The Sorcerer's Scrolls 46

Issue 46
The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46
A SemiSemi-Regular Magazine for Fantasy and Science Fiction Gaming and Fiction
Contents:
Editorial
The Tyrrany of Evil Men
Artifacts of the Ages
They Shall be Paid in the Coin of the Realm
Vengeance off the Necromancer
Temple of the Deep
2
3
7
9
21
27
The Sorcerers
cerers Scrolls Issue #46 is Copyright 2010 by Nicholas Bergquist, all rights reserved. All contents are
copyrighted and owned by the individual authors or illustrators.
Editor: Nicholas Torbin Bergquist; Published by Zodiac Gods Publishing
Authors: Tori Bergquist, Jarrod Camir and Dan Lambert
Markk Hughey, used with
Artists: Tori Bergquist, various royalty free pieces. Some artwork copyright 2008 Mar
permission. Some artwork by Paul slinger. Cover and some interior art by Sade. Additional royalty
royalty-free artwork by
Michael Koal and the team of Sphere Pr
Productions. Some are from the AGP Studio Companion. Cover by Dave Ross.
The Sorcerers Scrolls is now paying for contributions! Payment is a percentage of royalties from revenue
generated through RPGnow.com and affiliated sites and is based on contribution size. Please send all submissions,
inquiries and feedback to toribergquist@gmail.com and thanks for reading!
Editorial
By Tori Bergquist
Well, the first issue of the new year is here.its March, however, so the year is no longer so
new. This issue features fiction, analysis, and game content to suit a diversity of tastes. Jarrod
Camir offers a unique article on designing distinctive currency for your preferred campaign
setting, with plenty of visual aids to assist you. A new fantasy scenario written for use with
Runequest but easily adaptable to other RPGs can be found in Vengeance of the
Necromancer. I am offering up a piece of fiction in the form of Temple of the Deep, as well,
which will hopefully be enjoyed by fans of sword & sorcery fiction. Dan Lambert provides a
fascinating analysis of the ethics behind Pulp Fiction in The Tyrrany fo Evil Men. Last but not
can be found two new artifacts for use with D&D 4th edition.
As always, TSS is eager for submissions and offers a royalty-percentage payment based on size
of contribution to content, so if you would like to get published with minimal fuss and get a
little money on the side, were here for you. Were especially interested in fiction right now, as
well as off-beat articles and content for Pathfinder, D&D 4E, Traveller, Runequest and other
current, popular games.
So, without any more delay, enjoy!
--Tori Bergquist
March 8th, 2010
The Tyranny of Evil Men:

Ethical Relativism in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction
by Dan Lambert
One of my main influences when writing

the Exploitation! roleplaying game was film director
Quentin Tarantino. One of Tarantinos most famous
films in 1994s Pulp Fiction. When designing and
running an adventure for Exploitation!, it is
important to remember that the exploitation genre
is about more than just mindless violence. Think
about what motivates the characters (PCs as well as
NPCs). What do they hope to gain? Are they out for
material wealth, revenge, or something even more
personal? This article seeks to shed light on
character motivation by taking a closer look at the
characters of Pulp Fiction.
Critics of Pulp Fiction argue that the main
characters possess no sense of morality. These critics
complain that the film is devoid of redeeming
characters. Another common criticism of Pulp Fiction
is that the film leaves its audience without an allencompassing "message." The film is often
compared unfavorably with the obvious "message
film" Forrest Gump (also from 1994). These critics
argue that unlike Winston Groom's tale of a
Southern simpleton who inspires hope in others,
Tarantino's story of hit men and mob bosses offers
nothing in the way of morals or morality.
The critics who fail to find a message in Pulp
Fiction miss the point. Granted, the film's message is
obscured amid the layers of violence and tough talk
that make up Tarantino's street-smart milieu, but it
is there nonetheless. In a very real sense, the film is
about morality. Its characters function in a world of
moral ambiguity and ethical relativism. Philosopher
Robert B. Ashmore defines ethical relativism as the
belief that "in each culture, the judgment made by
its members is correct; that is, if the community
thinks something is right, it is right" (36).
Professional killers Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and
Jules Winfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are denizens of
such a community. Vincent and Jules heatedly
discuss the morality of their boss' decision to throw
a man over a balcony for allegedly massaging his
wife's feet. Interestingly, the two hit men discuss
this issue while preparing to murder a group of
young men who have stolen from their boss.

Vincent and Jules clearly view their murderous
profession as just that: a profession, nothing more or
less. To kill three men because your boss has
instructed you to is, to Vincent and Jules, morally
justified. To throw a man from a balcony for
massaging a woman's feet is, at least in Jules'
opinion, morally questionable. Jules believes that
his boss, Marsellus Wallace, "overreacted." Vincent,
on the other hand, feels that the offending
masseuse, Tony Rocky Horror, "shoulda fuckin'
known better" (16).
Later in the film, after Vincent accidentally
shoots a man in the face, Jules becomes enraged not
because a human life has been taken, but because
Vincent has thoughtlessly put the two hit men at risk
of being discovered by the police. Such is the
subculture of Pulp Fiction: in this world of
professional killers and organized crime, the rules of
conventional morality have been turned on their
heads. To kill a defenseless human being is, under
the proper circumstances, morally acceptable in this
world. To react violently to a foot massage or to put
your co-worker at risk of being arrested is
unacceptable.
As the film progresses, two key characters
manage to claw their way out of this world of ethical
relativism: the professional killer Jules and the
washed-up boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis). The
fact that these two characters are able to
successfully escape this world at all is the essential
message of Pulp Fiction. The film demonstrates that
the amoral miasma of organized crime that its
characters inhabit is not a keyless prison. Once you
understand that you are a denizen of this violent
world, you have the key with which you can leave it.
But you must choose to do so. Both Jules and Butch
make this fundamental moral choice.
In both Jules and Butch's case, the
characters' decisions to leave the world of ethical
relativism are precipitated by random events. Jules'
random event begins when a young man fires five
close-range shots from a Magnum revolver at he and

Vincent, incomprehensively missing them both.
After the two killers dispatch their would-be
executioner in a flurry of gunfire, Jules decides that
this incredibly fortuitous episode was the result of a
"miracle." This leads him to re-think the morality of
his chosen profession. Jules tells Vincent that his
days as a hit man are through: "My eyes are wide
fuckin' open. . .That's it for me. From here on in, you
can consider my ass retired" (115-16).
Jules' decision goes far beyond a mere
career change. Jules undergoes a fundamental
change in moral perspective. He likens his decision
to an awakening, telling Vincent ". . .I can't go back
to sleep" (146). Almost immediately after he makes
his decision, the audience is given an opportunity to
see a demonstration of Jules' new moral stance. A
young couple, Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny
(Amanda Plummer), decide to stage an armed
robbery of the coffee shop in which Jules is eating
breakfast. Jules has an opportunity to kill the
couple, but chooses to spare their lives instead. He
explains his decision to Pumpkin: "Normally both of
your asses would be dead as fuckin' fried chicken.
But you happened to pull this shit while I'm in a
transitional period" (155).
It is in the film's final scene, during Jules'
conversation with Pumpkin, that we see the true
evidence of the hit man's metamorphosis. Before
Jules murders Brett, the young man who made the
fatal mistake of crossing Marsellus Wallace, he
recites an Old Testament verse to his victim. Jules
repeats this verse (Ezekiel 25:17) to Pumpkin. This
time, however, Jules punctuates the verse not by
pulling the trigger on his pistol but by analyzing the
words that he has just spoken. Jules tells us that he
has repeated this verse countless times, but only
now does he understand it. Ezekiel 25:17 tells Jules
that his chosen profession is morally bankrupt: "The
path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the
inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.
Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good
will, shepherds the weak through the valley of
darkness. . ." (158).
In a pivotal piece of dialogue, Jules explains
his new realization, and its accompanying moral
transition, to Pumpkin: "The truth is you're the
weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm
tryin'. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd" (158).
Jules realizes that he cannot rely on others to
"shepherd the weak through the valley of darkness"
(157). Jules can only eliminate the world's evil by
first eliminating the evil in himself.
Vincent fails to make the moral

transformation that his partner has made, and he
pays a heavy price for it in the end. Vincent does not
even share Jules' interpretation of the event that
precipitated his transformation. Vincent views the
event not as a miracle, but a "freak occurrence." To
Vincent, a "miracle" is "when God makes the
impossible possible. And I'm sorry Jules, but I don't
think what happened this morning qualifies" (145).
When Jules announces that he intends to
reject the life of a professional killer to "walk the
earth" (146), Vincent is disgusted:
. . .You're gonna be like those pieces of shit out there
who beg for change. They walk around like a bunch
of fuckin' zombies, they sleep in garbage bins, they
eat what I throw away, and dogs piss on 'em. They
got a word for 'em, they're called bums. And
without a job, residence, or legal tender, that's what
you're gonna be -- a fuckin' bum! (147)
Vincent views Jules' escape from the world of ethical
relativism not as a moral success, but as a financial
failure. He is unable to see beyond his own
materialistic goals to comprehend Jules' spiritual
goal. Vincent would rather murder people for a
living than lose his means of financial support.
Jules' decision to leave Marsellus' ethically
relativistic underworld culture opens up a world of
possibility to him. Vincent is frightened by this
world. When Jules tells him that he intends to walk
the earth "until God puts me where he wants me to
be," Vincent asks "what if he never does" (147)?
Vincent possesses a false sense of security. He
believes that his decision to remain locked away in
the prison of ethical relativism ensures his survival.
The audience is already aware that Vincent's
decision is a foolish one: an earlier scene
foreshadows his death while on assignment for
Marsellus. Vincent's death is a reminder that the
prison of ethical relativism is a dangerous place.
Those who refuse to leave it are, in a spiritual sense,
already dead.
The character of Butch undergoes a
metamorphosis not unlike that of Jules. Our
introduction to Butch makes it clear that he is a
representative denizen of Tarantino's amoral
subculture. Butch makes an agreement with the
crime boss Marsellus (Ving Rhames) to intentionally
lose a boxing match, but he has no intention of
doing so. Like Marsellus, Butch is motivated by
greed. Both men have a vested interest in the fight's

outcome, because they both intend to profit from it.
Not only does Butch win the fight, but he also kills
his unfortunate opponent, Floyd Ray Willis. In a
scene that was heavily edited from Tarantino's
original screenplay, Butch demonstrates a jarring
lack of remorse after learning of Floyd's death from a
cab driver:
gives the boxer an opportunity to redeem himself

and escape the miasma of ethical relativism.
Marsellus pursues Butch into a pawn shop, where
they both confront a greater threat: the psychotic,
sadomasochistic brothers Zed and Maynard. (The
introduction of a greater threat to resolve a dispute
is a plot device that Tarantino frequently uses. In his
script From Dusk To Dawn, a family must team up
with the ruthless criminals who kidnapped them in
order to defeat a horde of bloodthirsty vampires.) In
what is probably the most poignant scene in Pulp
Fiction, Butch must quickly decide between leaving
Marsellus in the clutches of the psychotic brothers,
or rescuing him. Butch makes an unspoken decision
to do the latter, and it is in that split-second of
screen time that he achieves redemption. Tarantino
describes Butch's change of heart in detail: "Butch
decides for the life of him, he can't leave anybody in
a situation like that. So he begins rooting around the
pawnshop for a weapon to bash those hillbillies'
heads in with" (105). At this point, we realize that
Butch has joined Jules in escaping the culture of
ethical relativism that ensnares nearly everyone in
the film.
In a sense, the Zed and Maynard episode
represents a form of redemption for Marsellus as
well, although it is doubtful that the crime lord will
reform his life because of it. As a result of his
rescue, Marsellus suspends the underworld code of
behavior which demands that Butch must die for his
earlier transgression. This is not Christ-like
forgiveness, but it is the closest thing to it that we
can expect from Marsellus: a character that is
deeply-rooted in the culture of ethical relativism. As
Marsellus begins to bring the mantle of violence
down on his former captors, he creates a new set of
rules to replace the old ones. If Butch agrees to
these new rules, Marsellus will forgive his debt and
allow him to go free:
I don't feel the least little bit bad. . .'Cause I'm a

boxer. And after you've said that, you've said pretty
much all there is to say about me. Now maybe that
son-of-a-bitch tonight was once at one time a boxer.
If he was, then he was dead before his ass ever
stepped in the ring. I just put the poor bastard outta
his misery. And if he never was a boxer -- That's
what he gets for fuckin' up my sport. (75)
Following this exchange, Butch's phone conversation
with his brother reveals a similar attitude: "Hey, if
he [Floyd] was a better fighter he'd be alive. If he
never laced up his gloves in the first place, which he
never shoulda done, he'd be alive. Enough about
the poor unfortunate Mr. Floyd, let's talk about the
rich and prosperous Mr. Butch" (76). Butch's
explanation of his lack of remorse for the man he
killed reveals a "survival of the fittest" moral stance
that is remarkably similar to Vincent and Jules'
ethical relativism. Butch's explanation is also
reminiscent of the cold pragmatism of Marsellus'
earlier monologue, in which he tells Butch why he
should throw the fight: "Boxers don't have old
timers day. You came close, but you never made it.
And if you were gonna make it, you'd a made it
before now. . .a year from now when you're kickin' it
in the Caribbean you're gonna say, Marsellus
Wallace was right" (27).
Marsellus cares very little about the death
of Butch's opponent. What he does care about is
the fact that Butch betrayed his trust and cost him a
great deal of money. Marsellus' reaction is
expected: not only is he a denizen of Tarantino's
morally relativistic criminal subculture, but he is also
an authority figure in it. Butch broke the rules of
Marsellus's underworld morality, and Marsellus is
obliged to exact vengeance upon him because of it.
Marsellus makes it clear to one of his lieutenants
that he will stop at nothing to find Butch: "I'm
prepared to scour the earth for this motherfucker. If
Butch goes to Indo China, I want a nigger hidin' in a
bowl of rice, ready to pop a cap in his ass" (72).
The final confrontation that results from
Marsellus' desire to exact vengeance upon Butch
. . .Two things I ask: don't tell nobody about this.

This shit's between me and you and the soon-to-belivin'-the-rest-of-his-short-ass-life-in-agonizing-pain,
Mr. Rapist here [Zed]. It ain't nobody else's business.
Two: leave town. Tonight. Right now. And when
you're gone, stay gone. You've lost your Los Angeles
privileges. Deal? (108)
Marsellus is essentially asking Butch to leave his
sphere of underworld influence, and consequently
leave the ethically relativistic world that Marsellus
inhabits. Butch is happy to leave this world. By
rescuing Marsellus, he already has.

The moral transformations experienced by
Tarantino's characters help to refute his critics'
assertion that Pulp Fiction is a film without a
message or a didactic theme. Although many
characters fail to achieve the metamorphosis
experienced by Jules and Butch, it is clear that each

individual possesses the power to do so. Even
Vincent could have escaped his fate, had he made
the appropriate choices. Pulp Fiction demonstrates
that there is a means of escape from the prison of
ethical relativism.
The key to
redemption is
there for the
taking, but it is up
to you to use it.
Works Cited
Ashmore, Robert
B. Building a
Moral System.
Englewood Cliffs,
NJ: Prentice-Hall,
1987.
Tarantino,
Quentin. Pulp
Fiction. New York:
Miramax Books
/Hyperion, 1994.
Artifacts of the Ages

Two New Artifact Weapons for D&D 4th Edition from the Realms of Chirak
By Tori Bergquist
Property: you develop resistance 15 to cold damage
when holding the blade
Property (daily): Frost Burst Instant; Trigger: you
strike a foe; Effect: that foe and all foes in a burst
radius 1 centered on the struck target are
immobilized with ice (save ends).
Pleased Concordance:
Property (daily): Chilling Weakness Instant; Trigger:
you strike an enemy outsider; Effect: that foe takes
10 ongoing cold damage (save ends) and now has
vulnerability 10 to cold damage until the end of the
encounter; This becomes 15 ongoing damage and
vulnerability 15 at level 21.
Frostbane
Frostbane was forged centuries ago by the frost
elves of distant Pale to combat the encroaching
army of demons that was slowly moving its way
across the vast untamed arctic northland. Frozen
eons ago in the Apocalypse, this army of evil was
never slain, but merely locked in the glacial ice.
Though they are slowed considerably, the demons
move, ever so slowly, through the ice, seeking
escape. A few dozen escape every century,
sometimes more, and it was the duty of the Order of
Frost to seek out and slay these demons lest they
learn of a way to free their brethren trapped in ice.
Frostbane was the most powerful weapon, wielded
by the fey knight Syndaral to slay an especially
powerful demon lord who was freed from the ice
and threatened Pale with destruction. The sword has
been handed down over the ages, along with many
lesser kin like it, to aid the frost elves in their vigilant
defense of the north against the frozen evil.
Goal of Frostbane:
Frostbane is one of several blades specifically
created to fight the Winter Scourge, a horde of
demons and monsters trapped in the deep north by
the great ice-flows from the primordial rift devouring
the edge of the world. Frostbane will be released
from its duty if the Nine Cold Lords of the demon
army are ever slain.
Frostbane is also built to help all elves and their
kind (not merely the frost elves), and any use of it
toward that end is a boon.
Elemental Frost Longsword+3, Artifact of Pale

Enhancement: attack and damage rolls
Critical: +1d6 cold damage per plus
Property: Frostbane levels up its modifier by wielder
level; at level 3it is +1; level 8 +2; level 13 +3; level 18
+4; level 23 +5; and level 28 +6.
Normal Concordance:
Property: Frostbane looks and acts like a normal
Frost weapon:
Power (At-Will , Cold): Free Action. All damage dealt
by this weapon is cold damage. Another free action
returns
the damage to normal.
Power (Daily, Cold): Free Action. Use this power
when you hit with the weapon. The target takes an
extra 1d8 cold
damage and is slowed until the end of your next
turn.; Level 13 or 18: 2d8 cold damage; Level 23 or
28: 3d8 cold damage.
Property: you can speak, read and understand elvish
of the Paleic region
Satisfied Concordance:
Concordance:
Owner gains a level
Owner is an elf or eladrin
Owner saves an elvish life
Complete quest for the frost elves
Owner slays a demon
-Slays a demon of Winter Scourge
Disobey a directive from frost elves
Owner attacks an elf, eladrin or fey
Gain/Loss
+1D4
+2
+1
+2
+1
+2
-2
-2
Concordance Effects:
Pleased (16-20): Gain the Chilling Weakness
property.
Satisfied (12-15): Gain the Frost Burst property and
gain the resist cold 15 property.

Normal (5-11): You gain access to the Frost weapon
power properties, and the ability to understand
elvish.
Unsatisfied (1-4): You lose access to the frost
weapon power properties.
Angered (0 or less): You grant combat advantage
whenever wielding the weapon (though not to
outsiders or cold-typed monsters).
Moving On: When the sword has slain at least one of
the Cold Lords or its owner dies it will find its way to
a new elf or eladrin.
that amount of damage to your target as necrotic

damage and heal yourself for the same amount.
Pleased Concordance:
Property (daily): Harvest of Blood Free Action;
Trigger: you strike a living foe; Effect: expend two
healing surges; you deal that amount of damage
(equal to your bloodied value) to the target and heal
the same amount.
Goals of the Blade of Malib:

Malib was a god of death and one of the most
malign of the Betrayer Gods. He personally crafted
this weapon and imbued it with the soul of
Kadarthas, one of the most potent vampires ever
spawned in history. The dark energy of this being
empowers the blade to reap a great harvest.
Malibs undead form is said to be trapped beneath
the watery deep of the Sea of Chirak in an eternal
prison. If the wielder of the weapon were to free
Malib, then the sword would be freed of its bond to
the dead god.
Blade of Malib
Malib was a god of death and darkness, slain it is
said during the Apocalypse and trapped forever
beneath the waters of the Sea of Chirak, where his
undead body convulses, chained, desiring escape
and revenge.
In Malibs dark dreams it is said the sword was first
forged, and brought to life when the vampire
Kadarthas drew it forth from his own nightmares. In
time, the sword consumed its masters dark soul,
developing a cold sentience and a desire to find
villainous agents worthy of the task of finding the
undead gods body and freeing him one day.
Concordance:
Gain/Loss
Owner gains a level

+1D6
Owner is undead
+2
Owner reduces a foe to 0 hit points with one of the
blades powers
+1
Owner slays a servant of Akquinarios
+1
Owner slays a rival undead encroaching on his
territory
+2
Owner lets a targeted prey live
-2
Owner refuses to feed the blade when the
opportunity strikes
-1
Longsword +5
Enhancement: attack and damage rolls
Critical: +5d8 necrotic damage
Property: The Blade of Malib is a +5 weapon
Normal Concordance:
Property: Blade of Malib grants the following
powers:
Power (At-Will , necrotic): Free Action. All damage
dealt by the blade is necrotic damage. Another free
action returns the damage to normal. It radiates an
eerie purple light when this is active that illuminates
a burst 5 region centered on the wielder.
Power (Daily, necrotic): Free Action. Use this power
when you hit with the weapon. The target takes an
extra 1d8 necrotic damage and is weakened until the
end of your next turn.; Level 13 or 18: 2d8 cold
damage; Level 23 or 28: 3d8 cold damage.
Property: You gain a +5 bonus to intimidation,
diplomacy, bluff and sense motive when dealing
with undead.
Satisfied Concordance:
Property (daily): Vampiric Blade Instant; Trigger:
you strike a foe; Effect: expend one healing surge; do
Concordance Effects:
Pleased (16-20): Gain the harvest of blood property,
and the weapon becomes +6.
Satisfied (12-15): Gain the vampiric blade property.
Normal (5-11): You gain access to the standard
powers of normal concordance (above).
Unsatisfied (1-4): You lose access to the base
powers of the weapon.
Angered (0 or less): You at -2 to hit and damage with
the weapon and all diplomacy/bluff checks.
Moving On: When and if the sword is used in aid to
free Malib from his watery prison, or if it senses an
even greater undead master nearby. If it leaves
satisfied, it will spawn a +6 Vampiric blade in its
place.
THEY SHALL BE PAID IN COIN OF THE REALM

By Jarrod Camir
The current monetary system of the
Dungeons & Dragons game is rather basic: copper,
silver, gold, platinum pieces and astral diamonds
form the core of this system and GMs and PCs alike
probably dont mind at all most of the time, but on
the other hand, it could be interesting to bring a new
dimension to this aspect of the game. To help in this
endeavour a series of tables are proposed below. For
the GMs who want their campaigns to be as realistic
as possible this set of tables can be used to create
specific currencies for the nations that compose
their home world(s) or else just to throw in a
treasure pile a one-of-a-kind coin that will perhaps
launch the PCs towards an all new adventure.
alchemy, astrology, and astronomy (amongst many

others) are briefly addressed, which translates into
more versatility. Need a name for a lady? Check the
Table 5, Section 5-5: Dwarf Planets and Asteroids.
Need a random object discarded somewhere in your
dungeon? Use the Table 5, Section 5-9: Objects and
Weapons. Moreover, the numerous symbols that
enhance the various sections can provide visual
aspects in any game session; a peculiar sign might
turn out to be the personal seal of the characters
arch-nemesis, an entity that was perhaps a sorcererking once; an ensemble of esoteric symbols can be a
secret formula to create an alchemical artefact, a
planetary alignment that announces the opening of
a dimensional door, or anything else you need.
While many aspects of this article are based upon

the Dungeons & Dragons 4E game the tables
nonetheless offer a very large array of choices and
can serve with previous editions and many other
role-playing lines besides. Moreover, many of the
tables and sub-tables proposed below can also have
a different purpose altogether; subjects like
In short, just examine the tables or else roll the dices

to discover what this treasure-trove hides for you.
TO CREATE A RANDOM COIN OR CURRENCY USE
TABLE 1 THROUGH 5.
Table 1: Origin (Roll 1d20 to know which race has minted the coin)
1- Azer
11- Elf
2- Centaur
12- Giant
3- Cyclops
13- Gnome
4- Djinn
14- Half-elf
5- Dragonborn
15- Half-orc
6- Drow
16- Halfling
7- Duergar
17- Hobgoblin
8- Dwarf
18- Human
9- Efreet
19- Orc
10- Eladrin
20- Tiefling
Table 2: Material (Roll 1d20 to know which substance(s) have been used to cast, fashion, or mint the coin)
1- Adamantine
11- Nickel
2- Brass
12- Platinum
3- Bronze
13- Rose gold
4- Ceramic
14- Silver
5- Copper
15- Steel
6- Electrum
16- Stone
7- Gold
17- Tin
8- Iron
18- Zinc
9- Lead
19- White gold
10- Mithral
20- Wood

Table 3: Forms and Shapes (Roll 1d20 to determine a sub
sub-table
table and then the coins form or shape)
4- Obtuse Triangle
3-1)
Unusual (Roll 1d20)
5- Scalene Triangle
1- Almond-shaped
6- Right Triangle
2- Astroid
3-4)
Quadrilateral (Roll 1d8)
3- Bell-shaped
1- Isosceles Trapezoid
4- Clover-shaped
2- Kite
5- Cone
6- Crescent-shaped
3- Parallelogram
7- Cube (d6)
4- Rectangle
8- Cylinder
5- Rhombus
9- Deltoid
6- Square
10- Dodecahedron (d12)
7- Trapezium
8- Trapezoid
11- Egg-shaped or Ovoid
3-5)
Pentagon
12- Heart-shaped
3-6)
Hexagon
13- Hourglass-shaped
3-7)
Heptagon
14- Icosahedron (d20)
3-8)
Octagon
15- Leaf-shaped
3-9)
Enneagon (or nonagon)
16- Octahedron (d8)
3-10) Decagon
17- Parallelepiped
3-11) Hendecagon
18- Pear-shaped
3-12) Dodecagon
19- Pentagonal trapezohedron (d10)
20- Tetrahedron (d4)
3-13) Tridecagon (or triskaidecagon)
3-14) Tetragon (or tetrakaidecagon)
3-2)
Round (Roll 1d4)
3-15) Pentadecagon (or quindecagon or
1- Circle or Disc
pentakaidecagon)
2- Half-circle
3-16) Haxadecagon (or hexakaidecagon)
3- Quarter of a circle
3-17) Heptadecagon (or heptakaidecagon)
4- Sphere
3-18) Octadecagon (or octakaidecagon)
3-3)
Triangle (Roll 1d6)
3-19) Enneadecagon (or enneakaidecagon or
1- Acute Triangle
nonadecagon)
2- Equilateral Triangle
3-20) Icosagon
3- Isosceles Triangle
Table 4: Condition of the coin (Roll 1d10)
1- Chipped
2- Dirty
3- Gouged
4- Mint
5- Oxidized or Rusted
678910-
Partially bent
Scratched
Slightly worn
Tarnished
Worn
Table 5: Distinctive Signs or Symbols

(Roll 1d12 to determine a sub-table
table to know if the coin is adorned with a specific design)
5-1)
1-
2-
Alchemical Symbols (Roll 1d6)

The Three Primes or Tria Prima (Roll 1d3)
1-
Sulphur
2-
Mercury
32-
Salt
The Four Basic Elements (Roll 1d4)
1-
Air
Earth
10
3-
Fire
4-
Water
3-
Seven Planetary Metals (Roll 1d8)
1-
Gold/Sol
2-
Silver/Luna
(
)
)
3-
Copper/Venus (also:
4-
Iron/Mars (
(
5-
Tin/Jupiter
6-
Mercury/Mercury
78-
Lead/Saturn
Roll again
4-
The Mundane Elements (Roll 1d12)
12-
Antimony
Arsenic
345678-
Bismuth
Boron
Magnesium
Phosphorus
Platinum
Potassium
9-
Stone
101112-
Sulphur
Zinc
Roll again
512345-
The Alchemical Compounds (Roll 1d8)

Sal ammoniac *
Aqua Fortis A.F.
Aqua Regia A.R.
Spirit of Wine S.V.
Amalgama
6786-
Cinnabar (Mercury sulphide)

Vitriol
Roll again
The Twelve Core Alchemical Processes (Roll 1d12)
1-
Decomposition through Oxidation (Aries

Aries
23-
Decomposition through Digestion (Leo

Leo
)
Decomposition through Fermentation
Fermentation/Putrefaction
4-
(Capricorn
)
Modification through Congelation/Coagulation
Coagulation
5-
Modification through Fixation (Gemini

Gemini
6-
Modification through Ceration (Sagittarius

Sagittarius
78-
Separation through Distillation (Virgo

Virgo
Separation through Sublimation (Libra
Libra
(
(
)
)
(Taurus
9- Separation through Filtration (Scorpio

Scorpio
10- Union through Solution (Cancer
)
11- Union through Multiplication (Aquarius
Aquarius
5-2)
1011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162636465666768697071727374-
)
)
)
)
)
)
12- Union through Projection (Pisces

)
Animals, Beasts, and Monsters (Roll 1d100)
1- Angel
2- Ankheg
3- Ant
4- Archon
5- Azer
6- Basilisk
7- Bat
8- Bear
9- Behir
11
Boar
Bulette
Camel
Carrion Crawler
Chimera
Centaur
Centipede
Cockatrice
Couatl
Crocodile
Cyclops
Darkmantle
Demon
Devil
Djinn
Dragon
Dragonborn
Drake
Drider
Drow
Dryad
Duergar
Dwarf
Efreet
Eidolon
Eladrin
Elephant
Elf
Ettercap
Ettin
Fomorian
Gargoyle
Giant
Gnoll
Gnome
Goblin
Hobgoblin
Gorgon
Griffon
Halfling
Harpy
Hawk
Hippogriff
Horse
Hound
Human
Hydra
Hyena
Kobold
Krenshar
Lamia
Larva Mage
Lich
Lizard
Lizardfolk
Manticore
Medusa
Minotaur
Mummy
Naga
Nightmare
Ogre
Orc
Owlbear
Panther
5-3)
75- Rakshasa
76- Rat
77- Remorhaz
78- Rhinoceros
79- Roc
80- Rust Monster
81- Sahuagin
82- Salamander
83- Satyr
84- Scorpion
85- Sea Horse
86- Shark
87- Skeleton
88- Skull Lord
89- Sphinx
90- Spider
91- Stirge
92- Tiefling
93- Tiger
94- Treant
95- Troglodyte
96- Troll
97- Unicorn
98- Wolf
99- Worg
100- Wyvern
101Astrological Glyphs or Symbols (Roll 1d4)
1- The Celestial Bodies (Roll 1d12)
2-
3-
The Signs of the Zodiac (Roll 1d12)

1-
Aries/Ram
2-
Taurus/Bull
3-
Gemini/Twins
4-
Cancer/Crabs
5-
Leo/Lion
6-
Virgo/Virgin
7-
Libra/Scale
8-
Scorpio/Scorpion
9-
Sagittarius/Archer
1-
Sun
2-
Moon
10- Capricorn/Sea-goat
11- Aquarius/Waterbearer
3-
Mercury
12- Pisces/Fish
4-
Venus
5-
Earth
6-
Mars
7-
Ceres
8-
4-
Astrological Symbols (Miscellaneous) (Roll1d20)

1-
Ascendant
2-
Midheaven
3-
Ascending Node
4-
Descending Node
Jupiter
5-
Conjunction
9-
Saturn
6-
Semisextile
10-
Uranus
7-
Semi-square
11- Neptune
8-
Sextile
12-
9-
Quintile
10-
Square
11-
Trine
12-
Sesquiquadrate
13-
Biquintile
14-
Quincunx
Pluto
The Three Most Used Asteroids and Comet (Roll 1d4)

1- Chiron (Comet)
2- Juno (Asteroid)
3- Pallas (Asteroid)
4- Vesta (Asteroid)
12
15-
Opposition
4-
Juno
16-
Retrograde motion
5-
Vesta
17-
Comet
6-
Astraea
18-
2 Pallas (Asteroid)
78-
Hebe
Iris
9-
Flora
10-
Metis
11-
Hygeia
12-
Parthenope
1314-
Victoria
Irene (No symbol)
15-
Eunomia
16-
Bellona
17-
Leukothea
18-
Fides
Vesta (Asteroid)
19-
20-
5-4)
3 Juno (Asteroid)
2060 Chiron (Planetoid)
Lot of fortune
Eris
Eye of Providence
Hand of Eris
Astrological Symbols (Animal Signs) (Roll 1d12)

1- Rat
2- Ox
3- Tiger
4- Rabbit
5- Dragon
6- Snake
7- Horse
8- Ram
9- Monkey
10- Rooster
11- Dog
12- Pig
5-5)
Astronomical Symbols (Roll 1d3)

1-
2-
Planets (Roll 1d8)

1-
Mercury
19-
Chiron
2-
Venus
20-
Asteroid
3-
Earth
4-
Mars
5-
Jupiter
6-
Saturn
7-
Uranus
8-
Neptune
or
3-
or
Dwarf Planets and Asteroids (Roll 1d20)
Moon, Sun, and Other Symbols (Roll 1d8)

1-
Moon
2-
Sun
3-
Comet
4-
Ascending Node
5-
Descending Node
6-
Conjunction
1-
Ceres
7-
Opposition
2-
Pluto
8-
Quadrature
3-
Pallas
13
or

5-6)
A Thousand Words and Numbers (Citations, Formulae, Letters,

Maxims, Numbers, Poems, Proverbs, or Words).
(Roll 1d10 to know what is written on the coin).
1- Citation
2- Formula
3- Group of letters (or numbers)
4- Group of words
5- Initial
6- Maxim
7- Poem
8- Proverb
9- Single letter (or single number)
10- Single word
7891011121314151617181912345620212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162636465-
(Roll 1d10 to know the language used or Roll 1d4 to know the
script used).
1- Abyssal
1- Barazhad
2- Common
2- Davek
3- Deep Speech
3- Iokharic
4- Draconic
4- Rellanic
5- Dwarven
6- Elven
7- Giant
8- Goblin
9- Primordial
10- Supernal
Deities: The Deities can be either represented by an aspect,
portrait, or symbol (Roll 1d20 to determine a type of deity. Some
examples from many different pantheons follow)
1- Agriculture (Ceres, Demeter, and Gefjon)
2- Craft (Hephaestus, Gofannon, and Ninegal)
3- Death (Anubis, Grim Reaper, and The Morrigan)
4- Destruction (Erra, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and
Yam)
5- Earth (Gaia, Jr, and Terra)
6- Father (Jupiter, Odin, and Zeus)
7- Household and Hearth (Frigg, Hestia, and Vesta)
8- Justice (Lady Justice, Nanshe, and Praxidike)
9- Knowledge and Wisdom (Fabulinus, Mimir, and Ogma)
10- Lightning (Perun, Thor, and Ukko)
11- Love (Aphrodite, Inanna, and Venus)
12- Mother (Earth Mother, Hera, and Isis)
13- Night and Shadow (Erebus, Ntt, and Nyx)
14- Ocean and Water (gir, Enki, and Poseidon)
15- Sky (Anu, Horus, and Nut)
16- Sun (Helios, Ra, and Sl)
17- Trickster (Apate, Laverna, and Loki)
18- Underworld (Hades, Hel, and Nergal)
19- War (Ares, Athena, and Mars)
20- Weather (The Anemoi, Njord, and Stribog)
5-7)
Emblems (Roll 1d4)
1- Coat of Arms
2- Insignia
3- National Emblem
4- Saint Symbology
5-8)
Objects and Weapons (Roll 1d100)

1- Airship
2- Anchor
3- Ankh
4- Anvil
5- Apple
6- Arrow
14
Axe
Bastard sword
Battleaxe
Blank escutcheon
Broadsword
Book
Bow
Candle
Cartwheel
Castle
Club
Chain
Chess piece (Roll 1d6)
Bishop
King
Knight
Pawn
Queen
Rook
Chest
Craghammer
Crossbow
Crossbow bolts
Crown
Cup
Dagger
Double Axe
Double flail
Double sword
Execution axe
Eye
Falchion
Feather
Flail
Flower
Fullblade
Gauntlet
Glaive
Greataxe
Greatbow
Greatclub
Greatspear
Greatsword
Greatship
Halberd
Heart
Helm
Hammer
Hand
Hand crossbow
Hand axe
Heavy flail
Javelin
Katar
Khopesh
Kukri
Lantern
Light war pick
Longbow
Longship
Longspear
Longsword
Mace
Maul
Mordenkrad

666768-
69707172737475767778795-9)
Morningstar
Mug
Musical instrument (Roll 1d8)
1- Drum
2- Flute
3- Harp
4- Horn
5- Lute
6- Lyre
7- Woodwind
8- GMs choice
Orb
Parrying dagger
Quarterstaff
Rapier
Rod
Scimitar
Scourge
Scythe
Shield
Short sword
Shortbow
8081828384858687888990919293949596979899100-
Runes and Ancient Alphabets (Roll 1d12)
1-
Anatolian hieroglyphs. Example (hieroglyphic seal):
2-
Byblos syllabary. Examples (more than one hundred symbols exist):
3-
Cuneiform script. Example (Ugaritic alphabet):
4-
Egyptian hieroglyphs. Examples (hundreds of symbols exist):
15
Shuriken
Sickle
Skeleton
Skull
Spade
Spear
Spiked chain
Staff
Sunrod
Teardrop
Throne
Torch
Tower
Tratnyr
Trident
Triple-headed flail
Urgrosh
Wand
War pick
Waraxe
Warhammer

5-
Phoenician (not that the letters are not in order):
6-
Canaanite alphabet (note that the letters are not in order):

Proto-Canaanite
7-
Runic alphabet (Variations exist):
16

8-
Old Hungarian Script:
9-
Ogham alphabet:
10- Old Turkic script:
11-
Oracle bone script. Examples:
12- Tangut script. Examples :
17
(Man, finger, and toe).

5-10)
12345678-
9-
Visual arts, motifs and other design (Roll 1d100)

Acanthus
Arabesque
Archimedean spiral
Armillary sphere
Bird(s) (heraldry)
Balance (Justice)
Bat(s) (heraldry)
Battle standard
910111217-
Sorcerer
Warlock
Warlord
Wizard
Circle of stars
181920-
Compass rose
Concentric form
Conch shell
Black rose
10-
Black panther(s) (heraldry)
11-
Blazon
1213-
Caduceus
Cedar tree
141516-
Celtic cross
Cherry blossom
Class (figure) (Roll 1d12)
1- Barbarian
2- Bard
3- Cleric
4- Druid
5- Fighter
6- Paladin
7- Ranger
8- Rogue
21-
Crescent
22-
Cross
23-
Crowned figure (Roll 1d20)

1- Archduke
2- Archduchess
3- Baron
4- Baroness
5- Count
6- Countess
7- Duke
8- Duchess
9- Emperor
10- Empress
11- Grand Duke
12- Grand Duchess
13- King
14- Pharaoh
15- Pope (or other religious figure in command)
16- Prince
17- Princess
18- Queen
19- Viceroy
20- Vicereine
Cupid
Dance Macabre
Death (representation, such as the Grim Reaper)
Decorative knots (Roll 1d20)
1- Austrian knot
2- Bowen knot
3- Carrick mat
4- Celtic knot
24252627-
18
28293031-
5- Chinese knotting
6- Dacre knot
7- Diamond knot
8- Druids bend
9- Endless knot
10- Heraldic knot
11- Hinckaert knot
12- Hungerford knot
13- Manrope knot
14- Matthew Walkers knot
15- Savory knot
16- Shakespeare knot
17- Solomons knot
18- Stafford knot
19- Turks head knot
20- Wake knot
Dolphin(s) (heraldry)
Dragon(s) (heraldry)
Eagle(s) (heraldry)
Enneagram (or nonagram)
32-
Eye of God
33-
Eye of Horus
34353637-
Eye of Providence
Father Time
Fish(es) (heraldry)
Flag
3839404142434445464748-
Fleur-de-lis
Flower of Life
Geometric form
Gladiator
Golden spirale
Gorgoneion (representation of the Gorgons head)
Golden Rectangle
Grape
Griffin(s) (heraldry)
Green Man
Hat and wand
4950515253545556-
Hand of God
Heart
Horseshoe
Infinity
Knight
Laurel wreath
Leaf
Lighthouse
19
5758596061-
Lightning bolt
Lion(s) (heraldry)
Jolly Roger
Mandala
Mille-fleur
62-
Mon (crest)
6364-
Monogram
Omega
6566676869707172-
Ouroboros
Owl
Palmette
Peasant
Pennon or pennant
Pentacle
Pentagram
Quincunx
73-
Red Rose of Lancaster
7475-
Rod of Asclepius
Rose
767778-
Rosette
Serpent(s) and snake(s)
Snowflake(s)
79- Solar symbol
80-
Stag(s) (heraldry)
8182-
Star
Starburst or sunburst
8384-
Tanit (Moon goddess)

Tarot (any card)
858687-
88-
91-
Triquetra
929394-
Tudor Rose
Turtle or turtle shell
Unicorn(s) (heraldry)
95-
Valknut
9697-
Vesica piscis
Water waves
Tetractys
Tool(s)
Tree of Life
Trefoil
89-
Triple Goddess
90-
Triple spiral
9899-
White Rose of York

Wild boar (heraldry)
100Wild Man
20
Vengeance of the Necromancer

A Realms of Chirak Scenario for use with Runequest II and other Fantasy RPGs
By Tori Bergquist
clueless as to why the town is being attacked,
though they have their suspicions. Lozan thinks that
someone in town did not participate in the annual
Hallows Offering ceremony, which happened a
month ago (and after which the attacks began).
Tenidor thinks something else happened. He knows
of a blighted grove which was not there six months
ago, and he can take the PCs to see it. He doesnt
know why a blighted grove of death would anger the
necromancer, but his instincts tell him its important.
Both men will offer to take the PCs back to the town
as guides and show them the blighted grove along
the way.
Background:
Castle Nezamir is a small frontier city along the
eastern edge of the Drujam Hills. It is the home of
Baron Halas Araska, who is one of the nobles that
answers to the rule of the Three (and Cartus
Vindaros) in Vanholm.
Recently the town of Melkarth along the eastern
hills has been besieged by monsters. The castle
prefers not to send aid, for it is believed that the
town may have angered Galrond, the Necromancer
of Nimwood, and there are none in the region who
would dare oppose this entity. Nonetheless, two
men from Melkarth have arrived, pleading for aid.
Lord Araska turns them down formally, but in private
he seeks out a handful of willing souls who will go to
Melkarth and investigate. The idea is to see if they
can find out why the attacks are happening, and to
right whatever wrong has incurred the
necromancers wrath. Araska will offer the
adventurers 100 gold each (1,000 silver) for this task.
Hell equip them with leather armor if they dont
have it, and swords and bows from his armory.
The two men from the village are the merchant
Lozan and the woodsman Tenidor. They are largely
Travel through the Drujam Hills

The Drujam Hills are actively mined for precious
and useful metals, but they are also a hostile
territory, as several beastmen and troll tribes lurk in
the region. Travel through the hills (about 100 miles)
will take 2-3 days depending upon the savvy of the
travelers.
For each day roll once for the day and once for the
evening for encounters:
D20
Encounter (add 5 to roll if at night)
1-10
11-12
13-14
15
16-17
18-19
20-22
23-24
25
no event
A mining camp (well armed). The PCs are welcome to stay for the night
A hunting party of trollkin (1D8) are in the region and observing the party
A griffon is roosting nearby and gets defensive of its nesting grounds
A brown bear is in the region; 1-3 it is protecting cubs and dangerous or 4-6 a hunting male
A raiding party of broo (1D4+4) spot the party and converge
A small war band of Ithirian elves (4) surprise the party and seek to investigate their intent here
A pack of woves (2D6) begin stalking the party
A wyrm is out hunting in the night
region are occasional blocks of worked stone jutting
from the earth; there is evidence that ruins once
stood here, long ago.
Searching the grove carefully will reveal that near
the center of the grove is some evidence of a conflict
or struggle; careful observation will reveal a tattered
bit of a dress on a nearby branch, and there is a
broken silver dagger rusting in the earth near that. A
The Blighted Grove

About three miles from the town is this region of
death. The woodsman Tenidor explains that he often
came here to hunt and just six months ago it was a
living, vibrant spot. Now it is a dead region about
two hundred yards across, in which all foliage has
died and all trees have warped and twisted with
what seems like necrotic energy. Throughout the
21

cairn has been built up in the center of the grove,
and a single basalt stone has been engraved with a
powerful Death Rune upon it. The death rune can be
attuned to if someone desires to do so; the rune will
manifest as a mark upon his skin if done.
The cairn contains the body of a woman,
unnaturally intact though quite deathly in
appearance; she has been dismembered (head, arms
and legs severed) and is wearing the remains of a
tattered dress. She is preserved enough that she can
be identified as a village girl named Krissa, who
disappeared about three months ago, and for whom
two vagrant nomads were hung in accusation of
having slain her.
Evidence on the body includes:
She is unnaturally well-kept; her flesh is
pale but not rotting, though it should be.
The tip of the broken silver dagger is lodged
under her ribs in her heart.
A holy symbol of the lost gods (Akquinarios
in this case) has been placed on her torso.
A very thorough examination of her body
will reveal that she was given a cesarean
section.
If PCs remove the metal bit and the holy symbol
and then rebury her, she will rise the following night
as a vampire.
Any attempt to remove the rune, her body or
otherwise take anything from the grave out of the
blighted grove will result in the trees attacking as if
with clubs (1D6 damage, 50% attack).
slaughtered by the vampires of Vanholm two

centuries ago. There he set about in his mad
scheme, first removing her child prematurely, after
which he bit her, and converted her to a vampire.
Once she was his, he then slew her as only a vampire
can die, and left her body to be found in the
dungeon of the keep by the necromancer, after
sending his agents to give Galrond the message.
Akartos in his endless amusement kept the child
alive, with the aid of one of his minions, a witchghoul nursemaid named Gasha, knowing that over
time exposure to the cannibal ghouls would change
the child in to one of them.
When the girl was kidnapped the town searched
for her at length, and the two nomads under the
vampire lords employ were found. They were
suspicious acting, and under compulsion by the town
wizard Arathos they admitted to being involved in
her death, for his visions showed them hacking her
apart. His vision also suggested a darker presence
nearby, but the wizard neglected to mention this
part.
The two nomads were quickly tried and hung. The
vampire lord, satisfied that the necromancer had
been given word, waited patiently to see if his trap
would lure the man out. It did, though zombie
minions and skeletons overran the castle in the
process and the girls body was extracted forthright.
What Happened:
The girl Krissa was having an affair with the
necromancer Galrond, whom she had fallen in love
with. Though she had not yet become one of the
undead, she was well on her way toward such.
Galrond has many enemies, however, and the
nobleman Akartos Dinsur of Vanholm was one of
them. This crude vampire had long hated Galrond for
an old rivalry that led to the necromancers
expulsion from the city decades ago, and when he
learned that the necromancer was having a secret
affair (information provided to him by the girls own
father, a man named Umash who had long been
paid to keep an eye on the necromancers dealings)
he decided to act.
Akartos had the girl kidnapped by his two
henchmen (the same two who were hung later for
her murder) and brought to an abandoned keep in
the hills called Benediction Keep, which once
belonged to an order of militant templars who were
22

Evidence that had been planted seemed to implicate
the villagers, as the vampire lord desired it.
Galrond then took the girls remains to the site of
an ancient temple, of which stood long ago to the
ancient death god Malib in the time before the
Apocalypse. He committed her remains to the
ground, and beseeched the death god to restore her.
Though Galrond wished for her love, he could not
bear her to become another corrupted being of
death, let alone a vampire spawn of his rival. The
necromancer then left her remains there, under the
impression he had failed. He does not yet know that
the ground has become saturated with necrotic
energy.
Throughout this time, the errant nobleman Akartos
has remained within the ruined keep to see how
events would play out; he has used several wards to
insure the necromancer does not detect him.
out and destroy. The citizens are mostly hiding while

the undead prowl about, or have fled. Some of the
locals will have even journeyed up to the old ruined
keep to take refuge, but will return with a story of
terror about ghouls and wolves attacking them.
The PCs will have to deal with the undead, or wait
out the siege, during which time 1D4 homes will be
torched by the undead before they wander back to
the Nimwood. There are 14 skeletons and 10
zombies total.
The Wizard Arathos: This is the local hedge wizard
who divined that the two criminals who slew the girl
had dismembered her. Sufficient warning or
interrogation may get him to admit that he sensed a
darker presence lurking behind her death. He can
also describe that the event seemed to occur within
old castle walls, though exactly where he does not
know; he remembers rose-colored stained glass,
though. This reference would tip off the woodsman
Tenidor, who knows of the old Benediction keep.
Arathos can also tell the PCs a bit about the
necromancer, including where to find him (a cave
located deep in the uninhabited region of the
Nimwood). He knows the necromancer was exiled
from Vanholm almost fifty years ago, and that he is
very powerful. The townsfolk have offered him
tribute every year, which his zombie minions haul
away. In exchange, the town has benefited
indirectly; no bandits or monsters have ever
threatened the town, for the Nimwood is patrolled
by the necromancers undead minions.
Umash, Krissas Father: Umash is stubborn and vile,
and seems unmoved by his daughters death,
explaining that she was a whore and a tramp.
Interrogation could get him to reveal that he knew
she was sneaking off to visit the necromancer, and
that about seven months ago she had confided to
the local priest that she was now pregnant. Threat of
death may get him to admit that he was feeding
information to the vampire lord; a locked coffer with
150 gold pieces suggests strongly that he was being
well-paid for such.
If Umash is left to his own devices, he will head up
to the keep at night to tell the vampire lord of any
interrogation (leaving out any admissions of his
own). Clever PCs could follow him up to see where
he goes.
The Township of Melkarth:

On arriving in Melkarth, the PCs must first deal
with a raid of undead, after which they can
investigate several avenues of inquiry.
The Raid: On first arrival, two dozen zombies and
skeletons are marauding through town, driven by
the psychic sense of grief from their creator to lash
Priest Hamaran: A priest of the Fallen Gods,

Hamaran maintains a temple to the Apocalyptic gods
23

as well as a shrine to the Dreaming Lord Molabal.
Hamaran is a classic zealot and more than a little
mad. He does not like the necromancer, but says
that he is a favored servant of the Dreaming One so
he must not be harmed.
Hamaran knows a few interesting bits, and will talk
freely if anyone tithes even a couple coins. He knows
that the area of the Blighted Grove rests on top of a
much older ruined temple, though to what god he
knows not. He knows the necromancer, though
ancient, is quite alive and his power over the undead
(and abuse of such) was what got him exiled. He also
knows Krissa was pregnant, with the necromancers
child, and that she was about seven months
pregnant and having trouble hiding it; only her
slender frame and bulky dresses, as well as the
seeming disinterest of her father prevented it from
being commonly known.
undead. He assumes the necromancer has gone mad

at last.
Investigating the Necromancers Cave
The Necromancer Galrond is a sad soul, but also
hardened to the ways of Pelegar. He is of
indeterminate age, appearing to be in his forties and
in very good health. He learned the Masirian secret
of long life many years ago in his youth, and after a
tryst with a Masirian princess managed to steal the
secret elixir and take it for himself.
Galrond returned to his homeland, where he
continued his fascination with the sorcery behind life
and death. Within his native city of Vanholm he
began probing these arts despite the edicts against
such study and soon grew to understand why
necromancy was banned. As the hidden undead elite
of the city became evident to him, he grew even
more determined to master the dark arts, and
eventually learned much of its dark secrets after he
uncovered the Codex Immortus of the dead god
Malib. Among other things he learned how to create
wards and artifacts that could allow him dominion
over or the power to destroy the vampires of
Vanholm. This ultimately led to his expulsion from
the city, for he was considered too dangerous to the
real hidden powers of the city, but it was also too
dangerous to those same vampires to seek to
destroy him directly.
Galrond found his new home in the deeps of the
Nimwood, where he found plenty of ancient remains
to play with, as many ancient battles had happened
in the wood, and the trees of the land were suffused
with the exsanguinated fluids of eras past. He also
discovered a cavern that connected to the deep
realms of the Lower Dark beneath Pelegar, and
eventually even a passage to the true depths of the
subterranean temple of Malib.
Approaching the necromancer is no easy task. PCs
entering the Nimwood have a 50% chance per hour
of being accosted by 1D8 skeletons or 1D6 zombies,
with a 30% chance per minute that 1D2 of each will
rise up as reinforcements. Moving stealthily and
possibly with wards against the undead (or
attunement to a death rune) will avoid such
confrontations, reducing them to 10% chance per
hour.
The cave entrance is twenty miles from town, and
there are no safe paths. Assuming the PCs make it
without being assaulted (or surviving the assaults),
the cave will seem oddlyinviting and unprotected. In
Constable Thorne: Thorne tried and convicted the

men who were hung. He can tell the PCs they were
not from around here, and were probably
highlanders by accent and attitude, although unlike
the highlanders they did speak the local dialect. They
were unrepentant right up to the end. The two
bodies were cut down a day after hanging and
buried in graves marked woman killers in the
commons cemetery. Hell offer to show them where
the two were buried.
If the PCs check out the cemetery, or try to
exhume the bodies, they will find the two missing!
Both men were ghouls in the service of the vampire
lord.
Thorne is also a reliable guide to reach the cave of
the necromancer. If they talk him in to doing such,
then the chance of undead encounters on the way
there is reduced to 10% per hour (see later).
Earl Ran Darikos: The Earl of Melkarth is a
reasonable man and a good protector. He manages
three mines locally and is obedient to the rule of
Baron Araska in Nezamir. His keep is modest, but it
has a strong defensive foundation and several levels
of catacombs beneath. It was once also used by the
Benediction Templars.
Darikos will be gracious to the PCs in private and if
informed of the subtle nature of their mission he will
avoid publically acknowledging them. He knows little
about the matter, save that he personally went to
speak with the necromancer after the first wave of
undead attacked and was rebuffed, then attacked by
24

fact, the most dangerous portion of the journey is
only just to begin.
Shadowy entities of the netherworld are waiting
inside the main cavern. Each spirit will attempt to
attack the PCs and take possession of them
(contested POW againt POW 15). These shadow
spirits will induce temporary madness, speaking in
old Inadasir and will use spells against the PCs. Any
PC that makes a POW check is able to permanently
evict the spirit, and they can keep doing so even
when possessed.
After the spirits attack, 8 skeletons will rise from
the ground to attack. If the PCs still survive this, or if
they offer up some evidence of their friendly
intentions (possibilities include: a vampires head,
displaying a death rune mark, or calling out a
relevant fact about Krissa) then the fighting will
cease and the rear of the cave will open to reveal a
worked stone stair passage winding downward.
The necromancer will greet the PCs in his private
domain, which was hewn from the rock of the caves
by his zombie laborers many years ago. Depending
upon what the PCs present to him, he will react
differently:
exposure and removal from the womb before his

time.
Rewards: If the PCs save the day, so to speak, by
revealing Akartos and possibly slaying him, as well as
possibly saving the infant child of the necromancer,
then they gain the following rewards from Galrond:
Bloodbane (if the PC desires to keep it)
The Grimorie of Malagrath (containing 10 sorcery
spells)
The Wand of Darkness (imbued with the Darkwall 4
spell; reduces cost to 1 MP)
The Staff of the Necromancer (power battery; holds
up to 20 POW)
The Orb of Divination (Fate 4 Spell; only 1 MP to
cast)
If the vampire is killed and the son is also returned:
2,000 silver pieces (total, to be divided)
Benediction Keep:
For this encounter, treat the 12 wolves and 6 ghouls
as henchmen, but Akartos and Gasha as full NPCs.
Akartos lurks here with a dozen wolves and six
loyal ghouls as well as Gasha the ghoul witch.
Penetrating the keep and living maybe a difficult
task, but it is possible. PCs who face Akartos without
the use of the sword Bloodbane may be in for some
bitter defeat, but if the PCs are on the losing end and
Akartos is about the wipe the floor with them a
curious thing happens: the tower is filled with what
seems to be sunlight, which causes Akartos to flee in
to the catacombs beneath. The source of this timely
light will come from an Ithirian elf woman named
Ysiri. She has been watching the PCs for some time
now since the Ithirian elves in the hills first spotted
them and she knows of the darkness within the
keep. Ysiri can also help the PCs out at other times, if
desired, and they may have spotted her following
them on occasion.
Killing Akartos will generate enmity among his kin
back in Vanholm, though the PCs may not
immediately know it. A regional lore check will
suggest as much, for though Vanholm is officially
ruled by mortal men it is an ill-kept secret that there
is a hidden aristocracy of immortal undead behind
the rule of the Three.
The child is kept in the hands of Gasha. The ghoul
woman has taken a liking to the child, and if the PCs
try to steal him away she will flee to the catacombs
to try and make it to an entrance to the lower dark.
PCs will have to be quick on their feet to catch her
before she is gone. If she does escape, a delve in to
The PCs Have learned of the Vampire Lord and

Informed Him: He will realize he has been played by
an old rival, and will offer them a sword with an
enchantment fatal to vampires to seek him out and
slay Akartos. The sword:
Bloodbane (a war sword, with a Sanguine Ward
enchantment that does +1D10 damage against
vampires or +1D6 damage against undead; requires
1 Con point to empower the sword as a free action
with the attack; the sword takes the Con whether
the PC wants it or not; if the PC is reduced to 0 Con
he rises as a vampire).
The PCs Do not Know Who or What Killed Krissa:
The necromancer will tell them that they must find
the true perpetrators of her deathfor he knows she
was rendered undead.and bring that person(s) to
justice before he will stop sieging the town. He feels
that there is someone, a vampire perhaps, lurking
within its walls and he wants it flushed out; he has
not figured out that it is a vampire from the city.
The PCs Return Triumphant with the Infant: The
necromancer will be overjoyed to know that his son
lived, and will proceed to perform rituals to purge
the ghoulish taint from him due to his premature
25

the caverns beneath the realm will be required to
recover the child. Gasha can be found dwelling
among a tribe of beastkin who lurk in the darkness
warring against the Death Gouger clan of orcs.
1 IP dealing with 1 or more encounters while

traveling through the Drujan Hills
1 IP investigating the blightwood grove
1 IP investigating the grave (+1 IP to the one who
deduces she was a vampire when killed)
1 IP investigating in the town
1 IP figuring out the vampire is hiding in
Benediction Keep
1 IP meeting the necromancer (0 IP if the
encounter ends in hostility/no agreement)
2 IP slaying the vampire (+1 IP to the one who slays
him if done without Bloodbane)
2 IP rescuing the child intact and delivering him to
the necromancer
Conclusion:
Ideally after returning to the necromancer the PCs
journey back to Nezamir with a tale of success.
Baron Araska will pay them, plus a 25 SP bonus for a
job well done if they rescued the child as well. He
will indicate that he liked their approach and ability
to operate covertly. He will offer them the
opportunity for more such work in the future
Suggested Improvement Point Awards:
1 IP finishing the adventure
26
The Temple of the Deep

A Tale of Calvin Darabek in the World of Enzada
by Tori Bergquist
The pit was wide and deep, perhaps fifty meters
across and nearly as much deep, and took up much
of the staging ground of the stockade. Twice they
had been forced to dig up and expand the walls of
the stockade until at last the commander of the
garrison had argued bitterly with the Selindari
nobleman who was their employer that they had no
more wood and precious little water with which to
expand the protective walls of the encampment. It
seemed a waste to Calvin to put so much effort in to
fortification, but he had already been told by some
of the local men of the watch that the resident
Chirikatha tribesmen were well known for stealing in
to foreign encampments at night and slitting as many
throats as they could get away with. It didnt help
that rumors spoke of how the stockade and pit were
sitting on top of sacred land.
Calvin didnt put much stock in to this. If the
Chirikatha thought foreigners were defiling sacred
lands, surely they would have struck by now. It
couldnt be that important to them if they were
willing to let nearly a thousand foreign devils park on
their soil and proceed to unearth the bones of their
ancestors ancestors. But then, maybe it wasnt the
ancestors buried here that mattered, he thought.
There were many rumors, after all, about just what it
was they were doing out here; grave robbing was
only one.
Below, where once there was a stubby obsidian
block of stone shaped roughly like a pyramid, Calvin
now saw that the workers digging away from it had
revealed that this was not a solitary object, but
instead a capstone. The smooth, dark walls of stone
stretched down and away from the top of the
pyramid, at an angle that suggested an immense
object beneath the earth.
By the Red Hand, what devils would be mad
enough to build such a thing out here, Calvin
muttered, gesturing out upon the desert beyond,
and then bury the damn thing?
Yonoth shrugged. In my tribe we heard tales of
the strange and terrible things the sorcerers of old
would do. It is said that even the Inhuridan feared
the madness of these sorcerers.
1
The dusty plains of Waladar stretched for a
hundred leagues in every direction. At the horizon, a
thin stretch of purple mountains jutted up, lingering
beneath deep storm fronts that threatened to roll
over distant peaks. From here the mountains looked
scant and tiny, though their ranges would prove
immense, should one brave the hostile grasslands in
between and survive long enough to arrive at the
base of their majestic slopes.
Calvin Darabek grimaced as he stood watch along
the wood-and-mud stretch of wall to the stockade.
The distant storm clouds were tantalizing, but he
knew they would never spill over the great stretch of
mountains, not enough to bring any rain to this godforsaken stretch of land. He had been stationed for
six weeks in the Aytaris stockade, and it was enough
to drive any man to drink. A pity their reserves had
run out two weeks ago, and no caravan or coastal
galley had happened by in the weeks since to
replenish the diminished stock of the garrison.
A fit of coughing overcame the man as a cloud of
dust swirled up from below, where inside the
stockade walls was a great pit, one which grew ever
greater from day to day. Aside from the hundred
men who had been hired to protect the site, there
were nearly five hundred laborers recruited from
local tribes and imported from Selindar for this
operation. Their only job, it seemed, was to dig as
deeply as they could until they at last breached hell,
Calvin mused. Apparently no one realized that
Waladar was already close enough to hell that they
need only have looked out over the barren, hot
plains to find what they sought.
Yonoth, Calvins immense ebony cohort on watch,
nudged him from his musings as he looked out,
glassy-eyed upon the endless desert. Look, they
show more. He nodded toward the vast pit in the
encampment. Calvin was a full two hands shorter
than his companion, and though his skin was burned
by the sun he was still clearly of the fairer-skinned,
shorter kin of Zarsaven. Calvin had gotten used to
looking up when talking to anyone in this land.
27

Yonoth was a native Waladari, albeit of civilized
countenance from the coastal port of Tharn. Calvin
doubted he knew more than his grandmothers tales
on the matter, but to invoke the legendary god-kings
called the Inhuridan, and suggest that even they
found the builders of these interred monuments
terrifying and mysterious was a bold suggestion.
Your grandmother was a brilliant tale teller. No, I
think it more likely that the Inhuridan themselves
built this thing, or perhaps some pretender later on.
Calvin scowled and spit. Well know soon enough, I
imagine. Indeed, the top of what appeared to be a
deep cleft in the eastern wall of the pyramid was just
surfacing as the diggers revealed it. It was likely a
deep passage carved in to the side of the monument,
and at the base they were certain to find the
capstone which sealed the entrance. Our patron is
just a grave robber with too much time and money.
Fear not the dead, Calvin turned away. Only a few
cling so desperately to their secrets that we need
worry about them.
Yonoth nodded and turned back to his watch,
casting one more worried glance back at the
pyramid. That is what I am afraid of, my friend.
A chilling thought crossed Calvins mind at that

moment, prompting him to stop and stare down in
to the whole for several minutes, as he pondered the
activity of the workers below, hauling their dirt out
on lengthy corded trolleys to which buckets were
attached. Of course no one would be mad enough to
have dug a hole in to which this pyramid was laid
and then buried, he realized. It would have been
built like all great monuments out in the open, for all
to see. For it to have been covered so completely,
the structure would have to be incalculably old, older
than man himself. Older than Waladar, older than
the Chirikatha, older even than the ancient
Inhuridan. A chill wind gusted through the stockade
then, kicking up dust and just a hint of moisture in
the air. Rain was coming, and soon. Calvin hurried
away, suddenly wanting to be as far away from the
damnable structure as was possible.
At the barracks tent Calvin doffed his arms and
armor, strapped on a short sword and then exited to
find food. Yonoth joined him. Something does not
feel right, the large man commented. Calvin
nodded.
Over drinks, the two men said little, playing a
round of dice while both tried not to notice the
increasingly turbulent weather. A serving wench
brought them both bread and stew, with a pitcher of
distilled water from the nearby well. The water was
barely palatable, with a thick, grainy mineral taste to
it.
The moment was shattered when a loud voice
burst out, Damn it to hell, when are we going to get
a drink around here? Ive worked for better slave
masters than this! It was Adanos, the harnish
mercenary who had signed on at the same time
Calvin did. The man was a famous drunk, and had
not taken the news well when the tap ran dry. What
was interesting to Calvin was not Adanoss fury, but
that he had chosen to do so when Quaelios, their
patron, the man who paid all bills, had arrived. He
was accompanied by several large bodyguards and
his two mysterious scribes, the only women in the
encampment. Calvin saw then what had inspired
Adanoss ire: one of the servants had produced a
bottle of vintage Selindari ale, a rare and sumptuous
treat afforded only by those of great wealth. One
bottle of such would cost as much as a years worth
of Adanoss preferred swill.
One of the patrons bodyguards stepped forward to
stop Adanos, hand on the pommel of his blade.
Quaelios raised his hand to stop his guard. He has a
The burning heat was gradually replaced by a

sharp, cool night. As the two guardsmen were
relieved of duty, Calvin glanced out once more to the
eastern mountains and noticed that the
thunderclouds had grown noticeably larger. Against
the last rays of the bloody red sunset he could tell
that for the first time in weeks the clouds had
bridged the great wall of the mountains.
Its going to rain tonight.
The guard replacing him snorted. It never rains
here.
Calvin moved down and away from the wall,
skirting the rim of the great pit, where the day
laborers had been replaced by a larger crew to take
advantage of the cool night weather. Their patron
was a madman, Calvin thought. Why did he push so
hard to unearth this monument which someone so
clearly wanted buried? They had dug nearly forty five
meters before they even touched upon the capstone,
and in the last day as the pyramid had taken shape it
became evident that the structure was immense.
The site was located in a vast, remote desert plain.
There was no ancient mound here to encapsulate
whatever lay below. Someone had to have
intentionally built this pyramid in a hole, and then
filled it in. It was madness.
28

right to speak, his voice was soft yet sharp, a man
who knew even in whispers how to command.
Quaelios was a tall, lean, bald man with burnt
umber skin, who wore the traditional white and
yellow robes of the Selindari upper-class. He bore a
simple silver headband which Calvin knew held the
marks of one who was an elder initiate in the Sun
cult. He was not a man to be trifled with. Quaelios
studied the sober harnishman with curious disdain.
You have been well paid, my friend. If you do not
like the arrangements, then you are free to leave.
Speak to your commander, and I will let him know
you have chosen a new course.
Adanos was not about to take that for an answer.
You said we would be well stocked, we would have
all the supplies needed, but the stores run dry and
the caravan is past due. You drive the laborers day
and night, and even call upon the soldiers to dig for
you. All I want is a drink! he licked his lips with
nervous anticipation as he studied the bottle
Quaelioss servant held.
Quaelios looked upon the man with a mixture of
pity and disgust. You want this? he looked to the
bottle. Ah, I see. Well, perhaps I can be
accommodating. He looked to his servants. Bring
the men wine, Varith. The servant nodded. Let
them all drink of the ambrosia so rarely offered to
them. Perhaps this will assuage their fears that I am
some sort of cruel taskmaster.
Quaelios himself poured a glass for Adanos and
handed it to him. Drink deeply, my friend. You will
taste nothing else like it. He leaned back, a thin
smile upon his lips as he watched the big harnishman
chug down the delicacy.
Gods it is good! tension fled Adanos body as the
wine soothed his yearning spirit. Quaelios handed
him the rest of the bottle, after pouring himself a
small glass of his own. It is yours, he said, drinking
a sip of his own. Elsewhere, the patrons servants
brought four more cases from his private stores,
breaking them open as the men of the garrison lined
up to fill their mugs full of the rare treat.
Calvin made no move as Yonoth stood up to get his
fill. You do not want to drink? Calvin shook his
head no. He could not shake that feeling in his gut
that all was not well.
He grabbed Yonoth by the arm as the big man
moved away. You shouldnt, either. But Yonoth just
laughed and shrugged his grip off. This was not good,
not good at all.
As Calvin watched Yonoth and the others go forth
to help themselves to this rare treat, his eyes fell
upon one of the veiled women, the scribes and

servants of Quaelios. No doubt more than that,
Calvin mused. She was looking at him, her eyes a
silver-blue, with an intensity that left him suddenly
very uncomfortable. For a moment, he could have
sworn he heard her whisper to him, though she was
too far away for such.
Be ready, her voice was haunting, quiet.
Calvin got up and excused himself. He knew not
how, but he was certain that tonight was the night
that hell came to Aytaris.
2
It was past midnight when the wine was finished
and the men staggered away to sleep off their
drunken stupors. Quaelios stayed in the commons
but a short time before retiring to his private tent,
followed by his two retainers. He left the servants to
clean up.
A stately man from far northern Selindar, Quaelios
was nonetheless well-traveled, and had long ago
adjusted to dealing with men of all classes and
creeds. This rabble was no different than those of
any other land, and indeed were ones he had bought
and paid for in silver and gold. Their lives were his,
even if they did not necessarily realize it.
Inside his tent, the canopy rocked under the
growing eastern winds. A storm was brewing, and he
was certain that the Chirikatha were going to try and
stop him tonight, which meant he was close to
achieving that which had eluded him for so long. He
opened up a large trunk, and pulled from it an oilskin
folio. Inside he pulled out a set of loose, ancient
sheaves of parchment, covered in faded yet once
glorious script using all manner of colorful inks. The
writing was indecipherable to most men, a language
considered old when the ancient Inhuridans were
new to the world of Enzada. It had taken him seven
years to translate the book. He had poisoned his
tutor when the translation was complete; he did not
want anyone else alive who could read it.
His hands traced the thick, gilded script across the
disembodied front cover. Eshari kath Netarim
Hunal.
The words rang with cosmic significance to his ears.
The Book of the Forgotten Ones. A tome written by
the Nadavasian sorcerer Hulkamaath, ages before
the three lands of the world had merged, when
mankind wallowed in fear and terror of the mythical
Sky Builders and for whom even the elements were
29

cause for fear. Hulkamaath was obsessed with the
ancient tombs of this pre-human culture, and did
much to learn of it. In his day the tombs were still
visible, resting upon the surface of the land,
tantalizing glimpses of a lost civilization that had
learned to transcend its own mortality.
Behind Quaelios came quiet footsteps. He turned
about, aggravated at this disturbance. It was his
assistants, Etarna. The woman pulled back her cowl
and studied him with half-lidded, dreamy eyes. All in
her order partook of the essence of the Aghariva
bark of their native Selindar. The drug left its users in
a state of dreamlike semi-wakefulness, but granted
its users an alarming sense of prescience.
The old shaman watches you tonight, she said.
He sees the storm and moves. The spirits tell him it
is time. Etarna shuddered for a moment, as if feeling
the spirits upon her.
Quaelios shook his head. I care not. Tell me,
woman. Do you see the entrance to the pyramid?
Are we close? he glanced back at the folio. He
picked up a parchment, upon which was depicted in
elaborate detail a vast monolithic pyramid, of pure
obsidian, resting upon a lush swampy plain, eons
ago. Had the pyramid at last sunk in to the swamps,
he wondered? Or had it somehow been buried by an
as yet unknown cataclysm? Such was one of the
many unresolved mysteries he had encountered in
his quest for the pyramid.
Etarna rocked on the heels of her feet before
collapsing. He moved over to her, helped her up on
some cushions even as the other seer approach to
help. You push yourself too hard woman. Do not
pass out on me now. Not so close.
She looked in to his eyes. Yes. You seek the dark
tonight. Down you must go. And she faded away.
Quaelios nodded at the now unconscious woman.
He took a cloth from a nearby water basin and
dabbed her forehead. Rest now, Etarna. Perhaps
when dawn comes you will be surprised at what you
see. He kissed her forehead then.
Across the room sitting quietly on a prayer rug, the
other seer Livia studied Quaelios as he tended to her.
Why does he not dote upon me like so, she
wondered. She had traveled with him for years, and
Etarna had only joined the expedition at his request
just weeks before they left Selindar.
Quaelios stood up, unaware of the covetious
woman nearby, drawing his robes once more around
himself to brace against the gusting winds outside.
As he exited, he called to one of his bodyguards.
Get the chief foreman. Tell him we double our

efforts tonight. I will pay twice the coin to workers
from the dayshift to bend their backs to the task
before us.
From the sky, rolling clouds sparked thunderously.
It felt like the forgotten dead were at last awakening,
as they sensed the unearthing of their lost graves.
We shall see. Quaelios strode toward the pit. The
time was nigh. Soon, he mused, he would at last
fulfill his destiny. He had felt the calling of the
Forgotten Ones since he was a child, heard their
strange whispering in his dreams. You are the herald,
they told him. You will find us, and you will release us
once more to make the world in our image. You will
be the god of men.
A slight grin crossed his face. When he was god of
men, he mused, he will make Etarna his queen. She
will be the oracle of all mankind, voice of Quaelios,
the god of men. Ah, he could almost taste triumph
upon his lips.
The storm clouds rolled in after midnight, blotting
out the moon and stars above, as roaring winds
flecked with rain drops drowned out the noise of the
dig. Men could smell it in the air, a thick, heady odor
that filled the soul with delight and dread. The dig
continued unabated, as Quaelios himself had joined
the night workers down below, to supervise their
activities as they focused on the deep cleft in the
pyramid.
Calvin had not slept that night, and sometime after
midnight as the winds picked up he left his tent with
its drunken, snoring soldiers and once more made
his way to the site of the dig. Below, in the furious,
flickering torchlight he watched as the workers dug
like madmen before the shouts of Quaelios. From
above it was hard to tell amidst the dancing shadows
of the wind-wracked firelight, but he could swear
that they had uncovered some sort of deep, gaping
hole within the cavernous depth of the structures
cleft. That they had uncovered as much as they did
was impressive, but Calvin soon realized that as soon
as the cleft was identified for what it was, the
workers had apparently focused on digging down in
that spot, forming a deep hole.
He watched as men held ropes that stretched
down in to that hole, and how Quaelios and two
large bodyguards stepped forth and were then
lowered down. Were they mad? Soon the region
would be flooded with torrential rainwater and they
were descending ever deeper in to this structure that
surely had existed since before mankind itself
30

As if summoned by his thoughts the first thick
droplets of rain began to pelt down on his head and
shoulders. In seconds it went from a sporadic
sprinkle to a sudden, intense downpour.
There was a snapping noise, like a sharp crack, and
Calvins attention was drawn away, to the walls of
the stockade. Along the wood and mud ramparts he
just could just make out one of the night watch
through the downpour, though it seemed one man
was missing and the other was kneeling, looking out
upon the desert night.
Something did not seem right. He approached,
taking the ladder steps two at a time, nearly slipping
on the wet wood. Once atop the ramparts Calvin
stifled out an urge to call out to the guardsman, who
seemed to stare intently outward in to the desert.
Instead he approached slowly, his instincts screaming
danger.
He reached over and touched the mans shoulder.
At first there was no response, then the head rolled
over, wide sightless eyes greeting him, a thick black
spear shaft kept the body propped up where it had
driven sharply between the logs of the wall and deep
in to the mans heart. He had likely died without
even realizing it.
Calvin dropped low then, cursing. He grabbed the
sword from the mans belt, cursing his own lack of
armor, and then searched about for the other guard.
He dared a quick glance over the wall, and saw a
dark shape lying crumbled on the ground some eight
meters below. This was it. This was what they were
waiting for. The damned Chirikatha had been waiting
all this time for the cover of rainfall to strike!
With a sudden burst of adrenalin Calvin rummaged
about on the body of the man in front of him. His
hands clamped down on the ivory horn to sound the
alarm, when he felt something looming up; he cast
himself forward, past the corpse. He hit the ground
in a roll then turned, up and ready with horn in one
hand and drawn sword in the other. Behind him was
a dark figure out of some primal nightmare, a local
tribesman he imagined, but with dark red and white
painted oils zig-zagging across his body, giving him a
macabre countenance not unlike a bloody skeleton.
The man held a long spear of black wood and iron
which had just shattered the floor of the rampart
where Calvin was a second ago. The wild man
grinned with a crazed intensity and uttered savage
words foreign to Calvins lips.
Esahari kath natar asenamba!
In a flash the spear struck again, and again as
Calvin was suddenly on the defensive, sliding back
along the wall, trying to keep his footing under the

rain-slick wood, unable to bring up the horn to sound
the alarm. He parried one blow of the spear with his
sword, then narrowly avoided a second strike.
With a quick glance behind, he saw that another
tribesman had just slipped over the walls, flanking
him. He had no choice. Calvin threw himself from the
ramparts, in to the darkness below. As he fell, the
thought crossed his mind that the pit was very close,
and if he plunged in to it he would be dead. Instead,
he hit the down-slope of the mud bank running up
against the stockade wall and slid. The horn left his
grip, though he clung to his sword, trying to gain
footing as the rain-slick embankment carried him
down to level ground.
At the bottom he kept rolling; the sudden rain had
turned powdered earth in to slick mud. The pit was
only a short distance away. He scrambled for
traction, and at last stopped just short of the gaping
darkness.
Calvin scrambled up, searching for the horn. He
found it, but the damnable thing was clogged with
mud and water. A spear suddenly thrust in front of
him, knocking the horn from his hands and in to the
pit. With lighting quick reflexes he grabbed the spear
and put all his effort in to wresting it from his foe.
The tribesman held on, but that was the wrong move
as the man lost footing and plunged to his death in
the pit. Calvin let go of the spear, but not before its
serrated end gouged his right hand; he cursed with
pain. He stumbled back and away from the pit then,
casting about wildly for evidence of his second
attacker. The second tribesman was nowhere to be
seen.
Attack! We are under attack! he shouted out,
waving his arms wildly and looking down in to the
pit. Several workers below studied him curiously
before the full impact of his message was realized.
Calvin then ran to the next stretch of the wall,
hoping against hope that not all of the watchmen
had been compromised.
As he ran, bedlam descended upon the raindrenched stockade. Somewhere a man toppled from
on high, a gurgling scream resonating over the beat
of the rain. Elsewhere, a warning horn trumpeted
from across the compound near the tent barracks.
Mere feet away another savage rose up, ghost-like
from the already deep pool of water which served as
a catch basin for the pack animals and diggers.
Calvin charged, and barreled the man over. They
thrashed about in the mud and rain, until seconds
31

later one lay dead, blood streaming in to the murky
pool. It was not Calvin.
He made his way then toward the barracks, in the
hope of saving some of his comrades from an
untimely blade to the throat. He reached the
commons tent of his barracks and found himself too
late for most, though one man in the corner
thrashed about with his attacker, then hurled the
painted foe through the tent wall, collapsing the
structure as he did. Calvin helped the man out of the
collapsed tent. The man turned, dazed and wildeyed, his long mane of hair matted and snarled.
Calvin grinned; it was Yonoth.
Thought Id find your drunken throat slit, Calvin
said.
Yonoth grimaced and said nothing. He found the
corpse of his assailant on the ground, and grabbed
up the savages dagger. The two men then looked
about, hearing the sporadic shouts and screams,
seeing motions in the dark as furtive shapes dashed
by. Chaos reigned everywhere. The battle was lost
before it had even begun. The two men jogged for
the crude wooden gates of the stockade. There was
nothing left for them here.
conscious Yonoth, and then turned to Calvin. The

savages assented to his commands, and one moved
forth to disarm both of them. In a crude variant of
the Waladari dialect, he said, You come with us. You
put the forgotten dead to rest. The Voice of the
Walkers has said it is so.
Calvin watched as they pulled Yonoth up to his
feet; he moved forward to aid the large man as
spears prodded him in the back.
The gods take me before these savages roast us
for dinner, Calvin muttered. But I think they want
our help with that pyramid. Already they were being
forced forward, in the now ankle-deep flood waters,
toward the great pit.
Damn but I knew this job would be my death,
Yonoth grimaced. Pain edged his voice as he felt
about on his tender, cracked skull.
When they reached the edge of the pit and the
maze of scaffolding that led downward, the shaman
halted. Nearby came a muffled shriek, and from the
tent of the nobleman came four more tribesmen
with a fierce, writhing form in their grasp. It was one
of the women who served as seer and scribe to
Quaelios. They dumped her before Calvin and
Yonoth in to the mud, which damaged her already
torn gown. A second group of men arrived, dropping
the second woman down next to the first. She was
unconscious, and the first woman moved to help her,
pulling her face from the floodwater that poured in
to the pit so she did not drown.
You bastards! she cried out. We offered no
resistance. You did not have to hurt her. She began
to sob. This was the same woman that Calvin had
seen earlier, he realized.
The shaman seemed unperturbed. He spoke again,
that strange and unknown language, which the guide
then translated. You go in to pit. Then you go down.
You stop the man you call Quaelios from waking the
forgotten dead.
Spear tips closed in, and for a brief second Calvin
thought about throwing it all away and rushing them
in one last blaze of glory and madness. He had lived
too long in this trade for such foolish heroics,
however. Instead, he looked at the shaman and the
translator. What lies down there? he gestured,
toward the dark hole that had been dug down the
cleft in the pyramid. What did he seek?
The shaman shrugged and looked up to the sky.
Esahari kath natar asenamba. Etara unak, mi atamo
eshari. Aban de. The rain pelted his face, but his
tribal markings did not run. Tattoos, then, Calvin
decided.
As they reached the gates Yonoth and Calvin were

confronted by a half dozen Chirikatha who had raised
the portcullis to let more raiders inside. The two men
charged, determined to win their freedom, blades
slashing at the spears and daggers of their assailants.
Calvin downed two before he felt a sharp stab in his
right leg, then saw Yonoth go down under a halfdozen more men. The image reminded him for some
strange reason of the bull-dancers back in his
homeland, and how they would pile up on top of one
of the maddened beasts during the height of its
mania, to smother it in bodies. Many died in the bulldances, just as happened here, with Yonoth
smashing skull and snapping neck until at last one of
the tribesman brought a heavy knobbed club down
upon the Waladaris skull with a sickening crunch.
Surrounded now, Calvin found escape impossible.
He backed against the wall as four tribesmen pressed
in with spears, ready to impale him. From behind, a
shorter savage joined the lot, his brilliant white and
red markings more striking and exotic than the rest.
He carried a staff, atop of which rested a strange
skull of alien shape, certainly not human. Three
horns projected from it, one from the forehead and
two beneath the jaw, almost like tusks.
Etara unak, mi atamo eshari. Yana, eshari kath
natar asenamba. He waved at the bloodied half-
32

You go down. You stop forgotten dead from
awakening. He says you have until dawn before the
gods claim this forsaken place and you join them
forever. The translator seemed visibly shaken at
imagining this possibility.
I would be quick if I were you, he said, no longer
translating for the shaman. No man deserves
eternity with what lies below. Not even that demon
that leads you.
up on his own hirelings to dash madly in to the

unknown depths for whatever prize he sought?
He estimated that he was about twenty meters
down when he felt the rope thrash about, and
realized that they were already sending down a
second person.
Fools! The rope wont support all our weight! at
that he picked up the pace, and let the line out as
fast as he dared. Without gloves, the friction of the
rope burned his hands, but he moved as fast as he
dared.
He reached bottom after another twenty meters,
he estimated; the rope had just reached. His feet
landed amidst a shower of water from above, as he
found himself dangling in empty space for the last
ten meters of the descent. He felt hard, smooth
stone under the flood water beneath his sandals. A
faint light could be seen, but it was some distance
away, revealing what appeared to be a short flight of
steps toward a gilded archway, with darkness
beyond. The light was otherwise too faint to
penetrate the full chamber, though he could tell by
the echo of the water that it was a wide, deep area.
Seconds later there was a splash and a sharp cry of
pain as a woman hit the ground. She had apparently
let go of the rope and fallen with no control. It was
the one who was only semi-conscious and beaten,
he realized. He pulled her away, and checked for
signs of life. The girl was out again, but breathing.
Her right arm was clearly broken, though there was
nothing he could do about it at the moment save to
set the bone. Even in her delirium she let out a cry of
agony as he snapped it back in place. He pulled his
blade from its scabbard, then doffed his shirt and
ripped it in to crude bandages to bind the scabbard
to her arm as a crude splint.
The third one to appear as Yonoth, who set down
smoothly, his large but athletic frame accustomed to
climbing, it seemed. Yonoth looked about. It is very
dark.
Calvin nodded. The stones are black within as
without. The obsidian soaks the light. That torch over
there, it burns bright, but it barely penetrates down
here.
Yonoth made his way over to the torch and looked
about. He found a second, and lit it off of the first.
They gave me a sword. Do they expect us to kill the
boss? He tossed the second torch to Calvin.
Aye, I think so, or perhaps these forgotten dead.
Perhaps your instincts were right, Yonoth. Perhaps
this place was buried for a reason.
3
The descent in to the pit was treacherous, as water
poured in from all corners, running down the planks
of the scaffolding. The pit was already waste deep
with water, and as Calvin reached the hole in to
which Quaelios had descended earlier, elevated but
a few feet above the lower level of the dig, water
was already cascading down. He fished about and
found the rope lines that dropped below. By now
three dozen savages surrounded them. They held the
rope line secure, and Calvin looked to Yonoth. You
first, he offered, but Yonoth shook his head, then
reeled as pain wracked his skull.
Calvin looked once more to the translator. The
woman should stay here, he said. One is
unconscious and the other hysterical. They would be
useless down below. The translator shook his head.
The Voice of the Walkers has decreed that there
must be four, and you are who has been chosen.
The one woman glared at him. I am not
hysterical. Her companion was coming to, mute
sobs escaping her bruised lips. And you will need
me, down below. Where you go, no sword can set
things right.
Calvin grimaced. Suit yourself. He tightened the
rope around his waist, then prepared to begin
descent. One last thing, he turned, looking at the
shaman. Let me have my sword.
After a brief exchange, the shaman nodded and the
translator took his sword from one of the tribesmen,
handing it over. If you leave before dawn, you have
redeemed yourself before the spirits. Walkers guide
you, foreigner. With that, Calvin began his descent.
The pit was deeper than Calvin imagined possible;
how had they dug so deeply in one day? In short
order he felt cold, smooth stone under his fingers,
and realized that the diggers must have found an
actual pit entrance in to the pyramid. No wonder
Quaelios was so quick to descend, Calvin mused. Did
he know that the attack was imminent? Had he given
33

At last the other woman arrived. She bore a sword
clipped to her belt, and she descended with a
graceful agility that left Calvin impressed, even as he
admired the wet sheen of her thighs as she
descended down the rope.
You ripped your gown, he said. What does a
woman know of sword play? he studied the blade.
It was an ornate, bejeweled weapon, the kind worn
by foppish nobles seeking to impress.
She touched down. Call me Etarna, and I know
swordplay. I am one of the Wakeful Ones in my
order. It is required. She quickly moved to her
companion, and ripped more material from the hem
of her gown. Oh, Livia she did as best she could
to secure the shattered arm.
Calvin watched her for a bit. You are both of the
Sisters of Aghariva, he said matter-of-factly.
Quaelios wanted you here for your visions, then.
She studied him carefully. What know you of the
Sisters? she reached in to a pouch on her belt and
took two strips of dried green bark, placing them in
Livias mouth. She then placed her hands on the
temples of Livias brow, and began to recite a quite
prayer. Isitra melan, Isitra melan it bore a
strange, hypnotic quality. Suddenly, Livia awoke with
a gasp, and stared about as if wakened from a bad
dream.
Etarna, I had such a vivid dream! she was faint
and flushed, but seemed not in the least bit injured.
She tried to sit up using her broken arm, but was too
weak. She did not seem to feel the pain.
Etarna helped her up. Calvin moved to assist. You
must rest, Livia, and follow carefully. Take this, but be
careful. She pressed a dagger in to Livias left palm.
Do not use your right arm, though I know you favor
it. Isitra has removed your pain, but you must be
careful. They moved slowly, too much so for Calvins
liking, toward the steps and the archway.
Calvin moved to stand by Yonoth, who had been
perched at the base of the arch atop the stairs,
listening. What do you hear? he noticed that the
stone beyond the gilded archway was laced with
azure plates, a welcome change from the obsidian
black of the entry chamber.
Yonoth shook his head. I hear whispers in the
darkness. He pointed down the hall. Something
knows we are here. I hear whispers. But I fear it is in
my mind.
Calvin moved forward, torch in hand. He heard no
whispers. Let us hope so, friend. Better in your head
then wandering this hell.
The full dimensions of this ancient catacomb were

vast, as they quickly learned. Immense halls lead to
dramatic, arched chambers filled with abstract
architectural designs that seemed random or
pointless to the human eye. Each chamber was
connected by multiple hallways to other chambers,
and Calvin was sure they were now deep beneath
the pyramid, beneath the earth itself, perhaps only a
few meters from hell itself.
At first the two men tried to lead, but in a matter of
minutes it was evident they were hopelessly lost as
to what direction to take. By the demons of Gath,
how does one navigate such a necropolis as this?
Calvin spat in to the flickering shadows.
Etarna moved up. If one of you will help Livia, I
should lead. I can try to reach out, and seek the
guidance of the goddess. She will lead our way.
Calvin and Yonoth looked at one another, shrugged.
Yonoth moved to stand beside Livia, who looked as if
she were moving through a waking dream, and was
not at all in pain from her injury.
Calvin stepped up beside Etarna. Fair enough,
youre choice of direction is as good as ours.
The Wakeful One, as she had called herself,
proceeded forward, and soon seemed to be moving
purposefully through the maze of chambers and
corridors, almost ready to sprint. Calvin picked up
the pace behind her.
After several chambers she suddenly stopped. We
are not alone. He looked at her, and saw that she
was in a trance-like state, her eyes rolled back in her
head.
Abruptly, from an oval hallway to the right came a
flash of motion and fury. Calvin raised his sword in
defense, then saw a man, ragged and covered in
mud, crash in to the chamber and drop to his knees,
panting and exhausted. I was the harnishman
Adanos!
By the Red Hand! What the devil are you doing
here? Calvin reached down to help the man up, but
Adanos suddenly scrambled away, fear and madness
in his eyes.
No! Do not take me! No! Adanos was hysterical.
He scrambled in one of the oddly shaped corners of
the otherwise sterile chamber and huddled there,
shuddering.
Calvin looked to the Etarna. Can you calm him
down?
She nodded and approached the man carefully. Her
soothing voice and calm movements had their effect,
and within a few seconds she offered him more of
the sacred green bark she carried with her.
34

Soon Adanos was looking more a fool than a
madman, as he grinned at the woman and then at
Calvin. What are you doing here! he exclaimed. I
made my way down in to this pit in a panic. There
were savages everywhere. I dont know what I was
thinking he got a far-away look then, as if he was
half remembering what had driven him mad. I do
not like this place. We should all be gone from here.
Calvin shook his head. Im afraid were all in this
for the long haul, my friend. Now, get yourself up,
and tell us what you know.
Adanos told a story that was confused and
muddled both by his addled mind and the strange
circumstances under which he came to be here.
When I awoke, it seems like an eternity, I sore felt
the need to relieve myself. I came out of the tent,
and set about to my business when I heard noise
from the pit, like some sort of voice calling to me. It
sounded just like a woman I used to know, I
sweetheart from the homeland who had fallen ill the
year before. Id have probably married her if she had
not perished during that winter. Thats why I joined
the company, you see.
Calvin nodded impatiently. Speed it up, Adanos.
We have until dawn to solve this matter.
The big man continued. So I thought perhaps that
fine wine had well and truly dulled my senses. I
wandered back to the tents, which was when I saw
the savages, lurking over the cots of my bunk mates,
like shadows from death itself sent to collect their
souls. Blood ran freely across the floor, and nary a
soul moved; they had all been slain in their sleep. I
turned and ran. Shame seemed to cross his face.
I killed two with my bare hands before I settled on
where to go. I heard a horn sound, and then
somehow before I knew it I was sprinting down the
scaffolding and in to the pit. I he paused, a
confused look on his face, as if he questioned his
own sanity. I heard her voice, my sweetheart. She
called to me, and I ran. The next thing I knew I was
rappelling in to the pit, and soon enough I was here,
in this maze. I wandered, calling out to her. Her voice
was so close. I came to a wide, dark chamber that I
all at once realized was a cavern. I. he trailed off
then. I cant remember what drove me mad.
Calvin nudged him. Was Quaelios there? Adanos
nodded, lost in half-remembered terrors suppressed
by the sacred bark.
Can you find your way back there? again, Adanos
nodded.
Calvin lent him a hand up. Adanos, welcome to

our crew. It seems the old shaman was wrong; there
are five of us for this task. Take us there, man.
Etarna touched Calvins shoulder. We should all
chew this. It will help us deal with whatever set the
madness upon Adanoss mind. Calvin studied the
root like it was some sort of leprous beggar seeking
coin. I take nothing. If my mind cannot stand against
whatever foulness lurks beyond, then so be it. He
proceeded forth, after Adanos, who moved slowly in
to the darkened corridor from which he had
previously plunged.
Yonoth stepped up, and took one of the offered
pieces of green bark. I could use all the help I can
get, he smiled at Etarna, who herself took one of
her last pieces to chew upon.
Isitra gave us the aghariva tree to protect us from
the spirits that lurk in the spaces between, she said.
Pray for Calvin that his mind is guarded by stronger
powers.
Yonoth laughed. Hah! Pray that whatever
monsters lurk in the darkness here can appreciate a
man who is beyond fear. He retrieved Livia as they
followed Adanos and Calvin, already being
swallowed by the darkness of the tunnel.
The oval passage eventually plunged downward at
an odd angle, and in time it was evident that they
were passing deep in to the earth. The passage had a
curious design, with rippling patterns along the wall
that could have been mystical designs, or perhaps
the curiously symmetric handiwork of whatever
beings had seen fit to carve out this passage so long
ago. No one felt like the passage had been used by
humans until now.
As the passage descended at strange angles deeper
and deeper in to the earth, the group passed several
branches that intersected at neat angles with the
tunnel, sometimes at level angles, and at other times
veering sharply off from the ceiling or the floor.
Passage across these odd descending paths was
made easier by the rippled patterns of the walls.
Calvin questioned how Adanos could know for
certain that he was on the right path, but the man
seemed resolute.
It was another ten minutes of travel down the
tunnel when they encountered a gory spectacle. At
first it was unclear just what they were looking at;
bits of torn red flesh and cloth seemed to have been
scraped off along the wall in an odd pattern. The
torchlight revealed a glint of metal further on, and
after another six meters Calvin found a shattered
35

breastplate, with the emblem of the bodyguards of
Quaelios upon it. The armor looked as if it had been
smashed flat against the rippled wall by an elephant.
A few feet beyond was an ornate sword, the blade
snapped off halfway up the length. The weapon was
covered in a strange, sickly yellow ichor. The strange
substance stretched along the tunnel for several
more meters.
What happened here? Yonoth looked at the
scene, trying to piece it together.
Calvin pried the breastplate free from the ripples
against which it had been smashed. This was one of
Quaelioss bodyguards.
Adanos looked like a new madness was about to
overcome the calming effect of the aghariva root.
Ithis wasI think I was here, I saw this
Calvin grabbed him by the shoulders and forced
him to look away. Dont lose it man, we need you.
What could have done this? Etarna looked at the
mess, afraid of the answer.
Something big, something that moves smoothly
through these tunnels. Maybe even bores through
them. We should pick up the pace.
Adanos seemed to calm a bit. Yesyes. He moved
forward once more.
Dont look back, Calvin said. Dont think. Just
go.
Yonoth looked meaningfully at Calvin. What if this
thing comes for us? he glanced back, in to the
darkness behind. We wont stand a chance.
Calvin shook his head. It can bleed, just remember
that. He motioned to the broken sword and the trail
of ichors. Yonoth nodded, finding slight comfort in
the fact.
Calvin pushed him aside and moved forward.

Etarna stepped up beside him, as they rounded the
next corner of the tunnel. Flickering red light reached
their eyes, dancing along the walls of a vast cavern,
like a vast hollowed egg, nestled within the earth.
Along the far wall of the strangely shaped chamber
was something that Calvins own eyes couldnt quite
understand. At first it reminded him of a great,
demonic head, surrounded by writhing tentacles,
which moved with an eerie undulation, but he
quickly realized that this was a trick of the strange,
red light flickering from the brazier at the base of the
chamber casting dancing shadows upon the
immense and disturbing effigy.
In front of the brazier cavorted a madman, who
Calvin quickly identified as Quaelios. Etarna gasped.
Our patron, he muttered, at once amused and
angered.
From behind, Adanos staggered forth and shoved
his way between the two, only to topple over the
edge of the opening and slide down the curved
surface of the ovoid chamber like a drunken man
taking a spill.
Yonoth and Livia arrived next. By the Great Tree
itself Yonoth seemed awed and terrified at the
spectacle.
Livia looked on with dreamy eyes, but suddenly her
face contorted in to a look of terror and she threw
her hand to her mouth, as she rasped out a barely
audible noise of fright. Etarna grasped her, holding
the woman tightly. Close your eyes, she intoned in
to Livias ear. I gave you much of the green bark; it
will show you things you should not see. Close your
eyes.
This ends now. Calvin was through with this
nonsense. He stepped down carefully, grasping the
ridges of the chamber walls (also curiously
patterned, like the tunnels) and began his descent in
to the chamber. Quaelios! he called out as he
climbed. Stop this madness. Your men have been
slaughtered and you dabble in dark arts. Stop this
now!
Quaelios seemed at first not to hear him, but as
Calvin reached the low slope and the ground leveled
out, the dancing man stopped and turned, fists
clenched, and studied Calvin. Quaelioss eyes
seemed to shine in the flickering light of the brazier
like a cats.
You cannot stop them. They are timeless,
immortal. If we are but gnats to the gods, then so
too are the gods like insects among them. He
gestured then to the strange statue beyond. They
Time seemed to flow strangely as the small group

wandered through the strange tunnels, following a
man that Calvin began to suspect was leading them
to a subterranean funeral. How much time had
passed since they had been dropped in to the
darkness, he wondered? Were the old shamans
words resonant with truth, and if they did not find
the man Quaelios before dawn, would they indeed
all be consigned to this stygian hell forever? He had
no intention of finding out.
His patience drawn thin, Calvin reached out,
grasping Adanos by the shoulder to slow the man. I
grow impatient, and we are running out of time. Tell
me you are not wandering aimlessly in your
madness!
Adanos stopped and turned, his eyes hollow with a
strange emptiness. We are here, my friend.
36

rest within the maw of this portal, made by the
servitors of the earth in their honor. I go now, to
awaken, to bring forth their majesty. I shall be the
herald of their awakening.
Quaelios turned then, to move toward the
grotesque depiction along the wall. As he did, Calvin
gasped, for the maw of the sculpture drew wide,
creating a dark passage in to a strange void beyond.
Mist poured forth from the mouth, which was ridged
with steel teeth.
Calvin surged forward then, to tackle Quaelios
before he could do any harm. Out of nowhere he
was intercepted by a dark shape, knocking the wind
out of him. It was the other bodyguard, who had lain
hidden within the shadows of the chamber.
As Calvin wrestled with the man, who seemed
possessed of superhuman strength, he shouted to
his companions. Stop him! Damn you all stop him!
He grasped the bodyguard by the head as the man
wrapped his thickly muscled hands around Calvins
neck. As Calvin reached to choke his assailant in turn
he was greeted with a shocking site, for two great
worm-like entities, each protruding from the sockets
of the bodyguard hissed at him and bit him with
strangely-shaped maws full of triangular incisors.
Calvin gasped and drew his hands away before his
fingers were sliced off.
Elsewhere Etarna and Yonoth, realizing the sudden
danger both crawled as quickly down the sloping
wall from the tunnel entry as fast as they could.
Second after the two descended, Livia let out a
sudden sharp cry overhead, as something huge and
dark surged forth from the tunnel they had emerged
from, slamming in to the poor woman and sending
her across the chamber to land in a crumpled,
lifeless heap. The great mass moved rhythmically, a
massive tubular being that defied nature. Its body
terminated in a great open maw, much like the tiny
infants popping forth from the body of the man
Calvin wrestled with, he realized. Like its tiny kin, the
gigantic worms maw was filled with immense
incisors, each glinting as if made of steel and
glistening with slime. It was mother, Calvin realized,
somewhere in the back of his mind.
Quaelios, now only feet from the open maw,
looked up at the great worm overhead. Servitor of
the earth, I beseech thee! Smite these fools who
would dare prevent your great masters from
awakening. I am your prophet! Come to my aid!
Behind him, the dark void within the mouth began to
cast dull gray light. As the darkness fled, it seemed
that some sort of primordial jungle lay beyond, filled
with ancient ferns and a dark green canopy. Eerie

noises made by no animals ever heard by human
ears began to echo from the strange portal, and in
the distance, for but a second, Etarna and Yonoth
both thought they saw something akin to a mountain
moving in the distance, beyond the canopy of
greenery. It was almost enough to divert their
attention from the terrifying worm that lurked
directly above their descent.
Calvin wrestled with his attacker on the ground,
and managed to free his blade. He dislodged his
assailants grip and snapped the mans arm with a
blow from the pommel of his sword.
Kill him! Calvin shouted, wrestling with the
possessed bodyguard. He controls the worm!
The bodyguard, worms now filtering from every
orifice of his body, seemed unfazed by his mangled
arm and struggled to retain a hold on Calvin, but the
warrior had gained the advantage. He stumbled back
then hacked fiercely with his sword in to the mans
neck, which spouted gouts of blood and more of that
strange greenish fluid, such as they had seen in the
tunnel earlier.
Above, the worm brought down its great weight
upon the side of the tunnel; Yonoth and Etarna
survived by letting go and tumbling the rest of the
way, narrowly escaping being pulped by the monster.
Yonoth recovered quickly, gripping his sword and
slashing wildly at the descending worm. The beast
swiveled to face him, as its stone-shattered teeth
began to ripple and extrude from its mouth in
anticipation of the morsel before it.
Etarna meanwhile stood up but let out a sharp cry
as she realized in the plunge she had twisted her
ankle. She stood up and hobbled over, to close the
distance between herself and Quaelios. Milord, why
do you do this? You never told me what you sought
within those books, that you thought yourself some
prophet, some vessel of these forgotten gods! Why
would you bring such terror upon us all?
Her attempts at reason fell on empty ears. Etarna
my dear, I needed you and your sister to guide me
through your visions or we would never have found
the location of this temple. You were truly
invaluable. If you live through this, when I next
return I shall offer you a place at my side as the
messenger of the Forgotten Ones. You will be
honored as no others shall, once they bring forth
their dark majesty and remake the world in their
image, as it was so long ago. We will be powerful
beyond all means, my dear! Quaelios laughed then,
a mixture of madness and joy.
37

Calvin had had enough. As he finished off the
bodyguard, moving away in disgust as even the
corpses wounds now shed worms escaping the dead
husk; he turned and rushed at Quaelios. Let us see if
the man also sheds worms in death, he mused.
Behind Quaelios, the crumpled form of Livia
suddenly sat up. Milord! You are accosted!
Quaelios turned then, and with a gesture the eldritch
fire erupted from the brazier, filling the air between
himself and Calvin. Calvin cursed and back up, singed
from the flames.
You are witness to a great event, mercenary.
Calvin cursed as Quaelios turned once again,
protected by the fire, to enter the strange portal
beyond. The portal is complete; I go now to awaken
the Forgotten Ones. When I return, you shall all see
the glory I have awakened.
Etarna limped to Livias side. Sister, why did you
do this? He is mad, cant you see?
Livias body was almost lifeless. I have seen
much, she sighed and then died. Etarna recoiled in
horror as a long worm slid from her open mouth. She
dropped Livia and staggered back, shaken. No!
Abruptly the worm was slain as Calvin stepped on
it. You are not possessed of these foul creatures, I
hope. He studied Etarna carefully, but she shook her
head vigorously.
Livia traveled with Quaelios for years before I
joined them on this journey. He said he needed two
of the sisters for their sight, but he lied about what
lay here, what his true purposes were. She turned
then and grasped Calvin, sobbing in to his chest, at
last breaking down.
A little help! Yonoth, across the room, dodged
and tumbled as the worm tried to devour him. Calvin
pushed Etarna aside and ran to his friends aid. How
the devil was he going to get out of this one alive?
As Calvin joined Yonoth, the two tried to distract
the worm, waving arms and swords to keep it
confused as to which to strike at. As he did, Calvin
shouted to Etarna. Do something! Anything!
Etarna sobbed, but could only watch through the
wall of flames as Quaelios stepped up and prepared
to enter the strange portal. He turned, and smiled to
her. I will return, my dear.
Out of nowhere another form rose up; it was
Adanos, who was somehow trapped on the other
side of the fire, his eyes glinting with madness. With
a grunt the harnishman grabbed the surprised
Quaelios in a firm grip, and then hefted the writhing

man up in the air.
Your wine was not that good, Adanos bellowed,
his voices cracking under the strain of madness.
The harnishman strode forth and plunged the
priest in to the brazier of flames, which erupted with
dancing flecks of purple and red light as fire engulfed
the now shrieking body.
The reaction of the worm was instantaneous, as it
reared up and away from Yonoth and Calvin, then let
out a terrible squealing shriek that shook the very
chamber. It then shot forth, engulfing the burning
brazier and the writhing priest within its maw, and a
resolute Adanos just beyond. The worm and all
before it smashed in to the open maw, almost as if it
were trying desperately to force the burning priest
through the portal, Calvin realized. Its body kept
undulating forth in to the statues maw, until its
entire thirty-meter mass disappeared through the
portal to unknown realms. When at last the tail
disappeared, the great mouth of the carven image
suddenly collapsed, its metal teeth letting lose great
sparks as they grated against one another.
Silence suddenly descended upon the chamber.
Dark gloom overcame all as only a few stray embers
of light from dwindling torches continued to offer
light. Calvin and Yonoth looked at one another from
where they had fallen when the enraged worm
plunged to its doom, and then stood up, rushing
quickly to where Etarna lay. She was stunned, but
otherwise alive.
Yonoth retrieved one of the torches. I do not
understand what happened here, he shook his
head, and strode over to study the lifeless body of
Livia.
Calvin shrugged. Never try to understand the ways
of magicians and gods, he helped Etarna up.
What I want to know is why the damnable
shaman said there must be four of us, when
clearly he looked to the closed maw beyond which
Adanos now rested, we needed only one.
Calvin turned, preparing to ascend the curved wall
to the tunnel exit. Now let us be about escaping this
foul tomb before that bloody shaman sees fit to seal
us in!
~Fin~
38

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Issue 46

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

The Tyranny of Evil Men:

One of my main influences when writing

young men who have stolen from their boss.

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

Vincent fails to make the moral

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

gives the boxer an opportunity to redeem himself

I don't feel the least little bit bad. . .'Cause I'm a

. . .Two things I ask: don't tell nobody about this.

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

experienced by Jules and Butch, it is clear that each

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

Artifacts of the Ages

Elemental Frost Longsword+3, Artifact of Pale

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

that amount of damage to your target as necrotic

Goals of the Blade of Malib:

Owner gains a level

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

THEY SHALL BE PAID IN COIN OF THE REALM

alchemy, astrology, and astronomy (amongst many

While many aspects of this article are based upon

In short, just examine the tables or else roll the dices

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

Table 5: Distinctive Signs or Symbols

Alchemical Symbols (Roll 1d6)

Seven Planetary Metals (Roll 1d8)

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

The Mundane Elements (Roll 1d12)

The Alchemical Compounds (Roll 1d8)

Cinnabar (Mercury sulphide)

Decomposition through Oxidation (Aries

Decomposition through Digestion (Leo

Modification through Fixation (Gemini

Modification through Ceration (Sagittarius

Separation through Distillation (Virgo

9- Separation through Filtration (Scorpio

12- Union through Projection (Pisces

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

The Signs of the Zodiac (Roll 1d12)

Astrological Symbols (Miscellaneous) (Roll1d20)

The Three Most Used Asteroids and Comet (Roll 1d4)

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

2060 Chiron (Planetoid)

Astrological Symbols (Animal Signs) (Roll 1d12)

Astronomical Symbols (Roll 1d3)

Planets (Roll 1d8)

Dwarf Planets and Asteroids (Roll 1d20)

Moon, Sun, and Other Symbols (Roll 1d8)

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

A Thousand Words and Numbers (Citations, Formulae, Letters,

Objects and Weapons (Roll 1d100)

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

Runes and Ancient Alphabets (Roll 1d12)

Anatolian hieroglyphs. Example (hieroglyphic seal):

Byblos syllabary. Examples (more than one hundred symbols exist):

Cuneiform script. Example (Ugaritic alphabet):

Egyptian hieroglyphs. Examples (hundreds of symbols exist):

The Sorcerers Scrolls Issue 46

Phoenician (not that the letters are not in order):

The Sorcerer's Scrolls 46

The Sorcerer's Scrolls 46