his night riders, Myrkul entrance. Furious at the theft of one of now distracts Myrkul, so that he does not
waves a hand commandingly at the surviv- the tablets, Myrkul casts a magical silence see the griffon.
ing zombies. “Up—up, and slay everyone! that blankets the roof and extends in a It strikes, its rider leaping clear. As the
They’ve caused me too much trouble al- sphere 120’ around the tower roof. Spell- great talons of the griffon pierce Myrkul
ready.” The door disappears around a bend casters on the roof cannot cast magic that through the chest, Myrkul opens his
of the staircase below. includes verbal components. That proba- mouth in a silent scream.
Myrkul steps through the hole and bly makes this a purely physical fight. The rider leaps clear and lands on the
floats down the stairs. He plans to return The night riders form a wall between roof. PCs recognize the rider now. Use
to the Pool of Loss and call the dead to Myrkul and the adventurers, then ad- any important character who appeared
him. After absorbing their energy, he vance, attacking. The PCs battle evil toe- to die at an earlier point in this adventure.
can confront Ao at the Celestial to-toe, in dead silence, while Myrkul first (In the novel, it is Adon; when he was
Stairway—and, augmented by the en- seizes the stolen tablet, then attacks Mid- swept away by the underground river be-
ergy of the dead, destroy Ao himself! night. If any PCs try to block his way, re- neath Dragonspear Castle, he was res-
Bane was foolish, choosing to attack the fer to the appendix for Myrkul’s powers cued by subterranean gnomes who
(but remember, he too may be affected by nursed him back to health.)

38
 The griffon flaps wildly as it lifts the av- ards volunteer to help, Elminster gently enough to fly all of the surviving adven-
atar off the roof. As Myrkul shrieks si- tells them they’d only get in the way. turers to Mount Waterdeep.
lently, Midnight grabs any nearby PC and (If the characters blocked the portal to If Cyric slew Kelemvor, Khelben looks
points at the saddlebags Myrkul is hold- Hades earlier, Elminster still goes down to at the body sorrowfully and says that
ing. They hold the Tablets of Fate! If no PC the Pool of Loss. Now that Myrkul is dead, there is nothing he can do. Cyric’s sword
makes a grab for the saddlebags, Elmin- Elminster believes the gate can be perma- has utterly drained the warrior.
ster does so. nently closed.)
As the saddlebags are torn away, Mid-
night prepares two spells (another sign of
Before he goes, Elminster points down
to the carnage in the streets below. “Look Event 6: At the
her growing power). Myrkul turns in the
air and withers the griffon; to do so, he
ye! When Myrkul’s denizens begin to re-
treat, take the tablets to the top of Mount
Foot of the Stair
lifts his cloak of silence from the rooftop. Waterdeep, to Peaktop Eyrie—look, DM Note—Celestial Stairways: A
At that moment, Midnight casts disinte- there!” He points out the small battlement Celestial Stairway is a rare link between
grate. high up on Mount Waterdeep. With a Prime Material Planes (in this case, the
The spell works automatically; do not cheery wave he teleports away. Realms) and a multiplicity of Outer
check for magical chaos. There is a flash In the streets below, the denizens are Planes.
of golden light, the ground trembles, and winning the fight for Waterdeep, forcing Created by godly magic, Celestial Stair-
then a deepening purple glow settles over the defenders back across Trades Ward. ways are usually only visible to those of
the scene. When it dies away, Myrkul and 22nd level (or 22 Hit Dice) or more. Any
the griffon have vanished. A brown murk
hangs in the air where The Lord of the
Cyric Attacks! living being can use them. However, with-
out constant magical maintenance, Celes-
Dead had been. While all of this has taken place, Cyric tial Stairways soon fade into ether and
In the same moment, Midnight has also has stolen up the staircase inside Blackstaff vanish.
successfully cast a special dimension Tower and waited for Elminster to leave. While touching the stairway, a traveler
door. She shunts the force of the avatar’s Now he makes his move. He slays an NPC is protected by its magic from hostile
exploding energies far away from Water- from behind with his magical sword (in the atmosphere and temperatures on foreign
deep, out over the sea. PCs can see the ex- novel, the victim is Kelemvor). Then Cyric planes. If a traveler becomes separated
plosion from the tower roof: a brilliant tosses the weapon into the air to “dance.” from a stairway partway up, the traveler
white sphere exploding over the Sea of He draws another blade and hurls a glass often loses access to it and is stranded in
Swords, on the western horizon. vial of sleep gas to the roof. an intervening plane. If a PC leaves a stair-
The gas is called “greensleep.” It ex- way partway up, have the character “fall”
Myrkul’s Ruins pands rapidly into a spherical cloud of
mint-green smoke 20’ across. All PCs
through ethereal mists into another cam-
paign world.
The murk settles slowly to the ground. must save vs. poison at -2 to avoid falling Most stairways are guarded at the
Where it touches, trees and plants turn asleep for 1-2 turns. Midnight saves, but Prime Material Plane end by Einheriar or
brown and wither. People collapse, gasp- other NPCs fail automatically. Lantern Archons (detailed in the Manual
ing and choking, their skin darkening. It is not necessary to breathe of the Planes rulebook), or by other ser-
Buildings lean, topple, and collapse slowly greensleep; it works by skin contact. Its vants of the power controlling the stair-
into dust. antidote can awaken affected victims im- way. In this adventure, Helm guards the
DM Note: Two square blocks of Water- mediately. If the antidote is taken just stairway for Ao.
deep, at the lower end of the market- prior to the release of the gas, it prevents The Celestial Stairway atop Mount
place, become a devastated area where protected beings from any effects. Cyric Waterdeep changes appearance con-
no building can stand and nothing can has just taken the antidote, but there is no stantly. To those who can see it, the stair-
grow. This area, called “Myrkul’s Ruins,” other store of antidote nearby, nor are way first appears as a shimmering,
remains for a time as a legacy of the Time any of the adventurers familiar with it. translucent spiral path of amber and
of Troubles. Thanks to the effects of the gas and the pearl; then a set of plain white railless
confusion it causes among even those steps; then a ramp of pure silver; and so
who make their saving throws, Cyric
Event 5: seizes the tablets and fights his way clear.
on, changing every few seconds.

To Battle a Man Cyric also tries to kick conscious oppo-

nents off the roof. A fall from the roof of
On Mount Waterdeep
Elminster manages a meteor swarm to Blackstaff Tower onto the hard cobbles The adventurers, on griffon-back, wing
polish off any remaining night riders. The below does 4d6 damage. their way across the city (through aerial
Old Sage makes sure the tablets are safely Some ten minutes later, a griffon lands battles with denizens, if the DM desires)
in the party’s possession. Then he takes atop the tower. On its back is a city to land at Peaktop Eyrie. Khelben remains
his leave, explaining that he must try to guardsman and Khelben Arunsun. behind to fight alongside the Waterdha-
close the gate to Hades to stop the incom- Khelben fetches healing potions for in- vian defenders in the streets.
ing flood of denizens. If Khelben has re- jured PCs and finds a store of greensleep The adventurers can persuade Khelben
mained with the party through all this, he antidote somewhere in the tower. He to come along if they really want to, but
leaves with Elminster. However, if PC wiz- sends the guardsman on his griffon to his presence has no effect on the climax.
bring more griffons to the tower—

39
 Midnight can see the stairway clearly.
PCs who search around it find no sign of
Cyric; evidently he has not reached
Mount Waterdeep yet. PCs can go ahead
to the Celestial Stairway, or they can re-
main behind and ambush Cyric.
Go to the Stairway: The party
reaches the stairs. As anyone tries to
climb them, read the following:

The instant you set foot on the bottom

step, a giant in burnished armor ap-
pears to block your way. “I guard this
path!” he cries.

This is Helm, Guardian of the Way. Since Talking With Helm treme. What does set him apart,
however, is his robe: as dark as oblivion,
the PCs do not have the tablets, and Helm yet at the same time dotted with millions
knows this, he continues by saying, “Do Cyric thrusts the saddlebags into of twinkling stars, such that the motes of
not approach. This way is forbidden, save Helm’s hands. “I have recovered the light and the inky blackness balance
to the one who bears the tablets.” Tablets of Fate,” he says proudly. He each other perfectly.
Just as Helm finishes speaking, Cyric glances back over his shoulder at you,
rushes up the mountainside shouting, and smiles.
“Wait!” Breathlessly he joins the party; “Bring me the tablets,” Ao commands.
Helm takes the tablets and stares
Helm prevents them from fighting. Helm does so, removing them from the
down at Cyric. “I know who recovered
Go to “Talking With Helm,” below. saddlebags and kneeling. Ao touches
them,” he says coldly.
them. “On these tablets,” he says in a
Wait for Cyric: If PCs decide to lay an voice like thunder, “I have recorded
ambush, they can hide in a nearby look- If PCs protest that Cyric is lying, Helm
the Balance created to keep the Order.
out tower of the Eyrie. agrees. He seems to know everything that
They have now been restored!”
Suddenly Cyric appears, sword in hand, has happened, and he knows Cyric is evil.
“And I returned them to you,” Cyric
walking calmly up the slopes of Mount Nevertheless, Helm allows him near the
says quickly.
Waterdeep toward the stairway. The Tab- stairway, along with Midnight and the
Ao looks down at him. “I know what
lets of Fate are contained in saddlebags PCs. Read the following:
you have done,” he says in calm, even
slung over his shoulder. tones. “And here is what all of it
If the PCs confront him, Cyric sneers, de- Midnight angrily asks Helm, “If you are amounts to!” Ao crushes the tablets in
fends himself with his sword, and runs for aware of Cyric’s evil, why do you not his hands; they explode into dust.
the stairway. If he reaches the steps, Cyric punish him?”
cannot attack or be attacked. A new figure “Because it is not his duty to pass The tablets meant nothing, of them-
appears beside him; go to the next event. judgment,” says another voice, deep selves. Ao kept them to remind the gods
PCs can only stop Cyric from reaching and resonant. A new voice. Behind that he created all of them to serve the
the stairway by attacking him. Midnight Helm on the stair, another figure ap- Balance, not to twist it to their own ends.
definitely wants to kill Cyric, and fires a pears. Unfortunately, the gods saw the tablets
lightning bolt unless restrained. If they at- Helm bows. “Lord Ao!” he says rever- only as a set of rules. When the rules be-
tack, read the following aloud: ently. came inconvenient, two gods stole the
tablets.
As you attack, Cyric runs for the stair- For that, Bane and Myrkul have paid the
way. A huge figure in gleaming armor Event 7: ultimate price, and are no more. But, Ao
says, all the gods are guilty. All caused
materializes at the bottom of the steps.
“No!” it shouts, striding forward. It is The Lord of All worshipers to raise wasteful temples, to
Helm. devote themselves slavishly to the gods’
The Overlord of the Gods appears as a
aggrandizement so that they could not
cryptic yet awesomely imposing figure.
Helm throws up his hand, and missile feed themselves, even to spill their blood
He has hair and beard of purest white,
attacks veer toward it. No mortal attacks upon altars—all for no reason.
but his face and posture do not suggest a
can bypass the god’s magic. Midnight’s particular age; he could be young, or old,
lightning strikes the armored colossus, or anywhere in between. His face is nei- Silence hangs heavy over Mount
covering him in a harmless shower of ther handsome nor ugly—the sort of vis- Waterdeep. Then Ao speaks again—
sparks. Helm’s armored head turns to- age that looks absolutely average. In this time addressing all of the gods
ward the PCs. “This life is not yours to short, he is the embodiment of the Bal- across the Realms as well as the PCs. “I
take.” ance, showing no aspects of any ex- created the gods for a purpose. Now

40
 Regardless of what the PCs say, Mid- including Lord Kae Deverell, Sneakabout,
you, the gods, will fulfill that purpose. night finally agrees to godhood. She Kelemvor, and Cyric’s other victims—and
From this day forward, your true climbs the stairway to stand beside Cyric, bring them to a happier afterlife.
power depends upon the number and with the words, “I accept. And you, Cyric,
Restoration of Order: With the gods
devotion of your followers.” will soon wish you had not.”
in their places, all is once again right with
There is a rumbling in the sky, a gasp Ao lifts his hands, and the Celestial
the world. Magical and physical chaos
of astonishment from avatars all Stairway and those upon it vanish in a pil-
cease. Aftereffects of the chaos can still
across the Realms. Ao smiles slowly. lar of light.
prompt adventures, but most effects soon
“Aye, and after what has befallen in The Time of Troubles is over.
vanish.
the Realms, it will not be easy to win
The denizens in Waterdeep, their god
the faith of mortals. You will have to
earn it by serving them. Now, let the
Rewards destroyed and their portal to Hades
Midnight, now transfigured, soon ap- closed, become much less powerful. The
gods return!”
pears in a vision to each PC. She grants forces of Waterdeep slaughter them
“No!” Cyric yells. “After all I went
each character one wish, as per the 9th within a few days.
through—”
Ao says, very quietly, “I do not care level wizard spell. Exception: Characters The Source of Godly Power: Gods
to be challenged. It makes me fear I who did not try to protect Midnight, or now draw their strength directly from
have made a poor choice for my new disregarded her importance (for in- the numbers and devotion of their fol-
God of Strife and Death.” stance, by arguing against rescuing her lowers. For game mechanics of this new
Cyric smiles. “So you do keep to the from her prismatic sphere in the Pool of arrangement, consult the forthcoming
bargain! I am to be a god!” He steps for- Loss), receive no wish and also are not re- Forgotten Realms hardcover rulebook.
ward to stand by Ao on the Celestial warded as described below.
Midnight grants all PCs enough experi- Effects on the Land: As shown in
Stairway. “My thanks!”
ence to go up to the next level of experi- Shadowdale, the area around Castle Kil-
Ao replies, “Do not thank me, evil
ence. She heals wounded characters of all grave has been destroyed; it is now a land
Cyric. Being given the role of God of
damage, and resurrects dead PCs. of bubbling tar pits.
Strife and Death is no gift. It is eternal
As shown at the end of Tantras, the area
punishment. At first, you will enjoy it,
north of the city of Tantras becomes a
for it is the only thing you are suited to.
But you will find it wearisome in the After the magic-dead wasteland for (at least) sev-
eral years. No magic works here. The
end. The freedom you seek lies not
with godly power. You serve me now
Adventure area becomes a refuge for those fleeing
from vengeful wizards.
. . . and your worshipers.” Now the purpose of the Avatar storyline
As shown in this adventure, two square
For a moment you see in Cyric’s eyes becomes clear: It provides a golden op-
blocks of Waterdeep become uninhabita-
the beginnings of fear. Then he scowls, portunity for DMs to change from the
ble. As an offstage event, the explosion of
but he says nothing. original AD&D® game to the AD&D 2nd
Bhaal’s avatar poisons the Winding Water
Lord Ao turns. “Midnight!” he says Edition rules.
river for 100 miles, from Boareskyr
commandingly. “I have lost Mystra, What’s more, the DM can correct cam-
Bridge down to Trollclaw Ford.
Lady of Mysteries, Mistress of Magic. paign problems of all sorts. The world’s
Also, Boareskyr Bridge is destroyed.
She is within you, and yet she was godly pantheon can be rearranged, lands
However, the DM can easily decree that it
weary and weak, and could not now be renamed and shifted, and so on; the DM
has been rebuilt “offstage,” or make the
restored as she should be. I have se- has carte blanche, as though creating a
construction the hook for a new adven-
lected one mortal for malevolence and new campaign world from scratch.
ture. Speaking of which . . .
cruelty. I hope to select another for wis-
The New Pantheon: In the official
dom and spirit. Will you take her Further Adventures: First, the PCs
Forgotten Realms campaign setting, Mid-
place?” may help the Waterdhavians mop up the
night becomes the new Goddess of Magic.
A ring of nine small, blue-white stars remaining denizens who haunt Water-
Cyric, “the Swordbearer,” is now God of
appears in the air around Midnight, deep. They can sail out onto the Sea of
Strife, Murder, and Death.
dancing softly. Swords, to ensure that Myrkul’s explosion
Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul are gone,
Midnight looks both surprised and did not create any weird new creatures
along with the entire assassin character
exhausted. She almost shakes her (or to find that it did).
class. However, Lord Ao reforms the dis-
head. Then she looks at you for guid- Naturally, a lot of priesthoods will be
persed spirit of Torm so he can return as
ance. very busy in the near future—sorting out
God of Duty.
details, proselytizing furiously to
The PCs can argue pro or con. Only Mid- The Harrowing of Hades: Many strengthen their gods (and themselves),
night responds to them; Ao ignores queries souls were unjustly trapped in Myrkul’s and grabbing power. They employ adven-
put to him. Let the players really ham it up; realm. The gods had abandoned their re- turers on all sorts of missions to recover
after all, the circumstances merit great or- sponsibility for retrieving these spirits of this, vanquish that. . . .
atory. Lord Ao himself smiles upon PCs their faithful. Life, as they say in the Sword Coast
who orate exceptionally well; award them Following the Time of Troubles, Mid- lands, unfolds as the gods will, whether
bonus experience points. night leads the gods to Hades to recover or not one feels like being a part of it.
most of the spirits trapped there—

41
 This section describes four non-player steel vial, and a pearl of power (allowing Equipment: Plate mail, magical sword
characters, the four major characters of Midnight to “recall” two 1st level spells), (see “New Magical Items”), longbow and
the novels of the Avatar Trilogy. These are sewn into a garter worn beneath her 10 arrows, dagger, hand axe, coil of 100’
described more fully in accessory FR7, robes. of black waxed rope, grapnel, set of lock-
Hall of Heroes. picks and thief tools hidden in a hollowed-
Only Midnight and Cyric must appear Midnight is a thin woman in her late out wooden crutch, 16 empty canvas
in this adventure. Use Kelemvor and 20s, with a slim, catlike body. She has jet sacks with drawstrings, three flasks of oil,
Adon as desired, to augment the party’s black hair that reaches to her waist (but is six iron spikes, mallet, darklantern,
strength or provide useful information. usually braided) and darkly tanned skin. 12,000 gp in gems.
In her youth Midnight was unruly, rest-
less, argumentative, and bored. Her mer- Born in the back alleys of Zhentil Keep,
chant parents evidently lacked Cyric never knew his parents. He sus-
imagination and dreams. Having both in pects his father was influential in the
plenty, Midnight developed an active Zhentilar. After his mother was mur-
night life (thus earning her nickname). Af- dered and his father vanished, the infant
ter a tryst with a conjurer, she set her Cyric was sold to slavers. He ended up as
sights on magic. a foster son to a wealthy family in Sembia.
She began to feel watched. Sunlar, a Cyric always showed curiosity about
high priest in the Deepingdale temple of foreign lands and customs. After causing
Mystra, singled her out for special atten- his foster parents much grief, he ran
tion. This fueled her suspicions that she away. Forced to steal to survive, Cyric
had been selected for some great destiny. spent four years in Sembia’s Thieves’
Midnight is scrappy, tough, and taci- Guild. Later his love of travel took him
turn. She enjoys being mysterious, and across the Dragon Reach and to many
occasionally flirtatious. And she knows ports on the Inner Sea.
that some important destiny lies just Cyric returned to Zhentil Keep to learn
ahead of her. about his family. After the death of a man
who might have been his father, Cyric de-
“MIDNIGHT” cided he must abandon the thief’s life. He
became a fighter and worked as a guard
(ARIEL MANX) in Arabel. There he befriended Adon and
Kelemvor. Since the Time of Troubles be-
Human Mage, Level 9 (at beginning of ad-
gan, Cyric has grown cynical about
venture; later, level becomes irrelevant)
“causes” and now works only to increase
Str 6 his own power.
Int 16
Wis 10
Dex 11
Con 10
Cha 17
HP 27
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Worships: Mystra, Goddess of Magic
Armor Class: 10
Equipment: Spell book containing ar-
mor, charm person, comprehend lan-
guages, feather fall, magic missile, run,
Tenser’s floating disc, identify, read
CYRIC
magic, shocking grasp, sleep; continual Human Fighter/Thief: Character with
light, darkness 15’ radius, deeppockets, Two Classes; 4th level Fighter, formerly
detect evil, ESP, invisibility, levitate, locate 5th level Thief
object, scare, shatter, wizard lock; clair-
Str 17 (+1 on attacks and damage)
audience, clairvoyance, feign death, fire-
Int 11
ball, fly, haste, hold person, infravision,
Wis 10
material, suggestion, water breathing; di-
Dex 15
mension door, enchanted weapon, fire
Con 15
charm, fire shield, ice storm, Leomund’s
Cha 15
secure shelter, massmorph, polymorph
HP 24
other, polymorph self; two daggers—one
Alignment: Lawful Evil
at belt, one hidden in boot; staff, two
Armor Class: 1
flasks of oil, one potion of healing in a

42
 30s. He was once a werepanther, a lycan-
thrope with the ability to become a pan-
ther. Much to his delight, he discovered
that after the death of the avatar of Bane
(in FRE2, Tantras) he had been mysteri-
ously cured of his curse; whether it was
an after-effect of the explosion or the by-
product of some other magical effect
gone awry matters not to him.
Now restored to his original (fully hu-
man) form, Kelemvor seeks to do good
wherever he can—for little or no reward.
He lives now to become the hero his curse
prevented him from being earlier in his
life. He loves Midnight and will sacrifice
anything for her safety. His fighting skills
make him a match for most foes.
evil, detect magic, protection from evil,
KELEMVOR LYONSBANE ADON and purify food and drink; and a note-
Human Fighter, Level 5 book of mediocre love poems.
Human Cleric, Level 5
Str 17
Int 15 Str 11 Adon was born wealthy but grew up
Wis 13 Int 9 shiftless, extravagant, vain, and weak-
Dex 16 Wis 15 willed. On the night of his 15th birthday,
Con 18 Dex 12 Adon had a dream that the love goddess,
Cha 14 Con 12 Sune Firehair, would raise him to become
HP 44 Cha 13 her divine consort. On the spot, he primly
Alignment: Lawful Neutral (good) HP 25 resolved to become a cleric for Sune.
Armor Class: 4 Alignment: Neutral Good The scar that Adon receives during the
Equipment: Chain mail and shield, short Worships: Sune Firehair, later Midnight events of this adventure changes his out-
sword, bastard sword, lance, bow, dag- Armor Class: 2 look. He spends a great deal of time ques-
ger, three potions of healing in steel Equipment: Plate mail, large shield, tioning the worth of the gods—especially
flasks. mace, war hammer, two vials of holy wa- Sune. Now he accepts the state of the
ter, three flasks of oil, a pack with a rack world as it is. He might eventually regain
Kelemvor is a mercenary, a muscular of six potions of healing in glass vials; a his faith as a priest, but not until after the
and ruggedly attractive man in his early scroll with the spells command, detect gods have departed from the Realms.

This appendix details two avatars that All avatars can hear their names spoken ties are still the equivalent of a 12th level
play major parts in this adventure. These anywhere in Faerun, along with the next mage, able to unleash full magic.
are but two of many avatars cast down to nine words of the same speaker. Avatars
Faerun during the Time of Troubles. Far
less powerful than “usual” avatars as-
also detect the speaker’s voice-likeness,
distance, and direction. The gods usually
Avatar Death
sumed by divine beings, they are the re- ignore the ceaseless babble this creates in Avatars can be slain. However, most dei-
sult of possessing human or humanlike their minds, but Bhaal and Myrkul do lis- ties prepare magical safeguards that en-
bodies. ten to the PCs during this adventure. No able them to survive the “death” of their
These are the gods: No god has multiple glyph or symbol magics have any effect physical forms. Only energy drain, wish
avatars or a simultaneous existence on on avatars, except to attract their spells, or similar magics that drain their
other planes during the time covered in attention. divine energy can prevent this. But the
this adventure. These weakened avatars Modify the minor powers avatars use in scattering of its energies may prevent a
are subject to magical chaos, although less play to explain spectacular magical ef- god from taking another avatar for 1d6
so than mortal spellcasters. All types of fects, physical feats, and so on. Though weeks or longer.
weapons affect these weakened avatars. magic is temporarily unreliable, most dei-

43
 Destroying an avatar may or may not
destroy the being. Some deities survive
Abbreviations Avatars should appear in play only spar-
ingly. It is hard to excite or awe players
apparent death as ghostlike “anima” AL: Alignment. whose characters are battling the thir-
forms. These anima cannot be turned, Symbol: The sign by which the deity is teenth or fourteenth avatar of the day.
can become invisible at will, and can per- known. An avatar may display it at will, or In this adventure PCs are likely to
form magic. They have a ghost’s attacks project it into surrounding minds to cause encounter these avatars:
and half the avatar’s hit points. instant recognition.
When a god truly dies, everyone
around knows it. Their titanic magical en-
HD: Hit Dice.
THAC0: Acronym for “To Hit Armor
BHAAL
ergy disperses in a huge explosion with a Class 0”: the score needed on a 20-sided (Lesser Power)
radius of 5-10 miles. The landscape is die to hit an opponent having an Armor AL: LE; Symbol: A circle of red blood-
usually devastated. When Bane and Torm Class of 0. The score needed to hit other teardrops, falling counterclockwise, usu-
killed each other outside Tantras (in Armor Classes is easily calculated from ally depicted circling a white skull.
FRE2), the land was blasted down to bare this number. Note that THAC0 does not HD 12; THAC0 as body ( + 5 to hit due to
molten rock. take into account adjustments due to Strength); SpA W12, P14; MV 12; AC 0; hp
However, since this is not a physical ex- strength, skills, or magic. 84; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 or by weapon type
plosion, it does not necessarily kill its vic- SpA: Spell Ability. The class and level at (+11 due to Strength); MR 45%; SZ as
tims. Instead, plants and animals twist into which the avatar casts spells (W = wizard; body (usually M); Str 23, Int 17, Wis 19,
weird new shapes and species. Buildings P = priest). Dex as body (no AC change), Con 25, Cha
usually collapse, though not always. MV: Movement. How fast, in distance as body; regenerates 2 hp/round.
Important characters (especially PCs) per round, that the avatar moves (Fl = fly-
caught in an avatar explosion need not ing speed, with maneuverability class fol- Bhaal, The Lord of Murder, has been re-
die. They may be transformed into mon- lowing it in parentheses). duced to a killing force able to possess hu-
sters, or shifted to other planes of exist- AC: Armor Class. This is the avatar’s mans. He must personally slay the owner
ence. Choose a fate that allows the player frontal Armor Class, including adjust- of a body to take possession. The victim
to remain active in the game. ments for Dexterity, magical protections, gets no saving throw to avoid being pos-
After an avatar explodes, the surround- and innate durability. The AC may be sessed. Possession takes one round; it
ing area is “dead” to magic for 1d4 + 1 worse if the avatar is attacked from be- does not require Bhaal’s physical contact,
years. No magic of any kind works in the hind or from the flank. but he must be able to see his victim.
area, with the exception of powerful arti- hp: The avatar’s hit points (always less The spirits of humans slain by Bhaal be-
facts (DM’s discretion). Spellcasters feel than those of the deity at full powers). come “soul spectres” (phantoms), and go
dazed while in the area. #AT: Number of attacks per round. to the Land of Always Night in Hades to
Dmg: Damage per attack. serve him and Myrkul.
Lord Ao and Helm MR: Magic Resistance; the chance that
a spell may fail when used against the ava-
Bhaal retains his own strength and vital-
ity, but employs the possessed body’s
Descriptions of Helm and the Overlord tar. Apply this factor in addition to magi- fighting skills (“to hit” rolls). His possessed
Ao are not included here. Ao is all- cal chaos. The deity’s normal MR is body can withstand attacks that would
powerful, a god above gods. He simply ig- usually twice that of its weakened avatar. kill a living human. The avatar feels no
nores attacks, and they have no effect on SZ: Size. An avatar can cause a pos- pain except that caused by magic; he can
him. He is not subject to magical chaos, sessed body to grow larger, or shrink grasp and pull on bare weapon blades, or
but can cause it to plague any being he de- smaller, by 50% of its normal size. slap weapons aside. He can force a
sires. High Ability Scores: The 2nd Edition smashed body to do things that a living
Helm only appears in this adventure in Player’s Handbook details the increased human could not, such as hurling men
the presence of Ao, who extends his powers and abilities conferred by ability through the air with single blows.
powers to protect Helm. Helm by nature scores higher than 18. Bhaal does not care what happens to
does not act against attackers. Note that high Wisdom confers the abil- bodies he inhabits, but tries to keep a
ity to throw off the effects of certain body mobile so he can readily slay re-
charmlike magical effects, as follows: placement bodies. The eyes of possessed
19 Wis: cause fear, charm person, com- bodies burn with a strange, mad intensity.
mand, friends, hypnotism Bhaal can also exercise additional
20 Wis: forget, hold person, ray of en- powers by touch. He can animate undead
feeblement, scare indefinitely. Skeletons or zombies obey
21 Wis: fear him absolutely; greater undead must per-
22 Wis: charm monster, confusion, form one service for him—treat as a com-
emotion, fumble, suggestion mand spell—and are then free-willed.
23 Wis: chaos, feeblemind, hold mon- Bhaal cannot command existing undead
ster, magic jar, quest that have greater power than skeletons
Note that the above list assumes immu- and zombies. He can influence only those
nity to less powerful versions of similar undead he himself animates. Bhaal is im-
spells. mune to all undead attacks of any sort.

44
 MYRKUL
(Greater Power)
AL: NE; Symbol: A skull or skeletal hand
(sometimes combined, the hand issuing
from the mouth of the skull).
HD 18; THAC0 14; SpA W23; MV 12, Fl
18 (D); AC -4; hp 136; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6
(+1 due to Strength) + special (see be-
low); MR 45%; SZ M; Str 16, Int 18, Wis 23,
Dex 15, Con 25, Cha 9; regenerates 2 hp/
round.
Myrkul, Old Lord Skull, appears as a
cloaked skeletal human. The corpses
Myrkul uses disintegrate rapidly, and so
they tend to be more skeletal than zom-
bielike. The head usually appears as a
Symbol of Bhaal bare skull.
The Lord of Bones is somewhat Symbol of Myrkul
haughty, even by the gods’ standards. He
Bhaal can also disrupt undead with his With a touch Myrkul can confer flesh
thinks nothing of lesser gods and “no-
touch, turning them instantly into dust rot, the “mummy disease.” It negates all
account cattle” (mortal creatures). He pre-
that not even he can reanimate. cure wounds spells, causes infected crea-
fers to frighten or awe them by taunting
Bhaal can possess undead to serve him tures to heal at only 10% of the normal
them with his image, rather than facing
as bodies, in the same way that he pos- rate, causes a permanent Charisma loss of
them in combat.
sesses living humans in the act of killing 1 point every two weeks, and is fatal in
Myrkul’s attacks are as follows: 1d6
them. To do so, Bhaal must “slay” the un- 1d6 months. Touched creatures can avoid
(open-handed) or by weapon, plus 1d4
dead (reduce it to 0 hp). Undead pos- this with a save vs. poison, but they must
chilling damage. This additional damage
sessed by Bhaal lose all of their save again each time Myrkul touches
is identical to a chilling touch spell: 1d4
non-physical attacks. They last only 1d6 them.
damage (no save), plus save vs. spell to
turns before disintegrating, destroyed by A side effect of Myrkul’s touch is that
avoid a 1-point Strength loss; lost Strength
the divine energy within them. There- living creatures see all those around them
returns at 1 point per hour. The chill can
fore, Bhaal uses such bodies only as a as moving, talking, clothed skeletons. Vic-
be conferred by Myrkul’s touch or a
means of escape. tims cannot see flesh, including expres-
weapon he wields.
sions, moving lips, and so on. This does
Myrkul can also exercise Bhaal’s powers
not mean victims automatically assume
to animate and control the undead. Like
that comrades have become undead; sim-
Bhaal, he can possess undead bodies (but
ply describe the effect to the player and
not freshly killed victims). For a descrip-
let the player determine the PC’s reaction.
tion of these powers, see Bhaal’s entry
Make an Intelligence check every turn to
above.
end this side effect.

45
The Tablets of Fate Cyric’s Sword The sword can speak with its user tele-
pathically. It has an Intelligence of 17 and
Indestructible in the hands of anyone Though it resembles a short sword of an Ego of at least 10. Refer to the DMG for
except Lord Ao, each Tablet of Fate is dancing +2, this chaotic evil weapon is details of magic sword blood-draining,
made of plain, weathered stone, two feet intelligent and has powers almost on the dancing, ego and intelligence.
high and with rounded ends and edges. level of an artifact. Its origin and purpose The sword possesses other powers de-
On the sides are engraved the names and remain a mystery, as does its arrival in termined by the DM. Use these powers to
symbols of the gods and their divine port- Sneakabout’s hands. preserve Cyric’s life until the end of the
folios. However, no one but a god can in- adventure.
Abilities: If directed to parry, the
terpret anything except the gods’ sword hurls back any weapon it contacts, The Curse: This weapon’s principal
symbols. regardless of weapon velocity or wield- drawback is a curse that causes blood lust
Tablets reflect all spells back 100% on er’s strength. in the wielder. Also, as with many objects
the caster, but are otherwise inert. No one The sword has vampiric abilities. On of powerful evil, the item gradually pre-
can use them offensively. The PCs’ tablet any killing blow, the sword can drain all occupies its owner’s mind. The wielder
radiates no dweomer. Myrkul’s tablet ra- the blood and life energy of its victim. eventually grows paranoid, obsessed
diates strong magic, signs of the enchant- This causes the sword to glow a bright with the sword, and knows no peace if
ments he has placed on it. These spells let rose red. If the sword has not drained a the sword is taken away. This happened
his denizens cross from Hades into the victim in more than a day, it gradually to Sneakabout.
Realms; maintain an open gate to Hades, wanes in color. However, shortly after acquiring the
so that their power remains strong; and If it desires, the blade can release weapon, Cyric engaged it in a contest of
allow Myrkul to locate the tablet wher- drained life energy to heal or revive its wills. Cyric won, and now he is immune
ever it is. wielder (but no one else). It cannot be to the blood-lust curse. When Cyric meets
forced to do this. The sword can also keep his fate at the end of this adventure, the
the wielder comfortable in extremes of sword passes from the world with him.
heat or cold.

46
Denizen
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Hades of vampiric fangs, insectile compound eyes, and a flat hoglike
FREQUENCY: Common in Hades; snout. Both hair and quills grow on its head, just behind a pair of
unknown elsewhere diminutive horns.
ORGANIZATION: Group
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any Combat: Denizens have several special abilities that only func-
DIET: None tion in their home plane of Hades, or near an open portal to
INTELLIGENCE: Average (10-11) Hades. They cannot be harmed by less than than +1 magical
TREASURE: V (magical weapons possible) weapons; they have magic resistance and innate protection from
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Evil good; and they are immune to the same attacks as undead crea-
tures.
All denizens regenerate 1 hp of damage each round. All have
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
infravision (60’ range) and extraordinarily acute senses of smell
ARMOR CLASS: 1/0
and taste. Some denizens also have other special abilities.
MOVEMENT: 12/12, Fl 18
However, no denizen can turn invisible, and none can leave the
HIT DICE: 8/10
plane of Hades without Myrkul’s assistance.
THAC0: 13/11
When stranded in another dimension without an open gate to
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1/2
Hades within 100 miles, denizens lose their special abilities (ex-
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6/1-8 or weapon
cept their superhuman senses). They regenerate only 1 hp per
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
day. All attacks can harm them, except for fire- or heat-based at-
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
tacks. They have no other special defenses. Dukes in flight drop
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 30%/35%
from maneuverability class C to class D.
SIZE: M/L
In combat denizens attack viciously, picking off the weakest op-
MORALE: Steady (11-12)
ponents first. They take sadistic pleasure in inflicting pain.
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: 650 (3000)/1400 (5000)
Use the first XP value given above for denizens without their
special abilities; the XP value in parentheses applies to denizens
These creatures of Hades are servants of Myrkul, brought to
with all abilities intact.
the Realms by the magic he placed on his Tablet of Fate.
Each denizen was once a living being, usually a cleric of
Habitat/Society: Denizens are found only in Hades, specifically
Myrkul. Evil and cunning in life, they were rewarded in death
in the Realm of the Dead (Myrkul’s domain). They often fly out
with these new forms and the role of tormentors of the dead.
over the Fugue Plain of Hades to harvest the waiting souls of the
There are many kinds of denizens, with many different powers
False and Faithless.
and proficiencies. This entry describes the two seen in Water-
Denizens belong to an elaborate social structure modeled on
deep during the Time of Troubles: knights and dukes. In the abil-
human aristocracies. Low-ranking denizens are called “knights”;
ity listings above, some entries have two values, separated by
those of greater power have titles such as “duke” or “prince.” All
slashes. The number before the slash indicates knights; the num-
obey Lord Myrkul without question. It is not clear whether a den-
ber after, dukes.
izen can voluntarily advance in social status.
Knights have grotesque, casklike bodies with gangly, mis-
shapen arms that drag along the ground. Their short legs bely Ecology: Denizens do not need to eat to survive, but they enjoy
their speed and grace. Knights have humanlike heads and fea- the taste of living flesh.
tures, except for bilious fangs and glowing red eyes. They speak
in low, guttural voices. Copyright ©1989 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Permission is granted by the copyright holder to photocopy this page
Dukes have fat bodies covered with feathers. Their huge, leath- for personal use only.
ery wings propel them through air at maneuverability class C. A
duke’s head looks like nothing human, but rather a combination
Night Rider

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any (guardian) Habitat/Society: Night riders are created for a purpose, and go
FREQUENCY: Rare where commanded. They have no societal organization, but are
ORGANIZATION: Solitary or group most often found with other undead—particularly gaunts (see be-
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any low), normal zombies, and skeletons. They retain something of
DIET: None the intelligence they had in life, and seem drawn to areas they
INTELLIGENCE: Low (5-7) frequented when alive.
TREASURE: V (magical weapons possible)
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Evil Ecology: Night Riders eat nothing, and serve no ecological
niche. They may serve Myrkul or the greater undead.

NO. APPEARING: 3-24

Gaunt
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVEMENT: 10 AC 7; MV 24 (leap 20’); HD 2 + 2; #AT 2; Dmg 1d4; SZ L; AL LE;
HIT DICE: As in life Morale 12; XP value 975.
THAC0: As in life
Many night riders have as companions only their undead
NO. OF ATTACKS: As in life
horses called gaunts. These skeletal steeds, also known as dead-
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8 or by weapon type
mounts, are rare. Some believe them to be created only by Bane
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Chill touch
and Myrkul.
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Protection from good, darkness
Gaunts appear as skeletal horses, some with manes, tails, and
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Special
even tatters of withered flesh still attached. They are of all sizes,
SIZE: M
and although their bones are as brittle as most dry bone, their un-
MORALE: Very Steady (13)
life gives them strong and supple joints. They gallop and leap as
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: 650 (varies)
swiftly and surely as living horses. Gaunts are turned as ghouls.
Gaunts fight anything that their rider attacks, or as com-
These undead are created by Myrkul and a few liches and evil manded. In battle, gaunts lash out with their hooves for 1d4 dam-
clerics. They are usually found as guardians or servants, and re- age per attack.
semble zombies or (more rarely) skeletons or partially skeletal Their breath has a chilling effect. Living creatures within 10’
corpses. They are more powerful than both of these types of un- must make a Constitution check every round. Failure means 1d4
dead, and their intelligence makes them far more dangerous. hp damage and causes a (cumulative) one-point Strength loss last-
Although utterly silent in movement, night riders usually ing one hour.
chuckle or cry out in triumph when they strike an opponent. Any living being foolish enough to mount a gaunt must save vs.
They are so profoundly evil that they can create a protection paralyzation every round or be paralyzed. Such paralysis can
from good, 10’ radius at will. Night riders are turned as shadows. only be broken by a successful saving throw on a subsequent at-
tempt. On the first round, the save is made at -6; on the second
Combat: Night riders may use all sorts of weapons, but because round, at -5; and so on. On each round of paralysis, a rider suf-
of their relative clumsiness, they are -1 to hit with missile weap- fers an automatic 2 hp of chill damage. Helpless living riders are
ons. Unlike zombies, night riders do not necessarily strike last in usually taken on a ride over a cliff. Anyone who can reach a para-
a round (being faster than zombies, night riders suffer only -1 lyzed rider can readily pull him or her off.
on initiative rolls). Gaunts suffer only half damage from edged or piercing weap-
Most night riders in the service of Myrkul are armed with ons, and are unaffected by sleep, charm, hold and cold- based
scythes of wounding +1 (treat as a sword of wounding), which magic. Holy water does a deadmount 2d4 damage per vial.
deal a base damage of 2-8 +1. Some gaunts, who have lost riders far from anything that can
Night riders can create darkness in a 15’ radius at will. Their command them, wander alone and in small bands in wilderness
touch chills all non-undead for 1d4 hp damage, and causes a (cu- areas. They may even join and run with wild horses, who ignore
mulative) hour-long 1-point Strength loss. or fear them.
Night riders cannot use spells, potions, or magic items requir-
ing a living touch. They suffer only half damage from edged and Copyright ©1989 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
piercing weapons, and are unaffected by sleep, charm, hold and Permission is granted by the copyright holder to photocopy this page
cold- based magics. for personal use only.
Healing spells and potions actually do damage to night riders.
Such magics diminish their unlife energy, causing the loss of hit
points equal to the points of healing the magic would have done
to a living being. (A partial or splash hit from a potion does 1-2 hp
damage.) Holy water does a night rider 2d4 damage per vial.
RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLES
The tables below are provided for the convenience of the DM to determine the nature of random encoun-
ters in some of the areas where this adventure takes place. Other types of creatures may be encountered,
at the DM’s discretion; these tables are meant only as a guideline and a time-saver. Use the King’s Forest
table when the party is in the forested area of Cormyr, and use the High Moor tables whenever the party is
in open terrain west of the Sunset Mountains. For encounters in other areas and other types of terrain, the
DM can select appropriate creatures from the Monstrous Compendium or use the general encounter tables
provided with any official AD&D® game book or supplement.
King’s Forest High Moor (Day) High Moor (Night)
1d20 Encounter 1 d 2 0 E ncounter 1d20 Encounter
1 Choke creeper (1) 1-2 Bugbears (3d4) 1 Hill giants (1d10)
2-3 Wild dogs (4d4) 3-4 Huge spiders (2d4) 2-3 Bats (2d20)
4-6 Goblins (5d4) 5-6 Wolves (4d4) 4 Groaning spirit (1)
7 Fire beetles (3d4) 7 Land lampreys (2d6) 5-6 Wolves (2d10)
8-9 Mongrelmen (3d4) 8-9 Manticores (1d4) 7-8 Trolls (1d12)
10-11 Stirges (5d6) 10 Bulettes (1d2) 9-10 Hobgoblins (4d8)
12 Giant hornet (1) 11-12 Trolls (1d12) 11-12 Jackalweres (1d4)
13-14 Korreds (1d4) 13 Wild boars (1d6) 13-14 Land lampreys (1d6)
15-17 Orcs (2d6) 14-15 Giant wasps (4d4) 15 Ascomid (1)
18-19 Brown bears (1d6) 16-18 Hobgoblins (4d8) 16-17 Bats (2d10)
20 Green hag (1) 19-20 Griffons (2d4) 18-19 Orcs (2d10)
20 Giant slug (1)

MONSTER SUMMARY TABLE

Some of the vital statistics of monsters featured in this adventure are presented in this table for handy
reference during play. Refer to the original AD&D® game monster books or the 2nd Edition Monstrous
Compendium volumes for more detailed information.
Name AC HD #AT Dmg MV Remarks
Ascomid 3 6+6 1 1 (poison kills) 12 cloud: 1-4 rnds helpless
Bat 8(4) 1-2 hp 1 1 Fl 24 ruin spells, torches out
Bear, brown 6 3+3 3 1-6/1-6/1-8 12 hugs: 2-12 dmg
Beetle, fire 4 1+2 1 2-8 12 glands glow 1-6 days
Boar, wild 7 3+3 1 3-12 15 fights 2-5 rds. at 0 hp
Bugbear 5(10) 3+1 1 2-8 or weapon 9 attack as team
Bulette -2/4/6 9 3 4-48/3-18/3-18 14 jump 8': 3-18 X 4 dmg
Choke creeper 6(5) 25 8+ 1-4 1 strangles
Giant, hill 4 8+1-2 1 2-16 12 hurl rocks to 200’: 2-16 dmg
Goblin 6 1-1 1 1-6 or weapon 6 may have slaves
Green hag -2 9 2 7-8/7-8 12, Sw 12 spell-like powers
Griffon 3 7 3 1-4/1-4/2-16 12, Fl 30 eat horses
Groaning spirit 1 7 1 1-8 15 wail kills (range 30’)
Hobgoblin 5 1+1 1 1-8 or weapon 9 swords & morning stars
Hornet, giant 2(4) 5 1 1-4 6, Fl 24 poison, paralysis
Jackalwere 4 4 1 2-8 12 gaze sleeps, wpn immunities
Korred 5 6+1 1 1-2 +4 or weapon 9 animated ropes entangle
Lamprey, land 7 1+2 1 1/rnd (up to 3) 12 drains blood
Lion, mountain 6 3+1 3 1-3/1-3/1-6 15 (leap 20’) rear claws: 1-4/1-4
Manticore 4 6+3 3 1-3/1-3/1-8 12, Fl 18 tail spikes: 1-6, 18’ r.
Mongrelman 5 4 1 1-10 or weapon 9 pickpocket, camouflage, mimic
Orc 6(10) 1 1 1-8 or weapon 9 (12) -1 to hit in full daylight
Slug, giant 8 12 1 1-12 6 60' + range acid spit
Spider, huge 6 2+2 1 1-6 6, Wb 15 poison, leaps 30’
Squirrel 8 1 hp 1 1 9 lair 20’ up in trees
Stirge 8 1+1 1 1-3 3, Fl 18 blood drain, hits as 4 HD
Troll 4 6+6 3 5-8/5-8/5-12 12 regenerates 3 hp per rnd
Wasp, giant 4 4 2 2-8/1-4 6, Fl 21 poison paralyzes
Wolf 7 2+2 1 2-5 18 hunt in packs
Wyvern 3 7+7 2 2-16 (bite), 1-6 6, Fl 24 tail sting: killing poison
PHYSICAL CHAOS TABLE
The effects described on this table are suggestions only; the DM should feel free to make up alternatives and
substitute freely. Bear in mind, however, that play will have to go on in the “new” environment afterwards;
consider the impact of widespread or long-lasting changes to the landscape beforehand. Roll percentile dice,
and consult the table below; the frequency with which the DM consults the table is a matter of choice (gener-
ally, the presence of avatars or large-scale magical activity increases chaos, and the presence of large popula-
tions or mountains decreases chaos). The use of this table should make travel strange, exciting, and
occasionally dangerous; not an exhausting, neverending obstacle course. DMs who also used the preceding
adventure, Shadowdale, should roll on this table more often than they did in the previous adventure, since
chaos in general is increasing throughout the realms.

Percentile
Score Result
01-10 Natural fireworks effect (as in the pyrotechnics spell) occurs. The air is filled with a ringing,
chiming sound that dies away (with the fireworks) after 1-4 rounds.
11-24 Undergrowth sprouts into sudden, frenzied life (if no foliage underfoot, it will grow, even
from bare rock or atop water), equal to an entangle spell, which lasts 7 rounds in a 60-yard
diameter area (save equals slowed, not held; held creatures can fight and cast spells, but not
change location). Musklike plant scents and floral bouquets will waft (harmlessly) in the air.
25-30 Insects appear with a menacing buzzing sound, a swarm equal in effects to an insect plague
(priest spell), lasting for 1-4 turns.
31-44 The air turns violet and luminous (lasting 1-12 rounds). During this time, all within the area (a
400-yard diameter sphere extending into any buildings, the ground beneath, etc.) are slowed,
affected by feather fall and neutralize poison, and are cured of 1-4 points of damage if in-
jured. All invisible creatures and objects, and all dweomers (but not alignment auras) can be
clearly seen in the violet field.
45-52 There is a menacing crackle, and a strong smell of ozone. Lightning bolts (damage 1d6 through
4d6; determine randomly) form spontaneously from rocks or exposed wood of any sort, leaping
in a straight line to the nearest bit of rock or exposed wood (rock to rock or wood to wood, never
one to the other). Save vs. breath weapon to avoid if possible (contact with any part of a bolt’s
destination, such as climbing elsewhere on the same cliff, makes a saving throw impossible). Bolts
and discharges will veer away from and avoid large concentrations of pure metal; fully armored
characters will automatically make their saving throws, if allowed any.
53-62 Lashing rain begins, though the air grows warm. This precipitation lasts 1-10 rounds, affects
a small (80-yard-diameter cylinder from ground to upper air) area, and within it, all creatures
can understand the speech of all other creatures, as if a tongues spell were in operation.
63-70 All small, light (roughly 10 lbs.) objects within a 10-yard radius that are not held or secured
will animate (as the priest spell animate object). They will fly about aimlessly; make Dexterity
checks each round to avoid being hit. Any hit does 1-2 points of damage. Any being concen-
trating on a moving object for at least 1 round will discover that he can influence its course,
perhaps employing it as a weapon. A maximum of 1 object at a time can be so controlled by a
being; if two beings try to control the same object, the creature with the higher Intelligence
will ultimately prevail. This effect will last for 1-2 turns.
71-88 The ground begins to rise and fall as if it were waves on the open sea. Charging or springing
accurately becomes impossible, as does riding other creatures. Writing and spellcasting take
twice as long (but are not ruined). There is a 1 in 6 chance each round that this condition
exists that a rift will open in the earth and swallow a rock, tree, or being up, spitting them out
unharmed (unreachable by magic or physical means during their entombment) 2-5 rounds
later. There is also a 2 in 6 chance that a shooting star (as in the missile released by a ring of
shooting stars) will appear overhead, and burst. All creatures must save vs. spell to avoid
suffering damage. These conditions last for 1-3 turns, moving with any traveling creatures.
89-96 All creatures within a 90-yard radius, from earthworms to dragons, are enshrouded in a faerie
fire radiance for 1-6 turns thereafter. The radiance will shift color slowly but constantly; it will
also act as a ring of spell turning, and as a regeneration field: all damage, however caused, suf-
fered by a creature within a radiant field, is not suffered but gained as healing. Creatures at full
hp can increase their hp by this means, such increased hp being lost at the rate of 1 per day (24-
hour period), or through injury. Creatures augmented substantially in this way save at their “new”
Hit Dice total, but still attack and function at their original level or Hit Dice.
97-00 A reverse gravity effect occurs. All creatures take damage as per the spell, but upon landing
find that they have permanently gained 1-4 hp, and 20-yard-range infravision (if they already
possess infravision, its range is extended by 20 yards). A strange, flickering golden radiance
flashes here and there; arrows of direction and similar devices will not function. Tracking is
impossible. These latter effects fade away in 1-2 turns.