Mom

Adventure

tr o
-
5ragons
 ess o erna i t
By Bruce R. Cordell
INCEPTION Uncompromised Reliquary
Introduction ................................... . . . . .2 Aquifer . . . . . . .
Psionic or Arcane Mind Flayers? ................ . .2 There Just Isnt Anything!
Common Illithid Attributes .................... . .2 Flayer Gallery . .
Background and Adventure Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Aleanor Pathsteaders Stats ................ . . . . .3
Character Involvement Hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
The Psionic Seal ................................ . .3

FOOTPRINT OF A FALLEN LIGHT

Journey to the Crater ........................... . .5
The Grip of Winter ............................. . .5 FINALE
Winter Encounters ............................ . .5 Conclusion ........................................ 31
Life in a Northern Town ....................... . .8 Arcana ............................................ 32
Thralltakers in Pursuit ........ Brainmate, Assembled From Four Lobes . . . . . . . . . . . ..32
Maulstick ........................................ 32
Headmesh ....................................... 32
Clearing Away Collapsed Time . . Sword of the Flayer .............................. .32
1 Breached Slave Hold . . . . . .

Credits
Design: Bruce R. Cordell Editor: Keith Francis Strohm Creative Direction: Thomas M. Reid
Art Director: D a w n Murin Cover Art: Brom Interior Art:Glen Michael Angus
Cartography: Rob Lazzaretti Graphic Design: Matt Adelsperger Typesetting: Eric Haddock
Acknowledgment:Steve Winter promulgated the use of a card mechanic in conjunction with an AD&D adventure.
Searchingthe Crater is the fruit of that desire.
Dedication: To the author of The Dao of Chaos, Katya Walter, whose writing introduced me to chaos theory, the Ho River Writing, and
the real relationship between circumference and diameter.

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS,MONSTRO~ AKANA, and the TSR logo are registeredtrademarks owned by TSR, Inc.81998 TSR,Inc. All rights reserved. Made in the U.S.A. TSR, hc. is ti
subsidialy of Wizards of the Coast, he. All TSR characters, character names, and the distinctivelikenesses thereof are trademarksowned by TSR. This is a work of fiction.Any semblance to any real
person, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Distributedto the book trade in the United States by Random House, hc.and in Canada by Random House of Canada Ltd. Distributedto the hobby, toy,
and comic trade in the United States and Canada by regional distributors. Distributed worldwide by Wizards of the Coast, hc.and regional distributors.This material is protected under the copyright
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 "No light; no lge; no least stir of spider in the dust or wo
the cold earth. Rock, and dark, and time not passing."
-Ursula K. Le Guin, The Tombs of Atuan

three modules.

ARCANA~ supplement
need that book to run
use the additional min
The Illithiad to add even m
The encounters detailed
down to a specific world or
tions and names of places
adventure appear within the text. If
should change the names and locati
she can sedessly slip Masters @ E t
sequent adventure into an ongoing sce

Psionk or Arcane llljt 5;MV 12,Sw 12;HD 84;THACO 11;#AT4;

Although The Illithiad focuses on the psionic abilities of below); SA cephalophagy, psionics; SD
mind flayers, some sources suggest that illithids use arcane 10%~tyto~nokch&;MR~%;
abilities and powers. Arguments exGt concerning the forces SZ M (6' tall); ML Champion (15); Int Genius (17-18);AL LE;
tapped and manipulated by psiofiic devotions: Are psychic xP4poo.
forces synonymous with the energy tapped by arcane Notes SA-An illithid insertsits hlacles into a stxnned
spells?Whatever the truth, psionic effectsare adualized vidim's skull and draws out thebrain (a pmcm called
according to a philosophy at odds with that used by spell- cephabphagy),killing the hapless individual in 1round. A mind
casters and arcane beasts. Of course, psionic abilities are not 5yer can also use its tentaclesin close melee; each s u d
appropriate for every DMk campaign. tentacle attackidi& Zpoints of damageand grasps the taget's
skun(theh~eisremovablewithasuccgsfuldbars/~
.Whenat least one tentacleholds thevictim, each

the struggling target to draw itsbminout

Summary:#AT 1;MTHACO 10;MAC 5;Lv

100+250; Psionic Attacks ego whip 0,
id

hdicates a psionic power detailed in The Illithiad.

 can they end the mind flayer threat. That final journey, its goal,
unct m d Adventure and its repercussions are dealt with in the last installment of the
burruna .)J illithid adventure trilogy, Dawn of the Overmind.
In general, this adventure provides the PCs with a number
InA Darkness Gathering,the PCs uncovered a group of of open-ended choices-although the psionic palm print
illithids intent on enslaving a city. Through force of arms and drives the plot. This type of adventure allows the DM a p a t
clever deduction, the heroes ended the threat by defeating the deal of freedom and creativity in dealing with the PCs actions.
illithids that laired in the sewers below the human settlement. It also requires the DM to become familiar with the various
In doing so, the PCs discovered that the illithids plot ran much encounter areas and overarching story, so that she can best
deeper: The foul creatures planned to put out the sun! If the respond to the direction the player characters take.
dimming of other stars in the firmament above is any indica-
tion, t h nefarious
~ ~ plot affects more than one world.
Hope is not lost, for the heroes rescued a friend from the lair
of the illithids.This companion possessed a mysterious palm
Chardcter Involvement Hooks
print (a psionic seal resembling magical circuitry) given her Dungeon Masters do not need to incorporate characters who
in a h a m . The shadowy dream messenger, a human named have played through A Darkness Gathering into this module
Strom, indicated to her that she must heed the mental direc- after the fact, as events from the first adventure lead directly
tions contained within the psionic seal in order to prevent all into this plot. However, DMs who wish to run this adventure
s m from dying. alone can use the following bulleted story hooks to introduce
In A Darkness Gathering,the DM was encouraged to use a real player characters into Masters of Eternal Night.
PC or NPC from her campaign as the individual chosen by
Strom. The module provided information on Aleanor, an NPC In an unrelated scenario, the player characters overcome
ranger, in case the DM had no one to fit the bill. Aleanors stab an illithid, freeing its single captive: Aleanor Pathsteader
reappear here for ease of reference: (or an NPC from the DMs campaign). The freed captive
possesses knowledge of the illithids plan and has the
Aleanor Pathsteader, hf R7:AC 2 (studded leather +1 and psionic palm print as described above.
Dex bonus); MV 12; hp 55; THACO 14 (12 long sword +2 and
short sword +2; 8 against illithids); #AT 5/2; Dmg One of the characters has the same dream as Aleanor
ld8+2/ld6+2 (longsword +2 and short s m d +2); SA two- (see the section on Aleanor Pathsteader). When that
weapon fighting, Tracking (18),move silently (53%) and player character awakens, he or she is likewise graced
hide in shadows (65%) in natural surroundings, +4 to attacks with a strange palm tattoo inscribed with glowing lines
against illithids (species enemy), animal influence, psionic that imparts psionic insfn~ctionsfor its bearer.
seal; SZ M ( 5 8 tall); ML Champion (15); AL CG; XP 975.
Notes: Aleanors move-silently and hideinshadowspercentages In an earlier, mlated, adventure, the heroes discover a
are halved in city or dungeonsettings. map indicating the location of an ancient crater in a
SA-She can shift the encounter reaction of a naturalanimal if the remote region. The crater contains a strange symbol
creature fails a save vs. rods (with a -3 penalty); her psionic seal gives similar to the palm print discussed below. When a
Aleanor mental directions toward her required destination. character touches this symbol, a mental message
S 15, D 18, C 14,113, W 16, CH 15. resonates throughout his head:
Special Possessions: Guardian (long sword +2), short sword +2,
studded leather amm- +I. Footprint ofa fallen light,
Seed of a tumbled empire;
In this adventure, characters follow the guide of the psionic When hope dwindles in eternal night,
palm print, an artifact that providesmental directions to some Master the past-reignite thejre.
thing important. Unfortunately, the object of the partys
search remains unclear at first, and besides dealing with threats If the map and psionic symbol are insufficient to
of cold, banditry, and illithid-assimilated cities along the way, promote player interest in this site as the sun begins to
the player characters must explore and partially excavate a dim, send a group of illithid Thralltakers (see stab in the
large snow-covered crater at the behest of the palm print. The section marked Thralltakers on page 11)to steal the map
PCs search is hindered when their exploits draw the attention and slay the characters--thisshould boost the players
of a crack team of illithid trackers, called Thralltakers. interest.
SkiUed PCs eventually uncover a strange artifact-a long-
buried illithid craft. If they also unearth the four navigational
components (a brainmate, separated into four lobes) necessary
to utilize this craft, they have a chance of defeating the illithids
The Psionic Sed
plan. The ancient vessel transportsthem to a world that served The psionic seal inscribed upon Aleanors palm is the
as the seat of an illithid empire long ago. All indicationslead product of illithid psionic technology, as introduced in The
the heroes to believe that only by traveling to this lost world Illithiad. In essence, a psionic seal is a small bit of psionic

3
circuitry artificially incorporated into an object or a living
being through the use of a unique mind flayer psionic dis-
cipline. Depending upon the complexity of the seal in ques-
tion, illithids can incorporate a variety of psionic effects
into it.
The psionic seal (sometimes rrferredto as the palm print in
this adventure) contains prepmgrammed mental directives that
activate in rrsponse to appqriate stimuli. Themental k -
tives always takethe form of "strung feelings,'' unless noted
otherwise in particular instances.
Initially,thepsionic seal urgently directs its beam towad the
location of the crater detailed in the Footprint OfA Fdh Light
chapter. In addition to this mental tug,the seal imp& the feel-
ing that the party should bring excavating equipment. As the
adventure continues, new situations come to light, possibly
triggeringmore mental diredivesas d e s a i i under t h e de-
vant sections.
The bearer of the seal is also free to query the seal with
mental questions at any time. Possible questions are listed
below, matched to thepalm print's rrsponse, if any. Questions
not covered here in some form generally receive no mponse.
Most answers are in the form of ideas or mental pictures,
except as noted.

If the beam is in danger of dying, the seal mentally informs

him that it canbetransfend to anotherbeingthroughmerr
touch, if the beam wills it to happen.Sure enough, if the seal's
beam touches the print to the palm of another and concen-
trates, the seal adhem to a new owner. However, it still rrtains
all of the characteristics prrviously attributed to it.
Winter refuses to release the land from its icy grip, and as
the sun continues to dim,panic mounts. T i e is of the
essence, and the character possessing a psionic palm print
feels a mental directive to act swiftly or face the loss of light
forever.
 This section provides the initial direction for the
Dungeon Master. The DM may wish to refer
these topics many times as the first half of th
proceeds. In particular, the section dealing
Thralltakers describes a fluid situation a threat
materialize at any time, or
turers travel across frozen

Adventurers who wish

the psionic seal must le
head out into the co
best. Mental images
the bearer and the ES
picks, or some other excavating tools or m
particularly canny adventurers may think
purchase dig spells-this and similar magi
help the adventurers later.
The DM is encouraged to locate bo
of origin and their goal (the crater) wi
paign world, some 7 to 27 days travel

mental tug of the psionic seal draws the

unsettled lands dotted with just a few
onto the Grim Steppe, a rocky, inhospi
barbaric clans of nomadic herders (see
on the interior cover). In good weather, a tn

travel by horseback; the trip

tions, encounters, and dangers the pkyer characters must Any time the player characters are out of doors, impress
face as they head toward their gdal. upon them the unnatural state of affairs: Ice and snow, cold
M o w the player characters to make personal prepara- winds, f r o m livestock, and frost-killed crops dominate
tions before leaving Stormport (or a campaign-appropriate what should be a lush spring landscape. Additionally, there
locale). However, failing crops and large numbers of live- is a 20% chance (the DM should check every four hours)
stock deaths have inflated prices to ridiculous levels (multi- that PCs who travel the winter-gripped lands or
plying the equipment prices found in the Players search/excavate the crater encounter something. The DM
Handbook by a factor of 10would not be too extreme). In should roll on the Winter Encounter Table below to deter-
addition, for every day the characters tarry, the urgency of mine encounter specifics.
the psionic seal increases. This urgency may help to defuse
any attempt by the hemes to gather a larger p u p to deal
with the dimming sun. In any case, city officials,concerned
citizens, and even other adventurers aw too busy dealing
with the consequences of a never-ending winter to spend
great deal of time assisting the party.
Read or paraphrase the following text to the players a
their characters begin the quest:
 many of the remaining structures are only ashen frameworks.
Winter Encounter Table A thorough search of the town unearths some valuables
3d6 Encounter (whose worth does not exceed 100 gp)-though most every-
03-04 Frozen Village' thing was bumed or stripped by survivors who fled the
0546 Refugees town e e m g warmer climes to t
07-08 Beast(s)
09-10 White Out Refugees: The PCs ~ I L C U L U L L ~ I d 51uup of people shug-
11-12 Bluzard gmg to survive agamt tne rierce, unnatural winter. Half
13-14 Thin Ice/Snow Crust the time, the party discovers ldlO 0-level reiugees ravage
15-16 Dark Out by exposure; these refugees gratefully accept any concrett
17-18 Condittoned Village' assistancefood, warm clothing, or magical aid, for exam-
*Indicatedencounters occur only while heroes are on the move; that the I'Ls can gwe them. The DM can give out an
roll for another encounter if player characters are camping or cArcL-ienceaward ranging between 100 to 1000 XP per
excavating. The DM can key these encounters at an appropriate player, depending upon the type of assistdl~ct.rendered.
point if random die rolls prove too weighted. The other 50% of the time, the PLS en I oanait!
humans (or any humanoid race) who ha n to surv
L other
VY ~ C Y U "11 ~ travelers and refuge I they me
crozen village: I ~ I smau
S w a g e lies utterly aoanaonea, Each bandit has a smau norae of stolen ranons, and 1in 4 nas
i it is clear as to why: The unnatural cold has frozen the a small coal pot contair coal crac
ps in the field and the cattle on the range. Ma,,L v w l
people died or srarvanon ana exposure, if the mass grave oanairs, n m a nf F3 (11):AC 7 (learner artd shield,;
covered by i 1 snow it- er of tow -1
7 indicati le folk of I destroy
ny of the 'od. HOW
it looks like as 1r some or tnose nres oumea out or control, as Notes: 5A-lhe bandits are a lughly desperate lot, and their

\
 I

level mercenarv and bandit leader. Tain only cares about tak- (9 tau); ML Steaay (11); Int Average (10); AL CE;-%P 1,400.
ing whatever f&d and magic the PCs pos&ss (though the Notes: S M r e a t e r ice trolls are immune to all cold-basedspells
nutrition provided by his Murlynds spoon is sufficient, he and attacks, and they require magical weapons of +1 or greater
hardly finds it appetizing). The bandit leader is a crafty enchantmentto hit them. In addition, these creatures regenerate 2
knave; he approaches the heroes as a friend, suggesting that hp per round if exposed to water, ice, or snow. Severed limbs
they all throw in together. Unfortunately, he only suggests regeneratenormally if exposed to water, ice, and snow, and these
this in order to lull the adventurers into complacency. He limbs crawl up to 30 feet in search of such elements.
and his band will betray the party at the earliest opportunity. SW-Fm causes double damage to these creatures. In addition,
they cannot rrgenerate damage from fire and acid. Greater ice troll
Tain Fendown, hm F13 AC 0 (chainmail, shield, and limbs sever on a natural attack roll of 20-8 the attacking weapon is
Dex); MV 12; hp 90; THACO 8 (4 with specialization, Str, type S or P.
and long sword +I); #AT 5/2; Dmg ld8+7 (specialization,
Str, long sword +Z); SZ M (6 2 tall); ML Champion (15); Wolves, Winter (2d4): AC 5; MV 18; HD 6; THACO 15;
AL NE; XF 5,000. #AT 1;D m g ld4 (bite); SA frost breath; SD immunity; SW
S 18/80, D 18, C 12,112, W 7, CH 8. fire; SZ L (7-12 long); ML Elite (13); Int Average (9); AL
Personalzfy:Overly friendly,devious. NE; xp 975.
Specral Equipment:long sword +I, Murlynds spoon, pouch with Notes: SA-Wmter wolves can unleash a stream of frost from
330 gp worth of stolen gems and coins. ~ their lungs once every 10 rounds for 6d4 points of damage (save vs.
breath weapon for half damage).
Beast(& A variety of predators still hunt the hills and val- SD-These creatures are immune to all cold and cold-based
leys of this area. However, the fim weather has brought attacks, including magical ones.
these creatures to the brink of starvation.As such, they no W-Fire causes 1additional point of damage per die.
longer feelreticent about attackmg humans. Thesepdators
include both natural beasts and some few monsters that White Out: The lowering white clouds blend perfectly
actively search for food and warmth One-half of the time, this with the plain of snow, and it is impossible to distinguish
result indicates a natural beast (or native monster), as q r e - the earth from the sky! White-out conditions last for the
sented by the bear and wolf entries below. The DM can also next ld4+3 hours. For every turn a party attempts to press
chooseavatwes from the MONSTROUS MANUAL* Tome (the onward, it stands a 20% chance to wander onto Thin Ice
mammal and small mammalentries provide many appropn- (see below). Additionally, for every turn a party moves in
ate matures). the white out, one of its members must make a Direction
Sense proficiency check with a 4 penalty or else the party
Bear, Cave (2): AC 6; MV 12; HD 6+6; I-a 47,35; moves in a random direction. If no one possesses the
THACO 15; #AT 3; D m g ld8/ld8/ld12 (claw/claw/bite); proficiency, choose one player character to make a Wisdom
SA hug; SW hibernation; SZ H (12 tall); ML Average (8); check with a -8 penalty every turn. Once a party becomes
Int Semi (4); AL N; XP 550. lost, it is conceivable that it could take several days for
Notes: This mated pa^^ of cave bears is on a desperate search for them to discover the error.
food.However, the extreme, ullseasonable cold has triggered their
hibernationinstinct. Blizzard: Heavy snow falls as the wind picks up. PCs not
SA-If a cave bears paw hits an opponent on an attack roll wearing appropriate winter clothing take ld4 points of
greater than 18, the c r e a m draws its opponent in for a hug that damage per turn of exposure (and they must make saving
inflicts2d8 points of damage. throws vs. paralyzation or suffer the effects of exposure
SW-The cave bears suffer a -1 penalty to their attack and detailed on page 5). The blizzard lasts for 3d10 hours before
initiative rolls due to their early hibernation. In addition, they do passing, though the snow remains on the ground. If accu-
- not fight on after reduced to 0 hit points hke normal cave bears. mulations reach higher than 3 feet (the snow piles up at a
rate of ld4+2 inches per hour), PCs may find it difficult to
Wolves (2d4): AC 7; Mv 18; HD 3; THACO 18; #AT 1; move around and fight. Reduce all movement rates by one
D m g ld4+1 (bite); SD +1to save vs. charm; SZ S (34); third. PCs whose movement rates fall to 4 or lower suffer a
ML Average (10); Int Low (7);AL N; XP 120. -2 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and physical
Ability Checks while they struggle through the drifting
The other 50% of the time, this result indicates an oppor- snow. Thispenalty is cumulative with any other penalties
tunistic mature originally from alpine mountains that has levied for exposure to the winter elements.
moved into the area to take advantage of the spread of its
natural habitat. Greater ice trolls and winter wolf stats Thin IcdSnow Crust: The snowfall covers everythmg,
appear below as examples of such creatures. Throw only and it sometimes conceals the existence of f r o m pools or
crevice, or other M ~ Upothole
K ~ in the landscape. on the face of the sun. The temperature plunges within min-
This result indicates &at the PCs have traveled over Utes, inflicting ld4 points of damage p k tt& to all of those
thii ice hidden by snow (50%) or a brittle snow crust PCs not magically protected from cold or insulated by a
(50%). The ice/snow opens up below a random PC, creat- shelter or fh. The darkness slowly recedes and the light
ing a hole some 10 feet in diameter (any PCs within this returns to its previous level after ld4 turns.
area are also affected). Those affected must make success-
ful saving throws vs. paralyzation or fall through the hole. Conditioned Village: The PCs have stumbled upon a
If victims fall through thii ice, they suffer ld4 points of village where the illithids have gained total control of the
damage every round they remain in the water. There is populace. See Life In a Northern Town for a keyed
also a 15% chance that a current pulls the victim(s) under example. Once the PCs complete this encounter, cross it
the ice for every round they remain in the water. Only by off the encounter table. If necessary, the DM can recycle
making a successful saving throw vs. paralyzation (with a this encounter by changing names, locations, and other
-2 penalty) can the victim pull himself out of the slippery particulars.
hole onto stable ice. If the current sweeps the PC away, the
victim must hold his breath (for a maximum time equal to
x the PCs Constitution score) and try to break.through the
ice by making an attack roll (note that this counts as stren-
Life in ii northern Town
uous activity, reducing the PCs ability to hold his breath This small city (2,000 residents before the conditioning,
by half again). A successful attack causing more than 6 now about 100 survivors total) was called Fairmyr, a lively
points of damage splits the ice. The PC can then try to place once sustained by trade on the nearby river, hunting,
climb out of the water in the same manner detailed before. and animal husbandry. Now, its called Thrall Processing
Comrades offering aid to the floundering victim(s) are Node #512, and it stands as an example of what would
better served by throwing a rope; those rescuers who stand have occurred in Stormport (the city featured in A Darkness
too close to the ice edge can also fall in if they fail their Gathering) if the PCs hadnt discovered and stopped the
saving throw vs. paralyzation. illithids conditioning program.
Finally, a character must make a system shock roll every Unfortunately, no one came to this citys rescue. Hidden
round after his third in the water. Failure indicates that the illithid agents conditioned a large block of Fairmyrs pop-
victim contracts hypothermia, a condition that kills the ulation through mass psionic suggestion. These enthralled
unfortunate PC within 1 turn-unless some sort of healing people, calling themselves the New Believers (similar to
magic or cure disease is performed upon the victim. the Elect in the city of Stormport from the previous adven-
Those player characters who fall through snow crust ture), killed those citizens resistant to mental brainwash-
simply tumble 10 to 60 (ld6 X 10) feet into the chasm ing; wives turned on husbands, apprentices on masters,
revealed below, suffering the appropriate damage. Thirty and the masses turned upon the constabulary. The illithids
percent of the time such falls wedge the victim(s) in the gathered survivors into the stockade for processing.
chasm; wedged individuals require aid in order to escape Fairmyr was no more.
from their predicament. From its edges, the small city looks similar to the frozen
village described in the Winter Encounters section-
although Fairmyr is much larger and does not appear to
have suffered much fire damage. Anyone stopping to lis-
ten while at Fairmyrs borders can hear faint sounds com-
ing from the citys center. Most interesting, the closer the
player characters move toward the center of the city, the
warmer it becomes! (See Vent below for more details.)
The streets are completely empty of any passersby, and
the buildings, businesses, warehouses, and residences
appear quite deserted. Unfortunately, human bodies lie
frozen in the citys streets, their bloated skin blue-black
with frost. Anyone who searches the frozen corpses dis-
covers that most of them have gaping holes in their skulls
and no brains!
PCs interested in looting the bodies and houses of
Fairmyrs dead can likely find some items-though the
illithids and their thralls have generally taken anything of
real value. Although the buildings in the citys center do
still see use, the illithids have converted these structures
into areas useful for their dark purposes. The map on the

8
interior cover of this module only keys the city center (see character can cast 1suggestion spell per turn, a rolI of 20 enrages
~-.~~--.~~,.,,---~--, ...,A .-Ail L--J--.L.. . 1.. . . . I .\
i i l l y U I l r WIlU llrdI3).

ulars of the looted and abandoned buildings on the city Spellbook (3/2/1): l s t - c h a r m person, hold portal, sleep; 2nd-
periphery is not really all that important. The DM should invisibility, hypnotic pattern; 3rd-fireball.
feel free to develop this area in a way consistent with her ThiefAbilities: PP 55, DN 50, CW 75, RL 10.
campaign.

Vent
Town Periphery This area once contained an ornate fountain. Now, a
For every turn the heroes spend investigating the outer gaping hole leads deep into the earth; moist heat, redolent
edges of the town, they stand a 10% cumulative chance to with brine and a hint of garlic, emanates from the dark
run into the last remaining free thinkers in the city-Leth- maw. When Fairmyr fell, the mind flayers in charge of the
bron Brosial and her band of survivors. Lethbron and her conditioning project contacted their comrades beneath the
allies did not flee the city when the illithids took it over. surface, and through a specialized application of psionic
Rather, they hid from their former friends and family, and energy, the illithid forces jointly opened a passage into the
now they wage a desperate war against the illithids and earth. The vent connects the closest natural underdark pas-
their conditioned thralls. These freedom fighters never stay sage with the surface and offers a convenient way to send
in one abandoned building long, as the illithids are aware of new thralls down to the illithids subterranean city. As an
their presence and sometimes send out patrols to deal with added bonus, the warmth of the earth escapes up through
them. Lethbrons goal is to slay as many of the conditioned the vent, raising the overall temperature of the city to a
citizens as possible. In fact, she often remarks: Better dead degree more suitable to the mind flayers tastes.
and free, then a mind flayer thrall. She and her band are Exploration of the vent soon brings spelunkers to a con-
quite fatalistic and fully expect their own deaths to come fusing nexus of tunnels, many of which lead to illithid out-
from this cause. posts, colonies, and communities-though exploring PCs
When encountered, Lethbron acts very cautious until she can find passages leading to the dwellings of other under-
can verify that the PCs are not thralls of the illithids (the dark races. Of course, the illithids have their own plans of
party member who possesses the psionic seal may have conquest in motion against these other races. If the DM
some explaining to do if the rebel leader spots it). Once wishes, she can extend the adventure to include encoun-
assured of the partys loyalty, Lethbron asks the PCs for ters with other races. The PCs may wander around the
their aid. If the heroes agree, and they prove victorious over underground passages fighting battles against drow, grim-
the illithid residents of Fairmyr, grant each of them a bonus locks, quaggoth, beholders and a host of other hostile crea-
story award of 1,000 XP. tures. Alternatively, the PCs could encounter traditionally
evil races and forge alliances against the growing power of
Town Rebels, hm and hf Fl(7): AC 7 (leather and the mind flayers. The exact details are left up to the DM. If
shield); M V 12; hp 6 (each); THACO 20; #AT 1; Dmg the Dungeon Master does not wish to include such a side
ld8+1 (long sword, 70%), ld6+1 (short sword, 30%); SA plot, she can have the psionic palm print mentally urge
desperate; SZ M (54 tall); ML Champion (15); Int Aver- heroes away from extended exploration of the vent.
age (9); A L NE; XP 35. Two enforcers (see below) always patrol the area around
Notes: SA-Because of their desperation, the rebels receive +1to the vent and sound an alarm in the event of any trouble.
all of their damage rolls, as indicated in their combat summary.

Lethbron Brosial, hf B7: AC 2 (chain mail, shield, and Enforcers

Dex); MV 12; hp 35; THACO 17; #AT 1;Dmg Id8 (long This building, once a stylish shop selling stone sculp-
sword); SA bard abilities; SD bard abilities; SZ M (5 2 ture, now houses several humans who have completely
tall); ML Champion (15); AL CG; XP 1,400. accepted the illithids as their new masters. These True
Notes: SA-Lethbrom can attempt to influence the reaction of Believers were deemed of sufficient mettle to serve as
NPCs; NPCs must make successfulsaving throws vs. paralyzation guardians for the mind flayers. They respond fiercely in
to avoid this effect. In addition, she can grant her allies a +1 to their the event of any general alarm and carry out illithid com-
attack rolls and saving throws, and a +2 to their morale if she mands without hesitation. In order to break the Believers
spends 3 rounds before a combat singing or reciting poetry. She also conditioning, the PCs must use enchantment/charm-
has a 35% chance to identify the generh purpose and history of a related spells-such as charm person and suggestion. In
magical item. / addition, the party could attempt to use psionic disci-
SD-Lethbrorn can counter the effects of songs and poetry (such plines and items to accomplish this purpose; however,
as the charming song of a harpie) used as magical attacks if she enforcers receive a +2 bonus on all die rolls related to
makes a successful save vs. spell. resisting such reconditioning.
S 14, D 16, C 12,113, W 7, CH 15. There are 15 enforcers housed in the building (not
Pwsonality: Fatalistic. counting the 2 on sentry duty near the Vent). Use the Town
Special Equipment: Empathy, harp ofcharming (player Rebels stat block for the enforcers-though these thralls do

9
not receive the +1 damage bonus for desperation. .If the.
building If an illithid runs its tentacles across the stria-
1 . 1 .^ * .
PCs defeat the enforcers too easily, the UM should make tions, it can read the mind flayers name Tor this area:
~

future enforcers level 3 fighters and give them a 5th-level Command Node. Other creatures must employ magical
fighter as a leader. methods to read the script.
Two illithids, Marsth and Flense, usually reside in this
structure. In addition, Khamthek spends his downtime
Stockade from the Processing Center here. Resinous walls divide
This building has a sign hanging out front that reads the building into two main areas. One section is devoted
The Courtyard Inn. Its doors are locked from the outside to sleep and comfort; it contains a psionically warmed
and a resinous violet ichor stains the wood. The structure pool and soft, mossy pallets. The mind flayers have
acts as a prison for 60 adult citizens and 10 surviving chil- secreted a locked iron chest within a small hollow on one
dren who were captured during the Believer uprising. The wall. In the chest, the illithids have gathered some choice
conditions within this stockade are squalid; fear and hope- trophies-including a saddlebag that contains 567 gp, a
lessness pervade the air. Enforcers come to this prison pouch with 5 emeralds (each worth 100 gp), and 4 potions
every day and remove a few inmates; those chosen never ofextra healing.
return, and the remaining prisoners fear the worst. Unfor- The other section of the building contains a series of
tunately, they have a right to be afraid. The enforcers take three head-stocks, which the illithids refer to as their buf-
prisoners for Processing (described below); any slave who fet. The stocks are rarely empty, as Khamthek carefully
does not meet the illithids expectations becomes a mind chooses at least three potential thralls suitable for illithid
flayers next meal. consumption during every examination period. The 3
All the people housed in the stockade are 0 level. For slaves in the stocks are alive 50% of the time; otherwise,
every prisoner the adventurers release to freedom, they they hang lifeless, terrible fluids dripping from their emp-
each receive 25 XP. Note that the PCs cannot simply unlock tied skull cavities.
the door, hustle the prisoners out, and then leave them. To In the event of an alarm, all 3 illithids investigate cau-
receive the XP award, the party must escort the prisoners tiously. They prefer to attack indirectly, bolstering enforcers
to safety outside the city. If the PCs do this, there is a 55% with their psionic skills; however, they will personally deal
chance that the enforcers within the city notice the escape with any intrusion or guerilla attack that threatens the
and raise an alarm. Node. Although formidable, the 3 illithids posted to Fairmyr
are notfully mature mindflayers and have yet to develop their
mind bZast powers. DMs interested in more information on
Processing illithid life cycles should refer to The Illithiad.
This quaint building once functioned as a Jewelers
shop-though the illithids have now emptied the inven- Flense, Khamthek, and Marsth, Illithids (3):AC 5;
tory and transferred it below the ground via the vent. The MV 12, Sw 12; HD 5+3; hp 22,26,28; THACO 14; #AT 4;
mind flayers use this area to inspect new thralls. Those Dmg 2 (see note below); SA cephalophagy, psionics; SD
slaves who meet the illithids expectations are sent under- infravision; SW -10% penalty to hear noise checks; MR
ground to serve in a variety of illithid communities. The 54%; SZ M (6 tall); ML Champion (15); Int Genius (18);
illithids earmark substandard thralls for later use as food. AL LE; XP 4,000.
Khamthek is the mind flayer processor assigned to this Notes: SA-An illithid inserts its tentacles into a stunned
area. This mind flayer spends 8 out of every 24 hours victims skull and draws out the brain (a process called
here, usually during the darkest hours of night. The pro- cephalophagy), killing the hapless individual in one round. A
cessing machine takes up part of the front room and pos- mind flayer can also use its tentacles in close melee; each
sesses all of the equipment necessary to conduct successful tentacle attack inflicts 2 points of damage and grasps
queries-including shackles, a cephalometer (cruel look- the targets skull (the tentacle is removable with a successful
ing calipers designed to measure thrall head size, psionic bend bars/lift gates roll). When at least one tentacle holds the
potential, balance of neurotransmitters, and a host of victim, each succeeding tentacle attack by the illithid gains a
other particulars), shears, bug-killing dust, and two small cumulative +1 bonus (to a maximum of +3 for the last tentacle
brands (denoting whether the subject is fit for thralldom attack). Once all four tentacles have attached to the victim, the
or a good meal). illithid has sufficiently immobilized the struggling target to
Khamtheks combat summary appears in the next section. draw its brain out in the next round.

/ Psionics Summary: #AT 1;MTHACO 15; MAC 8; Lv

Illithids 7; PSPs ld100; Psionic Attacks ego whip (EW); Psionic
Unlike the rest of the buildings in the city, this struc- Defenses intellect fortress (IF); Psionic Disciplines awe,
ture is almost completely covered, both outside and body equilibrium, control body, ESP, levitation, post-hyp-
inside, with a thick layer of resinous ichor that resembles notic suggestiomaste link.
nothing so much as exposed ganglia. Illithid qualith, four
raised lines of striations, appears on both doors of the
the illithids of the subterranean communitv of heroes. In addition, thev wish to ferret out the true iden-
Abstemious are concerned. The mind flay& of tity of the heroes patro;l--the Adversary. To this end, the
Abstemious are responsible for assimilating a certain Thralltakers may attempt a variety of different actions as
number of cities-in step with illithid communities noted below, triggered by a specific event or time. There-
throughout the many worlds and planes-and Stormport fore, the nature of the PCs interaction with the Thralltak-
was one of the more important on this list. The illithids of ers depends upon how much time has passed, as well as
Abstemious, in consultation with their elder brain, believe the actions of the PCs themselves. Of course, the Thrall-
that the Adversary, an ancient and almost mythical enemy takers meet any all-out attack by the party with appropri-
of the mind flayer race, may have had a hand in the ate ferocity.
defense of Stormport. In response, the mind flayers have The illithids wear items known as dampsuits (construc-
sent out an elite group of Thralltakers to investigate. tions that keep illithid skin moist and give them a + 1 to
This tracking unit consists of 3 mind flayers named their AC) and glaregoggles (items that allow illithids to
Noth, Vour, and Skwusch. These illithids have brought see in daylight). In addition, each mind flayer possesses a
along their personal thralls, Elissa, Jon, and Zebulon (each hearthstone (see Arcana section at the end of this mod-
of whom was once a powerful adventurer wha now ule) to keep them warm. Normally, the illithids spend all
serves only the goals of his or her illithid master). In addi- of their time in a large, covered sled pulled by four horses
tion to their thralls, the mind flayers have enlisted the aid driven by their thralls. To a casual observer, the sleigh and
of a specially trained intellect devourer, called Bluntfell. its drivers do not seem out of the ordinary; the illithids
This creature possesseses the unique ability to find and usg this disguise to their advantage whenever possible.
track a psychic scent. At some point during the adventure, the Thralltakers
If the PCs have played through A Darkness Gathering, should catch up with the PCs.The details of this
then the Thralltakers arrived in Stormport to catch the encounter are left to the DM. The bulleted list below pro-
scent of whatever force destroyed the illithid conditioning vides suggested guidelines for these encounters, some of
program, and they have spent their time tracking the which follow logically from previous ones. In addition,
party. If Shuluth survived the PCs attack, the ulitharid the DM can use the first bulleted point more than once.
reports on the events surrounding its contact with the Note that the illithids special psychoportive powers make
heroes and thereafter joins the Thralltakers on their quest it likely that the Thralltakers can instantly retreat if a par-
to put down the threat to the mind flayer plan (see Shu- ticular encounter goes poorly, allowing them to return
luths stats on page 28 of A Darkness Gathering). several times to harry the party.
If the PCs have not played through the first adventure
in this series, then the Thralltakers were dispatched The party traverses a wide snow-covered valley. As the
because the illithids detected suspicious psionic activity heroes ascend to the opposite side, they can see indis-
surrounding the player characters-namely, fhe palm tinct figures and an animal-driven sled entering the val-
print provided by Strom. This device left a psychic signa- ley, a days travel behind. Of course, the illithids also
ture during its creation, and the illithids have been track- note the party and henceforth are more discreet; they
ing this signature for some time now. only travel at night.
Regardless of how they began their endeavor, the
Thralltakers follow the heroes as they head north, led While the party faces some other threat from the Winter
inexorably by the peculiar talents of Bluntfell. The intel- Encounters Table on page 6, the three thralls appear on
lect devourer is swaddled in protective furs and kept on a their sleigh (with the illithids hiding within) to aid the
leash of bone links that resemble spinal disks. N o matter heroes in an attempt to gain their trust. If successful, the
thralls attempt to kidnap the player character or NPC in
possession of the palm print for purposes of interroga-
tion. The rest of the party may have to track down the
sled and their supposed allies in this case. When the PCs
catch the sleigh, they must deal with the thralls fighting
prowess and the illithids psionic abilities. The mind
flayers remain within the sleigh at first, but emerge from
their interrogation to enter the melee, if necessary.

If any thralls and illithids yet live, they engage the party
in running skirmishes and night ambushes during the
heroes excavati of the crater. They will often wait
until the heroes &e descended into one of the many
hollow fragments found within the crater and attempt

11
 cover and bring the strange craft (seeThe Crater for more
details) to the surface.

The stats for Bluntfell and the three illithid thralls appear
below. Consult the Common Illithid Attributes section for
the full stats on the three illithid Thralltakers

Abbreviated Combat Summary (Illithids): Noth, Vour,

and Skwusch have an AC of 4 due to their dampsuits, and
they have 60,66, and 68 hit points respectively.

Bluntfell, Intellect Devourer: AC 4; MV 15; HD 6+6;

hp 42; THACO 13; #AT 4; D m g ld4( x 4) (claw X 4); SA
psionic abilities, psychic tracking; SD psionic field; SZ M
(6 long); ML Fanatic (17); Int Very (11);AL CE; XP 6,000.
Notes: SA-The intellect devoumx can attack physically and
psionically in the same round. In addition, Bluntfell can find
and track psychic scents.
SD-The creature constantly emanates a psionic field (at no
PSP cost) that renders it immune to normal and magical fire;
this field also reduces its damage from electriaty to 1point per
die of damage rolled. In addition, it is immune to weapons of
less than +3 enchantment. Weapons of greater enchantment
only inflict 1point of damage per successful strike. Finally,a
death spell is only 25 YOlikely to succeed, but a p m e r word: kill
remains effedive.
SW-A protectionfrom mlspell keeps the intellect devourer
at bay; bright lights and firesdrive these matures away.

Psionics Summary:#AT 1, MTHACO 12; MAC 7; Lv 8;

PSPs 200; Psionic Attab ego whip (EW), id insinuation (long sword), ld8 (sheaf arrows); SA psionic seal; SZ M
(E); Psionic Defenses intellect fbrtress (IF), mental bar- (6 3 tall); ML Champion (15); AL NE; XP 975.
rier (MB),mind blank (MBk), thought shield (TS); Notes: SA-Jon possesses a psionic seal on his neck that
Psionic Disciplines astral projection, aversion, body enhances his mind/body coordination, granlinghim a +2 on all
equilibrium, chameleon power, domination, ectoplasmic attack rolls.
form, expansion, mindlink, reduction, and telempathic S 15, D 14, C 17,113, W 10, C 8.
projection. Personality: Jonis a helpful and well-mannered individual,
but he wont hesitate to kill at the behest of his illithid master.
Elissa, hf F/:AC 4 (chajn mail and shield); MV 12; hp Special Equipment: chain mail +1, potion ofheroism, potion of
70; THACO 14 (9 with specialization, psionic seal, and invisibility, ring ofwarmth, long bow, heavy furs, and boots.
long sword +2); #AT 2; D m g ld8+4 (long sword +2, special-
ization, and Str); SA psionic seal; SZ M (5 9 tall); ML Zebulon, hf F8: AC 2 (chain maiZ+Z, ring of protection
Champion (15);AL NE; XP 975. +Z, and shield); MV 12; hp 76; THACO 13 (9 with special-
Notes:SA--Elissa possesses a psionic seal on her forearm that ization, Str, and broadsword +2); #AT 2; D m g 2d4+5 (spe-
enhances her mind/body coordination,granhg her a +2 on all cialization, Str, and broadsword +2); SA psionic seal; SZ M
attack rolls. (6 8 tall); ML Champion (15); AL NE; XP 975.
S 16, D 13, C 16,19, W 11,C 15. Notes: SA-Zebulon possesses a psionic seal on his face that
Personality; Elissa is reserved and haughty, absolutely allows him to use an illithid mind blast once per tum.
convinced in the superiority of her illithid masters. S 17, D 10, C 17, Ill, W 8, C 16.
Spenal Equipment:Sword of the Flayer (See kanasection on Personality: Zebulon i s q y i e t individual whose
p. 32 for n w details),
~ ring$regenmath, heavy furs,and boots. psychopathic tendenaes are kept in check by his illithid
conditioning.
Jon, hf F 6 AC 3 ( c h i n miZ+l and shield); MV 12; hp Special Equipment: broadsword +2, brooch of shielding, potion o f
54; THACO 15 (13 with psionic seal); #AT 1;D m g ld8 fire breathing, heavy furs, and boots.
L l l C L l l l d l l L y L m u t s Lllal "LUusILL U V Y Y l l U L C lllUlL. y'U'Lu' U U I ~ . I . L U I . , I " L" ""bb'"' .A&- ll.LLl."Iy
.-.-
J ' ' _ - _ _ _J
I
.-
illithid empire of millennia past! Coated in age- and impact- comb the snow and the ground beneath for the possibility of
defying quintessence, a silvery psionic secretion of col- hidden items or areas.
lapsed time introduced in The Illithiad, the planetismal Each discrete area requires a total of 2-200 (2d100)man-
drifted through many crystal spheres and across vast tracts hours to search. Thus, the DM should count the efforts of
of interstellar space before crashing to this planet multiple player characters toward the total. For example, 3
The descent and impact dissolved much of PCs who work at a 6-man-hour job can finish it in 2 hours.
time protecting the habitat, such that most of the object Depending on the method used by each searcher, the actual
exploded, throwing about smaller fragments only parbally time an explorer contributes toward the man-hour total may
protected by the failing quintessence. This crater hides those be less than the actual time spent searching, as mdicated on
pieces of the shattered planetismal that survived through the table of possible search methods. The Time Modifier
retention of a residual coating of quintessence (see "Clear- also indicates that some methods contribute a specified
ing Away Collapsed Time" for more details on this sub- number of hours toward the total, while other actions con-
stance). Some fragments have since lost their coating, giving tribute multipliers (every hour spent using the specified
up their contents to the flow of time, while other fragments method counts x times as much toward the total man-hours
yet remain outside the time stream, their contents protected required). The DM should adjudicate the PCs' use of other
from all harm. One of the fragments holds the object to search methods using this table as a guide.
which the palm print is keyed. a craft capable of traveling
between worlds!
Unfortunately, the scriber of the psionic palm print
(Strom) couldn't discover the exact location of the craft
through research. Thus, the seal cannot reveal the exact
location of the object-though it does give the PCs a general
mental image. The PCs must conduct a blanket search and
excavation of the crater one section at a time! Furthermore,
wlule the main object of the search is an illithid craft, the
player characters must also recover at least four other items
(mentally imaged as small "lobes" by the seal) from the
impact site. These lobes are essential if the PCs wish to acti-
vate the craft.
 Search Method Time
Probing with shovels, poles, or picks X1
Dousing with the psionic seal x2
Spade of colossal excavation x4
Border Ethereal sifting X6
Locate object spell, per use 15hours
Dig spell, per use 20 hours
X-ray vision, per use 25 hours
Divlnation magc, per use 30 hours

Example:A party of four searchesan area roughly 100 feet

by 100feet The DM first rolls to determine the total man-
hours requred to search the n a , m ttus case, it WLU take 100
(percenhle dice rolls of 16 and 84 added together) hours to
d e t e m e if there E anyttung to find The fighter spends 5
hours probmg the snow with an m n pole, knochg 5 hours
off the 100-hour goal (for a modhed total of 95 hours) Mean-
whde, the mage casts locate oblecf,subtracbng an addihonall5
hours from the goal (only 80 hours remam) by n h g out large
tracts Dunng ttus same penod, the ttuef spends 5 hours
dousmg a portion of the area with the psiomc seal,subtract-
mg 10hours (5 hours mulhphed by 2 because of the Tme
Mocbfier) from the goal (70 hours remam) Fmally, the clenc
casts an augury (dmnabon magc) and kn& another 30
hours off the total (40 hours reman) If the party does as well
dunng their next search penod, theyll have excavated an
entire area

Remember to check for random winter encounters (using the

table on page 6) while the adventurers search.In addition, the
illithidThralltakers continue to harass the searchers at the most
inopportune times-if the party membershave not yet dealt
withthem.
When the PCscomplete the necessary amount of work to
excavate an area, flip the card rrpresenting that area face up and
match the symbol on the card with the keyed entriesbelow.
Depending on the particular fragment of planetismal discov-
ered, the player characters may have to undertake additional
digging, or they may need to take some other action as indicated
in the specific encounter. In most cases, the symbol on the
exposed card is also keyed to a map with the same symbol on
the interior cover.

Time
As the player characters unearth fragments of the plan-
etismal that created the crater, they come upon various areas
sealed with a silvery material referred to as collapsed time, or
quintessence.As described in TheIllithiad, illithidswith a spe-
cial psionic power can aystallize time from a continuum, form-
ing a dollop of thick, gooey material. Usually the illithidscreate
only small amounts of this material, just enough to encapsulate
a ring, a token, a key or some other small item; items so coated
enter into a state of timelessness.
Only out of desperation do illithids create larger portions of
quintessencein one area, as masses larger than3 square feet
prevent the usage of psionic abilities within a 20-foot radius of
the mass. Additionally, quintessenceblocks all access to the
Astral and Ethereal Planes, and magical teleportation and scry-
ing cannot penetrate any area held out of time by quintessence. This subterranean chamber suggests nothing so
Of course, the fleeing illithidswere desperate to escape the much as a massive, desiccated womb. A powdery
bloodthirsty thralls who turned against them in the revolt, so residue covers the rock; part of the resin has sloughed
they coated portions of the planetismal in massive amounts of away, revealing bare meteoric rock beneath. Dirt has
quintessenceto serve as an ablative (a protective layer that can fallen in from above, forming a falrly thick layer of
be scoured away) for their headlong flight. earth and mud on the floor at least 3 feet in depth.
Player characters interested in unsealing areas covered in Strangely enough, the temperature here is comfort-
collapsed time merely need to scrub away its silvery surface. able, and earthworms and small beetles move about in
However, quintessencekills organic matter with prolonged the mud. Various circular openings and passages lead
direct exposure, so PCs must be very careful.Quintessence away from the chamber.
numbs any flesh that briefly touches it; this numbness slowly
~ . ,. .. _ _ . * . _ . . .. . .
fades atter me contact is tlroKen. L i m g nssue m contact wltn
.,I~

quintessencefor more than 1turn suffers ld10+5 points of Even a cursory search of the layer of loose earth uncovers
damage. The affected tissue is now in stasis and cut off from the several humanoid skeletonsmostly destroyed by time. A suc-
rest of the timenormal body; such frozen tissue dies after 2d4 cessful search for secret doors unearths a skeleton almost com-
turnsof temporal inactivity. However, masses of.collapsed time pletely decayed into dust. This f i p is the m a i n s of an
large enough to encapsulatea living being or a structure with illithid; it possesses only three fingers and a thumb, its braincase
living beings inside do not kill the subjec+thus illithidsand is strangely enlarged, its mouth is lamprey-like, and its feet
their equipment released back into the timestream are appear strangely bifurcated. The barest remnants of clothing
unharmed. cling to this form, and a rotted belt pouch contains 23 crystal
PCs can manually scrape quintessence away from a pro- coins (each worth 3 gp to a jeweler).
tected object or surface, ending that objects stasis. If a large Small stone daggers and glass shards lie near at hand, suggest-
mass of quintessence shields a room or rocky fragment, there is ing that the figuresdied in a scuffle; PCs can determine this if
a 75% chance that a breach of one section of the time-stopping they make successful Wisdom checks. Furthermore, a successful
barrier causes the entire mass to dissipate back into the contin- Intelligence check allows PCs to determine that several of the
uum. Otherwise, it draws together into a 1-inchdiameter uncovered skeletonsare not quite human. Anyone in the party
bead-regardless of its original size. Confident adventurers who has experiencewith either githzerai or githyanki notes a
may find uses for quintessence, if they are brave or inquisitive resemblance to both races, as if the skeletonssomehow represent
enough to gather leftover bits. a fusion of the two races.
In truth, the humanoid skeletons are the remains of the race
that eventually splintered into the githz.erai and githymki
(called the forerunnershereafter). These forerunners were thralls
Keyed Areas once kenneled in area 2 and area 3. With the impact and break
up of the planetismal,and the subsequent decay of this frag-
The following entries detail the possible encounter areas ments protective coating, the slaves broke from their confine-
within the crater. The DM should keep a careful watch over the ment and slew one of their hated illithid masters, only to find
partys inventory. If the PCs have gathered a number of useful themselves trapped within the earth. Squabbling among the
items, but do not know exactly what to do with them, use the slaves for the limited supply of food qulckly escalated mto a
psionic seal as a source of hintsand information. bloodbath, the remnants of which are represented by the bodies.

2. Slave Kennel
NBre~chedSlme Hold
The search of this 100-foot-by-100-footarea finally uncovers Rusted m n bars lie broken on the earth. Within the
the upper portion of a buried planetismal fragment; one addi- room, rusted and shattered chains hang from the powdered
tional man-hour of d i g p g is required to clear a space for entry. walls. One or two of these chains still contains skeletal arm
The passage revealed is 10 feet wide, like the opening to a fragments;beneath them lay more splintered skeletons.
well, although the sides are strangely powdered and smooth.
Scraping away the powder reveals the black, meteoric rock of
the planetismal.The passage drops down 30 feet into area 1. A few of the forerunner slaves in this chamber were unable to
There is no light inside this fragment other than what the escape when their compatriotsburst their bonds.
player characters provideunless specifically noted.
This entire planetismal was protected for some time by quin- 3. Haunted Slave Kennel
tessence, but the coating decayed many thousands of years ago, This chamber appears exactly like area 2, except that the
and the residents of the hollow fragment re-entered the time two skeletons hanging in the rusted bonds are fully intact.
stream only to find themselves entombed beneath the earth. When these slaves perished, their terror unfairly bound

15
check (with a -5 penalty) reveals their unnatural presence. If planetismal.The many vessels herr once contained special
the PCs disturb the spekres in any way, the undeid crea- medicines, water, bugpowder, brands, and other i& neces-
tures attack, wailing senselessly in a language dead and sary for the care and feeding of humanoid slaves. Now, all but
forgotten for uncounted centuries. However, the spectres do one of the vessels are decayed past usefulness.
not pursue party members past the edge of this chamber. PCscan easily break through the resin that caps the smgle
remaining vessel. The vessel contains a spedal medicine used
Spectres (2): AC 2; MV 15, F130 (B); HD 7+3; HP 31, for sick thralls;the liquid smells of herbs and pine. Though it is
48;THACO 13; #AT 1;Dmg ld8+ spectral touch; SA spec- not magical, the medicine still retains its potenq. It acts as an
tral touch; SD immunity;SW holy water; SZ M (6 tall); elixir ofyouth if downed by a member of a humanoid species-
ML Champion (15); Int High (14); AL LE; XP 3,000. though only four draughts remain.Due to the degradations of
Notes:SA-A spectres touch drains 2 energy levels from its time, each draught has a 50% chance to act likea poison, forc-
victim; SD-A spectre is immune to all sleep, charm, hold, and cold- ing the imbiber to make a successful saving throw vs. poison
based spells, as well as poison and paralyzation attacks; SW-Holy or SU%I 20 points of damage; unfortunately, the victim still
water inflicts 2d4 hp of damage per strike, and mise dead destroys suffers 5 points of damage even if he saves.
the spectre if it fails its save vs. spell. A bubble of quintessence seals off the chamber to the
southeast.
4. Slave Food Storage
7. Sealed Nourisher Domicile
Read or paraphrase the following if the PCs saub the quin-
m eaway from the entrance:

A search through the chamber reveals the dust piles as

the last remains of many dead forerunners. The few skull By clearing away the quintessence, the PCs have freed Grkth,
fragments visible in the chamber all show the same terrible an entombed illithid! The last thing Grkth members is the
holes. The illithids stored the bodies of dead slaves here desperate launch of the planetisd after the thralls violently
after they had dined, as the remaining slaves had to eat, too. overthrew their masters. Though thousands of years have
A small stone drawer beneath the slab holds various cut- slipped by for the rest of the multiverse, only seconds have
ting implements made of iron, long-since rusted to useless- elapsed for Grkth. The freed illithid automatidy assumes
ness-save for one unblemished knife. Although its grip is that his flight for freedom failed if the PCsenter the chamber.
undeniably made for a three-fingered humanoid, this Because of this, Grkth fights to the death rather than submit to
weapon still functions as a hgger +2 in melee. a humiliating execution by inferior thralls.

5. Unbreached Slave Kennel Abbreviated Combat Summary (Grkth, Illithid): AC 0

This chamber obviously served as another slave pen (becauseof its psionic bone ring); hp 58.
(similar to area Z)-though the iron bars retain their
integrity here. Beyond the bars, the mostly disintegrated See the stab under the Common Illithid Attributes section
skeletons of at least 12forerunners are visible. for the detailed illithid combat summary
Hardened slime covers the walls of this chamber; the
6. Nourisher Workroom material is curved and shaped like ganglia to make the
illithid feel more at home-although such decoration often
disturbs humanoids. A search through the chamber does
not reveal anytlung identifiable. However, searching the
illithid tums up 126 crystal coins (each worth 3 gp to a jew-
eler), a psionic bone ring on one of Grkths fingers, and a
gold key strung on a fine chain of bone linksworn around
Grkths neck.
The bone ring is a psionic item that provides illithids with
an AC of 0. If worn by members of another species, the ring
grants a +1 AC bonus. Creatures can wear only one bone
ring at a time.

16
 The gold key is crafted to resemble a tentacle and is charge);SA discharge; SZ T (2 diameter); ML Champion
5slightly warm (PCs with infravision can make out its shape (15), Int Unratable; AL N; XP 650.
in :he dark); the key opens various chambers and conta&ers Notes SA-A phycomid discharges an alkaline substance that
denied to the thralls. Other crater fragments require similar causes ld4+2 pomts of damage Anyone struck by the substance
keys to access their areas. must save vs poison; failure mdicates that the victun sprouts
mushroomlAe growths m ld4+4 rounds, these growths mflict an
additional ld4+4 I t pomts The growths spread throughout the
Garden Pod body m ld4t4 turns,killmg the wchm and transformmg hm ulto a
phyconud A cure diseuse spell ends the lnfechon before a fatality can
The search of this 100-foot-by-100-footarea finally uncov- occur, but neutralize polson does not affect the funguss spread
ers the upper portion of a buried planetismal fragment.
Note that this area requires two additional man-hours of 9. Preserved Garden
digging to clear a space for entry. Read or paraphrase the following if the PCs scrub the
The passage revealed is 15 feet in diameter, curving quintessence away from the entrance:
slightly as it descends to form a 30-foot-long slide that leads
into area 8. The sides and interior are strangely smooth and
powdered. Scraping away the powder reveals the black, With a pop, warm and moist air rushes from the
meteoric rock of the planetismal. A dim radiance pervades revealed chamber Bright light streams from the open-
this area, a remnant of past lighting now almost completely ing, revealing a domed room filled with luxuriant
burned out. growths of green plants and esoteric flowers. A gaunt
This fragment once served as the Garden Pod. Some of the humanoid wearrng a silken tumc and breeches moves
plants grown within proved useful for thrall nutrition, among the plants with clippers and a waterrng can. A
others were merely decorative, while a few were kept as long metallic cham hangs down from the curved ceil-
curiosities. ing; it is attached to an iron collar affixed around the
gardeners neck
8. Gone to Seed

A forerunner thrall goes about his duties, tending special

The dim radiance throws a pallor over the layer of blossoms grown in this chamber. The thrall, named Bomwe
detritus that forms the floor of this spherical chamber. by his fellows (who have all long since died), is oblivious to
The half-petnhed stalks of some long-dead treelike the passage of time and the fall of the illithid empire.
plants pungent with mildew and rot rise in lonely Bomwe speaks a dead language (unless the PCs have
clumps from the earth. A riot of fungus now flourishes released other forerunner thralls into the timestream). How-
in this subterranean chamber, so successful that vegeta- ever, anyone familiar with the language of the githzerai or
tion lines the curving side walls and fungal cords hang githyanki can communicate basic facts to the not-quite-
from the domed ceiling above. Eight sets of corroded extinct forerunner.
iron chains hang down from the curve of the ceiling in Regardless of whether or not the party establishes com-
various places, each affixed to an empty iron loop. munication, Bomwes limited worldview does not allow
Besides two additional rounded passages that lead him to believe in a universe not dominated by the illithid
away from the chamber, a convex bulge of mirror-bright race. If the PCs try and talk with him,he will ignore them,
silver is affixed to the southernmost curve of the wall. thinking them a fiendish test set up by his cruel masters. In
fact, Bomwe climbs up into the branches of a large growth
in this chamber and begins to whimper if the PCs press him
Amidst the fungal overgrowth live phycomids, truly for information. If the party frees Bomwe, he accompanies
dangerous fungi. Algae-like phycomids are fibrous blobs of them, but he never takes any action unless forced to do so. If
decomposing, milk-colored matter with capped fungi grow- he ever encounters a living illithid, Bomwe instantly betrays
ing out of them; the creatures smell slightly of lye. There are the party from the rear, happily returning to his old
8 phycomids growing within this chamber, each lying ~ aI I allegiance. Bomwes stats are identical to the forerunner
state of dormancy from their last meal-forerunner thralls rebels on page 27.
who escaped collars, illithid masters, and time stasis, only The illithids treasure the growths in this chamber, as
to fall prey to the phycomids spores. they act as a very pleasing spice. If a thrall eats the blos-
Any character who comes within 12 feet of a phycomid soms in this chamber, he or she gains pleasant visions, not
activates the creatures defense mechanism-a tube that dis- unlike a daydream, for 1d6 turns (the affected individual
charges a small glob of alkaline that inflicts ld4+2 points of suffers a -2 penalty to all die rolls while under the influ-
damage. ence). If an illithid consumes a brain affected by the blos-
soms, it enjoys an unsurpassed culinary experience, as the
Phycomids (8): AC 5; MV 3; HD 5; hp 20 (average); growths produce a subtle flavoring that the mind flayers
THACO 15; #AT 2; Dmg ld4+2/ld4+2 (discharge/dis- consider gourmet.

17
10.tiarden Supplies Whatever purpose this fragment served has long passed
Scrubbing away the quintessence from the entrance to this with its loss of protective quintessence. However, tunneling
area reveals a chamber sheathed in organic resin. Though predators known as bulette have since discovered it and
the quintessence has sealed the chamber from time, nothing now use the area as a lair. Through the course of genera-
of any obvious value beyond normal gardening tools tions, these predators have eaten, buried, or otherwise
appears within the room. If the PCs search the supply room, destroyed all of the bodies, accoutrements, and equipment
they find a special canister carved of bone. This object of the past inhabitants.
spews forth a potent herbicide from its nozzle if someone The small bulette family unit that currently lairs here
pushes the button on its side. There are 14 applicationsof uses this warren only for the birthing of young and for
the herbicide remaining in the canister, and each discharge hibemation during winter months. Unfortunately, the
spews up to 20 feet in normal gravity, inflicting 3d6 points unseasonable winter has forced the bulettes within to
of damage to any vegetable-based organism or plant (tar- remain. Unless they take great pains to remain quiet, the PCs
gets can make successful saving throws vs. poison to reduce stand a 50% chance to awaken the half-hibernating bulette in both
the damage by one half). The herbicide is not particularly areas marked 12.
harmful to animal organisms, unless ingested. Anyone
drinking the herbicide must make a saving throw vs. poi- 11. Droppings and Assorted Messes
son. Failure indicates that the victim dies, while success
merely inflicts 10 points of damage.
This rough, cracked chamber of meteoric rock con-
tains a thick layer of loam, intermixed with a glaze of
whitish powder. Disturbingly large husks of hair and
bones, as well as half-melted iron implements (includ-
The search of this 100-foot-by-100-footarea finally ing helms, mail, and weaponry), are visible.
reveals a twisted lump of metal and rock; two additional
man-hours of digging frees the object from the earth. PCs
may make Intelligence checks with a 4 penalty to identify The bulettes (sometimes called landsharks) have called
the object. Success allows a player character to recognize it this cranny home for many millennia. This area serves as a
as a giant-sized suit of armor now crumpled, smashed, place for the creatures refuse. Thus, the whitewash of
punctured, melted, and rusted. dried, powdered droppings. Each round a party spends
In reality, the mass of armor was once a psionically searching through the half-buried husks of partially
powered exoskeleton worn by an illithid of the Tamer digested bone, hair, and armor, they stand a flat 25% chance
Creed. Unfortunately, the psionic exoskeleton did not save to find one of the four items listed below (in any order).
its illithid wearer when the planetismal smashed into this Unfortunately, each round of rustling through the drop-
world. The quintessence that protected the Tamer Creeds pings also has a flat 10% chance to wake the bulette in both
section of the planetismal was stripped away, and the rooms marked area 12.
impact vaporized the area within seconds. The relic The items found in this chamber include a periapt of
uncovered by the adventurers is all that remains of these wound closure, a spade ofcolossal excavation, a suit of elven
elite mind flayers. The illithid body once contained within chain mail (fit for a human up to 6 feet tall), and one lobe of
the exoskeleton dried up long ago, and the psionic cir- the brainmate needed to navigate the craft described on page
cuitry that powered the artifact has faded. At present, the 29. More information on the brainmate and its four scat-
lump is a mere curiosity. However, present-day illithids tered lobes appear under the Arcana section on page 32.
would demonstrate extreme interest in the object, as they
have lost the secret of making such massive metallic 12. Whats For Breakfast?
exoskeletons. Unless party members are making an effort to be quiet,
they stand a 75% chance to awaken the half-hibemating
bulettes for each turn they spend here. PCs who gaze into
Recolonized Frqment one of these chambers see only a rocky hollow containing
several large clumps of earth embedded with stones (if the
The search of this 100-foot-by-100-foot area uncovers the bulettes have not roused). A successful Intelligence check
upper portion of a buried planetismal fragment; it requires (made with a -3 penalty) indicates that the clumps are, in
three additional man-hours of digging to clear a space for fact, breathing. There are two bulettes in each of these hol-
entry. lows (for a total of four).
The passage into this fragment is 10 feet in diameter; A bulette appears as a cross between an armadillo, a snap-
however, it is broken and cracked and shows signs of ping turtle, a shark, and an earth elemental grown far too
extreme weathering. Despite this, the passage provides an big. These monsters are exceptionally territorial, but they
easy surface on which to scale into the darkness below, a will not follow heroes out of this fragment. If roused, the
distance of 50 feet. The sides and interior of this tunnel do Old One (see area 13) will not stop until it has slain every
not show any evidence of resinous coating. intruder.

18
 ploughs a trench through the earth as the creature attempts
Bulette (4): AC -2 (4 beneath crest, 6 between eyes);
~._.
MV 3, Br 18; HD 9; hp 65,70,54,49; T M C U 11;#AI 3;
__ to run
_. down and slay.fleeing. victims.* r . -- 1

I here are six eggs m tnis area. If tne I'LS Keep tne eggs
Dmg 4d12/3d6/3d6 (bite/claw/claw); SA jump; SZ L (9' warm and care for them, they will hatch in ld6 months, dis-
tall, 12' long); ML Steady (11);Int Animal (1);AL N; XI' gorging tiny (and hungry) bulettes. The eggs could fetch
4,000. upwards of 900 gp each in the right market.
Notes: SA-The bulette can jump up to 8 feet in the air with
blinding speed; while airborne, the creature can strike with each Old One, giant bulette (4): AC -2 (4 beneath crest, 6
of its four feet, inflicting 3d6 points of damage with each attack. between eyes); MV 12, Br 38; HD 20; hp 120; THACO 3;
#AT 3; Dmg 5d12/4d6/4d6 (bite/claw/claw); SA jump;
13. The Old One SZ G (20' tall, 40' long); ML Steady (11);Int Animal (1);
Bulettes continue to grow for the entirety of their long AL N; XP 15,000.
lifespan. Thankfully, these creatures slow as they age- Notes: SA-The Old One can jump up to 20 feet in the air
although elder bulettes pass the centuries away in their with blinding speed; while airborne, the creature can strike with
ancestral lair, dozing and providing incidental shelter to each of its four feet, inflicting 4d6 points of damage with each
generations of bulette eggs. The Old One in this area rarely attack.
wakes, but when it does so, its hunger also wakes.
Adventurers who gaze into this chamber may at first 14.Tunnels
take the @foot length of the Old One's body for a rounded This passage is smooth and round, and it shows signs of
fold of rock; however, a successful Intelligence check reveals hundreds of years of bulette traffic. This series of subter-
the truth. The Old One sleeps yet, but if the PCs disturb any ranean tunnels stretches for many miles below the earth.
of the half dozen stony eggs (each the size of an ostrich While many of them simply dead end, some tunnels pro-
egg), it wakes with a hunger for vengeance. If necessary, the vide access to the surface at a distance of at least 20 miles
ancient bulette pursues the player characters out of the lair, from the crater. One or two others may connect to a larger
tunneling through the earth as if it were water. Its dorsal fin underdark ecosystem, at the DMs discretion.

19
@ hcompromjsed Rdjqwwy PCs who remain on or above the darkened trad of ash
marlung the deaths of the small animals are completely safe
The search of this 100-foot-by-100-footarea reveals the from the large psionic circuit diagram inscribed on the floor of
upper portion of a buried planetismal fragment; it requires five tlus chamber. Those player characterswho wander off tlus trail
additional man-hours of digging to clear a space for entry (by stepping or flying over the psionic circuit diagram) suffer a
The revealed passage is 5 feet in diameter and proceeds blast of stored psionic energy coursing through the unblem-
down a steep slope. The sides of the passage are worn and ished portions of the floor. Victims suffer 4d6 points of electri-
cracked higher up, but they smooth out after 25 feet of travel. cal damage each round that they remain over the inscribed
This fragment contains one of the four lobes of the brain- area, completing the deadly circuit with their own bodies. The
mate that provides navigational information when joined with power of the energy bums away spells and psionic effects that
other lobes. The PCs require this information to stop the negate the damage (such as a protectionfvom lightning spell),
illithids from darkening the sun (see the Finale section on leaving a 1-foot-radiuspatch of ash similar to the trail sur-
page 31 for more details). Within the last decade, others have rounding the dead bodies. In addition, a 1-foot-radiusflash
tried to remove the lobe from this fragment, scrubbing away mark appears next to anyone slain by the electrical attack; this
the quintessence in their search. Unfortunately, the pressure mark completely erases a part of the psionic seal.
exerted by the surrounding earth shattered portions of the Investigation of the animal corpses reveals large rats; how-
fragment like an eggshell when the archaeologists destroyed ever, these rats all possess the same strange deformation: A
the quintessence shield. portion of their brainy tissue pokes out through their skulls.
These creatures are cranium rats, and there are 10 corpses in
15. Labyrinth all. A search of all the dead rats uncovers a strange collar
attached to one of the creatures.A psionic seal inscribes the
collars leather exterior.
he tunnel These cranium rats are not part of the collective that
condensahon. Hardened resinous layers on the walls, secretly serves Illsensine, the illithid deity. In fact, these crea-
ceiling, and even the floor suggest oozing swells of gray tures belong to an independent pack that refers to itself as
matter, ganglionic tendrils, and tentacles. A four-line Us. Whenever Us can, it seeks to pervert Ilsensines plans
striation runs along both side walls, redolent with secret and those of the gods illithid children. Thus, Strom found
meaning to those creatures that crafted it. Us to be a useful ally in his bid to forestall the illithids dark
agenda. Unfortunately, these particular agents failed to com-
plete the same task given to the player characters. In fact, the
The illithids viewed the approach to the reliquary pods as psionically imprinted collar is very similar to the one already
ceremonial and built a fairly mazelike (at least to the PCs) path in the partys possession. If the PCs touch their version of the
leading up to them. The striations along the wall are qualith seal to the seal on the collar, the two merge to form a larger
(illithid touch-script). If the PCs have magical means by which circuit. The recipient of this enlarged seal heals 2d6 hit points
to read the touch-script, they can decipher the following and receives a +2 bonus on future saving throws against an
repeated themes: What Is Not Illithid Is Thrall; Dominion Is illithids mind blast.
Life; Dominion For All; Darken The Light.
17. ReliquaIy of Thought
16. Consequences of Failure The ornate pedestal (described in area 16) lies behind a layer
of collapsed time. The player characters may physically
remove the quintessence, as usual. If this happens, the light
tracing the psionic circuit diagram in area 16 goes out and the
light embedded in the floor with geometric perfection. glass panes of the reliquary blaze with purple light. The object
Looking closely, you can see that the pattern resembles is now charged with the psionic energy that once coursed
the psionic seal that has guided your party to the crater. through the surrounding circuit. If the adventurers managed
A blackened trail of ash and flash marks dot the floor to erase more than 75% of the psionic circuit, they can
In addihon, small clumps of fur, obviously dead ani- approach the reliquary and confiscate its contents. Otherwise,
mals of an mdeterminate species, litter the floor near they must contend with its dread power.
the trail of flash marks. The number of dead animals The energized reliquary is actually semi-sentient and imper-
increases as the trail leads to the chambers hub. vious to all forms of ham-both physical and magical. PCs
A sphere of mirror-bright silver lies near the cham- who approach within 10feet of the reliquary suffer the effects
bers heart, slightly off center. From some angles, the of afeeblmind spell for 3d6 turns.Anyone who possesses some
silver sphere flashes briefly transparent, revealing a sort of mental shielding (for example, mind blank or similar
slim pedestal contained within. The pedestal is ornate, spells, psionic powers, or magical and psionic items) receive a
and a lamplike object sits upon it. A lobe of brainy tis- saving throw vs. spell to avoid this effect. The best way to
sue lays within the lamps glassy panels. access the reliquarys interior is to have an illithid mentally
engender the release of the lobe with a simple command. Fail-

20
 6 - I

ing this rather unliikelv event, the party can arhficidly target bered characters float to the top of the cavern
the reliquary (actually, the lobe within the reliquary) with-any Neither of these two areas offers anything of much interest
sort of Enchantment/Charmmagic-uch as cham person or to potential explorers, and like the rest of the aquifer, these
suggestion spells; these spells cause the lobe to deactivate its rooms are completely dark.
defenses. Of course, the caster should stand more than 10 feet
away from the reliquary in order to avoid thefeeblemind effect. 19. Watery Expanse
Once they have shut down the reliquary the player char- Water does not completelyfill this spherical area, which
acters can remove the lobe without risk of future harm. See measures some 40 to 50 feet in diameter. Thus, swimmers can
the Arcana section on p. 32 for details regarding the find a breath of air when surfacing in this area. Unfortunately,
liberated lobe. there is only enough air in this chamber to provide a Medium-
sized organism with two hours of air. The more adventurers

a Aquifer
Searching this loO-foot-by-1OO-foot area uncovers a suspi-
who enter into this area, as well as area 21 and area 22, the
faster they use up the bmathable air. The DM should keep
careful track of the amount of time spent within these areas.
For every round the PCs thrash around in this area, there is
ciously wide fissure leading downward. The fissure is between a 5% cumulative chance that the water weird in area 20 investi-
3 and 5 feet wide at its narrowest, and it zigzags down some 40 gates the disturbance.
feet to the surface of stagnantwater. The fissure obviously con-
tinues down below the waterline, but there is no light, sound, 20. Weird Rising
or noise to provide a clue as to the tunnels ultimate destination. The entity responsible for clean water is not dead, as its ele-
This entire complex once served as an aquifer for the plan- . mental nature allows it to nourish itself through a tenuous link
etismal. Following the impact and subsequentdecay of its to the Elemental Plane of Water. In the intervening years since
quintessence coating, some of the areas water drained out- the original explorers released this fragment back into time, the
though most of the water remains trapped within. Of course, creature has kept the water in the aquifer sparkling clean and
the organisms responsible for recycling the water and keeping clear. Unfortunately for the PCs, this specially created water
it pure have not fared too well in the intervening centuries. weird regards any and all swimmers as contaminantsof the
PCs must swim to access most of the areas in this fragment. first order, and it moves to cleanse its domain of the new taint.
Interested DMs should consult Ofships and the Sea for detailed The weird immediately attacks anyone who enters into
rules on underwater adventuring. The following quick rules this area, but it also moves throughout the entire fragment
appear here for ease of reference: to eradicate contaminates as necessary. Explorers who
retreat at least 10 feet up into area 21 or area 22 are safe
PCs can hold their breath for an amount of time equal from the water weirds attacks. However, anyone close to
to X their Constitution scores rounded up. DMs should the waters edge in these areas risks being pulled in by a
halve this number again (rounding up) if the PCs exert serpentine column of water.
themselves (encumbered PCs are always exerting them- The water weird receives a +4 bonus to its attack rolls
selves). against any creature already in the water. Any PC who can
breathe water through magical (or other) means is safe from a
If a PC wishes to hold his breath past his normal water weirds drowning attack. PCs who rely on simply hold-
allowance, he must make a successful Constitution ing their breath while in the water must make a saving throw
check. This check receives a cumulative -2 penalty for vs. paralyzation to avoid immediate drowning, as the creature
each subsequent check after the first. Failure indicates forces elemental water past the victims lips. Even more
that the PC must breathe; if still underwater, he drowns. deadly, the creature is nearly invisible to any Fc already in the
water; thus, swimming PCs receive a -4 penalty to all attack
PCs with the Swimming proficiency can move under- rolls when fighting the weird.
water at a rate equal to K their land movement rates @ if
encumbered). Nonproficient,unencumbered PCs move Elder Water Weird AC 4; MV Sw 12; HD 6+3; hp 35;
at M their land movement rate, and encumbered non- THACO 15;#AT 1;Dmg special; SA drowning, elemental
proficient (or unconscious) PCs sink40 feet per round. control; SD regeneration, resistance; SW cold, pun^ water;
SZ L (10 long); ML Elite (13); Int Very (12); AL CE; XP
18. Bulb 1,400.
The two areas marked with an 18 are spherical chambers Notes: SA-Any creature struck by an elder water weird must
bounded by black meteoric rock. Each of the rooms is com- make a save vs. paralyzation. Failure indicates that the weird pulls
pletely filled with cold brackish water. PCs who enter the the creature into or under the water (those already under water are
water for more than 2 turnsmust make successful saving caught in the grip of the weird). Each round in the grip of a weird
throws vs. paralyzation or become paralyzed as the heat requires a victim to make another save to avoid drowning. In
leaches from their body. If thishappens, encumbered charac- addition, the creature has a 50% chance to u s q control of any
ters, or PCs wearing metal armor sink to the bottom of the area water elemental with which it comes into contact.
(30 feet down) and drown once their air runs out. Unencum- SD-Elder water weirds take only 1point of damage from

21
 I

weapons of type P or S, and they suffer half damage from fire (no surface All PCs IXIa 300-foot radius must first make a success-
damagewith a successful save vs breath weapon) If reduced to 0 ful savmg throw vs. paralyzation or fall to the ground and suf-
I-.L--.-C +h-..,-.+,!

creature in 2 rounds.
rl.rnrn+ar .,A r.,6,,rma rntn 6.11 cknnnth ___
fer 1---~-I..I
A 4 nmnts -_
nf Anmnwp frnm the Pmlnsinn ..-,
.. The
---.-. . ....-.also
must
.
make another saving throw vs. paralyzation to avoid a chunk
.~ .~ .

SW-Intense cold acts as a slow spell and purify water kills an of falling rock. Failure indicates that a chunk of mck hits the vic-
elder water weird instantly. tim for ld8 points of damage. Note that any PC who fails the
first saving throw suffers a -3 penalty on the second one.
21. Dry Bulbs \, When the earth stops heaving, the PCs can make out a fis-
Other than small bits of dried debris and some long-dead sure; steam rises out of the hole, as warmer interior air meets
lichen, these two chambers contain nothing of interest to the chill surface atmosphere.Mixed in with the mist is the odor
explorers. of brine and garlic.

22. Dry Bulb of Interest 23. T O P S Y - ~ U ~ V ~

This area is in all ways sirmlar to the two areas keyed to 21, This circular gallery, rising some 50 feet to a domed ceil-
save for the dry desiccated body lying within. Only bones and ing, once held several warm pools in which dozens of
hair remain of the traveler, though some bits of leather armor, illithids lounged in comfort, waiting out the future in a
shards of metal, and other debris lie near the body A small, timeless instant. However, these mind flayers did not count
undecayed bag remains at the corpses side. This object is a bug on coming out of stasis upside down.
ofholding, and within it lies an empty phial (once containing oil When this chamber reentered the timestream upside down,
ofetherealness), a potiun ofhuman control, and a potion ofdiminu- the briny water pool, the servitor thralls, and every illithid in
tion. Finally, one skeletal hand contains a variation of a ring of the gallery fell 50 feet. Most of the inhabitants of this fragment
mind shielding. In addition to making the wearer immune to were killed instantly, but some feebly hold onto life, gasping
chum,ESP, defect lie, and know uligrzmenf spells, the ring also in pain and surprise at the sudden (from their perspective)
grants the wearer a MAC bonus of +5 (or a +5 saving throw change of orientation. The DM can read or paraphrase the fol-
bonus against all illithid spell-like powers if the DM uses the lowing text, noting that those player characters immune to
arcane illithid option). psionic contact cannot hear the mental cries of pain:

*,RC
-
There Just Isnt Anythinq! ters, shreddmg skin,broken legs, and the loss of friends.
Only after the PCs comb every square inch of this 100-foot- However, the minds broadcasbng these images are not
by-100-foot area do they realize that the shrapnel and fragment friends, but are instead the brain-eating illithids Blood,
distribution is not even throughout the crater. There is nothing brine, and the familiar tamt of death pollute the area.
of interest in this area. The chamber itself is shaped like a bowl filled with
shallow water. The ceiling of the room contains many
small concave depressions, all of which are damp. Bits
of broken rock and shattered resinous sculpture cover
the area, and large portions of the wall have split open.
The search of this area eventually unearths the distinctive Several humanoid bodies lay inert and broken on the
smooth bulge of a large object coated in collapsed time. In fact, basins sides, while four figures limply splash about in
an entire gallery filled with illithids is held outside of time in a the chambers central shallow pool. Each of the figures
planetismal fragment. Unfortunately, the fragment is com- has four tentacles sprouting from its purplish head.
pletely overturned. Read or paraphrase the following text if
the player charactersscrub away enough quintessence to col-
lapse the entire stasis bubble:

Only seconds later, a tremendous noise, as of splinter-

ing rock and snapping struts, erupts from the earth. A
fissure of darkness breaks to the surface, disgorging a
rain of rock, twisted metallic struts, chunks of resin, and
a plume of dust

The fragment was not up to the pressures exerted upon it by

the grip of the earth. Once the PCs remove the quintessence, the
fragment explodes and pushes large chunksof debris to the

22
 Although the chamber once held 24 illithids, the broken
and inverted lounge now shelters only 4 living, but severely
wounded, illithids. Their recent trauma has completely
unhinged 1of the illithids, and it is madly struggling against
its peers-though none of the creatures are functioning at an
optimum level.
The player characters have 2d4 rounds to catch the
illithids unawares. If the PCs make contact, the creatures
react fearfully and assume (rightfully) that the heroes are
responsible for their predicament. At that point, three of the
illithids-Shagath, Naip, and Conarfen-attempt to escape
via their psychoportive powers, while the maddened mind
flayer (Mulseth) attacks the player characters indiscrimi-
nately. If any of the illithids flee to the Astral Plane, they may
return later (at the D M s option) to trouble the player charac-
ters at an inopportune time! On the other hand, they may
flee and never return.
Once the PCs deal with the wounded illithids, they can
search the shattered chamber. For the most part, all of the
chambers psionic items, sculpture, and other items of value
have shattered. However, the PCs can collect a total of 421
crystal coins (3 gp value each) at a rate of 20 per.turn. In
addition, a search reveals a striator, a bone ring, and a
psionic bracelet.
The striator allows the user to write illithid touch-script
on paper. The bone ring grants the wearer the ability to
adhere to surfaces once per day as if using the spider climb
spell at the 10th level of magic use. Finally, the bracelet
allows the wearer to utilize the effects of a passwall spell (cast
at the 10thlevel of magic use) three times per day.
Abbreviated Combat Summary (Illithids): Shagath, Naip,
Conarfen, and Mulseth have an AC of 5 and possess 4,10,8,
and 17hit points respectively. Because the illithids are so
wounded, the DM should award only 3,500 XP for their defeat.

Refer to the Common Illithid Attributes section on page 2

for more detailed combat information.

24. Shattered Temple

The stone valves closing off this chamber wedged tight due
to the fragments explosivereentry into the timestream.The
PCs must make successful open doors rolls to force access into
this room.
At first glance, the three chambers within appear utterly
destroyed. In fact, so much rock, dust, and resinous fragments
litter the floor that it is difficult to determine the original
purpose of thisarea. In actuality, this was a temple dedicated
to Maanzecorian.
A search through the debris does unearth two humanoid
skulls that survived their fall from above. The skulls are heav-
ily carved and decorated, and they look like the illithids used
them to hold liquid. One of the skulls is empty, but the other
contains a thick orange liquid psionically fortified such that it
mimics the effects of oil ofimpact. The skull currently holds
three applications.

25. Negligent Caretaker

Although it had a tendency toward laziness, the illithid
known as Crgent still managed to gain power and status in
the governing body back on the mind flayer home world. (In
fact, this illithid is just one example of the decadence and
slovenliness of the illithid empire.) Before the planetismal fled,
 I

I c

the illithids entrusted Crgent with the satety ot one ofthe tour
brainmate lobes. This lobe, when combined with its three
other parts, forms a complete brainmate containing the navi-
LiKe all mum nayer communities, tne planetisma1con-
tained a shepherding elder brain to guide the mind flayers
on their flight from the thrall rebellion. An elder brain con-
I
gational information necessary for the PCs to stop the itlithids sists of the conglomeratebrainy tissue of standard illithids
from darkening the sun. Crgent was supposed to place the that live out a full life, only to gift their own gray matter to
lobe within a guarded reliquary like that described under the help form and maintain a united illithid consciousness. As
symbol. Fortunately for the PCs, the illithid procrastinated. chance would have it, this fragment contains the chambers
j!g The fragments reentry into normal time damaged Crgents
chamber, but the illithid managed to escape serious injury due
claimed by Sempitemal.Unfortunately, the changes made
upon the creature have warped Sempitemal and its per-
to a lucky fall onto a not-so-lucky thrall. In the time it takes the sonal servants in ways that other illithids would consider
adventurers to penetrate the outer gallery (area 23), the illithid utter heresy. In short, this elder brain transformed itself in
has taken stock of the situation and realized its grave short- order to survive. This adaptationprevents Sempitemal from
comings might allow the lobe, which it keeps in a satchel at its sensing the approach of thinking beings outside of its
side, to fall into enemy hands. Thus, it has planned a deadly immediate chamber.
ambush for any PCs who enter into this otherwise mined area.
Aiding Crgent is the illithids pet gelatinous stalker. The
creatwe resembles a gelatinous cube except in shape. The As an optional aside, the PCs could enter into a brief
gelatinous stalker is vaguely humanoid It has an.upper alliance with other illithids in order to destroy the
tors-though 3-foot-long tentacles replace the monsters head beings that are entombed in this fragment. O n the other
and a m a n d its lower torso simply ends in a mass of hand, the party could ally with the horrors within to
writhing, transparent tentacles. destroy the pesky Thralltakers.

Abbwviated Combat Summary (Crgent, Illithid): Crgent

possesses an AC of -2 (due to his psionic ring) and 68 hit 26. Birthing Pod Gone Bad
points. Each of the three areas marked 26 are similar; however, the
Possessions: Crgent has one of the brainmate lobes (see DM should read or paraphrase the following boxed text when
Arcana section for more details). In addition, he possesses a the adventurers discover the first of the thtw chambers.
psionically charged bone ring that grants illithids an AC of -2
and a +3 AC bonus to members of any other race. Only one
bone ring can be wom at once. Crumbled stones and rents in the earth give way to an
artificial space below the earth-a spherical chamber
Gelatinous Stalker: AC 8; MV 6; HD 4; hp 30; THACO with half-collapsed, chipped, and powdered walls. A
17; #AT 3; Dmg 2d4/2d4/2d4 (head tentacle/arm tenta- regular passage curves off to the southeast, but the most
cle/arm tentacle); SA paralyzation, digestive fluid; SD interesting feature of the chamber is the humanoid-
immunity,resistance; SW cold; SZ L (10); ML Average (10); shaped depression carved into the nadir of the chamber.
Int Non (0); AL N; XP 975. Within the depression lies a desiccated mind flayer,
Notes: SA-The tentacles of a gelatinous staker canparalyze a somehow preserved against complete rot and decay.
victim on a successful attack roll if the target fails a save vs.
paralyzation. In addition, the creature automatically coats a
paralyzed victim with a layer of digestive fluid that inflicts 2d4 hit Player characterswho take the time to observe the form
points per round for 5d4 rounds-unless the fluid is washed away notice that the creatures head is attenuated and swept back,
SD-Electrical, fear, and paralyzation attacks do not effect forming a visage even more feral and terrifying than that of a
gelatinous stalkers.Further, these creatures are immune to sleep, normal mind flayer. Also, discerning heroes may note that the
polymorph, and hold spells. Finally, cold-based attacks only inflict a tentacles Seem much longer than a standard mind flayers.
maximum of ld4 points of damage. In fact, the forms in each of the three areas are vampiric
SW-Cold-basedattacks act as a slow spell cast upon the mind flayers, creatures created by the machinations of Sem-
creature. piternal in order to ensure their continued existence.
Vampiric illithids are a terrible threat, and the heroes should
avoid waking them. These creatures currently reside in an
WEE* most Elder Drain undead stasis, conserving their strength against centuries of
continued unlife. If player characters physically disturb a
Excavating this 100-foot-by-100-footarea eventually vampire through rough handling or combat, it fully acti-
reveals a rock-choked chimney leading downward. The vates in ld4 rounds. Unless the PCs can slay the vampire
chimney is between 5 and 15 feet wide at its narrowest, and before it gains full mobility, they are in for a terrible battle.
it zigzags downward some 60 feet to an artificial enclosure. In addition, Sempitemal summons its undead servants if
This fissure, like most other passages leading down into the any PC disturbs its rest in area 28.
fragments, was created by the blast of air breaching the sur- Vampiric illithids share only some traits with real vam-
face when the fragment lost its protective coating long ago. pires. Although of animal intelligence, these creatures retain

24
 i
the
- ~use
- of
~~~~ .~their mind blast attaek. whic h they use to stun
~~~.~~
~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~
I ~~~
28. Pool of the Elder Brain
prey before charging into melee. Each Iof their four tentacles
can attack in 1 round, inflicting ld6+4 points of damage per
successful strike and draining two life tmergy levels per ten- This large area is dimly lit by the faintest of crimson
tucle from the victim. illumination spilling over the edges of a central pool
Vampiric mind flayers require gray matter just as much some 30 feet in diameter. While dust, crumbled rock,
as blood to remain active, and they usz:methods similar to and other debris cover most of the floor, the pool itself
their living relatives to extract the prizi-although brute seems relatively clear of fallen masonry. However, PCs
undead strength replaces the action of a flesh-dissolving who look closely at the pool can see a large mass of
enzyme. Also, for every round a tentac.le retains a grasp some indeterminate object floating just below the sur-
upon the victim, the victim automatically loses the appro- face. Thrusting up from the southernmost portion of the
priate number of life energy levels! pool is a thin iron rod, topped by a crystal container. A
small lump of brain tissue lies within the container.
Vampire, Illithid (3): AC 1; MV 12; HD 8+4; hp 46,55,
67; THACO 9 (undead strength); #AT 4; Dmg ld6+4; SA
cephalophagy, energy drain, mind blast; SD immunity, The iron shaft holding the lobe (see the Arcana section
infravision, regeneration;SW holy symbols, holy water, on page 32 for information on the lobe) is a reliquary that
sunlight; MR 90%; SZ M (6 tall); ML Fanatic (17-18); Int functions just like that described in area 17 on page 20-
Genius (17-18); AL LE; XP 9,000. though there are no traps other than the large mass floating
Notes: SA-This creature drains two life energy levels per below it. The large mass in the pool is Sempitemal, a
successful strike of each of its tentacles. In addition, vampiric goliath, fibrous mass of tissues covered with writhing feel-
mind flayers retain onIy their mind blast psionic ability. Finally, ers. It once possessed all the powers and abilities of an elder
they can extract brains as regular illithids (see Common Illithid brain and floated amidst the illithid tadpoles of future gen-
Attributes for more details). erations. In order to survive, however, it feasted upon the
SD-These creaturrs are immune to cold-wrought iron, silver, life force of every last tadpole in the pool. While most elder
and non-magical weapons. In addition, sleep-, charm-, and hold- brains might have retreated completely into the Astral
related spells do not affect the vampiric illithid. These creatures Plane, Sempitemal lost this ability when the fleeing illithids
also regenerate 3 hit points per round and 2d8 hit points coated the planetismal in quintessence. Animated largely by
whenever they drain life energy levels. the brain tissue of dead illithids, the elder brain psionically
SW-These creatures dislike holy symbols, as clerics can forced a link between itself and the Negative Energy Plane
attempt to turn vampiric illithids (with a 4penalty). Holy to ensure its continued existence. Thus, Sempitemal became
water and sunlight inflict Id6 points of damage per round of an undead elder brain, and it forced its three remaining
exposure (vampiric illithids cannot regenerate this damage). illithid servants into a similar state (see area 26).
In its new state, Sempitemal is much weaker than a nor-
The regenerative ability of the vampiric mind flayer is mal elder brain. The PCs may at first find it in a state of
such that even the reduction of its body to ashes does not undead hibemation. If anything disturbs the elder brain or
guarantee the destruction of the creature. Only by separat- the surface of its pool, Sempitemal rouses in ld4 rounds.
ing the ashes into portions and sealing each portion away Once it rouses, it sends a psionic command to activate its
from the other can a PC prevent this creature from reform- three vampiric illithids (if any yet live); these creatures
ing. O n the flip side, vampiric illithids cannot charm ene- arrive in ld6 rounds but do not take immediate action
mies or use any other standard vampiric ability; they unless Sempitemal is under attack. Before attempting to kill
cannot change shape, summon lesser creatures for aid, or the party outright, Sempitemal attempts to parlay with the
become gaseous. player characters. If the PCs talk first, they have a much
better chance of living through this encounter.
27. Inner Ring Sempitemal possesses a great deal of curiosity about the
Once, the inner ring was completely encased; no physical current state of affairs outside its fragment. It knows that
means existed for travel between it and other portions of the the illithid empire, of which it was once a part, fell long ago.
planetismal and the inmost Pool of the Elder Brain (area 28). Otherwise, the elder brain is quite ignorant. For example, it
That situation has obviously changed, and much of the ear- does not know anything of the current illithid plot. How-
lier decor has disintegrated into so much debris- ever, Sempitemal knows that its current state of existence is
although indications of eroded relief sculpture still remain. profane to all living illithids, and the last thing it desires is
Study of the architectural remnants reveals elements that to see its living relatives retum to universal domination, as
resemble brain tissue. Some remnants of illithid touch-script it wouldnt live long after that fact.
also remain, detailing the individual names of the illithids If the player characten tell the truth about their quest, Sem-
that incorporated themselves into the elder brain. pitemal will give the lobe to them and wish them well in their
quest. It desires nothing else than to continue its undead
dreaming in its quiet pool. If the party agrees, Sempitemal even
offers the party one of its vampiric illithidsthough good

25
aligned parties should probably pass up this offer. If the party wamng factions have remmed frozen m eternal strlfe for
accepts such aid, they should keep the creature out of direct uncounted years-untd now.
sunlight. If such exposure occurs, the vampiric illithid flees.In Read or paraphrase the followmg text if the player charac-
addition, there is a 5% chance that every time the illithid vam- ters scrub away enough qmtessence to collapse the entire
pire engages in combat it loses control and attacks the PCs. bubble of stasis
If the party avoids a fight with the undead elder brain, award
them as much experience as if they had defeated it in combat.
The silvery surface pulls away with an audible pop, fol-
Sempitemal, undead elder brain: AC 10; MV Nil; HD lowed by a deep silence. Seconds later, a roar of splin-
20; hp 160; THACO Nil; #AT Nil; Dmg Nil; SA psionics; SD tering rock and snapping struts breaks the silence, as
immunity,regeneration; SW holy symbols, holy water, sun- the fragment erupts from the earth like a miniature vol-
light; MR 90%; SZ H (10' diameter); ML Fearless (20); Int cano, disgorging a rain of rock, twisted metalhc pieces,
Supra (20); AL LE; XP 13,000. chunks of resin, and a cloud of dust!
Notes: SD-%mpitemal is immune to cold-wroughtiron, silver,
and non-magical weapons. In addition, sleep, charm-,and hold-related
spells do not affect it. It also regenerates3 hit points per round. This fragment could not withstand the pressures exerted
SW-hpitemal dislikesholy symbols, as deria can attempt to upon it by the earth, and it exploded as soon as the player
turn Sempitemal as a special undead (with a 4penalty). Holy water characters removed the quintessence.The party must now
and sunlightinflict ld6 points of damage per round of exposure; dodge the falling debris. All PCs in a 300-foot radius must first
Sempitemal cannot regeneratethis damage. make a successful saving throw vs. paralyzation or fall to the
ground and suffer ld4 points of damage as the surrounding
Psionics Summary: area trembles with the force of the explosion. In addition, they
must make another saving throw vs. paralyzation to avoid
Level Dis/Sci/Dev Att/Def Score PSPs chunks of falling rock. Failure indicates that large rocks hit the
20 6/21/31 EW,II,MB/All =Int 1d200+450 victim for ld8 points of damage. Note that any PC who fails
Players Option: #AT 2; MTHACO 7; MAC 0 the first saving throw suffers a -3 penalty on the second one.
When the rumble dies away, faint screams, yells, the clang
Clairsentience - Sciences: clairaudience, clairvoyance; of weapons on weapons, and other sounds of conflict echo hol-
Devotions: all-round vision, know location. lowly up the gaping fissure. The thralls stiU battle their masters
Psychokinesis - Sciences: create object, molecular in spite of the fragment's explosive reemergence into time.
rearrangement, telekinesis; Devotions: ballistic attack, While the party explores this fragment, the cries and sounds
control body, control light, create sound, inertial barrier, of conflict ring out. In fact, the PCs can stumble upon the body
levitation. of a humanoid or a slain illithid in any hallway or room (even
Psychometabolism - Sciences: complete healing, energy unkeyed ones). In the same vein, heroes who remain in one
containment, metamorphosis; Devotions: body control, area without moving are 20% likely per tum to find themselves
body equilibrium, suspend animation. caught up in a conflict similar in all ways to the battle in mom
Psychoportation - Sciences: banishment, probability 30--except that these "random" battles are moving skirnushes.
travel, teleport, teleport other; Devotions: astral projec- A comprehensive search of the many ruined rooms turn
tion, time shift, time/space anchor. up a few items of note, if the party takes the time to investi-
Telepathy - Sciences: domination, ejection, mass domi- gate. For each tum spent pouring through the rubble of any
nation, mind blast, mindwipe, probe; Devotions: awe, room, the party has a 75% chance to find one of the following
ESP, false sensory input, id insinuation, mind thrust, items: an unclaimed headmesh (see the "Arcana" section); an
post-hypnotic suggestion,taste link, psychic crush. unclaimed maulstick (see the "Arcana" section); an organi-
Metapsionics - Sciences: empower, psychic surgery, cally shaped vessel sealed with hardened mucous (contents
ultrablast; Devotions: cannibalize, magnify, prolong, include 123crystal pieces worth 3 gp each); a psionically
psionic inflation, psychic drain. imbued powder that mimics in most ways oil ofslipperiness;
and a vial of psionically imbued liquid that acts as a continual
light spell if touched.
Endurinq Revolt Only one of each item exists, and once the PCs find a partic-
ular item in a particular area, they cannot discover anythmg
The examination of this 100-foot-by-100-footarea eventu- else; they must move to a new area.
ally unearths the distinctive smooth bulge of a large object
coated in collapsed time. This fragment is a section of living
quarters that houses a group of illithids and their thralls.
Unfortunately, the thrall rebellion had reached even the
illithids fleeing the conflagration, and the thralls in this frag-
ment were engaged in a bloody revolt as the mind flayers
launched the planetismal and covered it in quintessence.The

26
 31. Putting Down the Rebellion
As in the two areas marked 30, former thrallsfight illithids
in these areas. Unlike the other illithid/thrallconflict, there is an
80% chance that the mind flayers win (with 1survivor) and
only a 20%chance that the exact opposite occulsif the PCs do
not intervene within 3 rounds.Surviving illithidsimmediately
turntheir attention to the party.
See area 30 for the appropriatestab of combatants and fore
runner reactions to the player characters. Refer to area 29 for
The humanoids are thrallrebels of the forerunner race (see possible distribution of interesting items.
room 32 for more information). These thrallswere slain as they
kiUed the 2 illithidsalso lying here. There are a total of 4 32. Command Center
humanoids and 3 illithids in the mom. The humanoids wear This is the nerve center of the thrallrebellion on the plan-
simple garb and some still carry knives, clubs, and even shards etismal. Two forerunner guards stationed by the door monitor
of glass. There is a 20%chance that each forerunper corpse entry into this chamber, while one largerforerunner wearing a
wears a functioning Headmesh (see the ArcaM section on headmesh hunches over an overturned table, poring over some
page 32 for more details). illithid touch-saipt. The largerforerunner is Ndton, the leader
The illithid bcdies each have 3d10 crystal coins (worth 3 gp of the local rebellion.
each) in small pouches, and they are 10%likely to po6sess a While ifs possible that a misunderstanding could develop
Maulstick (seethe Arcana section for more details). between the party and Nilton, it is far more likely that the two
forces canreach an understan-. Nilton wants to clear this
30. The Fight Goes On! fragment of all illithi&, and he will gladly aid the party if the
In the two areas marked 30,ld4 forerunners battle against PCs agree to help him in his quest.
ld4 of their illithid masters. F o ~ ~ ~ u ncombatants
ner who see Unfortunatel~ if the possibility of alliance emerges, the two
the party assume that they are allies, while the illithids guards in this chamber suddenly turn on Nilton with murder
assume the herues thrallswho broke into the supply in their eyes-theyre still d y dominated by their illithid
cache. The mind flayers are desperate and will fight to the masters (although their masters are dead, their psionic compul-
death rather thanrettvat to the Astral Plane. If the party does sion lives on). Nilton does not defend himself from this attack,
nothing but watch, the battle ends in ld4 rounds without the as he is too stunned by the betrayal of his close friends; the PCs
need for the DM to run the whole combat. There is an 80% must prokt him!
chance that the forerunners win (with 1survivor) and a 20% Besides his leather armor (made from illithid skin),
chance that the exact opposite occurs. Of course, the party headmesh (seethe Arcana section on page 32 for more
could throw in with the thrallrebels and virtually assure an details), and spiked club, Nilton carries a satchel sewn from
end to the conflict, thereby demonstratjng their loyalty to the illithid hide in which he keeps his greatest trophy of the rebel-
forerunners. lion to date: one of the brainmate lobes (seethe Arcana sec
If the PCs establish communicationswith the surviving f o e tion for more details). Nilton does not realize the full
runners-via magic or psioniethe rebels recognize the party importanceof the lobe, and if the party has not established an
members potential value as allies and attempt to bring the aUiance, the rebel leader will trade the lobe for a valuable magi-
adventurersto the cormnand center (area32) to meet with Nil- cal or psionic item. If the party has allied with Nilton, the leader
ton, the forerunner in charge of this particular mini-rebellion. gives them the lobe once all illithidsin this fragment are dead.
Theforerunnersand illithidsencounted inthe two areas The two compromised guards possess the same stats as those
marked 30 have the same distribution of possible possessions foremers described under area 30; Niltons stab appear
described under area 29. below:

Forerunner rebels (ld4): AC 9; MV 12; HD 3; hp 2527, Nilton,forerunner leadm AC 5 (illithid-hide leather

24; THACO 17; #AT 1;Dmg ld6 (by weapon); SA psionics; armor); MV 12; HD 7; hp SO;THACO 13; #AT 1;D m g ld6+3
M R 35%; SZ M (6 tall); ML Average (9); Int Exceptional (15); (spiked club); SA psionics; h4R 35%; SZ M (6 tall); ML Fear-
AL CE;XP 270. less (20); Int E x c e p t i d (15); AL CE;XP 1,400.

Psionics Summary-.#AT 1;MTHACO 14; MAC 9; Lv 3; Psionics Summary #AT 1;MTHACO 14; MAC 9; Lv 3;
PSPs ld100+150; Psionic Attacks ego whip 0 , id insinu- PSPs ld100+150, Psionic Attacks ego whip 0 , id insinu-
ation @); Psionic Defenses intellect fortrrss 0,mental bar- ation @); Psionic Defenses intellect fortrrss 0,
mental bar-
rier (MB), mind blank (MBk), thought shield (TS), tower of rier (MB), mind blank (MBk),thought shield (E.) tower
, of
iron will 0 ; Psionic DisciplinesESP. iron will 0 ; Psionic Disciplines ESP,molecular
Abbreviated Combat Summary (ld4 Illithids): The rearrangement, project force.
 -:. t.: ' . I A-

stray memory from the brain used to create the tablet sur-
stasis fieid, theycan see a -e pod with hinges.This
pod was thrownfree of the planetismal upon impact. Thepod
faces in the mind of the i m b i k upon waking. The nahm
and usefulness of this memory is entirely up the DM.
containsa k e y h o k n l y the key worn by Grkth (see page 16)
opensthe lock A s u m M h i traps roll indicates the PES-
ence of a trap that a'E can only bypass throughthe use of the
key. 'IhosePcswho open the lockmany otherway (suchas HOIIOW
picking it, smashingit, or subjecting it to magic) spring the trap. Beneath this 100-foot-by-100-footarea lies a 20-foot-diam-
If the trap adivates, it sends a blast of shrapnelthat causes 2d6 eter splintered chasm leading downward. The odor of dried
points of damageto anyone within a 15fwtradius. In addi- leaves and ancient rot drift upward. The passage's sides are
tion,the shrapneldestroys anything of value within the pod. worn and cracked, and several varieties of moss or lichen
If the Pcs have the key and open the pod successfully, grow over them. The moss possesses bright colors near the
they discover 40 small, flexible pouches packed in cradling surface, slowly changing into muted, darker tones near the
straw. Each pouch contains ldlO pinkish tablets. The tablets bottom of the chasm.In fact, the growthsare completely
represent the condensed nllhiiional and psychic quotient of black at the lowest levels.
one humanoid brain; this is a food supply cache prepared This fragment once contained various trophies, items of
by the illithidsof the planetismal just in case they landed in beauty, and preserved life forms from a variety of dikrent
an area with scarce food sources. One tablet is sufficient to -
worlds of the illithid empire. The life formswere on display
nourish an illithid for one month, allowing it to forego and preserved with quintessence-although the creatures
cephabphagy during that time. themselves died in the plocess. The impact of the fragment

, , . . . .
# . , ,

28
scattered the protective stasis of the displays, rendering 33. Guarded Control Board
them currently unidentifiable.
The followmg boxed text is an example of the ruin that
greets the eye of any observer who descends into the hollow: This rocky, cavernous area is wide and high, with the
ceiling reaching at least 40 feet above the debris-strewn
floor. Various rough tunnels branch off the periphery of the
Shattered columns, broken crystal figures covered cavern, but a sphere of utter blackness measunng 25 to 30
with black stains, lumps of sagglng metal, and shreds of feet in diameter sits in the caverns hub.
what may have once been banners now litter the floor. An unrelieved column of stone protrudes three feet
Nature has done much to claim this area in the inter- upward from the floor near the dark sphere. Four fist-sized
vening centuries, sending dampness llke llttle claws concavlhes visibly mar the smoothnessof the stone col-
down through the black earth to tear apart the walls. m.The indentahonsresemble four equal portions of a
dissected brain.

PCs who search the morass have a 75% chance per turn
of discovering an item from the list below. Only one of each Swm,the mystenousentity who crafted the psionic 4,
item exists in the chambers of the Hollow. guided the adventumsto the crater in oder for them to investigate
the truth of anaent rrferrncgto a worldspanning craft S t m n
A petrified mummy of a humanoid figure with a sin- pieced together the possibilityof such a vessels ,but he
gle unicomlike horn protruding naturally from its could not find any information refemuing the coordinatesofthe
head. Beneath its wrappings, the mummy possesses an illithid home world. He sent the PCsout to find the a & hoping
amulet of proof against charm. The possessor is immune that the necesary information would lie near the same area.
to charm, domination, and all other types of magical Strom suspeds a great deal of the illithids dark agenda and
and psionic influence. hopes that the PCs canliberate the craft,find the navigational
information, and use it to put an end to the illithidsplan. Unfor-
A small crystal figure amidst a litter of other broken tunately, the illithid separatedthe needed coordinates (lodged in
pieces. The figure is that of an illithid tadpole. Posses- a device d e d a brainmate) from the craft and divided them
sion of the figure psionically inhibits an illithid from into four lobes. T h e pieces lie in area 17, area 25, area 28, and
drawing forth the possessors brain in melee. area 32, respectively. Unfortunately, Stmm does not know how
to activate the craft (and thus the psionic seal does not possess
A necklace amidst the rubble that, when worn, plays any useful information on this matter).
soft unearthly music. Sometimes, the tone and timbre of The black sphere in the chamber is actually a special alloy of
the music shift dramatically, but not in a way obviously metal and quintessm~merelyrubbing it wont rrmove it, nor
connected to the immediate environment. will any other force. The only way to dispel the sphere is to
place all four lobes of the brainmateinto the depressions.
Unfortunately, if any noniUithid approacheswithin 10feet of
the indentations, 3 brain golems guarding this chamber (see
The C m f t map) activate and move to destroy any inmders.
The search of this 100-foot-by-100-footarea finally
uncovers the upper portion of a buried planetismal frag- Brain Golem (3): AC 3; MV 6; HD 12;hp 60;THACO 9; #AT
ment; this fragment requires three additional man-hours of 1;Dmg 2d12; SA psionic mind blast; SD combat sense, immu-
digging to clear a space for entry. nity; MR 7G%; SZ L ( 8 tall,5 wide); h4L Fearless (20); Int Lay
The fissure revealed is 5 feet in diameter. The passages (7);AL LE;XP 10,m.
sides appear worn and cracked, indicating a lack of quintes- Notes: SA-Brain golemsalways strike at wizcurls Srst, and they
sence protection. A descent of some 60 feet deposits explor- have an innate ability to target the weakst character in a p u p . In
ers in area 33. addition the golems mind blast (which it canuse once per tum)affe&
This fragment contains a craft capable of traveling celes- everyonew i h 60feet; affeaed ma- must make savingthrows
tial distances in a short period of time. In a sense, the craft vs.spell or suffer 2d8 points of damage and become stunned for Id10
stored here (a spelljamming nautilus variation) was the rounds.Ihcse awdum who save suffer only ld8 points of damage.
illithids one and only path back to their hidden home SD-Brain golems are immune to disease and poison,as well as
world. Unfortunately, the celestial reference points neces- chmm-relatedmagic, death magic, and hold and s k q spells. In addition,
sary to pilot the craft to the illithid home world were stored these creaturesare not harmed by nonmagid and psionic weapons.
in a brainmate. The illithids then divided the brainmate into
four lobes and placed them under special protection. If the player characters defeat the brain golems and suc-
cessfully find and place all four lobes of the brainmate into the
smooth column, the DM should proceed to the Conclusion
section in the next chapter.

29
 Wherein the DM finds information about the more
tant new items discussed in the adventure.
unaware 0
Brainmate (Assembled from Four L determine the
GP Value: lop00
The assembled navigati
roughly 6-foot-diameter
ied brain. Each of the bra
otherwise impeMous t
However, magical w
20 points of damage
proper tool, nothing s
lobes into the whole
The lobes serve a
release the ancient

the only morded celestial information

tion of the ancient heart of the an
Any being with simple telepathy,
draw off this knowledge. However, s

e Flayer functions as a

GP Value: 2500
Thispsionic item looks something like an ornate, delicate cks permanently reduce an opponent's
mace (in fact, player characters can wield the stick exactly y ld4 Intelligence points, if the target
like a standard mace, doing ld6+1 points of damage per fails a saving throw vs. spell. If the wielder of the sword
successful strike against Medium-sized foes). If the wielder rolls a natural 20, his opponent suffers double damage from
gives the mental command "maul" during a successful the blow and must make a saving throw vs. death magic
strike, he releases a psionic wave of force from the maul- (with a -2 penalty) or die immediately due to instantaneous
stick that lashes out at the target and inflictsan additional brain atrophy.
2d4 points of damage per charge utiliied (a wielder may The wielder may also trigger a psionic effect similar to
utilize all of the charges at once). Each maulstick has up to charm once per day on any human, demihuman, or gener-
10 chargeswhen fuuy powered. Only illithids with the ally humanoid creature (including orcs, goblins, ogres, and
power to recharge psionic items can fill an emptied maul- related races) of 10HD or less. Targets that fail their saving
stick with charges. throw follow the directions of the bearer of the sword for
one fullweek, after which the target is immune to all fur-
Headmesh ther charm effects from the sword. The bearer can never con-
GP Value: 1O , OO XP Value: 3,000 trol more than seven slaves at a time.
Headmesheswere developed by the ancient fo
race that eventually spawned the racially
and githyanki. The headmesh aids nonps
their resistance to the mental commands o
masters. When worn by a humanoid being, the headm
can absorb mental affects directed at its wearer
ited number of times). Generally, a headmesh c
ldlO attempts to influence the wearer's mind .
including applications of mind blast, domination, s
tion, and all charmingpsionic an
a M3 first discovers a headmesh,