I

ANINTRODUC~ON .................................................................
Including The Tale of Harbinger Houde, the Background of our story, a S u m m a y o f t h e
Adventure, notes on Preparing for Play, an overview of the Factions involved, and a summa
of the major Nonplayer Characters. i
,
CHAPTERI: THESTREETS OF SIGIL...............................................

In which our Heroes travel to Ecstasl, in pursuit of the Murderer and then to Cwrst to seek the
mysterious Leader of Those Who Cozdrt the Lady - and discover that bath B a m i e s are tied to a
darker, more sinister Plot. ,

CHAPTER E:HAR3mGER i
.....................................................
HOUSE
In which our Heroes get to the Heart of the mystery in a place of Barmies and powers-in-the-
.46

making, learning that ultimate Power and ultimate Madness often walk hand-in-hand in thc
shadows of Harbinger House.

C R a D I .E S
+
lavicsek Editor: Ray Vallese
+
Knutson Cover Artist: Robh Ruppel
Ned Dameron, Alan Pollack, Robh Ruppel
+
aretti Typography: Angelika Lokotz
+
Border Art: Robert Repp Graphic Design: Sarah Feggestad, Dawn Murir
Proofreader: Michele Carter

ADVANCED DUNGEONS H DRAGONS, ADEtD, DUNGEON MASTERa n d MONSTROUS

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 A lot of barmy things happen in the Cage.
That’s just the nature of a place that’s connected
to everywhere and serves as a waystation f o r
planewalkersfiom every corner of the multiverse. Still, a cutter knows that
he can count on a certain amount of stability, even in a place like Sigil. Take
the dabus, f o r instance. They repair what’s bro-

D c4 1
ken, cut back the evergrowing razorvine, and
1N ( otherwise serve as cryptic workers weaving their
way through the streets of the city. ’Course,
some berks learn there’s more to the dabus when
they threaten Sigil’s high-up, the Lady of Pain.
Then the dabus arrive as the Lady’s agents, swift to punish. Either way,
there’s a degree of comfort i n their ever-present activities.
But what if something bad were to happen
- something so foul and evil that even
A the dabus came to know fear?

bloods should

head out, ’cause

something that threat-
ens the Lady and makes even
the dabus nervous must be sodding awfil - and everybody knows there’s still
plenty of room in the dead-book f o r the careless, the foolish, and the brave.

T H E TALE a~
HARBINGER H e U S E
“It shelters those who are still developing, Facto1 Ambar of the Godsmen
explained to the new custodian as they walked along one of Sigil’s cobbled
streets. The woman beside him was Bereth, chosen from among the best the
faction had to offer f o r the skills and compassion she possessed. “These are

- FAC.E@L,AI’IIBAR
w *HE G e D S I I I E N
the forerunners of the next generation of powers, he continued, “a small
”

group of individuals who have been mistaken for bamzies by the rest of Sigil.
We, however, know better. ”

They walked in silence f o r a time, neither one speaking as they traveled

fiom the Foundry toward the oldest section of the Lower Ward. The buildings
in this urea pressed i n upon them, and the narrow streets became less
crowded with every new turn they made. Bereth felt as though sinister eyes
were watching her, but the factol was calm, and she didft’t want to appear
neivous or afraid while i n his presence. She followed him onto an ancient
stlteet, set off by a spiky wall of stone and razorvine. It was a dead-end, she
knew, and at its deepest point their destination waited.
“Sometimes the pressures of evolving to the next level take a toll on the
powers-to-be,’’ the factol said as he led her toward the structure at the end
of the block. “Sometimes we must care for these ascenders, keep them well
until the process reaches its conclusion. And we do that here, in Harbinger
House. ”

Bereth let loose the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding when
the House came into view. I t was always “the House, with a capital “H”
”

and a tone of wonder. It was huge, more like a mansion than a home, but its
architecture was as mad as the inhabitants sheltered within its tilted walls.
With its haphazard towers, leaning sides, and jumble of doors, windows,
and staircases, it was a structure right out of a Xaositect’s dreams - or a
 Guvner’s nightmares. There
didn’t seem to be a single right angle in
sight. Instead, the House was built of obtuse and
acute angles that made some walls lean crazily for-
ward while others pulled in upon themselves. It was,
unnerving, but Bereth could also feel the power emu;
nating from the place.
“It’s as old as the Cage itself, and as enigmatic4 Factol Ambar noted,
”

standing beside Bereth in the shadow of the House. its dark windows stared
down at them with silent regard, but its many doors^ remained closed. Bereth tried to
follow the course of an exterior staircase with her ejes, but it hurt to look at the House
too long or too hard. “Inside you will see majesty aqd mystery, and as you help the potuers-
to-be recognize themselves and climb to the next stahe of existence, you also will asceqd.”
Bereth remembered the other thing the Godsmela always said about Harbinger House. “Within its
twisted halls and random chambers waits the ultirhate answer to the tests of the mplltiverse,” the
chant went. “Find that answer, and the Final AscenSion will be at hand.”
However, before either factol or custodian could approach the House’s main entrunce, the front
door swung open and a disheveled Godsman stumbled out. “FactolAmbar, the Godsm4n called, “it’s
”

terrible! Terrible! Two of our charges - they’ve slipped the blinds, given us the laugh!’#
“Who, man? Tell me!” Factol Ambar demanded. Bereth’s blood turned cold.
“Trolan, Factol Ambar,” the Godsman stammefed, “and Sougad. By the Source VA11, Sougad
Lawshredder has escaped!”
Lawshredder - the name Bereth had imagined Fear exploded within her like thiefires of Dis,
plling her with dread instead of heat. She looked to her factol for comfort but found in his face only
terror. Above them, the House seemed to lean closer, like a vulture peering down to see F i t s meal had
stopped twitching. The Final Ascension had never felt as unattainable as it did at that Ibzoment. Or as
distant. . . .

BAC K G R u
~ND
This section gives a Dungeon Master (DM) enough information to grasp what’s really going on in the
adventure. It includes an overview of Harbinger House; what’s already happened to bring the story
to the point at which the adventure begins; the dark of the planarity and the focrux, myisterious items
of great power; and the roles played by the barmies Sougad and Trolan in the unfoldilhg plot.

Harbinger House sits on a quiet, dead-end street in the Lower Ward (though some claim it’s in The
Lady’s Ward), towering above the neighboring buildings. Its multiple levels rise in all directions,
piled haphazardly atop each other like blocks placed by a demented child. Walls tilt at insane angles,
and dark windows reflect the lantern light of the nearby hovels. Staircases climb and dqscend around
the House like latticework adornments. Some reach toward entryways, others lead nowhere. Finally,
and perhaps most important, are the doors. Doors of all sizes and descriptions fill the~wallsof Har-
binger House, inside and out - ornate doors, plain doors, elaborate open arches, simplle sealed por-
tals, doors of wood and stone and brass, and more. Doors are everywhere, and theg’re almost all
locked tight.
Harbinger House is a place of power, a nexus of energy, almost like a smaller version of Sigil it-
self. Its doors, like the portals of the Cage, open into the multiverse - ifa berk has tge proper key.
But the key to the doors of Harbinger House is harder to come by than the keys that qpen the Cage.
And there’s good reason for that. The House shelters some of Sigil’s most prominent blarmies, SO the
caretakers take great pains to protect their secrets.
Who are the caretakers? The Believers of the Source (also called the Godsmen) have taken it
upon themselves to administer to both the House and its inhabitants. They believe that the House
and the barmies they’ve selected to shelter are important to the Final Ascension. Remember, belief
has power in the planes, so the conviction of the faation shouldn’t be taken lightly. As the Godsmen
I ~

+3+
I I
see it, the residents of the House are powers-in-the-mak- alistic fashion. Before the dabus or the Harmonium could
ing, cutters and bloods almost ready to take the next step bring him down, the Godsmen captured Sougad and made
up the staircase of existence. The Godsmen have taken it a place for him in Harbinger House. The faction believed
upon themselves to care for them until the proress fin- Sougad’s innate abilities marked him as someone who’d
ishes. Imagine the favors the faction might cbmmand already transcended mere mortality, and that the murders
when one of their charges reaches the full state af power- were part of an elaborate rite to bring him to f u l l power-
hood! hood.
As far as anyone knows, such an event hasn’t hap- Trolan, too, came to Sigil with a definite goal in mind:
pened - yet. But all of the barmies residing in the House to win the love of the Lady of Pain. He was devoted to her,
do have a limited number of spell-like abilities that mark trying in vain to get her attention while others preferred to
them - in the Godsmen’s minds, anyway - as pdwers-in- avoid even her passing shadow. The dabus, enigmatic ser-
the-making. vants of the Lady that they are, brought Trolan to Harbin-
Harbinger House itself is described in detail in Chap- ger House and left him in the care of the Godsmen. Why he
ter III. The House is much larger on the inside than it ap- wasn’t flayed, quartered, or otherwise put in the dead-
pears to be from the outside; see the DM’s screen for a par- book is unknown, but it was the very fact that Trolan had
tial map of the interior. It’s a house of secrets, a place of expressed his adoration of the Lady and remained alive
mysteries hidden behind dark windows, a place as danger- that earned him a place in Harbinger House.
ous as it is alluring. Nari wants to gain possession of the House by chang-
ing the hearts and minds of its inhabitants over to her way
of thinking. She’s heard whispers about towns on the Out-
lands that slid into other planes once the attitudes of the
.-
residents shifted from neutrality to law or chaos, and she
believes she can do the same thing with Harbinger House.
She figures that once the place slides into the Abyss, it
won’t take long for her to unlock its secrets.
(What Nari doesn’t know is that the House won’t slide
WHALE HAS G e l BI out of Sigil. Fact is, none of the Cage can be cast off except
by the power of the Lady of Pain. But the PCs probably
Nan, a cunning succubus from the Abyss, has long sought don’t know that either, so they’ll act to stop Nari’s scheme.
to rise above her lesser station and gain more influence in After all, better safe than sorry.)
tanar’ri society. But as she can’t hope to match thie greater The plan was simple: Trolan would occupy the Lady
tanar’ri in their endless games of war and destruction, while Nari seduced Harbinger House into her corner.
she’s tried to find an edge, something that’ll give her the Sougad, however, offered Neri something more. “No mat-
power to compete with even the true tanar’ri. She believes ter what you may think, Mistress of Chaos,” Sougad told
such an edge - if one exists at all - can be found in Sigil, her from behind the locked door of his prison, “the Gods-
the City of Doors. men are right. There is a way to step up the ladder of exis-
Nari arrived in the Cage some weeks ago. Deciding tence, to ascend from mortal to immortal. I’ve already
her purpose would be better served if her true nature was taken the first steps out of the realm of humanity and into
kept hidden, she took the form of a beautiful human fe- the plane of power. It has nothing to do with the tests the
male and began making the rounds of taverns, inns, and Godsmen go on and on about. It has to do with this place
guild halls, seeking something to aid her ambitions. It did- - with Harbinger House.”
n’t take long for the rumors about Harbinger House to To further his own ends, Sougad told Nari his plan for
reach her. The idea of a nexus of planar energy that’s a becoming a power. He left out some details, but he pro-
miniature version of Sigil was a rumor too good to leave vided enough so she saw the dark of it. “Since I’ve been
unexplored. She used all the skills and talents at her dis- here, I’ve learned that you need two things to vitalize the
posal to hook up with the custodian of the House, a Gods- ritual,” Sougad confided. “The planarity and the focrux
man named Old Favur. control the House, and the House opens the conduits of
After a few dalliances with the Godsman, Nagi learned spiritual energy needed to achieve godhood. That was the
enough of Harbinger House’s secrets to know she wanted mistake I made the first time. I had the ritual, but I didn’t
to possess it. During their times together, Favur gladly pro- have the energy to power it.”
vided her with information about the House and the people Like most planars, Nari knew that powers were barred
it sheltered. The succubus was particularly interested in from entering Sigil - the Lady of Pain somehow prevented
two of the barmies: Sougad Lawshredder and Trolan of EC- it. But what if a power were created in Sigil? Could even
stasy (now called simply Trolan the Mad). the Lady stop such a transformation?
A decade ago, Sougad carved a bloody path through Nari charmed Old Favur, the custodian, into telling
the Cage, murdering members of lawful factions in a ritu- her about the items Sougad had mentioned. “The planarity
 The focrux is B bigger version of the planarity
about 15 feet in dia@eter. It stays inside Harbinger House
at all times, as the Qodsmen believe it t D be the spiritual
core of the House,l a conduit for planar energies. All
strange properties 0%the House - such a$ the fact that it’s
candle beside h bigger on the inside, than it appears on the outside - are
powered by the foc$ux. It also causes the exterior of the
changes, and to look at it i House to reflect magic, preventing berks from harming the
verse itself. What does it place or sneaking inpide. As with the pldnarity, the Gods-
course. All the doors o men are certain that the focrux will prove to be critical to
As for the focrux, the Final Ascension.
ger House. “It looks like a larger version of the One property olf the focrux that plqys an important
he said, “but its connection to the energy of the role in the adventurd is its ability to block all of Harbinger
is much more powerful. House from scrying. No one - not even tbe Lady of Pain -
focrux is the floodgate can peer inside whilt the focrux is operatkonal. Fact is, the
open it, when the Final Ascension is at hand.” focrux accounts foir the uneasiness of the Lady (and,
through her, the ddbus), as she can’t pinpoint the berk
THlE PLANARILEY who dares to tamped with portals and powers in the heart
AND +HE F@CRUS( of Sigil.

At rest, the planarity appears to be a nondescri SQUGAD ANP TRQLAN

deep-blue stone,
the palm of a han Sougad agreed to help Nari in exchange for his freedom.
of a planar portal, the planarity reacts with exc She charged him to resume his murder spree, thus keeping
changes shape, and a storm of energy rises u the lawful factions too busy to notice her actions. Sougad,
depths to play along the inner surface of th however, has his own agenda. He wants to finish his ascent
protrusions emerge from the smooth sur to powerhood by completing his ritual and using the pla-
much as three inches before pl narity and the focrux once Nan’s mastered the items.
These protrusions extend and retract fas Trolan, meanwbile, is to occupy the attention of the
the planarity gets closer to a portal. At t Lady of Pain and her servants. By approaching Trolan in
inner storm intensifies into a raging dance of col the guise of the Lady herself, Nari has turned the barmy
The planarity is a gate key, but into a prophet. In preaching his devotion to the Lady of
sense. Unlike other gate keys, which are linked Pain, Trolan’s natural charisma will convert others to his
planar doors, the planarity has the pow cause, and, before long, his cult of Lady devotees (called
tal in Harbinger House. In addition, it’ Those Who Courtdhe Lady) will descend on the Cage to
unlocks the sealed doors there (both mundane a break the Lady’s cardinal rule: no direct worship of Sigil’s
The Godsmen’s facto1 keeps the planarity in his high-up. The chaos and mayhem will be exquisite!
at all times, sure that it’ll play an imp0 Unfortunately for Nari, Old Favur retired before her
role in the Final Ascension. plan could be set in motion. A new custodian, Bereth, was
Anyone who holds the planarity selected to oversee Harbinger House and its guests, an un-
anyone who knows the command wo foreseen event that forced the succubus to release Sougad
to place the item in his open palm, approac and Trolan earlier than she’d planned.
portal, and utter the right word. Th
floats a few inches above the palm,
The device doesn’t work if it’s in a p
dental trips aren’t possible.
What’s more, the planarity c
stores images and sounds from act The player charact?rs (PCsJ begin Harbinger House in
area. This feature Sigil, engaged in some between-adventure activity. They
which portals were opened, and may be relaxing and enjoying the wonders of the City of
the Godsmen can call forth the Doors, looking for work, or browsing
ages, which “replay,” life size, i the Cage’s shops in search of
A L -
ever, if the PCs gain
- -possession of the plana
bargains and rare planar items.
they can summon images of the previous The adventure is designed SO the
few hours - an ability that might prove DM can involve the PCs in the story from
important at the end of the adventure. almost anywhere in the Cage.
 1
l
,
I
In Chapter I, the PCs witness a number of stran e oc- Harbinger House. Codies of the PLANESCAPE MONSTROUS
currences plaguing Sigil. They see dabus behaving i odd Primer to the OutZands,
ways, meet members of a cult called Those Who Co rt the Zi are also useful but not
Lady, and learn the facts and rumors surrounding a series
of gruesome murders. This last chain of events - th slay- esigned for a party of four to six
ings of lawful sods throughout the Lower Ward an o 7th level. The group shouldn’t
Lady’s Ward - is the main focus and challenge f er words, don’t use this
chapter. The PCs must find and try to stop the i ion to the setting. It works best
Sougad Lawshredder, even if they as part of an existing
don’t yet realize the dark of his P€BWERS I N + H E I I I A K I N G ? PLANESCAPE campaign.
madness. It’s important to
In Chapter D,the PCs nd that a PLANESCAPE
leave the Cage and head to Y€BU’RE AS B adventure is more
I the Outlands, either follow- AS + H E about ideas than
ing Sougad after he es- C K E D UP IN + H E R E ! monster-bashing. The
caped or seeking the
leader of the Lady-
worshiping cult. In the
- D e % e f + H E A.EP
+HE N E W cu
nn* R +e B E R E . E H ,
S.E@DIAN
DM is encouraged to
award experience points
based on completing story
gate-town of Ecstasy, the e f H A R B I N G ER H Q U S E goals (see Chapter 8 of the
PCs learn a bit more -DMG). The cbnclusion of
about Trolan this adventure addresses
1
and discover 1 story-based awards for
that Sougad is Harbinger House.
still killing lawful talicized text printed in amber is
sods in a ritualistic fashion. A dra- ad aloud or paraphrased to

Li
matic confrontation with Sougad leads mation meant only for the
DM is set off with mber diamonds (+).Furthermore,
special DM NOTESare s attered throughout the adventure
to reveal important inf rmation and pass on role-playing
advice. DMs will als find sections labeled
CHANT and SLIPPING TH BLINDSthat respectively ciariry
plot points and give d rections for dealing with possible
problems.
The gatefold scre n that accompanies the adventure
provides both DM and player maps. The outside features
two full-color maps of sections of Sigil for the players to
use as their characters explore the streets and buildings
of the Cage. The insid features the same maps of Sigil,
customized for the DM - these versions contain numbers
that mark the importa t sites likely to be visited by play-
ers. Note that these m ps are close-ups of Sigil and con-
tain some details an street names not shown on the
overall map in In the ge: A Guide to Sigil. (Because the
size of Sigil can chang at the whim of the Lady of Pain,
the maps of the city locks have no scales to indicate
exact distances.) The i side of the screen also contains a

1
partial map of the gate town of Ecstasy, and a map of the
existence. Though the PCs don’t know it, Sougad still lives, rooms in Harbinger Ho se that the PCs must explore.
and he’s getting ready to make an ascension himself. In Harbinger Hous , the PCs run into several different
types of tanar’ri. Most anar’ri have a gate ability that lets
them summon other fi nds; however, gate abilities aren’t
PREPARING F e R PLAY I listed in the tanar’ri st tistics provided in this adventure.
The only place the PCs’ll run into tanar’ri is in Sigil, and
The Dungeon Master must have copies of the AD€tD’@PZay- the Cage can’t be
er’s Handbook (PH),DUNGEON MASTER@ Guide (DMG:,and the entire ad-
the PLAN ESCAPE^^ Campaign Setting boxed set to propeiy run
i

+7+
 P A C II.I @ N S Bleaker could make a healthy case to at least
discredit the Godsmen and gain favor in his
IN + H I S ADVENLEUR
Factions always play some part in a P
ture, as most PCs belong to one philosophical fraternity
or another. Because so much of this adventure rei
volves around Harbinger House, the Believers of The Doomguard are quite int
the Source have a vested interest in the unfold- ~

ing events. Their general reaction to the After all, lawful members of this faction are as
events of the story - along with that likely to be targeted by Sougad as lother lawfuls. If a
of the other factions - is outlined member of the ,PC group belongs to the faction, he or
below. she might be approached by the faction leaders to look
into the ongoing mqrders before a Doomguard cutter ends
T H E A+HAR up in the dead-book.

The Athar don’t believe the chant about Harbin r House

for a minute. A place full of barmy
E + m , ~
Ha! A place fullof barmy liars is more like it! The law-killer obviiously has no respect or appreciation
ies presented in the adventure attract for Death, though he is desperately trying to impress it
Lost, however. As the Defiers love to di with his bloody antlics. All Sougad’s accomplishing is to
hind everything and long to look upon the face force his victims to go through the whole process again -
knowable, mysteries concerning the Lady and that’s somethidg no Dustman-in-good-standing can
dabus, and Sigil itself certainly spark the At tolerate. Trolan, on the other hand, at least shows style
‘Course, the faction’s most concerned about and loving devotion in his mad rush toward Death’s warm
spree. Two lawful members of the Athar were vi embrace.
murderer, and Factol Terrance calls for The faction leadership watches to make sure the mur-
ders don’t spread to the Hive or otherwise impinge on the
Dustmen’s areas of interest, and they make an effort to
BELIEVERS @ f +HE SeURCE collect the victims for the Mortuary, but they otherwise
I

The Believers of the Source have a natural co stay out of the proceedings.
the events in this adventure. Harbinger House

The Fated see t

great importance is occurring in the shad spect of a sort withlout properly earning it. What’s more,
the utter evil of Nati’s scheme should perturb all but the
matters, capture the escaped barmies (quietly most evil of the Fatcd.
fuss, of course), or recover the planarity aft The faction leadership keeps a closq eye on the mur-
from Factol Ambar in Chapter I. However, the ders of the membem of the other factions, but refuses to
their best not to have the faction publicly get involved in matters that don’t directly concern the
bad events plaguing Sigil. The faction Fated. The factol, Duke Rowan Darkwood, won’t order his
Sougad’s threat quickly, without letting too members to act unless a reward of soma sort is involved.
Anything less would be considered charity, and the Fated
him, they’ll do their best to claim he was neve don’t perform acts uf charity for any reason.
care. Other factions - especially those that
Godsmen to be their enemies, like the Bleak C THE FRA+EWNI+Y @ f e R D E R
Dustmen - would love to get their hand
Godsmen messed up. The breakdown of law definitely disturbs the Fraternity of
Order. Flagrant criainal acts, total disregard for the law,
wanton acts of violence - it’s enough to make a Guvner
THE BLEAK CABAL go barmy! Beyond ;the obviously evil acts of Sougad and
The Bleak Cabal is especially interested in the leatherheaded actions of Trolan, the thought of the
mation that paints the Believers of the dabus losing their Qrdered approach to city maintenance I
light. While blame for all of the causes great distress in the hearts and minds of Guvners
around Harbinger House falls everywhere.

I I
 1

~
While only one member of this faction wind up in
ead-book by the start of the adventure, the ction

1 Factol Hashkar is concerned. He may even hire the Cs to

~ bring the murderer to justice; after all, order m st be
I reestablished before all of Sigil collapses into chaos!t
believes itself to be the murderer’s primary target. B cause
of this, all other incidental events take a back seat a far as
Anarchist cutters see Irolan as a heroic symbol. He’s slap-
ping the faces of law, prder, and sanity, going so far as to
risk death to change the rules and do things his own way.
As for Sougad, some Anarchists see him as the harbinger
of the True Revolutionland revel in the chaos and fear he’s
inspired. Other membdrs of the faction see him as a wild
card who could dooqh the Revolution before it has a
chance to move into h l l swing. The law-killer’s methods

wards.

TH9 HARHI@NIUHI
1
As a group, the Free League won’t get involved; ho ever,
any PCs who are members of this faction might ch ose to
throw in with whichever side seems to offer the b st re-

Harmorllum cutters’ll seek to arrest the criminal responsi-

1
are too extreme, they s y, and the League has to keep itself
dark from the factions that would destroy it.
Harbinger Houscj, however, appears to be nothing
more than a glorified {ndoctrination camp. A true victory
for the Revolution wo$d be to discover what’s happening
in the House, and then1set the prisoners free.

THE S I G N @ f P N E
ble for the murders; Sougad’s actions demand an qppro-
priate response. Once the first victim is discovered, Factol A small but vocal portion of the Sign of One faction be-
Sann mobilizes his Hardheads and assigns his best inves- lieves that the person rlesponsible for imagining the multi-
tigator, Narcovi, to solve the case (especially since cbne of verse is doing it from qomewhere in the depths of Harbin-
the victims was a member of the Harmonium). Sarin be- ger House. PC Signers have at least heard the theory, even
lieves that the murders are the work of a rival falction, if they don’t believe it. Still, events happening around the
probably the Xaositects or the Revolutionary League. As House are worth looki1ng into, just in case there’s some-
the factol’s representative in this matter, Narcovi may en- thing to the chant.
list the PCs’ help to catch the perpetrator - or pursue them
as suspects as the murders continue.
THE S B C I E + Y ~@ f S E N S A L E I e N
THE HIERCYKILLERS ~
Sensates find the evenits surrounding Harbinger House to
their liking. There are {ecrets to be learned in each experi-
The Mercykillers are charged with protecting justice, and ence, and nothing sho$ld be allowed to just pass by. Per-
the events surrounding Harbinger House threaten justice in 40
haps a Sensate wants hear the words of Trolan, letting
all its forms. Factol Nilesia is furious that members of al- his own heart sail toward the enigmatic Lady of Pain. Or
lied factions have been showing up in the dead-book, and maybe he wants to feel the sharp touch of her shadow be-
the Mercykillers descend on the streets of Sigil like rf pen- fore the blades strike. Qf course, death is an experience to
etrating mist. They’ll never find Sougad, but that doesn’t be saved for the very &d, and no Sensate wants that end
mean they can’t cause trouble for the PCs. They can inter- to be in the near futurd.
fere with the PCs’ own investigation, chase after thrm as Factol MontgomeT won’t order anyone from the fac-
suspects, or even go out of their way to ask the PCs for tion to investigate the murders or the actions of the cult.
help. All Sensates are free to explore the fires of their senses, but
only in an unofficial cdpacity.
I De”+ mlND
BEING ACCUSED @f mURDER THE TRANSCENDEN+ @RDER
N@W A N D A G A I N , BU+ I HA+€ The Transcendent Order seeks a harmony of mind and
B E I N G B L A m E D f@R EVERY LI++LE body that makes quick action a virtue. With each new
+ H I N G +HA+ G @ E S W R @ N G problem or obstacle thdown in their path, Ciphers not only
attempt to make fast decisions and quick responses, they
I N +HE C A G E .
also try to make the ridht ones.
Factol Rhys wony+command the Ciphers to become
directly involved in the events surrounding Harbinger
House. She has no intdrest in letting her faction interfere
in the internal politics iof the Lower Ward and The Lady’s
Ward. The right action, in this case, is no action - it’ll keep
her and hers alive. ’Codrse, once the murderer moves on to
 j
Ecstasy, the events start to hit closer to the Ciphe s’ home.
In Chapter 11, the Ciphers could approach the PC for help
S e U G A D LAWS H RE D D E R
in ridding their gate-town of Sougad’s threat.
1 Male human prime, 11th-level fighter
Str 17, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 17, Wis 8, Cha 12
THE XAeSILEECLES I

THACO 10; #AT 3/2; Dmg ld10+2 (two-handed sword +2,

The chaos that swirls law slayer);AC -2 (chain mail +4, Dex bonus); hp 64; MV
Xaositects in soothing, 12; SA Strength bonus (+1 to attack and damage rolls);
those who subscribe to magical sword becomes a +4 weapon when fighting lawful
out the Lady of Pain when the end result is a opponents; MR 50%; SZ M (6 feet tall); AL CE; ML fanatic
may be a bit barmy, but (18); XP 10,000.
Spell-like abilities at start of adventure (usable at will,
once per round, uqless otherwise indicated): cause fear
(three times per day), dimension door (once per day), know
alignment, and shocking grasp.

Sougad Lawshredder lived up to his name during a murder

spree he conducted almost a decade ago. For seven days,
significant number of Sougad held Sigil in a grip of terror, and few who lived
have started to point through that week could ever forget it.
Chaosman PC could look into matters for him. The Godsmen eventually captured Sougad and locked
him away in Harbinger House - much to the complaint of
the Mercykillers. The Godsmen felt that Sougad’s murder-
N QN P L A YER
C HA R A C E RS + ous tendencies would disappear as he ascended toward
powerhood. The fact that he’s shown remarkably little im-
provement over the last 10 years has caused Factol Ambar
(NPCS)
some concern; now that Sougad’s escaped, that concern
has become genuine fear.
I + H E SUCCUBUS
I Like all of the barmies

t
THACO 15; #AT 2; Dmg ld3/ld3 (fists);AC -3 (ri ofpro-
tection + 3 ) ; HD 6; hp 32; MV 12, FI 18 (C); S energy
from Harbinger
House, Sougad
I F +HEY
+ H @ U G H + my
‘B
drain; SD +2 or better weapons to hit; immun to fire,
electricity, and poison; half damage from cold nd gas;
has a few spell-
like abilities that
mURDER SPREE
LAS*

tional (16); AL CE; ML elite (14); XP 11,000.

I
never surprised; MR 300h; SZ M (6 feet tall); I t excep- mark him as a
power-in-the- WAS BAD, W E L L ,+ H E Y
Spell-like abilities (usable at will once per making (see AI”+ S E E N
person, clairaudience, darkness 15’ above). He is N @ + H I N G YE+.
ethereal (as if using oil of insane,
shift, shapechange, homicidal,
and totally LAW S H Re D D E R
Nari’s always been a dreamer, seeking a without
higher station, and a more prominent posit morals, but
society. However, getting these things requi he also has ge-
than is normally available to a lesser tanar’ nius-level intelli-
hatched a plan worthy of a balor, one that -
gence and can present
her power - one that she thinks’ll make he himself as a distinguished, witty gentleman. However, his
The succubus isn’t a fighter. She uses calm moods never last, and Sougad shifts into maniacal-
and seduction to get what she wants, “borr killer mode without any warning. Naturally, he loves to
willed males when she needs brawn for a frighten his victims before he kills them.
Nari spends most of her time in Sigil in the fo Nari believes that Sougad will help her become a
tiful human female. In addition to her ri power, but the murderer has his own agenda. A decade
+3,Nan wears a necklace of missiles, whic ago, he came close to completing an arcane ritual for as-
preball missiles: one 10-dice, two 8-dice, two cending to a new level of existence. Now, by combining
four 4-dicepreballs. If severely pressed, Nari c the ritual with the power of the planarity and the focrux,
her associate, Crimjak the marquis cambion. I Sougad believes that godhood will finally be his.

+ 10 +
4

masses. It was up to Trolan to show them how by forming

the cult called Those Who Court the Lady. ’Course, Trolan
doesn’t realize he’s juat a pawn in Nari’s game. By divert-
ing the attention of the real Lady of Pain, the cult should
keep her from messing up Nan’s plans.
THACO 16; #AT 1; Dmg ld6+1 (short sword iI);AC 2 (ring
ofprotection i 4 , Dex bonus); hp 41; MV 12; SA wizard
spells (3 1st-level, 3 2nd-level, 2 3rd-level, 1 4th-level); SD C R I m f A K + ~ ,em A R Q U I S C A I I I B I e N
healing (regains all lost hit points within 24 hours unless Str 19, Dex 16, Con 17, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 16
slain); MR 40%; SZ M (5 feet tall); AL CG; ML cbmpion
(16); XP 6,000. THACO 15; #AT 2; Dag ld8+3 (long sword +3);AC 0 (Dex
Thieving skills: CW 709/0, DN 6O%, PP 50%, R I 50%. bonus); HD 6; hp 42; kIV 15; SA Strength bonus (+3 to at-
Spell-like abilities (usable at will, once per round, unless tack rolls, +7 to damage rolls); wizard spells (4 1st-level, 2
otherwise indicated): c h a m person (six times per day), 2nd-level, 2 3rd-level); SD never surprised; immune to

Once Trolan of Ecstasy, now Trolan the Mad (and later

Trolan the Beloved), the bard has one great lov in his

1
life. Unfortunately, it’s a love that could kill him: Trolan
is devoted to the Lady of Pain. As any berk can t 11 you,
no one worships Sigil’s high-up in any manner. TO do so

I
brings down her wrath and sends the offending so off to
his final reward. Such warnings never deterred rolan,
though. He first heard about the Lady as a young ard in
the gate-town of Ecstasy. What other berks spok of in
careful whispers, Trolan shouted in the light of ay. He
composed songs to the Lady, wrote sonnets, an took ing her, as her goal wjs to push the House - a p
every story he could find and turned them into epic magical planar energy - into the Abyss. ’Course
poems.
out the part about hdr becoming a new power,
Trolan traveled to the Cage six years ago and soon that Crimjak didn’t nekd to know everything.

I
found a tavern to perform in. Much to the owne ’s dis-
may, the young tiefling sang a song of love to the ady of NARCQVI
Pain - going so far as to name her not once, b t nine
times before the song was done. The crowd fled i terror Female dwarf planar, 4th-level fighter, Harmonium
and the tavern owner threw the bard into the stree , fully Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 10
expecting the Lady’s shadow to swallow Trolan hole.
Nothing happened, however, and Trolan walked off into THACO 12; #AT 3/2; Dmg ld8+3 (long sword +3);AC 0
the night.
(field plate +2); hp 54.lMV 6; SZ M (4 feet tall); AL LG; ML

1I
It wasn’t long before no inn or drinking hall w uld let
Trolan within 50 feet of the door, let alone inside o per-
form. The Harmonium wouldn’t let him sing the ady’s
praises in the streets, and the Mercykillers were pr paring
to deal out their own form of punishment when th dabus
surrounded the bard and took him away. What the f ctions
don’t know is that the dabus took him to Harbinger House
and placed him in the Godsmen’g care. Trolan’s got1 a nat-
ural healing ability that mends his body; the dabus hoped
the faction could mend the tiefling’s mind. The Go smen,
of course, saw Trolan as a power-to-be, a barmy wo hy of
study and care.
champion (16); XP 2dOO.

This feisty cutter’s thq chief i

Harmonium to look into the re
Cage. A tough, no-ndnsense
get the really difficult1 cases. She sees them as challenges
befitting her investig4tive skills, and when a case comes
her way, she throws
solution. For this
she has into finding the
Narcovi’s got eight Hard-
head agents backing der up, and a dozen more
searching the wards far clues, witnesses,
and weird rumors that might lead her to
the killer.
To gain Trolan’s help, Nari - who’s taken co
of the House - appeared to him in the guise of the
Pain. She claimed to love him as much as he
loved her, and asked him to spread the word: The
Lady wanted to be loved and worshiped by the
I

I -g
Harbinger House can begin in any number of - 1

ways, depending on where the PCs finished up

their last adventure. A few sample
“Quick Starts” are presented below; with modifications, one
should work as an opening
for any particular group of
PCs. “Return Trip” starts the
moment the PCs return to
the Cage from somewhere
else (the recommended
I opening for the adventure);
“Rellaxing in the Cage” opens with the PCs enjoying a quiet dinner at an inn;
and “Shopping Day” begins as the PCs search for bargains
in one of Sigil’s more unusual shops. After
the DM selects one of the opening scenes,
the remaining two should be used
as encounters
later in this
b
chapter.
I Chapter I
follows a number
of paths that take the
PCs throughout the Lower
W a d and The Lady’s Ward. A series of grisly murders has the wards up in
, armp when the adventure starts. As the PCs get drawn into the plot, they
also discover other strange happenings in the Cage. The dabus, for example,
are bcting in peculiar fashion: cleaning areas that aren’t dirty, fixing things
that aren’t broken, and generally behaving nervously. What’s more, a new
cult has recently appeared in the Cage, one with an unusual object of affec-
P
tioni: the Lady of Pain. No one knows why the Lady hasn’t put them all in
the dead-book already, but that doesn’t stop folks from speculating (some
even suggest her lack of a brutal response means she approves of the
worship).
UNUSUAL? This chapter ends with a confrontation with Sougad, the
barmy committing the murders. The PCs and Sougad
N e , N b + A+ ALL. battle over the rooftops of Sigil, finally winding up
THE DABUS P A I N f + H A + WALL across from a small park where a group of Those
EVERY DAY A + + H I S + I m E .
- HIALK +HE SARCAS.EIC
Who Court the Lady prepare to offer homage to Sig-
il’s high-up. The PCs, locked in battle with Sougad,
catch glimpses of the moving ceremony of love and
devotion. But Sougad escapes through a portal before he can be
defeated, and at that moment the PCs witness the arrival of the
Lady of Pain. Her shadow passes over the park, and every barmy it touche
receiives bloody wounds from the outline of her bladed countenance.

Q U I C K W A R + I: REcEURN TRIP
the adventure just as the PCs return to Sigil from a trip
They emerge from a portal to discover that things aren’t
remember them. For this quick start to be effective, the
a portal in the Lower Ward or The Lady’s Ward.
the portal should be nea%Harbinger House, as that’s the area
activities of the dabus are most concentrated. Read:

+ 12+
 a
.- 1

usually unflappable dabus to behave so strangely? And what does such be-
havior bode for the future?
The PCs should also notice that other passersb4 are totally ignoring
dabus, acting as though the Lady’s servants perfordl senseless work
any of the passersby about the dabus, a bariaur co ments, “They’vebeen worki
wall_Frr almost a week now. it’s been bhe, red, g r e q , yellow, and now blue aga
wait to see what color they w e next.” No matter hoq many people the PCs ask,
same answer: There’s nothing unusual going on. Hohever, any PCs who make
check while questioning the crowd
hiding it well, but there’s a tension
their eyes move back and forth. Any PC who
realizes just what the tension is - fear.
If the PCs try to question the dabus, they get ndwhere. The dabus routinely

1
ignore the presence of others, and at this point in th’ adventure the PCs are no exception. No mat-
ter how hard the PCs try, they can’t get the dabus to notice them. If they stand in the way, the dabus
step around them. If they place themselves in front the wall, the dabus paint over them as though
they were just another part of the scenery. Eventual1 , the PCs should take the hint and move on.

i
If the PCs are foolish enough to attack the da us, they do get a response: The diabus descend
upon them with the wrath and fury normally rese ed for enemies of Sigil and the Lady of Pain.
Once one of the PCs falls, the dabus cease their attack - if the remaining PCs do likewi$e. Otherwise,
it might be time to roll up new characters, because1 enough dabus can be summoned to put down
en the most powerful PC party. I
THEREM, CHANT:The strange behavior exhibited lby the dabus is a symptom of the illness affect-
ing the Cage. Until Nan’s threat is ended and Trolan $as been returned to Harbinger House, the dabus
continue to reflect the unexplained nervousness oft the Lady of Pain. While the Ladk knows that
something’s wrong in the city, she can’t locate the tqouble due to the blocking effects I f thefocrux.
However, she senses the energy gathering in Sougad’s ritual, Nari’s manipulations, even
Trolan’s exploits - all of these events are the birth of a new power. Poweds are usually
sealed off from Sigil, but what happens if ated in the Cage? The Lady doejn’t know the
specifics, but she is concerned, and, as a are almost frightened.
DM NOTE:After this initial scene, to news of the murders. One of
the follow-up scenes described later in 11” or “Quick $tart 111”)can
be used to draw the PCs deeper into
the dabus’ strange paint job can still

DABUS(4 OR VAR): THACO 15; #AT 1; Dmg Id8 or by deapon; AC 7 ; HD 6; hp 26 each; W 12; SD im-
mune to spells that affect the surface beneath themlor the air around them; SZ M (6 feet tall); Int
e,ery (12); AL N; ML steady (12); XP 420. I
 QUICK W A R + 11: WHA+ +HE mALE B A S H E R S KNBW
RELAXING I N + H E C A G E If the PCs approach the male Athars in a friendly manne
Another possible beginning for this (offering to buy drinks, for example), the bashers open up.
around a relaxing dinner at the PCs' They gladly spill everything they know about the murders
(which isn't much), especially if the PCs treat them like
scene can be placed in an
campaign. The scene f the Lost can share with the PCs:
Someone is murdering lawfully aligned membe
of factions in the Lower Ward and The Lady

The first body was found about one week ago by

the Hardheads - the body of Old Favur of the

murders that plague the Lower Ward

and The Lady's Ward. The murders
began about a week ago, and each
night since one lawfully aligned I H E A R D +HEY
faction member has ended up in the
dead-book. Six bodies have been
FCDUND s@mE N U - F S H E L L S
discovered to date, each from one of N E A R @ N E 8' + H E BCBDIES,
these factions: the Athar. the Believers l A N D YE K N @ W W H A +
of the Source, the Fraternity of Order,
and the Harmonium. While no mem-
+HA+'XIEANS - The female faction member is
harder to talk to than her
KILLER S Q U I R R E L S !
bers of the Doomguard or the Mercy-
killers have turned up dead yet, both of
these factions believe that it is only a
- AN A .)1H A R B A S H E R
W H ~ B ' SH A D
male companions, refusing to an-
swer questions if the PCs have
any specialty priests or paladins
matter of time until they get hit, too. AB1.t. .E@@ mucH among them. Even if they
The PCs may question the Athar don't, she still doesn't
*e D R I N K
party or simply finish their meal and trust strangers, and the
head out into the night. The crux of current events have made
the plot has been planted, and her even more cautious
there are plenty of scenes de- than usual. She's wary of being tricked
scribed in this chapter for pulling
1 into something, or of giving away too much
the PCs deeper into the story. If they do to a rival faction, or of unknowingly speaking
question the Athars, they don't learn a lot. The to the murderer - after all, the berk could be anybody!
bashers only know the most common rumors, Still, if nonpriest or nonpaladin PCs strike up a conversa-
mal tion with her, sh
of what she k
ing
decide to look the murders began, even going so far as to send
available from the Athars can provide clues out patrols to
early in this chapter. Foundry. (True.
FEW
he murderer isn’t a regular berk at al1,lbut a

,ougad Lawshredder is the killer.)

CUTER (PI+/? €~UM.AN/FS/ATHAR/N):

THACO 15; #AT 1; Dmg Id8 (long sword); AC 4
mail); hp 32; M V 12; SZ M (6 feet tall); Int very
elite (14);XP 270.

Q U I C K M A R + 111:
S H f B P P I N G DAY
This opening can be used if the PCs have co
purchase supplies and equipment, or if they’re r
their packs after a tough adventure. Eventually,
by a shop, The Friendly Fiend, with a picture of a
yugoloth (an arcanaloth) over the door. Thi
the best in the Lower Ward, has a reputation for
and quality - despite the fact that the s
greater yugoloth. If the PCs have spent any time
the Lower Ward, they’ve heard stories of this shop.
ver robe

The elf, Halelfar [Pr/ 8 elf/O/-/LG), recently found

himself on the Outlan4s after spending the bette; part of
his life on a nameless prime world. He’s one of the Clue-
less, but he heard the qords of Trolan and decided to take
up the worship of the iady of Pain. Halelfar paid for pas-
sage to Sigil with the llast of his savings (passage being a
gate key and direction$ to the proper gate), and now he’s
come to pay homage to the Lady with the other recent
converts to Trolan’s religion.
I
I
that some of the best adventuring suppl

even goods from far-off planes can be pur

quantities are extremely limited.

I
The shopkeeper, A’kin (P1/8 fiend/O/- Halelfar nods and walks back i
aloth with a pleasant personality and friendly move to hide the icon. If the PCs ask
spite his fearsome appearance (he looks 1 about, the yugoloth explains that so
with the head of a war dog), A’kin is one religion dedicated to the Lady of Pain.
I

words to parcel out to those who visit his shop.

If the PCs enter the shop, A’kin
them. He offers cups of hot tea or m
he cheerfully calls out, “Welcome,
PCs may be unbalanced by a fr

If the PCs go after Balelfar and question him, they can

around to selling anything. Ins learn some details about the new religion.
weather, local news, amusing a
murders that have been plaguin “We love the Pain,” the elf says with obvious
Lady’s Ward. “Terrible,” he sa the very air w e
kind of foul creature would kill are nothing, so we have
bask in her overwhelming
looking for anything in particular or just browsing) He’s for,the Lady will
I
our aflection. *
With that, Halelfar strides toward the park.
I
love you, too. We gather in Bloodgem Park tw nights
from now. The Lady can hardly refuse to respond to all of

Back at the shop, if the PCs remind A’kin thajt he was

ture the icon of the Abyss: an arrow pointing downwaru
through the center of an infinity symbol. Don’t make it a big
issue; simply mention the icon in passing and allow a PC to
ask A’kin what it means. That way, when the PCs later see
the same icon in Haltbinger House, the revelation will have
added significance - and terror.
about to show them some wondrous item, the arcanaloth’s
face lights up and he calls toward a curtained doorway.

J
“Balaka, my dear, please bring out the long box on he work
table. A moment later, a beautiful, red-haired fe ale with
”

feathery wings steps from behind the curtain, cartying an

BUILDIING +HE S$@RY
After one of the three openings gets the PCs into the ad-
oblong box. Balaka (PI/? fiend/O/-/LE), an eriniyes, is a venture, the main thrust of this chapter is the murders.
lesser baatezu who works for Even if the PCs initially decide to
A’kin;shyandquiet,she’sasun- T H A + F I E KN@WS WHERE stay out of the investi-
usual a fiend as her employer. gation, events happen-
ARE B U R I E D . ingaroundthemeven-
The box contains a long
sword o f t h e p Z a n e s , a blade
with a black jewel in its pom-
me1 that glows with the energy of
the multiverse. It looks as though a
c-.l

A B ~ U +&KIN

portion of space, complete with stars and glowing gases,

yu ” ’
WARD tuallYPullthemright
into the middle of
things. If the PCs don’t take
the initiative, they can be
come suspects in the Harmonium’s investigation; they can
has been trapped within the jewel. However, A’kin won’t be hired by one of the most concerned factions (probably
identify the sword for what it is, merely commentiug on its the Athar or the Guvners) to catch the murderer; or they
beautiful workmanship and noting that it has some minor might be approached by the Godsmen to capture Sougad
enchantments on it. After some haggling, the lowest price and return him to Harbinger House.
he’ll accept is 4,000 gp. If the PCs can’t afford his price The rest of this chapter is broken down into the fol-
now, he’ll gladly hold the sword for them until later - for lowing major sections.
a small down payment of 100 gp. “Getting the Chant” (pp. 17-19), which details
The long sword of the planes has the followirlg attack what the PCs might learn from Narcovi (the Har-
and damage roll bonuses when used on the specified monium’s investigator), what they might hear
planes or against opponents from those planes: Pdime Ma- from the typical sod on the street, and what’s
terial Plane, +1; Inner Planes, +2;Outer Planes, +B; Astral reaZZy going on with Sougad’s murderous ritual.
or Ethereal Planes, +4. However, the PCs must figure out + “Scenes of the Crime” (pp. 19-24), which details
how the sword works on their own: A’kin claims not to encounters at the sites of the first six murders
know. (committed before the adventure begins).
THEREALCHANT:A k i n the shopkeeper really zs a “Looking fqr Clues” (pp. 24-28), which provides
friendly fiend. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have’his own six other related events that might take place dur-
agenda, but such intrigues are left to crafty DMs. i’\s far as ing the PCs’ investigation of the murders.
this adventure is concerned, A’kin can provide the PCs with “Incidental Encounters” (pp. 28-30), which pro-
information and supplies they wouldn’t normally have ac- vides numerous quick encounters to flesh out the
cess to. For example, if they stay on the arcanalo$h’s good story and give the PCs hints of things to come.
side, they can come back to the shop later and abk about + “Sougad and the Lady” (pp. 30-31), which takes
succubi, cambions, or other things that have to)do with the PCs through the dramatic conclusion to the
fiends. A’kin shouldn’t be used to give them all thelanswers, chapter.
but he can provide hints, clues, and information if the PCs
are having trouble, or reward them if they’re doin4 particu- The DM should not simply move the PCs through each
larly well. encounter in the order presented in this chapter. Instead,
SLIPPING THE BLINDS:If the DM uses a different, opening let the PCs explore as they wish, and throw in various
sequence, this encounter should still occur early in the ad- scenes as the story seems to call for them. For example, the
venture. As the PCs wander about the Lower h a r d or PCs can invest,igate a murder site, then have an incidental
specifically search the city for clues, eventually tihey pass encounter, then investigate two more murder sites, then
by The Friendly Fiend. If they ask around, A’kh is de- have one of the enciounters from “Looking for Clues,” and
scribed as a wonderful and entertaining source of informa- so on.
tion. Everything should build toward the climax of this
DM NOTE:While the PCs are in the shop, they should chapter, “Sougad and the Lady,” which takes place once
notice that several items for sale (banners, mugs, ietc.) fea- the PCs trac.k Sougad to his hiding spot in a warehouse.
G E c E . E I N G cEHS CHANcE
However it happens, the PCs do get drawn
to the murder investigation. If they agree to
sist a particular faction (or more than one if their group a few false rumors, but a more comprehensive lis
has the proper mix of members) and they ask for informa- appears below:
tion, they’re directed to seek out Narcovi, the special in- + Each body was partially eaten.
vestigator assigned by the Harmonium to look into the + The murderer took a different bodv Dart from each E

case. Some factions suggest cooperating with Narcovi;

others urge the PCs to find out what she knows by more
I
covert means. When the PCs go looking for her, refer to (called the Overbloods) that’s really an alliance of
“Narcovi’s Chant” on page 2 4 for the full encounter. The multiple factions; the murders are simply a pre-
section below merely details what kind of information the lude to a full-scale faction war.
PCs can pick up from her notebook. One victim was still alive when they found him,
and he named his killer. It’s one of the factols, so 4
OELELEING N A R C 8 V I ’ S NB)LEf!B@@K a cover-up is underway!
“I discovereld the third body near the Great
The PCs can learn a few facts and lots of false rumors con- Bazaar. Small red worms with black spikes cov-
cerning the six murders that have occurred over the past ered the body like a second set of clothes.”
six days just by talking to residents of the Cage. Their best Large quantities of
bet, however, is to get the notes that’ve been compiled by at each murder site.
Narcovi. They can “borrow” her notebook if they’re so in- The murder victim
clined, but if she catches them they’ll jump to the top of
her list of suspects. They can also ask her for the notebook
if they’ve been hired by a faction allied with the Harmo-
nium (either the Guvners or the Mercykillers). were made with claws and te
On page 18 is a handout of a section of Narcovi’s “I heard a scream, ran into
notebook. This lists all of the true details concerning the shadowy figure leaning over a poor young
first six murders, providing the pertinent information - woman. I shouted, and the shadow turned intn a
the whos, whats, wheres, whens, and possible whys of each mephit and flew away.”
specific death. This page may be photocopied for personal There’s no murderer. The Lady of Pain’s killing
use and given to the players once their characters learn the lawful faction members to show her support of
facts (or steal the notebook) in the course of the adventure.
However, the DM shouldn’t let the PCs obtain the notebook
until they’ve spent at least one day looking for clues on The information concerning the first six murders and
their own - don’t make it too easy for them! the false mmors attached to those murders should be dis-
’Course, if the PCs never wind up with the notebook, tributed a little at a time, as the PCs pursue their investiga-
the DM can use Narcovi’s facts to add true information to tion.
the “embellishments” provided by various locals (see
“Talking to Other Sods,”belo
He D
Bancho Rake, an rd on the prime world of Toril,
TALKING @+HER S@
first developed the ritual that Sougad believes will turn
The PCs c a n talk to a n y nonplayer characters the him into a power. ’Course, the wizard had hoped to become
Dungeon Master wishes to provide, and the DM is encour- a power himse& but with a barmy like Sougad Lawshred-
aged to create “extras” on the fly. These should include der in the picture, things don’t always wor
the regular mix of street people, shopkeepers, innkeepers, body might like.
serving girls, adventurers, city guards, faction members, Rake took Sougad in as a
and the occasional Clueless basher who might have seen innate abilities that marked the boy as a special being -
something that someone else missed. However, no one one with the spark of divinity. The wizard spent years de-
who isn’t directly involved in the investigation, didn’t dis- veloping an arcane rite, one that required both blood and
cover a body, or isn’t in a position of authority in the planar energy. He planned to travel to Sigil, the city said to
wards knows all of the true facts of the murders. A partic- lie at the center of the multiverse. There, Sougad would
ular extra may know one or two bits of true information, spill lawful blood and absorb the resulting chaotic energy.
but the bulk of what he or she gives the PCs is rumor, gos- Then Rake would absorb Sougad’s bu
“Quick Start 11” (page 14) provides become a power of murder and chaos.
 + Victim w a s a humc
weariri a slee ingro y in the
F r
icon o the Re levers ot the k ~ ~ i ictim w a s a
+ Victim had a terrified expression I rater-nity of
his eyes wide, his mouth twisted in f< -the look o f tt
One massive cut across the victim’s abd iarD blad
duced much blood and was the apparel,, c c lase 1 ne s c r o ~ r~as
death 1 he flesh was sliced open with a larg stained with his hi,
blade o f some sort, probably a longswc )ne othei- thing I Fc
A
Two messages were ound a t t h e around the floor o f
a hant-l-written n o t e on a sheet have given it t o c” I*

rend chaos is the on13 law, up clearlq on the

blood of order The seconc onc
the w J l in the victim’s blood I IC
I to that on the note It rr
entified as Favur oF i
iurce and a follower o r
\e/ILeIonqs t o hi, facti
t
t i m was G u n d by the’
1 named d t i v a

:i&t
_- --fl\ aqs pas
RodLl discovered in dn Athar b
nex’the sh,jttered Temple. facts I
+ Victim was a bariaur fern?!- ’
tified as Vienna o f the At
7 h e Followingclues have led me i
with the one committed last night. VI
fied exPression, was killed two C I bu
sharp blade, and a note wi-iti

-he 4scension, located ne, le G

Victim %as 3 Fema
tral member of the ~1

killed b L three slashe

Fear etc ed on h< A
 Sougad, however, didn’t appreciate the im power the tnknsfer of planar energy and are onl;
of the plan. “After all, the essence is mine,” he t
4
partially co sumed in the process.
anyone becomes a power, it should be me!”
Sougad bided his time, waiting for the wizard to fin-
ish his research. On the day Rake announced they would
e traveling to Sigil, the barmy struck. He killed the wiz-
d, took the scroll that contained the ritual, and used
ake’s gate key to travel to the Cage by himself.
Completing the ritual is so important to Sougad that
r1
4 Once 13 la ful beings have been killed with the
prepared sw rd, the sword can then be used to turn
Sougad or T olan into a true power. The power-to-
be must be s ain with the sword. The person’s mor-
tal body die , but the energy accumulated in the
sword transf rms him into a lesser power.

e’s able to keep his inherently chaotic nature in check just When Sougad +as freed from Harbinger House, he
ugh to follow the steps. Make no mistake, berk - if took with him the stroll that details the ritual; the PCs
essful, the ritual will make Sougad a lesser power. But might discover it latkr (in Chapter 111). The barmy’s also
ere’s the rest of the chant: made a slight alteratidm to the process, The thirteenth mur-
+ The evil ritual can’t bestow powerhood on anyone der must take place in the presence of both the planarity
but Sougad or Trolan, because they already pos- and the focrux, so Sougad plans to return to Harbinger
sess that elusive spark of divinity. It wbuldn’t House to commit the last few murders. Then, he’ll plunge
have worked for Rake - and it won’t wlork for the sword into himself as the powerful energy of the pla-
Nari. As for the other so-called “powersdn-the- nar items washes over him.
making” in Harbinger House, the ritual’s effects DM NOTE: With each partial completion of the ritual
are uncertain. (Hey, sod, the multiverse iq full of (every few victims killed), Sougad receives additional in-
mysteries.) I nate powers, as detailed throughout the adventure.
+ This ritual is evil, like Sougad. Anyone who delib- However, he won’t become a full power
erately follows its steps should have a mptching until he finishes the whole ritual,
alignment - or suffer the consequences o f a sud- and hopefully, the PCs will
stop that from happeaing.

and murder are as follows:

+ A long sword must be fired in a forge whqse fuel
has been tainted with the blood of a chaotic being.
(Sougad’s already done this; see “Murder at Sod
Dirk’s Forge,” on page 22.) SCENES +HE CRIIIIE
4 Sougad must use the sword to kill 13 lawful be-
ings on the Outlands (preferably, in Sigil itself). The sites of Sougad’s murders are described below.
Each murder releases crimson planar energy; the They appear in the murders were committed, but
sword absorbs that energy and shares it with the the PCs can check any order they choose. Re-
killer. Each victim must receive an exact lbumber member to the “Incidental Encoun-
of slashes: the first takes one slash, the second ters” and “Loo
takes two, etc. Thus, the thirteenth victim @ust re- various crime
ceive 13 slashes. (By the time the adventure starts,
Sougad’s already killed six of the 13 sods.) THE HeVgI, $iN
4 Sougad must leave each corpse with a piece of
parchment inscribed with these words: “Chaos is
the only law, washed clean in the blood of order.” binger House - was
The parchment must be of the finest quality, the
ink must be the victim’s own blood, and the quill
must be a fresh vrock feather (thus, 13 vrock
feathers are needed).
+ The site of each killing must be prepared with the
components of one of these three spells: cotzfusion
(three nutshells), chaos (a disc of bronze and a
small iron rod), or death spell (a crushed black
pearl worth no less than 1,000 gp). The compo-
nents need to be placed within 10 feet of where
the murder takes place. None of the thred spells
are actually cast; the components simply help the chance.

+ 19+

!
 One fact about the first murder that Narcovi’s kept se- proficiency check can identify the material; the spellcraft
cret (but written in her notebook) is the message tbat was proficiency [or a high-level wizard contact) can be used to
left at the scene. The words, written across one wall in identify its possible uses. See the DM NDTEunder “The
Favur’s blood, proclaimed, “Now it begins.” If the P a ques- Hovel on Blood Boil,” above, for more information.
tion the other residents of the area, they learn that’an old The second clue is lodged within the straw: a vrock
woman named Eltiva (P1/? gnome/O/Sign of One/N), who feather, its tip stained with the bariaur’s blood. Sougad
worked as Favur’s housekeeper and lived two doors away, dropped it in the straw and didn’t feel like digging around
was the one who discovered the body. She saw the bloody to find it. If the PCs have a high-level wizard contact, or if
message and can tell the PCs about it. they’re on good terms with A’kin the yugoloth, they can
If the PCs search the murder site and any OF them get the feather and the stain on its tip identified.
make successful Wisdom checks at -2, they discoyer two
small objects jammed halfway into a crack in the hovel’s
THE A S C E N S I @ N D R I N K I N G HALL
wall, about 10 feet from where the body was found! These
objects - a small bronze disc and a small iron rod - lare the The third murder victim - the female tiefling Lini - was
components for a chaos spell. Both have been partially discovered in a Godsmen-frequented drinking hall near the
consumed to power this portion of the ritual, but enough Great Foundry. The Ascension, a high-class establishment
remains for the PCs to identify them. on Gray Steam Path, is noted for
DM NOTE:PCs with the spellcraft its ethereal ale - a drink that lit-
proficiency can make an Intelli- erally evaporates on the tongue,
gence check at -6 to identify the quenches thirst, and produces a
spell from the components (wiz- soothingly intoxicating effect.
ards of 8th level or higher make By talking to assorted cus-
the check at -2). Other high- tomers, serving wenches, and
level wizards, including Kesto the owner, the PCs can
Brighteyes (see “The Parted uncover both facts and
Veil Bookshop” on page 22), rumors at this location.
can identify the spell and also The owner is Julius
determine that the components of the Ninth Test (P1/
were not used in a normal spellcast- 8 githyanki/O/
ing attempt. Believers of the
Source/NE),a Godsman who believes
THI BUNKHeUSE @N PeWERS R e he’s now in his ninth incarnation and getting
increasingly closer to the Final Ascension. Though he’s
Two murders have taken place in the shadow of thr Shat- friendly and answers questions concerning the murder,
tered Temple. The first occurred five nights ago at aq Athar he’s more interested in spreading the doctrine of the Be-
bunkhouse located on Powers Row. The bunkhouse1 serves lievers of the Source. (He can also tell the PCs about Har-
as living quarters for transient members of the factiw and binger House if they specifically question him about the
other Athar bashers who need a place to stay. place, but he won’t reveal anything about it during casual
On the night in question, only three of the 12;rooms conversation.)
were occupied: Vienna the bariaur (the victim), Defiant A search of the premises reveals nothing beyond what
Munrot (P1/ 8 halfling/O/Athar/CG), and Kuarri the An- Narcovi discovered, as the place has been thoroughly
cient (P1/8 tiefling/O/Athar/CN) were using the fatilities. cleaned. If the PCs press Julius for more details, though, he
Neither Munrot nor Kuarri had rooms near Vienna, so remembers picking up three nutshells from beneath the
what they can tell the PCs is limited. Kuarri found tye body smashed table where they found poor Lini. The shells are
and can provide a few facts. Munrot, on the othei hand, components for the confusion spell and were used to
was extremely drunk at the time and barely heard a thing. power this portion of the ritual. See the DM NOTEunder
Every bit of information he provides is false, as he decided “The Hovel on Blood Boil,” above, for ways the PCs can
to make up a complete story rather than admit he heard gain details on the shells.
and saw nothing. When the PCs leave The Ascension, the DM should have
The bariaur’s body was discovered in her straw-filled each make a Wisdom check at -4. Those who succeed notice
sleeping stall. If the PCs conduct their own search [and at that they’re being followed; those who fail see nothing but
least one PC makes a successful Wisdom check at -4), they still feel as though they’re being watched. The follower is a
discover two clues that Narcovi missed. A small pptch of young boy named Urchend (P1/c? human/O/Free League/LN).
black dust stains the otherwise pristine floor beneath the He’s small, thin, and ragged, but his eyes are bright and alert.
straw - the remains of the crushed black pearl Soughd used He lives on Sigil’s streets and was sleeping in the alley across
to power this portion of the ritual. A successful apgraising from The Ascension on the night of the murder.
 Urchend is deathly afraid of the Harmonium because
their guards routinely round up street people for no appar-
t reason, so he hid while Narcovi was conducting hef in-
estigation. He wants to let somebody know what he saw,
owever. If the PCs have been friendly toward other street
Urchend approaches them; otherwise, the PCs spot
d can go to his hiding place. In either case, once the
PCs demonstrate that they mean the boy no harm, Urchend
stammers:

“I spied the killin’ in The Ascension four nights ago. It

was dark, but I saw two shapes movin’ around behind the
windows. A basher chased a woman around the common
room with a sword, but he weren’t swingin’ it at her. I
could hear him laughin’ - an evil, barmy sound. Then he
touched her, and aflash like lightnin’ lit up the room. The
woman screamed, and I saw the berk in that quick flash 0’
light. He was tall and strong, with wild hair andfiery eyes. Facto1 Hash-
Then it got dark again. I could hear him hack her to bits kar (PI(?)/8 dwarf/()/
with his sword, but I couldn’t see nothin’ - at least, not till Fraternity of OrderlLN) has
I spied a sparkly red glow creep outta her body, slide up his come to this library every two
sword, and make the berk shine bright, just for a wink.” 1 hours to watch the dabus repeat
their cleaning ritual. He’s frightened
1 because something has unbalanced
the Lady’s order - an order the dabus usually
represent. If the PCs aren’t working for the factol
yet, he asks them questions concerning their inter-
est in the murders and their presence in a chamber
that is off-limits to the general public. If the PCs show him
the proper respect, answer truthfully, and don’t act too
chaotically, the factol asks them to work for the Fraternity
Urchend didn’t recognize the killer and
PCs anything more.
THEREAL CHANT:The bright flash of light was created
when Sougad used his shocking grasp ability to wound the the murder, in
woman. Once he’d killed her, planar energy - the red glow used in the ri
- flowed into his body through the sword.

C I + Y C @ U R + LIBRARY
Fassa, the fourth victim to fall to Sougad’s sword, was a dabus all
member of the Fraternity of Order who had the misfortune titled Po
to be working late three nights ago. The male huma
ner was in one of the Court’s libraries, studying a
scrolls pertaining to the laws of commerce betwe
and the merchant lords of the Planar Trade Consortium.
His blood has permanently stained the scrolls.
When the PCs arrive at the City Court, they
the library in question has been temporarily c
they’re working for the Guvners, the Harmonium, or the start gett
Mercykillers, they’re allowed to examine the area. Other-
wise, they must sneak in, charm their way past
guard, or bribe one of the non-Guvner workers
the Court. However they do it, the PCs should
gain access to the murder site. In the library, t
ness the following:

,
I
The fifth murder occurred two nights ago, near t t e City
Barracks. Tenskor, one of Narcovi’s agents, was gaugh-
tered and staked out on Harmonium Street for hll the

Cs who come to the area seeking informatiorj won’t

find much. A few street people are willing to talk (01 make
up a story) for a bit of jink, but the majority of Haqheads
won’t give the PCs the time of day. In fact, if the PQs have
lready had a run-in with Narcovi and her age& (see
Narcovi’s Chant” on page 241, coming to this part C/f town
THE PAR.EED VEIL B Q Q K S H Q P
The sixth murder occ rred the night k f o r a the start of the

i!,
adventure in the vic nity of the Shatterkd Temple. The
body of Keluk the G ay was found in The Parted Veil, a
bookshop on Forgotte Lane.
Kesto Brighteye (PI/ 8 gnome/W12lAthar/CN), the
owner of the shop, tq d investigators he apened his store
that morning (the moping that the adventure begins) and

h“
found Keluk’s body. n Athar wizard, Kesto stocks his
shop with books of p ilosophy that promote the belief% of
his faction, and Keluk - a fellow Athar - was in the shop
I
can be downright dangerous. The Hardheads can’t tvait to at night conducting +search. Kesto claims to know only
pin the blame on someone so the Mercykillers can ’ unish
the guilty and the murdered faction member t a n be
P
avenged. The PCs could be hit with the blame if they’re not
1
what he already to1 Narcovi (the details are found in
“Narcovi’sNotebook,” page 18). However, he hides the fact
that he arrived much iarlier than he claimed; fact is, Kesto
I
One street bubber (P1/8 half-elf/O/Bleak Cal$al/CE)
picked up the remains of the bronze disc used to epergize
,“
walked in just as Sou ad was drawing the red planar en-
ergy fmom the newly illed corpse. Sougad grabbed Kesto,
used his know alignmqnt power to discover that the wizard
this portion of the ritual, and the DM may wish td allow
it
was not lawful, and wl rned him to keep his bone-box shut

nent for casting a chaos spell.

1
the PCs to find and speak to him. Narcovi found t e iron
rod, but she hasn’t made the connection that it’s a ompo-
I
While in this part of the Cage, the PCs come unkler the
about the killing. 0th rwise, the barmy prqmised to return
and cut off Kesto’s h+ds and tongue, leaving the wizard
alive to know he’d neyer cast another spell again.
If the PCs convinle Kesto that the murderer won’t re-
scrutiny of Sougad himself. He stalks Sigil during the day, turn to harm him, thelwizard reveals what he saw, includ-
looking for lawful-thinking berks to hunt and kill when
darkness falls. Returning to the City Barracks in segrch of
another member of Narcovi’s investigating team, ple no-
tices the PCs. If they openly demonstrate that theyke also
looking into the murders, Sougad follows them for bwhile. If the PCs search Ithe shop and a m make a succeslsful
What’s more, he uses his know alignment ability tb iden-
tify any lawful members of the party. If there are aqy law- tb
Wisdom check at -2, hey find a footprint of the dust, hid-
den beneath several b oks that fell on the floor. The white

9
ful PCs with obvious ties to a particular faction, ougad
randomly selects one of them to kill. In this case, ougad
attempts to commit two murders tonight - the marlked PC
powder is talc, the bame kind the PCs might find in

i
“Warning on Harmoa.ll‘um Street,” a e. If the PCS point
out the footprint, K sto can examine ahd identify the
and the Mercykiller victim from Harlique’s visiqn. See dust. What’s more, Ktsto (or some other PC contact) can
“Harlique the Barmy” (page 26) and “The Next qictim” tell them where to finb enough talc to coat boots so heav-
(page 27) for more information about the potentiial vic- ily. “Three warehouses in the area keep large stores of talc
tim($. on hand f o r use i n specific product manufacturing:
The PCs shouldn’t encounter Sougad at this pbint in Grossiys Paints, Pen6rum’s Parchments and Papers, and
the adventure. If they notice they’re being wdtched, Logu’s Bath Powder.”
Sougad escapes into the maze of alleys before any tombat THEREALCHANT: Grossif‘s Paints owns a large storage
can take place. However, if the PCs have alrea4y met warehouse a few blocks from Bloodgem Park; Sougad uses
Urchend (see “The Ascension Drinking Hall” on p q e 201, the warehouse as a hiding place during the
they recognize Sougad from the youth’s descriptiod. Al- day. See “Talc Warehouses” on page 25
though Sougad escapes, the PCs can find another
clue: The spot where he was standing is marked by
a small pile of white powder that fell from his boot$
and pant legs. The PCs can have the substance iden-
tified by an alchemist or the owner of a shop that splls
fine powders and perfumes. It’s talc, and only a feq
places in Sigil stock enough of it that someone could
pick it up and track it around; see “Talc
Warehouses” on page 25 for more in-
formation.
 DM NOTE:The Parted Veil what kind of reception Narcovi gives them later). The
magical texts. If the PCs are interested and don’t Hardheads ask questions along the following lines: “ W e r e

i
their way to antagonize Kesto, he can offer were you last night a ound eighth lantern? What
of spells (at the DM’s discretion). He has do you have here? Ca we take a look at your swo
three 2nd-level, two 3rd-level, and one you know the victim? Why are you so interested in a cou-
available. He charges 500 gold pieces per ple of routine murder ?” The agents give the PCs a tough
With some charm and haggling, a few time, then wander off into the turns and twists of the Cage.
words of encouragement from The Hardheads report to Narcovi as soon as they can,
tion, Kesto can be persuaded to letting her know that a group of rough-looking berks is
per level per spell. nosing around the murder sites. Narcovi gathers her agents
I
and tries to locate the PCs, finding them at some point be-
fore the first day of the adventure ends.
4- Narcovi’s been running into walls and dead-ends since
this case began, so she’s not going to be too nice to a bunch
p-
of adventurers who may know who the murderer is. Fact is,
as far as Narcovi knows, one of the PCs could be the killer.
If the player characters are working for the Guvners,
I FIND 8u+
IF the Harmonium, or the Mercykillers, Narcovi goes a little
Y@U’RE I N V e L V E D IN KIURDERS, easier on them. Otherwise, she treats them like suspects
I ’ L L mAKE S U R E + H E R E and asks tough questions. Some are the same ones her
agents asked earlier, while others are more to the point:
E N e U G H @f Y @ U L E F + F@R
“Where have you bee4 all day? Yesterday? Did anyone else

-
+ H E R E D D E A - E H +e P U N I S H .

HARIIIQNIUIII I N V E S + I G A + Q R
a
see you there? What bout six nights ago? Five? Four? Can
you prove it? Why1shouldn’t I call the Mercykillers and
have the bunch of you thrown into a very dark cor-
NARCQVI, n
+ E L L I N G I+ LIKE I+ I S to cooperate, Narcovi has her
agents haul them dowtn to the City Barracks, where she can
conduct a more thorough interview. ’Course, this could
lead to a fight. While the agents are tough, the PCs should
be able to escape if they try. In no case should Narcovi be
killed during any such skirmishes. If a fight does break out,
the PCs automatically become fugitives wanted for ques-
tioning by the Harmlonium. From that point on, they’ll
have to be careful not to get spotted by any of Sigil’s three
spokes of justice - the Guvners, the Hardheads, or the Red
Death - as members of these factions will be on the alert
L e e K I N G P e R CLUES for anyone answering to the PCs’ descriptions.
Unless the PCs are connected to one of the three fac-
As the PCs search the Lower Ward and The Lady’s 4 a r d for tions mentioned above, Narcovi refuses to let them help
clues concerning the murders, they’re likely to run @to the her and won’t share any of the evidence she’s gathered, in-
six encounters in this section. These scenes should be in- cluding the information in her notebook (on page 18). The
terspersed with scenes of the PCs checking out the purder PCs see her jot notes down, though, and they might get the
sites and run in the order that makes the most sense to the idea to swipe the notebook at the next convenient oppor-
way the adventure is progressing. tunity. ’Course, once she notices it’s missing, Narcovi
DM NOTE:The DM may expand this section to include comes looking for the PCs to confront them about it.
other encounters as he sees fit. If the PCs answer all of Narcovi’s questions honestly
and with some modicum of respect, she’ll let them go with
a simple warning. “I $on’t know where you come from, but
N A R C e V I ’ S CHAM+ I in Sigil it’s the Har onium that makes the arrests. Stay
1
Narcovi’s got a squad of eight Hardhead agents acking
her up, and plenty more nosing around the wards.
4
In her search for the killer, the Harmonium inve tigator out of this and you’ll stay healthier - and .free.

HARMONIUM AGENTS (8)(PLIVAR VAR/F5/HARMO

”

THACO 16; #AT 1; Dmg Id8 (scimitar);AC 3 (banded mail);

Several of these agents run into the PCs while they’re

I
conducting their own search of the murder sites though
who the PCs are working for, if anyone, may de ermine
hp 25 each; M V 12; SZ M (6 feet tall); Int very (12); ML
steady (12);XP 175.
 must fight to the end or convince the Cha
come in peace. The trick here is to discover that the Chaos-
More than one lawful berk thinks that the Xaositects are men, in their own way, are as upset about the murders as
behind the murders. Factol Karan has asked his Chaosmen the lawful factions are. If the PCs learn that the Chaosmen
to keep an eye on the events transpiring in the Lower Ward aren’t behind the killings, they can help keep a faction war
and The Lady’s Ward, sensing that if the law-boys don’t from erupting hv passing the word along to Factol Anlbar
break the case soon, his faction is going to take the heat. or Narcovi.
Something this big could lead to a faction war, and even
Karan isn’t chaotic enough to want that. So, as the PCs CHAOSMEN (1~6+3) (PL/VAR VAR/F~;--ISITECTS,’ ~

carry out their own investigation, they may see a Xaositect THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg ld6 (speaI,, AC 7 (riiL5I i
or two spying from the shadows, sitting inconspicuously each; M V 12; SZ M (6 feet tall); Int average (IO);ML steady
just within earshot, or even boldly approaching to ask (12); XP 35.
them what they learned at a particular location.
If the PCs decide to turn the tables
on the Xaositects and do some
following of their own, they’ll be
led right to the Xaositect hideout in
~

the Lower Ward. It’s not too far from Har-

binger House (the Chaosmen really want to dis-
cover the dark of that place), hidden in the base-
ment of a sweets shop called Happy Candies (marked on
one of the DM’s maps of Sigil). The jumble of candies
mixed randomly among a dozen bins is a clue that the shop
is run by Chaosmen. The berk (P1/6 githzerai/O/Xaositects/
TA hC WARE H U SES
CN) behind the counter makes for an interesting encounter. Three warehouses in the area deal in talc, the substance the
Prices change from moment to moment, conversation flows PCs may find on Harmonium Street (if they spot Sougad)
from topic to topic without any discernible pattern, and at and at The Parted Veil bookshop. Penbrum’s Parchments
times the shopkeeper even switches to the meaningless dia- and Papers, Logu’s Bath Powder, and Grossifs Paints each
logue often used by members of this faction. have a warehouse in the area, and each make extensive use
A trap door behind the counter leads down to the of talc. The warehouses are marked on the DM’s maps of
hideout. The PCs can try to convince the shopkeeper that Sigil. Their locations are not secret, and the PCs should be
they are members of the faction (which isn’t hard unless able to find them without much trouble. For example,
any PCs wear obvious icons of other factions or lawful Kesto Brighteyes or another PC contact can direct the
holy symbols), overpower the poor berk, or simply wait group to any of the three.
until the place closes and break in.
The basement is one large room, with cots scattered _..
.__.
.NTS ANT
n*
j : Penbrufn’s Parchments

everywhere, a table and six chairs in one corner, and a and Papers has a large warehouse in The Lady’s Ward, not
small fire providing light. At any given time, four to nine far from the City Court. Most of the paper used by the
(ld6+3) Chaosmen are present. Besides trying to get to the Court comes from Penbrum’s stores. If the PCs check out
bottom of the murders themselves, these Chaosmen are the warehouse, they must get past a complicated series of
preparing to defend themselves against attacks by other locks (-20010 penalty to open lock rolls). However, a thor-
factions. The hideout is full of weapons they’ve gathered, ough search of the exterior of the building reveals another
including: 12 long swords, 16 short swords, eight spears, entrance: A loose board near the base of the back wall
eight flasks of oil, 10 torches, 24 arrows, three short bows, slides sideways to form a small but usable entrance. Only
and nine daggers (none of the weapons are magical). The human-sized or smaller creatures can squeeze through the
PCs may see the weapons as “proof‘ that the Chaosmen opening.
are committing the murders, or as a response to the brutal Inside the warehouse, a pack of cranium rats has
accusations being made. made a nest in the paper stores. There are 40 rats in the
If the PCs enter the hidrout in the company of a pack, which has a collective Intelligence of 8 and two wiz-
Chaosman PC or the shopkeeper (if they peeled him into ard spells (color spray and hypnotism). The pack has noth-
believing they’re faction members, for example), the ing to do with the murders but reacts badly to anything
Xaositects are willing to talk. that threatens the nest. If the PCs enter the warehouse and
However, if the PCs barged in on their own, the start looking around, the rats stalk them and wait for op-
Xaositects are hostile, thinking the group’s come to arrest portunities to strike. If Penbrum is informed about the rat
. or attack them. The Chaosmen fight to the death, though infestation, he offers the PCs a reward of 500 gold pieces
one tries to escape to warn the rest of the faction. The PCs for clearing out his warehouse.
I
 CRANIUM RATS (40): THACO describe Sougad (based on conversations with Kesto
19; #AT 1; Dmg ld4; AC 6; HD hp 7 Brighteyes or Urchend), the shopkeeper (P1/ 8 tieflinglo/
each; MV 15; SA wizard spel color Transcendent OrderlNE) recalls the man. ‘2
spray, hypnotism);SD save as creature, of Hit A perfect gentleman o e moment, an abusiv
Dice equal to group Intelligence; SZ T (6 inches lofig); Int
ar (1 point per every five living rats); AL NE; IbfL un-
1
He did pay in gold, th ugh. ”

The clerk (Pr/8 elf/O/Society of Sensation/LG) at an-

steady (7); XP 6 other shop, The Wizard’s Mark, doesn’t remember anyone
matching Sougad’s description, but his store was broken
LOGU’SBATHPOWDER:Logu’s Bath Powder provides it$ prod-

1
into six nights back. t was the oddest thipg. Bra
“

ucts to the bath houses frequented by the Ciphers. The balor and too 13 vrock feathersfirom the
business has one warehouse in the vicinity, a medium- arly cleaned e out. As it is, the berk left
sized building in the Lower Ward, not far from the A,rmory. only two. Oh, yeis, th thief also lifted 12 nutsh
Casks and boxes of powder made from talc fill the interior bronze discs, andflue ron rods.”
in orderly rows. If the PCs decide to explore this location, Where did Sougad get the black pearls? From The
they discover that someone’s living in the warehouse. Near Sleepy Dwarf Gem Exchange, of course. “Black pearls?”
the back, far from the normal traffic of the workers, a the dwarf (P1/6 dwarf/O/Fated/LN) behind the counter
small den has been built. Casks and boxes make up the asks. “Why are you interested in black pearls?” The dwarf
walls, while barrels form a crude table and chair. A bed of is suspicious because the last time someone came into his
straw has been laid out in one corner. There are also the shop and asked to see his black pearls, he was robbed dur-
remains of recent meals, four empty wine skins, a few odds ing the night. “Tall, powerfully built, with wild hair and
and ends, and a leather purse with the initials “LC” and the fiery eyes, the dwarf remembers. “I’m sure it was him.
”

embroidered symbol of the Godsmen. Came in sevefl days ago. He asked specijically to look at
The purse belonged to Lini, the third victim. It was left black pearls worth 1,000 gp each. ‘Very nice,’ he said.
at the murder site by Sougad and later picked up by Baskix ‘Good day,’ he said. Next morning, the lock’s busted and
Three-Fingers (P1/6 gnome/O/Free LeaguejCN), a homeless I’m out four black pearls!”
drunk who’s been secretly living in this warehouse for the
past few weeks. He discovered Lini’s body in The Ascen-
sion while on his way home from a cheaper drinking hall.
H ~ RIL Q uE +H E B A R ~ Y
Since the berk was already dead and there wasn’t anyone Sometime before nightfall on the first day of the PCs’ in-
around, Baskix took her purse and headed back to the vestigation, a barmy from Harbinger House approaches to
warehouse. The PCs should be able to quickly determine warn them about the impending seventh murder. If the PCS
that the drunk is harmless and incapable of ne heed her advice, they may be able to stop the crime; how-
in the method that’s been used thus far. Ho kix ever, if they ignore her, they’ll have to deal with the fact
can provide one additional bit of informat the that everything she told them later comes true.
third murder; he shows the PCs a vrock feather he found at The barmy is Harlique Swifthand (P1/ 9 tiefling/B 11-1
the tavern, its tip stained with dried blood. CN), a young woman who carries herself as a carefree,
fun-loving teenager but is haunted by terrible nightmares
GROSSIF’SPAINTS:This warehouse is located in the Lower that strike even while she’s awake. These nightmares are
Ward near Harbinger House, not far from Bloodgem Park. always prophetic in nature, showing her visions of grue-
If the PCs take a look around inside, they find Sougad’s some events just before they actually take place. Because
lair. Skip to “Sougad and the Lady” on page 30 for the her visions come true, she was taken in by the Godsmen of
conclusion of this chapter of the adventure. Harbinger House, instead of winding up in the Hive. How-
ever, when Nari let Trolan and Sougad free, Harlique used
her thieving abilities to escape.
SPELL CemPteNENLES I
~

At this point in the adventure, she’s experienced each

If the PCs follow the spell component angle, they can of the six murders through nightmares before the crimes
learn quite a lot about their quarry. A number of shops took place. Last night, while the sixth murder was taking
that cater to the arcane arts - including The Friendly place, she dreamed the events of the seventh murder - the
Fiend - are marked on the DM’s maps of Sigil pn the death of Kolz, the Mercykiller.
gatefold screen. It’s up to the DM to create the eqcoun- When the PCs meet Harlique, she looks as if she hasn’t
ters if the PCs decide to visit any or all of these places. slept well in weeks. The DM should pick one of the PCs.
The PCs might also visit any shops introduced in+previ- Harlique saw that character battling Sougad in her dream
ous adventures or seek out contacts they’ve used before. and wants to enlist his aid. She approaches the group with a
Sougad purchased 13 sheets of the finest parchment dance in her step but a haunted look in her eyes. She behaves
from Untra’s Arcana. Each sheet bears three Ps - the wa- like any other barmy they might meet, but an edge of sanity
termark of Penbrum’s Parchments and Papers. If the PCs peeks through if the PCs look for it. Read the following:
 A young woman dressed in comfortable leathers and tumal activities. If thd PCs didn’t go Lv
marked by long dark hair and haunted eyes dances toward or if none of the PCs are of lawful alignment, the target of
you. “I know you,” she sings, pointing at one of you. “I Sougad’s myrderous rage is the Mercykiller from
dreamed about you last night. You’re going tooght Harlique’s vision. Note that even if a PC is targeted by
the murderer. She never stops moving, Sougad, the barmy still goes after the Mercy-
spinning around you, bouncing, danc- whed the Prison watch calls out “six 12n-
ing, swaying. and all’s well.”
“I saw last night’s mur- The attack on a PC occurs right after the
der, she says. “Except I
” lighting of the second lantern (two hours after
guess it’s really tonight’s.’’ cIX LAN+-ERNS dark). If pqssible, Sougad waits until the target
AND PC is alone before moving in for the kill, but he’ll
If the PCs refuse to deal with aatack a group as large as three to get
ALL’S WELL!
Harlique, she follows them around
and tells them what she dreamed
regardless of their complaints. If
- T H E CAPLEAIN e~ +HE qualmaboutkilling
P RII S B, N WALE CH,
afi his intended victim. Sougad has no

acters, but every atta

they attack her, she laughs, “Let get him closer to the PC he wants to
it be on your heads, berks,” and If Sougad takes wounds
dances into the shadows of a
nearby alley before any real
harm can befall her. If she does killing blow to the target PC, he
manage to pass on her vision, read more times as needed to complete
the following: 1, drops a parchment note and the
ents, and, again, flees through a
“Listen to the chant, cutters, the
” dimension door. (After the killing b
strange young woman almost sings, closing her eyes slashes can be d
though she continues to dance and spin i n place. ‘‘I
dreamed of the murderer last night. He’s a barmy, like me, DM is urged to play him in an int
from the House on the dead-end street. I saw him at a bake fashion. He strikes to kill, uses his a
shop across from the Prison, hiding in the shadows of the vantage, and escapes when the odds turn against him.
door. He waited as Sigil grew dark and fell asleep, watch- By the time the sixth lantern of the evening is
ing the Prison with hateful eyes. When the Watch called Sougad‘s in the shadows of Geldab’s Bakery, watching
out ‘Six lanterns and all’s well,’ he slid from the shadows Prison until a Merqkiller victim comes along. If he battled
and struck. The killer killed a Mercykiller. Red Death. the PCs earlier in the night, he took time to get himself
Blood. Seven slashes of a flashing sword. He laughs, and healed before taking this position. Sougad’s particularly
another man dies. . . .” eager to make a kill if the PC victim eluded him. The Mercy-
killer target is a basher z (Pl/C? human/F4/
Harlique trails off, her dream vision finished. She Mercykillers/LG), who‘s o a tavern after a long
can’t provide any other information on the next der, day guarding the residen
the murderer, or the victim, but she can tell the P out grants him an Armor Cla
Harbinger House if they ask specific questions. Sh n’t save him if they heeded Harlique’s warning (see “Harlique
know anything about Nari, Trolan, or Sougad, though she the Barmy” on page 26). Otherwise, they liearn about the
as seen all of them in her dreams. murder in the morning after the body is discovered.
DM NOTE:Six lanterns refers to the time of day. Start- If the PCs are on hand to save Kolz, they have to act
with the fall of darkness, the Watch lights one lantern quickly. Though Harlique saw Sougad deliver seven
every hour; thus, six lanterns means six hours after full slashes with his sword, it’s the fourth strike that act
dark. kills Kolz; the last three slashes are just Sougad compl

T H E NE%+ i
Nightfall of the first day of the adventure means that an-
this portion of the ritual. Though
the bake shop, spotting Sougad is
cessful Wisdom check with a -6 p
his hiding place. Otherwise, the
other murder (or two) is about to take place. Sougadls sev- can cause more than 25 points
enth victim will either be ane of the PCs or the poor berk he delivers four blows to Kolz,
that Harlique saw in her nightmare. If one of the PCs was the Mercykiller isl saved. If not,
marked by Sougad during their investigation of the City SOU olz four times and then retreats, though,
Barracks (see “Warning on Harmonium Street” on page if possible, he tries to get in three more hits before fleeing
22), that PC is the first target of Sougad’s murderous noc- (as required by the ritual).

+ 27+
 If Sougad successfully slashes Kolz seven group of Indep bashers in human form and spins a sad
times, the PCs witness the transfer of planar energy - a red tale. “The cutters attacked me ’cause I don’t belong to a
glow seems to be sucked out of the corpse, pour into faction,” Nan cries, letting her tears flow freely. “They took
Sougad’s sword, and dissipate throughout the barmy’s my coin pouch and said they’d find me later so they could
whole body. have some more fun.” This really makes the bashers mad;
SLIPPING THE BLINDS: If the PCs don’t discover Sougad’s to them, it’s just another sign of the indignities that all In-
hideout in the talc warehouse (Grossif s Paints) by the sec- deps must suffer. The Indeps decide to teach the PCs a les-
ond night of the adventure, the DM must determine an- son - which is exactly how Nari hoped they’d respond.
other target from the possible factions listed in the “Intro- Ten Indep bashers soon find the PCs and get right to
duction” for an eighth victim (or a ninth, if a PC was also the point. Read:
killed). If the PCs still haven’t found Sougad’s hideout by
the third night of the adventure, the DM should steer the You suddenly3nd yourselves surrounded by ten of the ’
group toward the conclusion of the chapter - allow an meanest bashers you’ve ever seen. They wear the symbol of
I NPC to provide hints, bring forward a witness the Free League, which means anyone could have hired
who’s spotted someone living in the them to come after you. “You berks need to learn some
warehouse, and so on. manners,” one of the bashers sneers as he hefts his
weapon. ‘Xnd while we’re teaching you, maybe you’d like
to return the lady’s pouch and save yourselves a second
beating.”

The bashers don’t want to kill the PCs, but they will
match force for force. If more than half of the bashers fall,
the rest try to escape. If the PCs manage to capture an
Indep for questioning, he tells them all about what Nari
said. However, he can’t name her, he doesn’t know how to
As the PCs travel through the Lower Ward and The Lady’s find her, and the description fits any number of young
Ward in search of the murderer, the DM should use these women in the Cage.
incidental encounters to add flavor to Sigil, demonstrate
the odd behavior of the dabus, and provide hints concern-
ing events that’ll take place in Chapter I1 and Chapter 111.
The DM should also feel free to add other encounters to
this mix as he sees fit.

IIIURDERALE S @ D DIRK’S F@RGS

The first murder Sougad actually committed upon being
set free from Harbinger House was the one needed,to pre-
pare his long sword for the ritual. He found a forge, a long
sword, and a chaotic being at Sod Dirk’s Forge. Sdd Dirk,
a half-elf who was working late on a commission for
Kaldoron of Ysgard, never saw the attack coming. Sougad
used his shocking grasp to knock Dirk out. Then, using the
long sword Dirk was working on, he killed the half-elf and
spilled his blood into the fire.
No one has connected this murder with the others
since the victim was not lawful, but the PCs could hear
about the incident from a number of sources. Kaldoron (P1/
8 dwarf/F5/Mercykillers/LG), in particular, has beea moan-
ing about the loss of his long sword in the local taverns.

I
I N D E P BASHERS
Sometime during the PCs’ investigation of the murders,
Nari the succubus learns of their involvement. While she
isn’t particularly concerned about cutters like them, she
I doesn’t want to take any chances. So she approaches a

I
+ 28 +
 CULCE tBF +HE LADY ever spoken about the Lady of Pain in such flowery lan-
~
guage. Indeed, the PCs can’t remember when anyone really
Throughout the murder investigation, members of Those talked about her much at all. Read:
Who Court the Lady continue to arrive in Sigil. Use these
three separate encounters to show the PCs that this cult “The Lady loves you, and you should show her your
may play a larger role as the story unfolds. Statistics for a love in return, the preacher proclaims. “As Trolan the
”

typical cultist - and for the bullies in “Discri Beloved has said, the Lady is love, and her presence shines
appear at the end of the three encounters. f o r all to see. Come to Bloodgem Park and join us, for to
win the Lady’s love is better than anything else the multi-
DISCRIMINATION:
Because worship of the Lady of Pain is verse has to offer.”

trictly forbidden, Those Who Court the Lady must deal

vith undisguised discrimination. Some cultists are thrown CULTIST: THACO 20; #AT 1; Dmg ld3 (fists); AC 10 (robes);
out of shops and inns by angry mobs. Others are refused HD 1; hp 5 each; MV 12; SZ M (6 feet tall); Int average
even the most basic services in order to make them move (10);AL var; ML champion (15); XP 15.
on. The worst offense, however, occurs when a group of
five bullies decide to beat up a cultist because of his beliefs. BULLIES(5) (PL/VAR GITHZERAI/F~/VAR[VAR):
The PCs wander by just as things begin to heat up. Read: THACO 18; #AT 1; Dmg ld6 (short sword); AC 7 (studded
leather); hp 16 each; MV 12; SZ M (6 feet tall); Int low (7);
“We don’t want your kind here, you barmy,” an angry ML unsteady (7); XP 65.
voice shouts from down a nearby alley. You see one of the
cult members, dressed i n silver and amber robes and
adorned with the bladed head of the Lady of Pain, sur- SeUGAD A N D +HE LADY
rounded byBve toughs. “We’rejust taking care of you be-
fore the Lady does it herself, another basher adds. Then
” Eventually, the PCs should track Sougad to his hiding
they start hitting the cultist, who doesn’t even lijl a hand place in Grossif s warehouse. This encounter is written
to defend himself. from that perspective; the DM can change the location of
this scene but then must also adjust the playn* ,,oonrA-
fnvf

If the PCs just walk by, the cultist dies from the beat-
ng he receives. If the PCs go to his aid, the toughs call
hem barmy “for helping a berk who’s already in the dead-
Dook” and attack. The five bashers fight until two of their warehouse. A bed, a map of the wards, clothes, a jqg of
wine, and a jar of Abyssal leeches ark this as someone’s
help, but adds, “TheLady would’ve protected me. ” P
number fall, then flee. The cultist thanks the PCs f r their

ARRNAL: Somewhere in the Lower Ward, a portal glows and Sougad climbed up to a wooden beam near the ceiling
opens while the PCs walk by. Six men in amber and silver as soon as he saw the PCs approach. When they begin to
robes step through, wearing wide smiles and looking search the area, the barmy makes his presence known:
around in bewilderment. “Can you direct us to Blbodgm
Park?” one of the cultists asks. If the PCs question them, Dust sprinkles down from above. There, standing on a
the cdtists explain, “We’ve heard the words of Trolan and support beam next to an open window, is the wild-haired
have fallen in love with the Lady. Now we’ve come to show man. His grin looks conftdent and evil, and he appears to
crackle with power up in the shadows.

ultists grow in
1 He looks down at you and laughs. “Fools!” he shouts,
as he leaps through the window onto the roo$
number to almost 20. While many of them seek out items
in the neighboring shops that can be used in their cere- Sougad’s decided to play a game with the PCs, hoping
mony, a few move out into the streets to beg for donations to lead them on a merry chase. No matter how long it takes
and preach the words of Trolan the Prophet. The shop- them to reach the window and climb onto the roof of the

P
keepers who agree to sell to the cultists can tell he PCS
that they bought the strangest things. “Soaps, ndies,
powers, beads - it’s like they’re courting young adies,”
me shopkeeper (PI/8 bariaur/O/Doomguard/CN)says. Fact
s, that’s exactly what the cultists are doing - they’re
warehouse, the barmy’s waiting two roofs away in plain
sight. “Over here, you mite on a bebilith’s rear,” he calls
cheerfully. “You can’t stop me from way over there!v
waves, hops to a flat roof, and starts running.
The DM should play the chase with as much excite-
-
sourtine: the Lady of Pain. ment as the best chase scene from a favorite movie. Have
the PCs make Dexterity checks to leap from roof to roof. A
The devotees of the Lady who go begging and preach-
failed check indicates that a PC didn’t quite make it; these

I
 racters then have to make a second check to catch onto can kill the barmy, he drc1ut.s LO
side of a roof. Making the second check meanq that in escape through the portal and seek a few victims elsewhere
e next round all that character can do is pull himself up on the Outlands. When the time is right, Sougad leaps in
to the roof. If the second check fails, the PC falls to the front of the arch, yelling to the PCs, “ ~ next~we meet,
n
street below. The DM should roll ld4 to determibe how w down before me! I will be Sougad Lawshred-
many stories the building has and calculate the damage of murder and chaos!”The DM should let the
from the fall (ld6 points for every story). PCs make an initiative roll; any who roll 3 or less can take
Sougad starts this scene two roofs ahead of the PCs. one action fore Sougad leaps through
To determine how close the PCs might be able to get to while the P should be made to feel as
him, the DM should roll initiative each round. A Character chance to stop the murderer, under
can move from o
roof to another i
one round. If a
character wants to
run at top speed, he can
try to advance
two roofs instead
of one. This,
however, can be
dangerous. Because
the PC isn’t being
cautious, the leap to the
first roof is made with a -3 penalty
to the Dexterity check, and the leap to
the second roof is made with a -6 penalty.
As the chase progresses, Sougad uses his cause fear
power as the opportunity presents itself. He also uses shock-
ing grasp if any PCs get close enough. However, he used di-
mension door earlier in the day and can’t use that power to
escape now. If he’s on a higher roof than the PCs, he knocks
over loose chimneys or drops other debris on them.
Eventually, Sougad leads the PCs to a specific four-
story building across from Bloodgem Park. A number of
free-standing arches are built all around the robftop’s
edge. The barmy knows that one arch is actually a portal
to the gate-town of Ecstasy (on the Outlands), and he’s
got a gate key in his pocket. It’s he
his sword and turns to face the PCs
he can escape through the portal if
appear to be lawful (wearing symbol Once Sougad escapes, the PCs can check on the
powers), he attacks them first. the slashed corpses, they recognize Halel-
Meanwhile, in Bloodgem Par elf from The Friendly Fiend. The elf is
members of Those Who Court the Lady have gathered to drenched with his own blood, but he isn’t quite dead yet.
show their devotion to Sigil’s high-up, The PCs nojice the Read:
crowd peripherally, though the majorip of their attention
is probably focused on Sougad. As the PCs move to yngage
Sougad in battle, the crowd begins to thant. Read:

“Hear us, Lady, for yo

tracted us from across the plclne
unison. ‘%Accept our gifts and Zov
love you feel for us!” With the Lady’s passing, dabus and faction officials
arrive to clean up the mess. One of these officials is Nar-
The chant is repeated over and ov r as the battle rages covi, who has lots of questions about what happened. Pro-
on the rooftop; the PCs hear bits of ens with the resolution of
clash with Sougad’s law slayer blade.
 s part of the adventure takes the PCs to the
tlands in search of Sougad, the barmy who
nts to become a power of chaos and murder.
They might also be searching for Trolan and Those Who Court me Lady,
especially if they accept a commission from Facto1 Ambar.
In fact, Ambar could employ the PCs to solve both of the
’
Godsmen’s problems. If nothing else presents itself, Kar
ana, the sister of one
of the dead cultists,
I
approaches the PCs
after she hears that
they’re going to the
Outlands. She asks
them to look for her younger brother, who’s still
following Trolan from gate-town to gatc

In Ecstasy,
the PCs dis-
cover that
Sougad’s mu
der spree contin-
U ues. Lawful sods visit-
ing the gate-town are being
put in the dead-book just like those killed in Sigil. Once the PCs track
Sougad down, they engage him in another battle that ends with the barmy’s
apparent death. While in Ecstasy, they also learn more about Trolan and his
followers. The PCs find that Trolan is leading a massive pilgrimage across
the Outlands on its way to the Cage. A friendly cleric (actually Pastor
Browen, Nari’s servant) tells the PCs that if they hurry, they can catch up
vith Trolan in the gate-town of Curst.
In Curst, Trolan and his followers have become trapped within the ra-
,orvine-covered walls. The same thing happens to the PCs once they enter
he burg, so they must find a way to escape the town. But first they have to
deal with Pastor Browen, the Wall Watch, and members of
BLAZING BAA+EZU, the Revolutionary League. Time is against them, though; the
majority of Trolan’s followers bypassed Curst and are al-
I + H @ U G H + BREAKING UP

my
WAS P A I N F U L . .
A *
..
I L IE
ready on their way to Sigil. If the PCs don’t escape in time,
the cultists face the same fate as the group in Bloodgem Park.

-
As these major plots play out, the PCs discover
more and more evidence linking all of these events to
A PASSGRBY L @ @ K I N G @VIER a place called Harbinger House. There’s something
+ H I CARNAGG going on in the House, and the solution to all’the
I N B L @ t e D G @ m PARK trouble might lie therein.

he bodies of the 20 cultists lie cut and bleeding in dloodgem Park. The
ectacular tragedy has drawn the usual crowd of curiosity-seekers, as well
dabus and Dustmen intent on cleaning up the mess. Narcovi and her Har-
onium agents arrive fairly quickly, trying to restore order and sort things
ut before the dabus clear away the evidence. If it wasn’t obvious that the
eaths were the work of the Lady of Pain, Narcovi might try to pin them on
e PCs, as they happen to be in the thick of things once again. Instead, she
sks the PCs about Sougad and the events in the park, then moves on to er
mine the bodies.

+ 32 +
I
 table, but the actual removal of the bodies is
left to the Dustmen. The Dead wait until Narcovi ha:
examined the site before preparing the bodies for
transport to the M (though what they want the
victim’s bodies f o o inventive DMs and 0th
PLANESCAPE adv

After a brief amount of time passes, Factol Ambar Bpproaches the PCs with guards in
tow. He arrived on the scene right after Narcovi, once he was certain the area was
secure. If the PCs have never met him, Ambar introduces himself and gets right to
the dark of his visit. Read:

“Terrible trugedy, the factol comments, “but the Cage’s high-up has her rules.
”

Let’s all learn the lesson of breaking them. After some small talk, the factol drops his
”

voice to a conspiratory whisper. “May I speak with you for a moment?” He directs you to a
quieter corner of the park. “TheBelievers of the Source have a f e w . . . problems, the factol
”

admits with obvious reluctance. “Weface much embarrassment and loss of position qthese troubles
aren’t settled quickly.
”

The factol glances around nervously, then pulls you deeper into the shadows. “The law-killer
Sougad is our responsibility, and I fear these violent deaths are as well. You see, we provide care for
poor sods who appear to be barmy but are actually powers-in-the-making. Sougad escaped from our
care, and so did one other, one who loves the Lady of Pain with all his heart. I fear he’s passed his
o are easily swayed.
”

ins tnat the Godsmen maintain a shelter for these powers-to-be. He asks the
ing barmies before any more lives are lost, offering both jink and the grati-
tude of his faction. If the PCs agree, Ambar hands them the files on Trolan and Sougad (see “Factol
Ambar’s Files” on page 34, which should be photocopied and given to the players). He notes that all
if the dead cultists came from Ecstasy, a gate-town on the Outlands - the best place to begin a
,earch for Trolan. Ambar also asks about the portal Sougad used to escape. If the PCs point it out,
4mbar sends one of his guards (a wizard) to check it out with a warp sense spell. A few moments
ter, the guard returns with the relevant information: The gate leads to Ecstasy, it requires a leaf
om a star petal flower to activate, and it was indeed used in the recent past.

“Howfortunate for us, the factol says.

”
t f in one sw$
n. Z will provide you with the necessary

Ambar finishes by stressing that he doesn’

he's just mis-

f
“Trolan’s not a villain in the sense that Soug d is,” Ambar states emphatically.
guided by his love for someone who can’t and won reciprocate. Bring him back
and the Believers of the Source will take care of hi . As for Sougad, deal with

If the PCs refuse Ambar’s offer, there are other ways to get them to Ecstasy. Narcovi could ask
them to go on behalf of the Harmonium, as Sougad remains a threat that must be stopped. Kariana
(see below) could convince them to rescue her brother from the cult’s influence. Finally, if nothing
else presents itself and the PCs refuse to leave Sigil, they could be tricked into heading to Ecstasy.
Factol Ambar and Narcovi both have the means for planting a gate key on one of the PCs. In this
at some point the PCs will step through an archway or door that’s a portal to the gate-town and
ansported to the location of Sougad’s latest activities.
’Course, if the PCs don’t accept Ambar’s offer, they’re not going to get his files on Trolan and
gad (unless the DM wishes to allow them another means of obtaining the files).

+ 33
curiosity in the events that transpired in Bloodgem Park: safety of the curious crowd, eager to see how much may-
Kariana of Ecstasy (Pr/ Q human/O/Fraternity of Order/LG), hem the events she’s set in motion have caused. When she
whose two brothers were inspired by Trolan’s haunting learns that Sougad has been chased off, her anger flares. It
words about the Lady and joined his cult. The older doesn’t take her too long to find the cutters responsible for
brother, Benjim, was among ose who died when the La- ruining this part of her plan.
dy’s shadow passed over the rk. The younger boy, Kedd, Nari spends the rest of this scene observing the PCs
barely 16, is still at Trolan’s side. and learning all she can about them. She doesn’t interact
Kariana wears a simple blue robe with its hood pulled with them at this time, but she does begin planning how to
up over her satin-black hair. She watches the clean-up gain her revenge. The DM should assume that Nari can
from the edges of the crowd, listening to comments that hear everything the PCs discuss in Bloodgem Park. This al-
ripple from one end of the park to the other. It doesn’t take lows her to send Pastor Browen, a barmy from Harbinger
long for word to get around that the law-killer was chased House, to stop the PCs on the Outlands.
out of Sigil and that the cutters responsible are the ones During the time that Nari observes them, the DM
speaking to Factol Ambar. should give each PC one chance to spot her by making a
Kariana waits until the PCs have finished talking to Wisdom check at -4 (though not all at the same time). Any
the facto1 before she approaches them. It doesn’t matter time a PC fails a check, he still sees something interesting:
what the outcome of their meeting with Ambar is; the PCs a strange or intriguing person in the crowd, Factol Ambar
may still agree to help Kariana. Read: talking to Narcovi, Narcovi finding some possible clue in
the blood-splattered grass, Kariana watching them, and SO
A f i g u r e i n a blue, hooded robe walks toward you. on. If any PC makes the check, he spots Nari - the most
While thefigure’s features are hidden, the shape beneath beautiful young woman the PC has ever seen. As soon as
the robe is obviously female. She stops only a foot or two she notices that she’s been spotted, Nari disappears into
away from you, and you can see her large, dark eyes, pale the crowd; the PCs can’t catch her at this time.
skin, and wisps of black hair straying from the safety of DM NOTE:If a PC spots Nari in the crowd, she tries to
her hood. use her charm ability on that PC (by winking or smiling).
“The chant’s loud about you, cutters, ‘’ she says in a Secretly make the character’s saving throw; failure indi-
sorrow-filled voice. “Did you really chase off the law- cates that the PC is charmed. However, charmed PCS
killer?” should not be told that they’re under Nari’s spell. Fact is,
they won’t feel any differently at all at this point in the ad-
If the PCs answer truthfully, Kariana points toward venture.
the body of a dark-haired man, his handsome face slashed Even if she succeeds in charming one or more PCs,
open as if by a sharp razor. As a pair of Dustmen drape a Nari’s not planning on “using” them for anything just yet.
sheet over the dead sod and prepare to lift him onto the She simply wants to have as many people on her side as
waiting wagon, thr wnman chokes back tears. Read: possible, in case she needs the help later.

“That’s Benjim. My brother. He was a happy, content

body back in Ecstasy. Then he heard Trolan’s words, and E C S +ASY,
they led him to his death.” She pauses, watching her c 1+Y @p *.--
brother’s corpse disappear into the back of the Dustmen’s p L, I N + H S
wagon. “Myyounger brother, Kedd, is still out there, letting
Trolanflll his head with images of love. But there’s no love If the PCs agree to help the Godsmen, Factol Ambar pro
for them here -just death. I need help. Will you help me?” vides them with a key to Sougad’s portal; from the time
the barmy escapes to the time the PCs get the key, two to
If the PCs are interested, Kariana explains that her three hours pass. If the PCs are traveling to the Outlands to
brothers listened to Trolan speak in Ecstasy’s Philosopher’s hunt down Sougad at Narcovi’s request, she puts them in
Court, and both seemed different after the experience. “His touch with a Cipher who can provide a gate and a key;
words seeped into their souls. Both Benjim and Kegd fell in however, this could take as long as six to 10 hours. If the
love with the Lady, she tells them. “Please -find P d d be-
” PCs are searching for Kedd at Kariana’s request, the young
fore he Makes a pilgrimage to the Cage. I’ll pay you with woman can’t provide them with a gate key a t all; the
everything I own. She holds out a small leather pouch
” group must find its own way out of the Cage.
containing 37 gold pieces, 62 silver pieces, and 45 copper The map on the inside of the gatefold screen details a
pieces. It’s the sum of her wealth, but she offers it all to the portion of Ecstasy. It shows one of the temple districts,
PCs if they agree to save her little brother. where most of the encounters in the town take place. The
numbered locations are described on pages 37-39. The young men and women g their rlimhino t p r h -
buildings marked with “T”s are temples; however, the de- niques.
tails of these places and the powers they’re dedicated to are Many visitors of vari ersal views have come
left to the DM. If appropriate, at least one of the temples to Ecstasy to participate in the Philosopher King’s annual
should be dedicated to a power that means something to Gracious Debates about the nature of existence. The inns
one of the PCs. Powers who have temples in Ecstasy in- are packed, the beer gardens are crowded, and the plinth-
clude Isis, Ishtar, Chauntea, Enlil, Majere, Mishakal, and sitters are doing their best to ignore thc commotion.
Unfortunately, the residents are more concerned
ith a recent rash of murders (they don’t know that
Sougad Lawshredder is the culprit). Remember,
ougad’s ritual demands that he kill 13 lawful vic-
tims. He’s already slain at least six in Sigil (in
Chapter I), and he plans to kill the final three in
Harbinger House (in Chapter 111). Thus, in
Ecstasy, he needs to commit enough
murders to bring the total up to
10, which means that one to
four victims must die.
Here’s a brief overview of this Outlands city. For more i F
The tenth murder
formation on Ecstasy, refer to A Player’s Primer to the takes place during the
Outlands. PCs’ confrontation with
$#‘Ik ” j

Petitioners in Ecstasy spend days upon days contem- 3ougad at the Temple of the
plating the multiverse while sitting atop the many tall Beloved One (Area 5). So, by the time the PCs arrive in Ec-
plinths that dot the landscape. It’s a pastoral community, stasy, all other murders have already been committed.
where no one is in any particular hurry to do anything ex- Three possible victims and the locations where they were
cept focus on his or her own personal growth. It’s a place discovered are listed below. The DM should use only as
of peace and plenty, of gardens and orchards, of sprawling many as is necessary, based on how many sods were killnA
manors and buildings gathered at crossroads through the in Chapter I.
greenery.
While the petitioners tend to stay out of a body’s way, I:This lawful good dwarf
the rest of the residents can be extremely impulsive. If W d S KIIKU 111 1115 IUUIII d L The Impulsive Dabus inn
you’ve got something they want, they’re likely to take it. To (Area 4). He received the appropriate number of
these berks, the first impulse is the best impulse. Act before slashes from Sougad’s long sword, had the parch-
thought, or so the chant here goes - no wonder Ciphers ment note pinned to his shirt, and had an expres-
and halflings make up a large chunk of the population. sion of genuine terror etched across his face. If the
There are three high-ups in Ecstasy - the Sun Master PCs check his room, they find the remains of three
(currently, Regialia Tonn), the Dark Hunter (currently, Karo nutshells next to the end table, less than 10 feet
Jantar), and the Philosopher King (currently, Kagorius). from where the body was found.
The first rules the day, the second rules the night, and the t: This human fe-
third rules the debates that rage in the Philosopher’s Court. IIMIC UUVIICI V V ~ > V I ~ I L I I LLaLdsy
I ~ to attend the
There’re also lots of temples to powers that might help a Philosopher’s Court. After the last session, she was
body out of a jam. on her way back to her room at The Impulsive
Visitors just need to remember that “evil” is consid- Dabus when Sougad struck. Her body was found
ered to be anything that blocks a body’s personal growth. in the tall grass beside the road to Moondark
So, buy a cool drink and find a Comfortable pillar to perch Tower. In addition to the parchment note written
on.. . . in her own blood, the remains of a small iron rod
were discovered partially buried in the soil be-
neath her body.
THB CURRBNLE C H A N + DERIXTHE BLUE:This human male Mercykille
The PCs quickly learn some of the local chant as they ex- heard the PCs telling Narcovi how Sougad slipped
plore the City of Plinths. The DM is encouraged to aild de- the blinds back in Sigil. For the glory of his fac-
tails and create local NPCs as needed to pass along this in- tion and to bring punishment down upon Sougad,
formation in a role-playing setting. Derix came to Ecstasy to find the elusive killer. He
The annual plinth-climbing contest kicks off in a fe found Sougad, all right, but the barmy made short
days, and everyone is placing bets on the favorite and cu work of him. His body was discovered behind
rent champion, Jeliva the Relaxed. The PCs see man Miressa’s townhouse (Area 3 ) .
 ASKING ABfeULE TRtBLAN IIIAjeR L e C A c E I e N S
If the PCs want to learn more about Trolan, they’ve come I N ECScEASY
to the right place. There are more than a few people who This section details five major locations in the gate-towr
remember the tiefling. “He did something very f e w of us and the encounters the PCs might have at each place, lead-
a_= would ever do,” one local might comment. “He got up off ing up to another battle with Sougad in Area 5 (the Temple
his plinth and went looking for his dream. Of course, his
” dedicated to Trolan). The DM should embellish the encoun-
dream almost got him killed, and still might, but that’s ters below as necessary for the unfolding story.

The following NPCs can tell the PCs

I . T H E WELCfeIIIE G A R D E N
what they remember of Trolan from
days in the City of Plinths: Whether the PCs go through the rooftop arch tc
reng the bariaur, who
mb -- get to Ecstasy or arrive through some other
as Trolan’s best friend
when thev were children:
Miressa, daughter of the
hilosopher King, who
nce loved the tiefling;
nd Ogan, owner of The Impul-
sive Dabus, an inn where Trolan used
to spend much of his time.
In addition to the information g&x
provided by these three bodies, the
PCs can learn the facts mentioned in
Ambar’s file on Trolan (if they don’t already
have that information). Some residents might also
talk about the strange powers Trolan began to exhibit just
before he left town. He was able to sway crowds to his way
of thinking with a few words and a penetrating stare. Even
the most stubborn leatherhead couldn’t disagree with
Trolan for very long.
Those who didn’t know Trolan in his younger days
can tell the PCs about his latest visit to Ecstasy. This in-
formation is compressed into the dialogue below, though
the DM is encouraged to spread the revelations among as
many residents of Ecstasy as necessary for good role-

“Trolan? Oh, you mean the leader of the berks that

worship the Lady of Pain? Yeah, I saw him. He was here
about a week aao.., He svoke at the crossroads, tellinq the
I

crowds that gathered all about his love of the Lady and The greeter is Artemor Far (PI/d’ halfling/O/Society of
what she told him. He claimed she was ready to accept Sensation/NG), a transplant from Sheela Peryroyl’s realm
open devotion, and that he was her beloved but she still who found Ecstasy to be more to his liking. “Why farm,”
had room in her heart f o r all who adored her. He spoke Artemor has been known to ask, “when I can spend time
from the top of an iron pillar, and his voice was like the growing something even more to my liking - me?”
music of the planes. He preached for a whole day, and then He’s become samething of a “welcome wagon” for
he charged those who felt as he did to go to Sigil and show this part of Ecstasy, greeting whoever arrives through the
the Lady their love. Almost a dozen berks left Ecstasy at garden portal. Artemor enjoys good conversation, hearing
his side the next day, along with another dozen who’d fol- news from other realms, and sharing whatever food and
lowed him here. It didn’t end after he was gone, though. beverage his visitors have brought with them. Fact is, he’s
Others who’d heard his words decided that Trolan was much friendlier and helpful to those who share something
more than just a prophet. They Bgured the cutter was a to eat and drink with him than to those who arrive empty-
power. So they took one of the abandoned temples and handed.
dedicated it to Trolan. Hey, that’s their right, if it helps The halfling takes his time to get to the point, as he’s
their personal growth. ’’ in no particular hurry. If his visitors are impatient, he
 slows down even more, stretch
long, convoluted conversation.
+ IIIIRESSA’S T Q W N H Q U S E
IF THE PCS ASKABOUT s iressa (PI/ 0 human/O/-/NG), daughter of Kagorius, the
Ecstasy through the same gate as Sougad, Artemor met the Philosopher King, spends most of her time in the King’s
barmy murderer a few hours back. He remembers the wild townhouse. The King set up this refuge as a place to get
hair, the fiery eyes, and the menacing long sword. He also away from the rigors of the Philosopher’s Court, but he
remembers that Sougad wasn’t particularly friendly; in rarely makes use of it himself.
fact, he was downright rude. As with Chereng’s sample dialogue, the DM should
If the PCs used a different gate, Artemor never saw parcel out the following information in normal conversa-
Sougad. However, he admits that a poor sod who was just tion - not just read it from beginning to end
passing through got put into the dead-book a few hours
heard that a cleric of Moradin was found all cut up “Yes,I knew him. We were friends, then lovers. How
r at The Impulsive Dabus,” Artemor says. “Such a ter- loved that young man! He had a voice like a summer’s
e thing to happen, even i f i t was a stuffi old dwarf.” breeze and a smile that was brighter than the sun. Even my
+ IF THE PCs ASKABOUT TROLAN: Artemor hasn’t been father liked him, for his bardic talents made him one of the
tasy for more than a few years, so he knows little best speakers at my father’s debates. Not that Trolan spoke
the bard who grew up among the plinths. He does out ofien - at least, not before he heard about the Lady.
know about Those Who Court the Lady, as they recruited “A cleric visited the city that year, on his way f r o m
some of the locals a few days back. If the PCs are patient Sigil to Elysium. He told stories about the City of Doors,
enough to wait, Artemor eventually directs them to the and Trolan became fascinated with the images and chant of
new temple dedicated to Trolan, beloved of the Lady of the place. When the cleric told him about the Lady of Pain,
Pain. ‘‘I haven’t been there myself, you understand, but Trolan’s eyes lit up with afire that I could never ignite. He
! what started as just another expression of personal growth fell in love with Sigil’s icon, composing songs and ballads
has become rather. . . restricting, ifyou catch my meaning. to her while he was with me. Before the year ended, I knew
I’d stay away from that place i f I were you. ” that I had lost him. He said he was sorry. He said good-
bye. Then he was gone, and my heart went with him. I tried
to see him when he returned a f e w days ago, but he was
2. C H E R B N G ’ S S.EABLE
still singing the Lady’s praises. By the currents of Oceanus,
This finely appointed stable is the home of Chereng, (P1/6 how I hate her!”
bariaur/O/Free League/CG), Trolan’s childhood friend.
Many of the older bodies in Ecstasy can direct the PCs If the PCs ask Miressa where Troian went, she doesn’t
here. The bariaur’s sample dialogue follows; however, the know, but suggests they check at the temple recently built
DM shouldn’t simply read the entire dialogue aloud. In- in his name (Area 5 ) . She also mentions The Impulsive
stead, break it up according to how the PCs approach and Dabus (Area 4), a tavern where Trolan used to spend much
question Cheren of his time.

“I knew Trolan.” Chereng remembers. “Wegrew up to- 4. T H E I I I I P U L S I V E D A B U S

gether. I met him when we were both children. Trolan had
j u s t arrived, walking into the city on the road f r o m the This inn and tavern in the Temple District is run by a tiefling
Outlands. He was only eight, but he apparently made his named Ogan (P1/6 tiefling/O/Fated/CN).Ogan’s owned the
way here on his own. He never talked about it, but I knew place for years, and he gave a young Trolan his first job as a
he had been abandoned. We became fast friends, and his bard a long time ago. No matter what time of day the PCs
dreams and songs and stories were better than any words visit The Impulsive Dabus, they find the place crowded, but
of wisdom spoken in the temples or shouted from the tops friendly and very inviting. The recent murders in town have
of the plinths. When I wanted to d o something that was a past a bit of a pall over the tavern, but for the
little wicked or impinged on someone’s personal space, most part, things are still
Trolan would talk me out of it. Too bad I couldn’t return upbeat. Ogan is among the
A members of the commu-
the favor. He was a good soul, and I miss him a lot. ”

nity calling for action, as

the murders seem directed
against visitors to Ecstasy - the
same bodies that come to his inn and spend lots of

If the PCs ask Ogan about Trolan,

learn the following information, reve
and pieces during a normal conversation:
 “He was my best attraction in thosedays,”Ogan rem-
zisces. “Trolan’s voice and lyre really packed ’em in. Even
s, THE TEmPLE eF BELeVED
he berks who sit on top of the plinths’d climb down to lis- After Trolan recruited1 a few of the
In to Trolan sing and play. ’Course, they drank plenty of to preach in other to ns, a young

i
le and wine on those nights, and eoen the Dark Hunter 6 human/P3/Believ rs of the S
)as known to come by now and then to hear Trolan per- truth in Trolan’s wor . Jakoly be
form. Trolan was going to make me rich, and I was going than a prophet - he t inks the tiefling is a power. With the
to let him. Then that stupid cleric showed up and ruined help of other b w o h e a d Trolan spe4k, Jakoly reno-

everything!
“You never tell an impressionable young sod like the City of Plinths.
d emple and set up a new
I
religion in

Trolan about something wondrous he can’t ever have. It

was a recipe for disaster! Now look what’s going on. Trolan
comes back and the locals’ve built him a temple!
The Lady of Pain! I’m from Sigil, and
L
let me tell you, not even a I
barmy would try to wor-
ship her! You’d have to be
1
suicidal.
“Say, can I get you
cutters some drinks? C @ m E +@ + H E T E m P L E
The star petal wine is B E L @ V E D @NE!
particularly tasty this @NLY WE CAN P R @ + E C + Y@u
time of day. . . .”
f R d m +HE KILLER IN @UR mIDS+!
At the inn, the dNLY WE CAN ... religibn.

PCs meet a seemingly SAY.D@ES A N Y e N E ELSE SmELL S m @ K E ? “TheDark

friendly cleric who insists on
helpimg them in their quest.
However, the berk‘s really
- JAKeLY, P R E A C H I N G A *
T R e L A N ’ S IE E E IPL E
”
Hunter can’t help
you, Jakoly preaches. “Neither
can the Sun Master nor the
Pastor Browen (P1/6 human/P12/-/CE), a Philosopher King. But the Beloved
barmy from Harbinger House sent by Nari to delay the PCs will protect you. As he walks without harm at the Lady of
and hinder their progress. Having learned that Trolan’s Pain’s side, so too will you walk without fearing the blade
been trapped in the gate-town of Curst for a few days, of the murderer that seeks to cut YOU.”
Browen approaches the PCs t o pass on the news. The
barmy hopes the PCs’ll go there and get stuck as well. Some members of the temple can tell the PCs that
Trolan was going to visit other gate-towns before heading
A man wearing spiky armor covered with odd protru- back to Sigil. “By now he should be all the way to Curst,”
sions walks over, carrying a full pitcher of ale. “Fill your one of the devoted mentions.
mugs, bloods?” the man asks. You notice he has a huge
mace slung at his belt and the symbol of the Xaositects
pinned to his breast. S e U G A D ’ S A++ACK
Browen acts like an addle-coved Xaositect, but he Sougad knows Trolan from the time they b
never reveals his darker side, mentions the Mad God he Harbinger House. As the murderer carves a
worships, or tries to preach to the PCs at this time. Instead, through Ecstasy, he learns about the Temple of the Beloved
he eqgages them in friendly conversation, waits for an ap- One, a place that causes great rage to flare within his soul.
propriate opening, then lets them know what he’s heard. “How dare they worship that charlatan!” Sougad fumes. “I
“Thelbarmy who’s been singing about Sigil’s hi am the next power, not that fool who loves the Lady!”
hear he’s in Curst, preaching to the citizens and After the PCs have had some time to explore Ecstasy
d
ing a pilgrimage to the Cage.” After he drops the bait, Pas- and learn of Sougad’s activities, Lawshredder decides to
find his tenth victim among the sods gathered at Trolan’s
n downs his drink and wanders out of the inn.
NOTE: More information about Browen - in- temple - after he sets the place on fire! The PCS might
is full game statistics - appears on page 45, near track Sougad to the temple, or Sougad can spring into ac-
the s1ection where the PCs are most likely to fight the tion while the PCs are talking with Jakoly and his flock.
barmv. Browen’s not going to attack the group in Ecstasy; However it occurs, when the PCs and Sougad are both in
he plans to ambush them in Curst. the temple, read:

I I I
 -
shredder explodes from the shadows, shouting as he swings However, as soon as Sougad finishes hishciim (thus
his sword at the worshipers gathered there. “You will bow completing this step in the ritual), he gains another innate
down to chaos and murder!” he screams. “You will worship ability: the use of a teleport without error power, once per
day. When he delivers the last slash to his victim, Saugad
draws in energy: A glowing, red aura emerges from the
The hall is 150 feet wide, and the PCs start at the op- victim, slides up Sougiad’ssword, a
posite side from where Sougad appears. Thus, the barmy P t s can see this occur.) With t
gets one round to act before the PCs can retaliate. Sougad Sougad disappears from the temple just as the balcony
selects his target - a lawful berk with 37 hp and AC 10 - falls around him. The DM should describe the scene in
before leaping out of the shadows, and he hits the sod such a manner as to make the group think Sougad’s been
g the round for 18 total points of damage. killed.
M should then roll initiative for the second Any PCs who were fighting Sougad at the time must
d of combat. Sougad plans to continue slashing his make successful Dextierity checks at -2 to leap out of the
target until the berk dies and 10 cuts have been delivered. way. Those who fail take 3612 points of damage and are
As the target is a defenseless, robed cultist, Sougad
shouldn’t miss often, but the DM should still roll to see if
the barmy hits (in case the target ducks, struggles, etc.).
1
trapped beneath the urning rubble. Each round they re-
main trapped, the cha acters take an additional ld6 points
of heat and fire damage.
Once the victim has been killed, Sougad can deliver all re- THEREAL CHANT: when Sougad teleported away from
aining slashes needed for the ritual in a single round. the temple, he appealed near the garden gate that leads
As the second round progresses, the crowd of wor- back to Sigil (Artemol Far, sleeping off some particularly
shipers and curiosity-seekers begins to run in panic. On potent ale, missed tue barmy). While the PCs deal with
initiative 5, any PCs who haven’t acted yet notice that Trolan and Pastor Bq‘owen in Curst, Sougad is heading
flames are raging around the second-floor balcony of the back to Harbinger Hduse, where he plans to commit the
temple (Sougad set the fire a few minutes before he ap- final three murders reQuired to make him a power.
peared). The PCs must decide whether to fight the fire, help SLIPPING THE BLINDS:Since Sougad’s target is an easy
the crowd escape safely, battle Sougad, or perform some mark, the barmy shduld be able to slay him before the
combination of these actions. Read: building collapses. Hopever, if the dice show that the tem-
ple’s taken 60 points df fire damage and Sougad still hasn’t
Fire! Flames dance along the secondpoor killed his tenth victi&, the DM should keep the structure
ple, $aintiazg the entire balcony in crimson standing until the vidtim’s dead. ’Course, it’s possible to
smohe. Members of the crowd notice 1 around the PCs - possibly
I o kill his victim - or simply
creak, groan, and threaten to
collapse at any moment.

CURS+,
I +HE WALLED CI+Y
heir way from Ecstasy to Curst by finding a
Sougad’s placed the spell components for this murder portal or path that quickly gets them to the new gate-
next to a pillar, so he refuses to move too far from it. He town. Unlike the situation in Ecstasy, the PCs don’t have to
must kill his victim within the prescribed range of 10 feet. explore and talk to a lot of NPCs in order to get to the crux
If the PCs manage to save the first target, a similar berk of the scene. Instead, they find Trolan and his followers in
foolishly rushes close enough for Sougad to attack. If that short order. The trick then becomes finding a way back out
victim is saved, too, Sougad targets a lawful PC as his of the Walled City while dealing with the tmnhle stirred up
prey. by Pastor Browen.
Each round that the battle rages, the fire gets an ini-
tiative roll as well. On its initiative, the flames spread, A Q U I C K L@@K
causing ld12 points of damage to the upper floor of the
temple. After 30 points of damage, the fire spreads to the Curst sits on the philosophical shores of the plane of
lower floor, as flaming beams and other debris begin to Carceri. For more information on the gate-town, refer to
fall. After 60 points of damage (or in the round after the PLANESCAPE Campaign Setting boxed set or A Player’s
Sougad kills his victim), the temple becomes an inferno Primer to the Outlands.
 Dusty streets and bleak architecture reveal the nature
of this burg. Most of the inhabitants of Curst are exiles
from somewhere else, and bitter revenge is the driving
force that keeps everything here going. Everyone dreams
of vengeance - against those who wronged them, peeled
them, or betrayed their love or confidence. They plan great
schemes and even raise armies, but few can escape the
binds that hold Curst’s residents in.
Nearly circular in shape and surrounded by a high, ra-
zorvine-covered wall, Curst is built around a ,gate to
Carceri. Five ring roads ripple out from the c e n t q of the
city, forming six distinct districts. Bashers called the Wall
Watch patrol the perimeter of the city. They let alqost any Any PC who tries to examine the body must make a
berk into Curst, but very few are allowed to lea3e. Out- successful Dexterity check with a -2 penalty to avoid the
siders believe that the residents are prisoners in their own thorns. A failed check indicates that the PC takes 2d3
burg, but the residents see it as a way to keep the rest of points of damage from the razorvine. If any PC manages to
the multiverse out. It’s all a matter of perspective - one get close to the body, he finds all that remains of worth is
that changes mighty quickly once a body steps t h r h g h the a belt pouch and its contents: five gold pieces, two plat-
gate into the Walled City. inum pieces, and a small wooden triangle inscribed with
The wall and the razorvine keep folks in, of course, the icon of a metal cage (a gate key to Sigil).
but the guards of the Wall Watch do their share, toio. They THEREAL CHANT: Why did the body animate for the
require proof that a body has somewhere to go and a way PCs? Berk, things happen in the multiverse that nobody
to get there before they’ll open the gate. Beyond these can explain. The corpse’s chant is important, how-
physical restrictions, two other factors -
bitterness and fear - form the chains of
-
ever, It warns the PCs about Curst and gives them
art of the solution to foiling the trap.
this prison. Release your bitter- I
ness and overcome your fear ,
and maybe -just maybe -
the razorvine will let you 40
The dusty approach the Walled City is notably empty.
The stillness is broken by the sounds of the PCs’ footfalls
pass.
and the occasional cry of an unseen bird. An unadorned
wall circles the town, its exterior lacking even a hint of the
razorvine that covers the interior. The road leads to a large
gate that opens as the PCs get close. Read:
THE R e A D
+8 CURS+
The gate swings open, revealing two bashers with

i
Whatever mode of travel he PCs
decide to use (or the DM pr vides),
they wind up on a dark and dusky road
large pikes waiting to greet you. “Welcome to Curst, one
”

of the bashers sneers. “Enjoy your stay,” the other adds in

a monotone voice. He waves you through with his gloved
not far from Curst. A few dead bodies lieiamong hand, not even bothering to ask your business or charge a
the thorns of the razorvine growing beside thf road, fee, as so many other walled towns do.
adding to the bleakness of the terrain. Behind the bodies,
the razorvine grows so high that it blocks the view bf any- If the PCs enter, the bashers ignore them and quicmy
thing beyond.
As the PCs near the great outer wall of the toGn, one
of the dead bodies speaks to them. Read:

“Berks! Hey, berks! Don’t do it! It’s a trap!” caw.- J

voice from the razorvine to the side of the road. You
notice a body dangling in the vines, pierced by thorns in wall looks much more formidable than the out-
a hundred places. The body’s partly decomposed, side. Thick razorvine crawls up the wall, making it
with patches of white bone showing through gap- , impossible to get closer than two feet to the actual
ing holes in the decayed flesh. It’s the body fortification. A wide, circular road runs along the
of a human male, wearing the tattered inside of the wall. Across it, stables, taverns, and
remains of leather armor and travel- inns form a ring of structures leading up to the next
ing clothes. Suddenly, its head turns circular road.
 T H E TRAP
FRE E -4-H I N KE R S c
Pastor Browen amved in Curst shortly before the PCs
@ fS H E
and has been hard at work ever since. The barmy told
Sergeant Qarz - one of the officers of the Wall Watch - that PLANES UNI+E!
a group of cutters would be arriving soon, a band who’d S + R I K E DCBWN + H E L A D Y - L C B V E R
caused all kinds of trouble in Sigil and some of the other I N + H E N A m E CBF + H E R E V C B L U + I @ N !
gate-towns. Browen said they’re coming to Curst to stir up
the Anarchists and disturb the peace. “Besides,” he told
Qarz, “the help you provide will make my power very happy.
- % @ R e BA@%
ef +HE ANARCHIS+S
That means you’ll get the reward you’ve always dreamed of.
Just make sure the cutters don’t leave for at least 24 hours.”
Sergeant Qarz agreed, convinced that the reward
would be a ticket out of Curst and back to the home he
barely remembers. With the dozen or so bashers of the
Watch loyal to him, Qarz plans to detain the PCs for at can leap in front
least one full day. of the arrow before it
Meanwhile, Pastor Browen met with a prominent hits its mark. (If the arrow hits
member of the local Anarchists. Xero Baox (P1/8 tiefling/ another target, it acts as an arrow +3.)
F 12/Revolutionary LeaguelCE), a berk who hates authority Baox plans to destroy Trolan no matter what. He at-
and loves revolution, was very receptive to Browen’s tacks the tiefling with everything he has, and he directs
chant. “The tiefling named Trolan has a lot of followers,” similar attacks against those who stand in his way. The PCs
Browen noted. “When his cutters arrive, they’re going to have to kill or otherwise incapacitate Baox to stop his fa-
take over this burg and put all of us free-thinkers in the natic offensive. Once Baox and his bashers are defeated,
dead-book.” That’s all it took. Now Baox is ready to smash the PCs can talk to Trolan.
Trolan’s cult before it gains any more momentum. Baox won’t betray Pastor Browen, no mat-
ter WIM rIlrLrlods the PCs use to question the Anarchist.
However, Baox does parrot the reasoning Browen “helped”
SAVING TReLAN him arrive at - that Trolan’s cult must be stopped before it
spells doom for free-thinking bodies everywhere.
Once inside the town’s wall, it doesn’t take the PCs long to
find Trolan. A crowd of sods dressed in silver and amber
robes mulls around a tavern marked by the sign of a skele- THACO 9; #AT 3/2; Dmg ld8+2 (long sword i 2 ) ; AC 3
tal steed with a horn protruding from its skull - The Un- (plate mail); hp 67;MlV 12; SA arrow of slaying for bards;
dead Unicorn. Trolan is in the tavern, depressed and anx- SZ M (6feet tall); Int Very (12); ML fearless (19); XP 3,000.
ious to find a way out of Curst. Although Trolan and his
followers don’t realize it, Trolan is in grave danger. Xero ANARCHISTS (4)(PL/
Baox has a special arrow of slaying and is on his way to THACO 14;#AT 3/2; Dmg ld6 (short sword); AC 6 (scale
use it when the PCs arrive in Curst. mail); hp 36 each; 12; SZ M ( 5 feet tall); Int average
As the PCs work their way toward The Undead Unicorn, (10);ML fanatic (17); XP 420.
so do Baox and four Anarchist bashers. If any PCs make
successful Wisdom checks, they notice the suspicious group I F TReLAN DIES
entering the tavern. Baox and his gang wear ill-fitting robes
of silver and amber, their folds barely concealing the armor, In Chapter 111, Trolan takes part in the exploration or nar-
swords, bow, and quiver they’re carrying. The Anarchists are binger House and tries to bring the Lady of Pain into the
obviously not the gentle cultists they’re posing as. final battle. However, his role is not critical; if the PCs fail
The PCs must hurry. They reach the door of the tavern to stop Xero Baox, the DM shouldn’t feel absolutely com-
just before Baox nocks the arrow. On the first round of pelled to figure out a way to keep Trolan alive.
combat, Baox puts the arrow in place on his initiative ’Course, Trolan’s absence in Chapter I11 will have a
while his bashers throw off their robes and prepare to de- few ramifications. The PCs’ll be denied the tips he can pro-
fend him. The next round, he fires the arrow unless the PCs vide on the barmies of the House, as well as the chance to
stop him (he’s standing about 30 feet from Trolan, on the receive his healing touch. In addition, they’ll lose the ex-
opposite side of the common room). If the arrow hits perience points they would have gained from saving his
Trolan, it automatically kills him, but this should only life. Finally, without Trolan, the PCs’ll have a much harder
occur if the PCs really mess up. Even if they can’t stop time convincing Kedd and the rest of the cultists to aban-
Baox from taking aim and firing, one of Trolan’s followers don their deadly plan to honor the Lady of Pain.
1
+ 43 +
I I

1
 IF TRfBLAN S U R V I V E S She said she loved me, but I had to prove m y love to her. To
do this, she said Z had to tell others how Zf e l t and send
At some point, the PCs stand face-to-face with Trolan the them to Sigil to share m y love with the Lady. I can still
Beloved. When this occurs, read: hear her beautijkl voice in my head. ”

The man before you stands THEREALCHANT: As far as anyone knows, the Lady of
just a bit over3ve feet tall, with Pain has never spoken. It was Nan, disguised as the Lady,
a thin form and obvious who appeared before Trolan at Harbinger House. However,
grace. His face if the PCs try to convince Trolan that the being that spoke
L shines with the to him - whatever it was - was not the real Lady, the tief-
1d glow of the plane- ling simply smiles, shakes his head, and states that soon
touched. Tapered ears, the PCs, too, will believe.
eyes of pure blue with a red- DM NOTE:In two days’ time, Kedd and the cultists -
rimmed radiance, and the with or without Trol+n - will arrive at Bloodgem Park in
slightest growth of horns on his Sigil and conduct thqir ceremony to the Lady of Pain. The
high forehead mark him for what PCs have that long to get out of Curst, return to the Cage,
ild of the planes. Long reddish-blond and find out what’s happening in Harbinger House. Other-
air frames his handsome face, and his beautiful smile wise, the cultists wiil die, slashed by the shadow of the
raws both men and women to his side. He wears the same Lady. While such a Catastrophe won’t stop the P t s from
amber and silver robes as his followers. When he looks at defeating Nan and S@ugadand restoring Harbinger House
you, you feel as though you would do almost anything he to the Godsmen, it dbes deny them experience points for
asked. saving the cultists.
“Have you come to hear my songs, good friends?” he
asks. “Shall I tell you about the Lady, or have you come to
join us on our pilgrimage to the heart of the Cage?”

Trolan radiates trust and friendship. No one within 10

feet of the tiefling can harm him unless they first make a
successful saving throw vs. spell with a -4 penalty to
shrug off the effects of the field of fellowship that sur-
rounds him. Trolan doesn’t even have to use his innate E S C A P B FReIII C U R S +
abilities to influence a crowd. His natural presence and
charisma, as well as his bardic talents, make him almost ir- The second part of Pastor Browen’s trap is sprung the mo-
resistible. ment the PCs try to leave Curst. The only conventional
He starts to tell the PCs all about the Lady of Pain and way out of town is through the Wall Watch-defended entry
why she deserves their love and devotion unless they steer gate. (The only known planar gate within the town leads to
the conversation in another direction. They won’t be able Carceri, and even if the PCs could find and activate it, that
to talk him out of his infatuation, and he never gets angry, plane is even harder to escape from than Curst.) If the PCs
so arguing is pointless. If they approach him as a friend, try to fly or climb over the wall, the razorvine simply
the PCs can convince Trolan to accompany them ta Sigil - grows to match their progress. The town won’t let its
that’s where he plans to go, anyway. charges out so easily.
During this meeting, the PCs learn that a large group When the PCs approach the entry gate, Sergeant Qarz
of cultists is already on its way to Si@ “Myfriend Kedd and his bashers are on duty. The Wall Watch asks the usual
leads them,”Trolan explains. ‘‘I wanted to speak to the cit- questions (“Wheredo you think you’re going? Do you know
izens of this town before returning to Sigil myself. Kedd how to get there? Do you have the means?”), listens imps- \
knows a route through the Court of Light that should get tiently to the answers, and refuses to let the PCs pass. “The
them there in another two days. I have to be back by then, gate’s closed till tomorrow, Sergeant Qarz says. “Come
”

too. That’s what the Lady told me. Ifonly the Wall Watch back after lunch and maybe we’ll open il en. ”

would let us leave!” If the PCs don’t have a key for a gaLc oack to Sigil, or
If a PC asks why Trolan has involved so many people if they don’t even know where to find such a gate, none of
in his infatuation with the Lady of Pain, the tieflihg pro- this matters. The Wall Watch won’t let them out unless
vides an answer: they have somewhere else to be and a way to get there.
Even if they can prove that Curst can’t hold them, the PCs
“After years of hoping and wishing, the have to deal with the corrupt sergeant and his loyal bash-
came to me, Trolan enplains. “She appeared
”
ers. Battle is the obvious solution, but other methods for
binger House, and she spoke the words I foiling this part of the trap include:

I
+ 44 +
I I
 . Getting Yurel Zarnthaskar (Pr/ 6 human/F 101 PCs as he can. The tide for subtlety is past. His mission is
Fated/LN), the commander of the Wall Wqtch, to to delay the adventurkrs in Curst as long as possible, and
assist them. The PCs can accomplish th’is in a he figures that forever1 would be a good length of time.
number of ways. Threats that Trolan’s cogtinued As he attacks, the1 barmy - in his rage - inadvertently
presence’ll bring a visit from the Lady df Pain reveals more about hi$ mission than he’d planned. Fact is,
scare Zarnthaskar into letting the groyp out.
Promises to lend future aid to Zarnthaskar - behind the attack: ~
to
his rantings are clues the PCs that something darker i s

who’s itching to return to his prime-mhterial

homeworld and seek revenge against his ebemies
- also win his assistance.
doors! Open all the doprs!”

Turning Bao he Re League

against Qarz and his bashers, possibly by inciting
them to rise up against the “evil” guards who’d try
to keep “noble, free-thinking cutters” imprisoned
against their will. However, Baox and his group
won’t fight unless the PCs battle at their side.
+ Disguising themselves and pretending to be some
other group of cutters when they try to leave -
cutters who can prove they’ve got somewhere to
abilities as his own madness moves him, but always with
great showmanship aqd a sermon of insanitv.
BROWEN (pLIdpMAN,P12,-,CE):
I
go and a means of getting there. The DM must de-
THACO 14; #AT 1; Ding 2d4+3 (morning star +3); AC 2
cide if the PCs’ “proof” is enough to convince the
(field plate); hp 53; h& 12; SA cleric spells (8 1st-level, 7
2nd-level, 6 3rd-leve1,I 4 4th-level, 2 5th-level, 2 6th-level) ;
MR 20%; SZ M (6 feed tall); ML fanatic (17); XP 9,000.

times per day), and wall of

three times per ddy).
pion (16); XP 2,000

WALLWATCH BASHERS (14) (PL/VAR

VAR/F~/VAR VAR): I BACK +HE C A G E
THACO 17; #AT 1; Dmg Id10 (halberd); AC 5 (chaia mail);
hp 23 each; M V 12; SZ M (6 feet tall); Int average (8); ML Once free of Curst, the PCs can follow the road back to Ec-
elite (13); XP 120. stasy and take the gaqe in the garden back to Sigil. If they
didn’t take the gate bey (the wooden triangle) from the
B R e W E N ’ S LAS+ SLEAND dead body in the razbrvine outside of Curst, the DM can
have a friendly sod i4 Ecstasy provide them with a key -
Pastor Browen surreptitiously watches the PCs as they try that is, when he gets round to it. Remember, folks inEc-
to escape from Curst. If it seems like they’re going to get stasy don’t like to rus
e the PCs with a gate on the

+ +
 With Trolan the Beloved (or Mad, depending
on a body’s perspective) in hand, the PCs
return to Sigil and search out
the mysterious place called
Harbinger House. They have a limited amount of time
before the cultists led by
Kedd arrive, so they have

A kB1 a R H (B s@ to be quick about finding

whoever
behind orthewhatever
deception
played on poor Trolan.
is

For his part, Trolan firmly

believes that the Lady of Pain spoke to him.
He won’t tell his followers to stay away unless
the PCs can prove that someone has
L tricked him. To do
that, the PCs
have to find
Nari the
succubus.
The PCs must
explore a portion of
the House and deal with a
number of its special inhabitants before finally confronting Nari and learn-
ing the details of her twofold plot. First, she wants to convince the residents
of Harbinger House that chaotic evil is the best belief system for their hearts
and souls, thereby causing the House to slip into the Abyss. On that plane,
Nari can study its secrets at her leisure. Indeed, the PCs find chaotic evil ten-
dencies in many of the barmies in the House.
The second part of Nari’s plot centers around her version of Sougad’s
murderous ritual. With a specially prepared long sword, the suc-
cubus plans to slay 13 lawful sods in the presence of the planarity
and the focrux, thus - she hopes - transforming her into a power.
BY + H E RCB@+S But when the PCs reach Nari, the situation grows more compli-
ef YGGDRASIL! cated with the arrival of Crimjak and a number of manes from the
W H A + ADDLE-C@VE Abyss. What’s more, Sougad Lawshredder himself returns,
B U I L + +HA+ m @ N S + R @ S I . E Y ? ready at last to make his own bid for powerhood.

- A BERK G E + + I N G HIS F I R S +
G L I I l I P S E ef
THEREALCHANT: Harbinger House won’t actually slide
over; Sigil is immune to such manipulations. Nor can Nari
become a power by copying Sougad’s ritual; only true pow-
H A R B I N G E R HCBUSE ers-to-be like Sougad and Trolan can be transformed. How-
r, Nari doesn’t know either of these things and plans on
seeing each goal through to the end.
The PCs should believe that Sougad died in
Chapter 11; however, the barmy made it back to Sigil
and went directly to Harbinger House. By the time the
PCs reach the House, Sougad’s already killed two more lawful sods
within. Clues scattered throughout may alert the PCs to Sougad’s pres-
ence, but they won’t run into him until the final scene.
DM NOTE: The map of Harbinger House, printed on the DM’s side of the
gatefold screen, depicts only a small portion of this immense mansion. The
true scope of a place that’s larger on the inside than it is on the outside can’t
be adequately detailed in the course of this adventure. However, the DM
should feel free to add more rooms as desired to expand the PCs’ exploration
of the House.
REcEURN I N G
+e S I G I L ,
Whoever the PCs agreed to help at the start of Chap-
ter I1 comes looking for them the moment they step
through the portal back to Sigil. If they decided to
a
after Trolan on their own (or followed Sougad to the
Outlands and then got involved with the cult), Narcovi
tracks them down. She still has questions, and as long as the dabus continue to
act strangely, she’ll keep digging. It’s her belief that the dabus’ behavior is somehow
connected to the murders, so in her mind the case won’t be solved until the dabus return
to normal.
Other possibilities: Kariana wants to know if they’ve found her brother Kedd; Fac-
to1 Ambar wants to know if they’ve found Trolan apd Sougad; and other fac-
tion leaders want to know what’s been happening on the Outlands and
when they can expect more cultists to arrive.
If the PCs can’t locate Harbinger House on their own, they can ask
Factol Ambar for directions; he’ll be at the Great Foundry, the headquarters
of the Godsmen. Ambar thanks the PCs for returninrg Trolan and asks them to take the

Y
barmy back to the House. “Custodian Bereth will b happy to see Trolan, Ambar admits
”

casually. “She’ll be very helpjid when you get therel Afterward, return here and we’ll lee
to your reward. ” 1 1 I

Ambar also seems disturbed that he still hasn’t recovered the missing pZanarity (stolen for Nari
in Chapter I). If the PCs question him about it, the facto1 divulges a bit more about the item than he
had in the past, confessing that the planarity opens portals and records images of surrounding events
for later historical study. He asks the PCs to keep dn eye out for it when they return Trolan to the

s: If Trolan was killed in Curst, Factol Ambar simply hires the PCs to locate the
missing planarity, suggesting that its magical energies are so closely tied to ‘HarbingerHouse that the
House is the best place to begin the search. (No factol in the history of the Godsmen hrs ever lost the
planarity. To prevent the theft from being made public and weakening his position as factol, Ambar
must employ “outside” cutters - the PCs - to do the leg work.)
If the PCs seem reluctant to visit Harbinger House at all, the DM can have several dabus - act-
ing more strangely than ever - follow them around the streets of the Cage. The dabus communicate
their tension and fear by forming picture-symbols of the area around the House, which should en-
courage even the most hesitant PCs to check the location out.

F I R S + VIEW +P*H8 HeUSE

The trip through Sigil’s streets to Harbinger House reveals that the dabus continue to display un-
characteristic behavior. They’re still cleaning “dirt” from spotless cobblestones, painting freshly
painted walls, and trimming razorvine to the very roots. The closer the group gets to Harbinger
House, the more dabus they see hard at work. Durifig the trip, one dabus turns to gaze upon the PCS
and Trolan. Read:

A nearby dabus lowers his paintbrush and turns in your direction. He stares at you, his mouth
open as though he were about to speak, but no sound emerges. A single symbol appears above his
head, however, hovering where you can easily see it: the infinity symbol, pierced by a downward
arrow. A moment later the symbol fades and the dabus goes back to what he was doing, once again
ignoring you and your companions.

The symbol is the icon of the Abyss. The dabus, and perhaps through him the Lady of Pain, is
providing a warning to the PCs as to the nature of the true enemy. In a way, this is also a call for
help, as the dabus haven’t been able to trace their nkrvousness to its source (due to the scrying shield
generated by the focrux).
 When the PCs reach the dead-end street where Har- WHAcE ABQUcE TReLAN?
binger House resides, they immediately notice something
odd: There are no dabus working on the street. In fact, Trolan travels with the PCs as they explore the House, ac-
there’s almost no one around. The nearby hovels appear companying them either because he followed them from
tightly locked or deserted. No street beggars or merchants Curst or because the PCs brought him there at Facto1 Am-
are evident. Compared to the hustle and bustle on the sur- bar’s request. However, unless the danger is extremely
rounding streets, the deathly silence and stillness of this grave, Trolan won’t raise his sword against the House’s
street should be particularly jarring to the PCs. Read: residents. With the exception of Sougad, he considers them
all to be his friends.
The street you were directed to is set offfrom the rest Trolan can, of course, give the PCs information about
of Sigil by a spiky wall of stone and razorvine. Once you some of the residents. He knows nothing about Galkin,
pass through the gate formed by the arching walls, you no- Kaydi, or Teela, but if the PCs need help with any of the
tice an immediate difference f r o m the other streets you other barmies, Trolan can pass along a hint or two. How-
walked down. There aren’t any people here, or dabus, or ever, he doesn’t know where the doors lead, as he was
shouting merchants, or arguing faction members. It’s quiet, never allowed to wander on his own.
deserted, and terribly dark. Shadows f i l l every corner. The By the time the group enters the House, Trolan’s nat-
walls and the leaning hovels block much of Sigil’s dim ural healing ability has restored him to his maximum hit
light. It’s hard to imagine that a huge mansion sits among points. He can also heal some of the PCs’ wounds by tak-
these decrepit structures. Then you see it, and everything ing them into Area 4A, where the focrux used to be kept
you imagined is swept away. (see page 50 for details).
Harbinger House3lls the end of the street, climbing
above the high walls that surround three sides of its mas-
SLIPPING
4
THE BLI s: If Trolan was killed in Curst, the
PCs must navigate their way through the House without
sive structure. It’s a place of insanity, for no clear-headed the tiefling’s advice or healing touch.
architect designed this jumble of towers, levels, and wings.
Its oddly tilted walls, weirdly slanted roofs, and uneven
windows make it almost painful to look at. There are
doors, arches, and staircases everywhere, covering surfaces
that should instead be covered by shingles or tiles or paint.
A s your eyes roam across its door-covered walls or try she spBtted them in
to follow a staircase that winds to nowhere, you notice a tually track her t t doesn’t take
remarkable thing. The House was built without using a long for word to F
single right angle. Instead, e v e y corner forms an acute or
obtuse angle, making walls j u t toward you or tilt away Between the
from you at va y i n g degrees. barmiles and the e believes the
All is quiet. Even the windows are dark, but you sense
that someone (or something) is staring down at you. Then comes a plower
the door at the top of the porch swings open, beckoning
you inside.

If the PCs view the opening door as a trap, they might

try to search out a different entrance. All the other doors
and windows are locked, however, and won’t open for needed to use the i
brawny bashers or even knock spells. Fact is, the focrux
causes the House to reflect spells, effectively barring
bloods from teleporting, phasing, or otherwise
gaining magical access to the place.
The only way in is through the
front door.
F“

I
I I I
the PCs not to get too close to the windows, as they proba- no one tu g
bly don’t have keys for returning. If the PCs insist an using chair. A rockie
the windows, the DM can do as he pleases - let them ex-
plore, drive them back to the House before the portal closes,
or even send them on a completely different adventure.
THERESIDENTS: The more prominent barmies of the If the PCs approach the
House have names and full statistics, as detailed through- rocker, they can see who’s sitting (I

out this chapter. Nari’s given some of them magical items there. Read:
so they have a better chance to delay and perhaps even kill
the PCs.
However, the House also contains various other be-
ings, including Godsman caretakers who’ve been aharmed
or imprisoned by Nan, less powerful barmies, and dretches
brought from the Abyss to guard Nari and her plans. If the
PCs battle any of these other residents, the DM may use the “Chaos dance and
following statistics or invent specific details for qach, as
desired:
This is one of the Godsmen (P1/6 human/O/Believers
AVERAGE BARMY (PL/VAR VARF2/-/VAR): II
of the SourcelLN)whD helped care for Harbinger House, as
THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg ld3 (fists) or by weapon; AC 10; the badge he wears OD his tunic indicates (though it’s cur-
hp 9; MV 12; SZ M ( 5 feet tall); Int very (12); ML average rently hidden by the blanket). Nan has broken the faction
(IO); XP 3‘ members, turning them into even bigger barmies than the
f
addle-coves they used to administer to. Those whose
GODSMAN (PL/VAR VAR/O/BELIEVERS OF THE SOURCE/VAR)l: minds collapsed have been given easy chants to sing until
THACO 20; #AT 1; ltmg ld3 (fists) or by weapon; AC 10; the House slides over to the Abyss. If they can’t actually
hp 7; MV 12; SZ M (6 feet tall); Int high (14); ML steady join Nari, at least thay’ll pay lip service to the doctrine of
(12); XP 3 her home plane.

DRETCH: THACO 19; #AT 3 ; Dmg ld4/ld4/1d4+1; AC 4; HD 3. GODSMEN CELLS ~1

2; hp 12; MV 9; SZ S (3 feet tall); Int low (6);AL CE; ML The Godsmen who work at Harbinger House use these
steady ( 12); XP 1,400. small cells as living quarters. Each one contains a bed, a
Spell-like abilities (usable at will, once per round, unless small table, a chair, and a storage chest. Various belong-
otherwise indicated): darkness 15‘ radius, infravision, ings are still packed away, including spare clothes, weap-
scare, stinking cloud (once per day), telekinesis, and tele- ons (a short sword and dagger in each chest), and a small
port without error. amount of jink (10d4 gp each). None of the items are mag-
ical, though there is ample evidence that the people who
occupy these rooms belong to the Believers of the Source
THE RtBtBIIIS tBF (faction symbols are sewn into or otherwise adorn every-
HARBINGER HtBUSE thing).
Two cells hold things of interest to the PCs. The cell
1. IHEPORCH I
marked “ 3 A on t h e map contains a dead body, t h e
A series of wooden steps lead up to a slightly elevated, eleventh victim of Sougad. The poor sod was a male Gods-
open-air porch. This is the main entrance used by the man, his face twisted into a terrified grimace and his body
Godsmen who care for the House and its inhabitaDts, and covered by 11 deep slashes made by a large blade. There’s
the only one currently available to the PCs. Two wooden a parchment note, three nutshells, and a discarded vrock
ther here as well.
The cell marked “3B” is the only one currently occu-
ed by a living body. A matronly female (P1/0 elf/O/Be-
lievers of the SourcelCG) lies curled in a ball atop the bed.
mind has been shattered by Nari’s attempts to win her
decorated with the icon of the Believers of the Soqrce cov- over, and now only the barest hint of the woman she was
ers the floor, and various couches and chairs are set com- remains. She doesn’t respond to anything the PCs say or
fortably around the room. Two massive fireplaces cover do; she just lies there with her eyes closed tight and her
much of the far wall, cheery fires burning brightly in each. thumb in her mouth. It’ll take a lot of time and effort to
A single door in each wall leads deeper into the House. help this woman return to normal - something the PCs
When the PCs enter this room, read: can’t afford at the moment.
 from looking inside. However, residual energies left in this

yond the door as her living quarters. Windows in the office Trolan gains the power to deliver a healing touch to
provide a view of the street outside Harbinger House.
The office contains a large desk, a couch, a number of in the adventure receive the equivalent of cure seriou

equivalent of cure light wounds, regaining Id8 lost hit

ously looking for something, but there’s no way

was found or not.
each PC. Repeatedly leaving and re-entering the chamber

todian’s journal. The beginning of the journal features en-

tries made by Old Favur, the custodian before Bercth. His they enter the custodian’s living quarters (for example, if

from the meditation chamber. They may still find the se-

but on the Elemental Plane of Water.

A secret panel on the wall behind the blankets (which
can be found if the PCs successfully search for a secret
door) hides a small alcove. The alcove contains two po-
tions of healing, one potion of extra healing, an elixir of
health, and an elixir of madness. The elixir of health can
be used to cure one of the barmies in the House, or any PC
who drinks the elixir of madness. However, it does not heal
wounds or restore lost hit points. Any barmy cured with

live in the House while caring for the resident barmies.

Windows in this room have been boarded up, though the
boards have been removed from the window on the left
side of the door. Light from Krigala, the first layer of the

A wide variety of ingredients cover the great table

where the focrux used to be, he s
” howm here, and all five huge kettles are boiling over with some
ntedihting in here, cahed by fts strange-smelling dishes. Two Godsmen, one male
All Trolan can tell the PCs a and one female, scramble from pot to pot,
adding- a touch of this or a dash of that,
the House” and that it was stirring the boiling mixtures, or just
said to prevent k b
taking satisfied whiffs of the
outsiders i contents.

I I
 These Godsmen have been driven to insanity by Nari’s I I I ~ ,d i d thinking, and eve11 gaining ine best of their tal-
ductive urgings. She’s made them chaotic evil through ents through magical absorption. Since t h e change
r subtle manipulations, which becomes evident if the wrought by Nari, Aztral’s personality becomes a chaotic
PCs linger in the kitchen. Read: evil version of the character he emulates. To the PC, it’:
like looking into a twisted mirror and seeing his or her
The man wears a loincloth and an apron as he moves own dark reflection.
from steaming pot to boiling kettle, tossing ingredients into The targets of Aztral’s absorption get a saving throw
each pot from a basket he carries. There doesn’t seem to be vs. petrification. A successful throw indicates that Aztral
a pattern to his recipe, and his ingredients don’t look very was unable to absorb the target’s abilities; a failed throw
appetizing - a handful of worms, a pinch of insect shells, means that the barmy%ucceeded.
a dash of sharp glass. “For the celebration,” he whispers Once Aztral absorbs a PC’s personality and talents, he
when he sees you. “We’re moving today and Nari wants to gains
- that character’s natural -Drop--
have a party!” erties - hit points, physical at-
The woman wears a sack that’s tributes, combat skills. and
been altered to serve as a long tunic, pecial abilities (such
gathered at her waist with a length of as memorized spells)
razorvine. Her knee-high leather boots Whatever weapon
are spattered with dark, wet stains, rm G ~ I N G+ e B E Y ~ U , Aztral fights with
and she wears a necklace with the
A N D +HERE’S - currently, a
Godsmen’s icon as a bandanna large, wooden
around her head. She dances from N€D+HING spoon - behaves just
Y@U C A N De AB$U+ I+.
pot to pot, snifflng the aromas.
“Haveyou come for din-
ner?” she asks. “Or
-AZ+RAI, e~ +HE
IIIANY FACES
e absorbed character’s
weapon, including damage
amounts and enchantment
maybe you are din- bonuses. Aztral can hold on
ner. I think you’re to a character’s talents for
just what we need for ld6 rounds. At the end of
this dish. With that, she pulls a
” that period, he must absorb some
long dagger from behind her back else’s talents or revert to his o
and smiles wickedly. statistics.
When the PCs enter
These barmies aren’t responsible for their this room, Aztral picks the
actions. They were both respectable Godsmen befoke Nari most powerful-looking one to
began working her charms on them. The PCs’ best bet is to absorb first. Read:
leave the room. The barmies won’t follow the PCs, as they
must stay with their chaotic stews. If the PCs linger in the A lonefigure sits in a large, comforraaoie-looking chair
kitchen, both Godsmen attempt to add them to the stews, in this dining hall. He’s a human male with short-cropped
black hair, silver eyes, and a plain white tunic over black
7. GODSMEN’S DININGHALL pants. He waves a long wooden spoon and smiles at you.
This large chamber is the Godsmen’s dining hall. All of the “Welcome to the domain of Aztral, he exclaims, leaping
”

Godsmen working in Harbinger House take theiir daily from his chair. “These chairs, those tables, the fireplaces!
meals here. Two massive fireplaces cover most of tihe side Everything you see is mine!”
walls, and four large round tables are set in the center of He steps toward you, and f o r a moment his whole
the room. A number of comfortable chairs sit fackng the body turns silvery, like the surface of a mirror. You see
fireplace on the left side of the hall. your own reflection in his silvery form, and then the effect
Aztral of the Many Faces has been given this noom to is gone. “Well,”Aztral says gleefully, “now that I’m you,
defend by Nan, the‘new mistress of the House. Originally, there can only be one of me!” W i t h that, he swings his
he had a neutral outlook on the multiverse; thanks to Nari, wooden spoon at you, its glowing head suddenly looking
that’s now shifted to chaotic evil. very dangerous.
Aztral is schizophrenic, and like all of the bamies in
Harbinger House, he has a few unique abilities that mark During the encounter, Aztral keeps asking the PCs if
him as a power-in-the-making. Among these abihities is any of them have a lawful outlook on life. “Are YOU law-
the power to change personalities and alignments as often ful? You look like a 1 wful sod. You should head right up
as a Xaositect changes his mind. This talent revolves ,”
to the party. There’s place at Nari’s table for lawfil
around his affliction. Aztral mimics the personalities of like you. He doesn’t provide any further informat
”

those around him, shifting to their way of speaking, walk- about the party or Nari.

I
 out upon the sandy wastes of Athas, a third displays the
F
majestic towers of a castle in Karameikos, and so on.
Some show portions of Krynn, Greyhawk, an island chain
where dragons rule over elves and dwarves, and other
places so strange that the PCs barely recognize what
they’re seeing.
OF THE I”YFACES These windows aren’t portals; the PCs can’t step
through one and wind up, for example, in Waterdeep.
They’re just reflections of what the barmy who resides in
this tower sees all the time. Galkin Farseer sees all of the
varied worlds of the multiverse at once, and the views
tr 11, Dex 18, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 11. have driven him mad. He sees these images wherever he
looks, even when he closes his eyes. Sleep doesn’t provide
a respite, as the images follow him into his dreams. The
This long, narrow hall contains many doors. While there’s windows, however, help separate the images and focus his
only one door on the wall the PCs enter through, the other thoughts. He’s learned to transfer a single image to a sin-
walls are covered with them. There are a total of eight gle window, thus clearing away some of the jumble that’s
doors at ground level; the walls extend 50 feet to the ceil- always with him.
ing, and every 10 feet up is another row of doors. If the When the PCs arrive, they don’t notice Galkin at first.
PCs have some way of reaching the higher doors, they find He’s sitting on the stairs, about halfway up, staring at the
that all of them are locked. Only the eight doors at ground images of Waterdeep scrolling behind one of the windows.
level can be opened. Galkin hates to be disturbed, and the constant barrage of
Each ground-level door has a letter assigned to it on landscapes and societies that assault his senses give him a
the map on the gatefold screen. These doors lead to the very bad temper. He also has a few powers available to
corresponding letter shown elsewhere on the map. For ex- make his temper dangerous. Galkin is what the Godsmen
ample, if the PCs open the door marked “D,” they find call “spell-touched.’’He embodies the living essence of one
themselves looking out onto the Ethereal Plane. particular spell: lightning bolt. This doesn’t give him the
If any of the PCs make a successful Wisdom check at ability to cast a bolt from his fingertips; he actually be-
-2, they notice a small creature wriggling on the floor be- comes the bolt of lightning, cascading around the room
tween doors “E” and “F” - a n Abyssal leech. Sougad and causing damage to whoever he touches.
dropped it from the pouch on his belt as he was heading Galkin can become a lightning bolt at will, but he
toward Nan’s chamber. must make a successful Constitution check to actually
transform. His energy form lasts for one action in a partic-
ular round and gives him all the attributes of a lightning
l h e door marked ”H”leads to a spiral staircase that de- bolt spell. In other words, he has a range of 100 yards, he
scends and ascends as far as the PCs can see. If they climb causes 6d6 damage to all in line of the bolt (victims can
in either direction, the stairs just keep going. The PCs can save vs. spell for half damage), and he can travel from one
wander forever on these stairs, and that’s just what Nari point to another instantaneously. If he tries to transform
hopes will happen. The door can’t be seen from the inside, and fails, he can’t try again for ld4 rounds. In the rounds
as it blends into the wall and becomes a secret portal. To when he can’t transform, Galkin uses his short sword of
find it again, the PCs have to search for it. This takes time quickness to automatically attack first.
(10 minutes for every 10-foot section of stairs) and re- Before they can speak with him, the PCs must calm
quires a successful roll for finding secret doors. The DM Galkin down by helping him regain the concentration they
must decide how far from the door the PCs wander before disturbed by entering the room. Focusing his attention on
they try to exit back into the hall. one of the windows helps, as do soothing discussion and
kind words. Shattering the windows makes Galkin go
ER OF w crazy, as the images he transferred to it come rushing back.
The door marked “I” opens into a tower room. A free- This makes him more angry, and he redoubles his efforts to
standing spiral staircase in the middle of the room climbs make the PCs leave.
to a height of 30 feet and stops just beneath the ceiling. It If the PCs do calm Galkin down, he tells them what
doesn’t lead to another level; it just stands alone in the little he knows about Nari. “She’s not what she appears to
center of the room. be,” Galkin explains. 1“She wants to take the House into the
Windows of varying widths cover the walls, stretch- Abyss - to use its secrets in the Blood War. ”

ing from the floor to the ceiling. Each window looks into DM NOTE:If the PCs open any of the windows in this
a different prime-material world in the multiverse. One room, they simply find themselves looking out of one of
shows the crowded streets of Waterdeep, another looks the House’s towers, high above Sigil’s streets.
 I
GALKINFARSEER ( P L / HUMAN/FIO/BLEAK
~ CABAL/CN): 1 13. VORINA’S BATH I
THACO 11; #AT 3/2; Dmg ld6+2 (short sword of quickness A beautiful bathtub with running water occupies much of
+2); AC 8 (Dex bonus); hp 64; MV 12; SA Strength bonus €his room. A fluffy rug, fluffy towels, and a variety of soft
(+1 to damage rolls), innate ability (becomes a lightning bolt sponges and fragrant bath soaps complete the decor. Pot-
at will on a successful Constitution check; causes 6d6 points ted plants hang from the ceiling, giving the place a feeling
of damage per attack and moves at the speed of light); M R of life and vitality.
loo/,; SZ M (5 feet tall); ML fanatic (18);XP 5,000. When the PCs enter this room, Vorina is soaking in
Str 16, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 12. her tub and appears quite surprised to have visitors
I expecting you?” she asks, rising slightly from the soapy
11 - 18. THETWINS water. Vorina has bright blond hair, blue eyes,
The twins Vorina and Teela and tanned, healthy skin. If
reside in this wing of the
House. These barmies see
FIGURES - AS S @ @ N I the PCs have been injured,
Vorinausesherhealingpow-
A S Y @ u +RY +e +AKE A B A + ~ ,
all things as they truly are, I+’S @ N E I N + E R R U P + I @ N
I
ers to help them. She won’t
but in significantly differ-
ent ways. Vorina sees
everything as vital and - VeRINA,
AF’ E * ’ @
leave her part of the wing,
E * ’ won’t oppose her sister (though she
will warn the PCs to avoid
alive, observing the the other end of the
growth of new flesh as it
AS A GReUP w BASHERS wing), and only
replaces old, the flowering of hair BARGES I N discusses Nan in
as it grows longer, and the energy of life that the most general
radiates from all living things. Consequently, way. She’s afraid
she’s happy and upbeat. Teela, on the other that if she makes too much of a
hand, sees everything as dying and decaying. deal of opposing the succubus, she’ll
She can see the life force ebbing with each heartbeat, have to face Nan’s wrath.
the body wearing out with each passing moment. This
makes Teela very moody and dark.
The twins have other powers that go along with these
perceptions. Vorina can heal and nurture the life forces
around her; Teela can quicken the pace of death’s eternal THACO 16; #AT 1; Dnpg ld3 (fists); AC 8 (Dex bonus); hp
march. Vorina will help the PCs if they need it, for she 38; MV 12; SA cleric spells (4 1st-level, 4 2nd-level, 3 3rd-
doesn’t share Nari’s point of view. Her sister Teela, how- level, 2 4th-level, 1 5th-level), innate abilities (createfood
ever, has embraced Nari’s ideals, giving herself over com- and water [three times per day], heal [two times per day],
pletely to chaotic evil. plant growth [three times per day], p u r i j f o o d and drink
[three times per day]); M R 30%; SZ M (6 feet tall); ML
11. V U K l l Y A 3 U C I \ steady ( 1 2); XP 3,000.
This room contains a comfortable stuffed chair, a book- Str 9,-Dex 16, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 17.
shelf full of cheerful books, a large potted plant that
thrives in the comer, and a window looking out upon the
restful plane of Elysium.
14. VORINA’S BEDCHAMBR
Here, I
Vorina’s soft, co fortable bed is piled high with blan-
kets and silky sheets. Ruffles and veils hang from the bed
12. VORINA’S K l T C E N i
This small kitchen has a cooking fire, a fine collection of
posts, giving the bed a very feminine appearance. Dressers,
a closet, a fireplace, and a shaggy rug make up the rest of
pots and pans, a table and chair with a beautiful place set- the furnishings in this cozy chamber. The window looks out
ting, and a larder full of good food. Vorina cooks and eats upon the stacked layers of Bytopia.
her meals here most of the time. She used to venture out to
the main dining hall twice a week or so to visit with the
other residents, but she has given up this practice since
Nari took over the House. Plane. The skeleton of a dire wolf is mounted to a base on
The mirror hanging here reflects the best view of the floor, and a bare wooden chair sits facing the window.
those who gaze into it. It amplifies the viewer’s life force, A bookshelf contains books of a depressing nature, includ-
making him appear more vibrant and alive than he may ing tomes on necromancy and burial techniques.
actually feel at the time. Fact is, if a viewer stares into the
mirror for a full 10 minutes, he feels refreshed; the experi- 16. TEELA’S KITCHEN I I
ence restores ld4 lost hit points (up to the viewer’s normal Like a nightmare version of Vorina’s kitchen, this area is a
maximum). dark reflection of the worst sights and smells of cooking.
Rancid, rotting meat is spread across the black tabletop. y,,vIvIy ,L,:
IIIvLu AC 9; MV 0; SA freezing (drains hehL
Stained and crusted utensils are everywhere. A pqt of foul equal to 4d8 points of damage per round from victims
stew bubbles over a cheerless fire, its top caked with a within 5 feet); SD absorbs heat (a torch makes it double in
brown, unidentifiable crust. size, flaming oil makes it quadruple, fireball-like spells
A mirror in this room reflects images the &ay that make it grow eightfold); SZ S (2-foot-wide patch); Int non
Teela sees them. Bodies look pale and sickly or evtn skele- (0);AL N; XP 15.
tal and rotting, depending on how old or close ta death a
particular viewer is. Just gazing at one’s reflectiou in this
mirror requires a save vs. death magic. Failure ibdicates lnis place IOOKS more like a mortuary than a bedchamber.
that the viewer can’t turn away for ld4 rounds and has be- A fireplace stands in the corner. Six skulls hang from the
come grimly fascinated with his own mortality. At the end mantle, reflecting the firelight from their bone-white sur-
of that time, the character must make another s a w to pull faces. Instead of a soft bed, a large stone slab occupies a
away or be caught by the view for another ld41rounds. portion of the room. Cobwebs hang like curtains through-
Each round that a character is forced to look into ,the mir- out the area, and the smell of freshly turned dirt permeates
ror, the dark glass draws his life energy; the charaqter loses the stale air. The window in this chamber looks out upon a
ld4 hit points every round as his life force slips a-gYay. cemetery on the Gray Waste, where the PCs can see ghouls
Teela’s in t h e kitchen when the PCs arrivk. She’s and other low-level undead wandering about. ,
preparing a special dish for Nari to celebrate the &de into
the Abyss. If she realizes that the PCs have comd to stop
Nari, Teela uses her powers to try to destroy t*m. Her This wide hall features odd statues of monstrous beasts.
fascination with death is a mania, and,she has a/ morbid One’s a weird version of a medusa, complete with three

4-
curiosity about what those who are dying are feel ng. She
asks many questions as she slowly drains the li out of
the PCs.
snake-covered heads and a lizard’s tail. Another has the
body of an owl bear and the head of a mind flayer. One is
a beholder with the body of a stone giant, while another is
Teela won’t say much about Nari, except to remark a winged wolf with six legs instead of four. Windows on
that opposing her is fruitless. “Every new power needs wor- each end of the hall look out upon the caves of Pan-
--en ” P e l a says. L ‘ D - - ~down before Nari or die. demonium, and the constant wind rattles the
other choic panes of glass.

20. SI T
This large chamber features a well-tended
---IC0 18; #AT 1; Ding ld4+1 miniature forest, complete with trees, bushes, and a
(staff of withering); AC 6 (bracers carpet of grass. The ceiling, about 20 feet off the floor,
of AC 6); hp 21; M V 12; SA wizard P
has skylights built into it that let in the light of
spells (4 1st-level, 3 2nd-level, 3 3rd-level, Arborea’s sun. Several statues stand among the trees,
2 4th-level, 1 5th-level); innate abilities though none have bases and all look amazingly lifelike.
(cause light wounds [three times per day], energy This is the domain of the barmy named Gorg Redeyes, a
drain [two times per day], h a m [reverse of heal, once per bariaur with the ability to turn living creatures to stone.
day], vampiric touch [three times per day]); MR 30%; SZ M Gorg considers himself an artist, waiting until a sub-
(6 feet tall); ML champion (16); XP 9,000. ject strikes just the right pose before using his gaze ability
Str 11, Dex 12, Con 8, Int 17, Wis 12, Cha 9. to turn the subject to stone. However, the bariaur is also
troubled by the guilt such an act creates within him. He
H agonizes over what he’s done for days in a state of manic
A sunken tub fills much of the tile-covered floor in this depression before sliding over into extreme happiness at
chamber. The entire place looks like a swamp, as molds what he’s created.
and slimes grow across the tiles, over the walls and ceiling, When the PCs arrive, Gorg approaches them in manic
and atop the foul, stagnant water. If the PCs poke around glee and tries to turn as many of them as he can into stone.
in here, they encounter Teela’s pets - a gray ooze and a After two of the PCs have been transformed, his mood
brown mold. swings in the other direction and he becomes severely de-
pressed. He screams at the PCs, shouting one minute for
GRAYO( :THACO 17; #AT 1; Dmg 2d8; AC 8; HD 3+3; them to leave and the next to be punished for what he’s
hp 19; M V 1; SA corrodes metal (chain mail in one round, done. Convinced that Nan’s already a power, Gorg speaks
plate mail in two, magical armor in one round per each of her with great reverence and devotion.

I
us to AC); SD immune to spells (except lightning bolt) DM NOTE:Area 27 contains two stone to flesh scrolls,
d fire- and cold-based attacks; SZ L (10 feet); Int animal which can be used to restore any PCs who succumb to
); AL N; ML average (10);XP 270. Galkin’s gaze attack.
GORGREDEYES(PL/8 BARIAUR/B3/FREE .EAGUE/CN): to c h a m and illusion spells; MR 25%; SZ M (6 feet tall);
THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg ld4 (dagger) AC 6; hp 13; W 15; ML fanatic (18); XP 31000.
SA wizard spells (2 1st-level), inn: e ability (gaze turns Str 17, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 12.
flesh creatures to stone [three times per day]); MR 35%; SZ
L (7 feet tall); ML champion (15); XP 975. FIGMENT, SMALL: THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg 1d4+ 1; AC 8; HD
Str 14, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 16. 2+1; hp 9; M V 6; SD +1 weapons or better to hit; SZ S (3
feet tall); Int animal ( I ) ; AL N; ML champion (16); XP 120.
2 1. THEROCKGARDEN
Pathways of colorful stone wind FIGMENT, MEDIUM: THACO 15; #AT 2; Dmg ld6+2; AC
through this garden room. Flowers 4; HD 5+2; hp 26; MV 9; SD +1 weapons or better
of all descriptions grow in to hit; SZ M (6 feet tall); Int semi (3);AL N; ML
neat little rows among d fanatic (17); XP 420.
the paths, and skylights
in the ceiling provide sun- D A R E +RY
Y ~ U FIGMENT, LARGE: THACO 13; #AT 3; Dmg ld8+3; AC
light from the Arcadian sky. +@ CBPPd3SE rnE? 0; HD 8+3; hp 43; M V 12; SD +2 weap-
This is the chamber of I W A R N wu, ons lor better to hit; SZ L (9 feet tall); Int
Tomin, a tall, wiry, and ($); AL N; ML fearless (19);XP 1,400.
cme2 barmy with long,
I’m m @ R E + H A N ]us+ low
PRE-I-4-y F A C E .
greasy hair. He wears
what appears to be a
black cloak but is actu-
- NARI +RE
SUCCUBUS tal6 that leads to this corridor of doors,
ally a cloak of they see Nan in the form of a beautiful,
jigrnents. Figments are young, human female. She stands near the
tiny, humanoid shadow locked door farthest fdom their entry point. Read:
creatures - literally, figments of
Tomin’s imagination made real by
the powers of his addle-coved mind. They hang together
from Tomin’s back and arms, forming a cloaklike cape of
moving, chattering beings.
Tomin commands his figments, often sending them
scurrying away from his body to take any shape he can
imagine. If a PC fails to make a successful save vs. rod

I
when attacked by a figment, the PC believes it to be real,
and the figment can then cause real damage. Each PC must
make his own saving throw; if even one PC fails the roll, 1
the figment becomes real for all. If attacked by several fig-
ments, the PCs must save against each one separately. Nari tries to use her cham? ability on one of the male
Tomin’s figments come in three types: small, medium, PCs. If she succeeds, that character thinks about her for the
and large. Small figments appear as pixies with shark rest of the adventure and turns against his companion
heads, or goblins with tentacles for arms. Medium-sized the final battle. Whether or not Nari succeeds in charming
figments take the form of wolf-headed humans, winged the PC, read:
beetles The size of elves with tooth-filled maws all along
their abdomens, or centaurs with the heads and torsos of “You’ile been tryirzg to ruirz my plaiisfor quire sonzc
tieflings attached to the bodies of red dragons. Large fig- tinzc iiow,” the youizg wowalz says i n a voice thut m&
ments look like cyclopses with tentacles instead of legs, or your pulre race. “You’ll regrer your actions, I prornke you
huge snakcmen with scimitar arms and dagger teeth. that. Soou this House will he niiiie, and rherz I ’ l l f i n d you ull
If Trolan is present, Tomin laughs hysterically. “The pcrmanerlt ploces z r l i r h i ? i ir. With r h t r t , huge b a t ruirlgs
”

Lady can’t see you here,” he cackles. “She can’r see any of ernerge.froIn her back aild she whispers a word you can’t
us! That’s why Nari’s going to win! I love her!” hear. The f l o a r i i i g globe flushes and the door beside her I
swirzgs O ~ C J Iwirliout a touch. She steps through, aiid the
TOMIN (PL/ c? HUMAN/F7/BELIEVERS OF THE SOURCE/CE): door slams shut before you curl reach ir.
THACO 14; #AT 3/2; Dmg 2d4+1 (broad sword +-I); AC 7
(magical cloak, Dex bonus); hp 49; MV 12; SA Strength The door Nari stepped through locks behind her. Only
’
bonus ( + I to attack and damage rolls), innate ability (cre- the planariry can open the door. No
areflginenrs calls forth four small figments, two medium physical forcc nor magic - can unlock ir. The PCs must
figments, or one large figment every round); SD immune choose one of the other doors to exit this corridor.

+ 55 +
 Beyond the door on the opposite wall, a staircase Searching the boundaries of the room reveals nc
leads up to a landing just outside Area 23. The staircase openings, but the wqlls don’t feel completely s
continues up to another landing, ending at a closed door It’s like touching flest.1 more than
( m a r k l “P” nn the map). can’t be cut o r shadtered, and
PPIN ‘HE BLINDS: If any PCs were charmed by Nari bounce harmlessly away. If a PC
when she watched them in Bloodgem Park (at the start of probably fails - only a remove paralysis spell can awaken
Chapter 111, those characters now feel friendly toward the her. Even then, it on$ brings her around for a few seconds,
succubus and protective of her. While they won’t y
tack their companions, they may take action to pr wake Kay&,
Nari from being harmed - tripping a PC who rushes to
attack Nari, shoving a crossbow aside just as a PC ess shimmers and
fires, and so on.
among plush pillows
d blankets. Any Pqs who fell into a stuIpor also
Kaydi apologizes foriany harm she may pave cau
tells the PCs to hurry Cnd leave before she Fils aslee

23.1 DTRAP
The door to this room opens
t
However, 2 rounds la er, she goes back to bleep, the
ness returns, and any newly awakened PCsl collapse again.
The group must,escape while Kaydi’ls still awake, as
that’s the only time lwhen the door is vibible. Three PCs
into darkness. If the PCs provide a moving on their own or one PC carrying /another can exit
light source, they see a large, featureless chamber. An om. Sleeping Characters must
older woman lies face down on the floor right inside the stupor effect before t h
door, while a teenaged girl lies curled up asleep in the ten- regain lost Consititution
ter of the room. After all of the PCs have entered the room, of one point per round). If the PCs
the door closes and disappears. They’ve entered the do- hem, the stupor fieEd continues
main of Kaydi, a teenaged human female who’s been in a to affect them.
catatonic state almost constantly since her eighth birthday. If the PCs rescule Bereth, sh
Her claim to the state of power-in-the-making is that her
catatonia extends to the physical world around her, affect-
ing those within its area of influence.
The blankness of her own mind projects to the very
edges of the room. The furniture that actually fills the
room exists in another space, while the emptiness of Kay- her to use in the cere$ony he’s planned for the final scene.
di’s mind has become the reality here. The older woman is SLIPPING THE BLIN~S: If the PCs decide that the
Bereth, the House’s custodian. Nari had Bereth placed here
to keep the custodian from disturbing her evil plans. 1
to this trap is to kill aydi, they have to
sequences of such a action. Of all th
Harbinger House, Ka di is the closest to
Just being near Kaydi puts all of the PCs into a re-
laxed, sleepy state. Every round within the area of Kaydi’s h
sion. If the PCs kill er, they release her life force to be-

w
influence (a 15-foot radius), the PCs must make saves vs. come a power befork it’s fully ready. This results in a
paralyzation to fight off stupor. On successful saves, char- weaker power, but a power nonetheless 1 - and a power
acters lose only one point of Constitution. Failed rolls indi- very hurt and angry ith the PCs.
cate more substantial losses; how many points are lost de- Kaydi becomes a demipower of sleep pith the foollow-
pends on how close to Kaydi the PCs are. Within a five- ing spell-like abilitiet: deep sleep (functiqhs as a normal
foot circle directly around the girl, a PC who fails a save
loses ld8 points of Constitution. Five to 10 feet distant, the
PC loses ld6 points. At the farthest range of her influence,
1
ut affects 4d4 Hit Dice of crealyms) and dream
ts ld8+ points of damage Cnd target must
save v5. paralyzation lor fall unconscious for ld4 rounds).
10 to 15 feet, the loss is only ld4 points. When a PC’s Con-
stitution score is reduced to 0, that character collapses into
a deep, sleeplike, catatonic state. Before the stupor claims 1
Before she departs bot Harbinger House arpd Sig
her dream s t m abili to knack unconscigus as
as possible. When the affected PCs awake, ,they’retroubled
all of the PCs, those still awake must figure out how to de-
feat this mind trap. If they all fall asleep, they wake up
bound and gagged in Nari’s ritual chamber (Area 3 3 ) , The bad dreams
I
by unusual nightma es for the next l d 6 months - the
nightmares experienc d by a power created before its time.
cause^ them to feel frigh
where they’re to be killed as part of her bid for powerhood 1Je DM m y allow t
(the DM should turn to page 60 and proceed with the con- Kaydi and perform sobe service for her in order to end the
clusion of the adventure). nightmares and ease their troubled minds.)

I I
I
I
I
 If EXL If Kaydi does beculrlr d puvver, the
focrux protects her from the Lady of Pain’s notice. A prop- bowl of food has beqn contaminated with a mild acid. If
erty of Sigil itself, however, affects powers who somehow PC is splattered with a bowl of a
ld4 points of dama .
wind up in the city. They feel pain that starts as a dull ache
but builds to intolerable levels within ld4 hours, at which 4
ust leave the rade to escape the pain. 27. Y r L IU,LL,2N
This kitchen is used by the Godsmen caretakers to pre
meals for the barmies under their care. Currently,
20; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon; AC 10; hp 6; M v 12; Godsman (P1/8 half-elf/O/Believers of the Sour
ate ability (stuporfield);MR 15%; SZ M ( 5 feet tall); charmed by Nari - and three dretches work to
average (9); XP 65. food fight supplied with ammunition. Stopping the
Str 7, Dex 8, Con 8, Int 11, Wis 9, Cha 13. duction of more meals will severely hamper the effo

24. COMMON HALL I the food figh

One of
This hall, with its soft chairs and low tables, serves as a adding a small quantity to every tenth bowl or so. If
common room where the barmies get together to 4ocialize PCs try to disrupt the efforts of these cooks, the dretch
under the supervision of the Godsmen caretakers. tempts to splatter them with the acid. There’s enough
A barmy (P1/8 gnome/O/Believers of the Soprce/LN) for six splashes of acid; each splash causes ld6+ 1 poin
s rather badly behind a wall hanging. He’s scared wit- damage.
less, but if the PCs approach him in a nonthreatenihg man- A locked cabinet in one comer of the room cont
ner, he tells them what he’s hiding from. “The prc three scrolls. One features recipes that look particul
man with bat wings is ti zg L he 1 scrumptious. However, each of the other two contain
stone to flesh spell, which can be used to restore victims

Y 2 I. HI
s long room with its basin of running water is where
Godsmen caretakers wash the clothes and bedding this room. He’s a chaotic fellow by nature - paranoi
used by the barmies residing in the House. Colored dyes neurotic, plagued by indecision and fear - and he can‘
have been added to the water, and sheets and clothing make any decisions without consulting the dice he alwa
hanging from lines around the room have been washed in
the rainbow water. Now they look like chaotic f l a s , much i o m is
keeping with Nari’s world view. factols of the Believers of the Source; the opposite
The other significant feature of this room is the dead lined with mirrors. The mirrors distort whatever is r
y floating in the water - a female Godsman, Sougad’s in them, paralleling the way Chance sees the world a
twelfth victim. Her face has the now-familiar cast of fear, him. One mirror reduces images, another makes i
and she was killed by 12 slashes of a large blade. In addi- taller. One shows images as wider and thicker than
tion to the usual parchment note, he used her blood to truly are, while anothcr shows them thin and insubstantia
scrawl a message across one of the rainbow-stained sheets. The mirror in the far corner is actually a secret door
It reads: “Chaos is the only power, purified in the blood of leads to Chance’s bedchamber. To use it, a character
law.” simply step into the mirror.
Chance carries a pair of four-sided dice, and he
1 them whenever he needs to make a decision that will
The addle-coves who reside in the House (and aren’t nor- only himself (for example, “Should I take a bath?”). An
mally confined to their rooms) take their meals here. Cur- odd roll makes him act to his own benefit, and an even ro
rently, a dozen barmies are engaged in a winner-fake-all makes him act against his better interests.
food fight, spurred on by a pair of pathetic dretcbes. The However, if Chance needs to make a decision
PCs can try to break up the chaotic conflict or simply might affect someone else, he asks that person to
move on. If they enter the room, they become targets for “odds or evens” before he rolls the dice. For exam
whatever culinary delight is at hand. Most of the fbod Chance wants to kill the PCs to help Nan shift
doesn’t cause any damage when it hits a target, House into the Abyss - a course of action
though some heavy bowls could inflict as h-
definitely affect others (namely, the PCs).
much as ld2 the PCs amve, he picks one as his fir
target, asks that PC to
choose be&ee
odds or even
I
 1

ASK YBURSELF
and rolls the dice. If the @NE Q u f S f I @ N , BERK - 3pens a hollow divination stick and
number comes up in the ‘ D e I f € € L LUCKY?’ pulls out a rolled-up scroll that was
PC’s favor, he leaves that
cutter alone (for the mo-
ment) and movcs on to an-
- C H A N C E , PREPARING +e
hidden inside. “I won thisfrom
him playing cards. He wasn’t
R@LL H I S D I C E too happy about it - he’s
other. If the dice fall in his favor, a real sore loser - but I
Chance does his best to put the los- 1 won it, yes 1 did. It’s mine
ing PC in the dead-book. H O W . The scroll details the steps of the
”

Chancc has a few innate pow- ritual that Sougad and Nari hope will turn
cis that help him. First, he’s extremely lucky. them into powers. Chance won’t surrender the
All game-related die rolls made for Chance receive a +4 scroll, but the PCs can try to win it from him in a
7: bonus, and all die rolls made against him suffer a -4 game of dice or give him a “lucky” item in exchange. By
penalty. Second, he projects a field of bad luck that affects reading the scroll, the PCs can learn the steps of the ritual
those within it (except himself). Every character within 15 as presented in “The Dabk of the Murders” (see page 17 in
feet of Chance must make a save vs. wand before r I).
every round. A failed save indicates that wherever the PCs ask Chahce about Nari, he admits that her

1
thing can possibly go wrong, it does. A PC slips an can’t work. “Na , the House
face-first to the floor, loses his grip on a weapon, pulls the Abyss,” he sneers. “Th Lady won’t 1
wrong spell components from a pouch, etc. - somefhing don’t know it’s happe ing, what ca
always happens to spoil the PC’s action for that rounb. thing about the focrux. t hides the
If the battle goes badly for Chance, he dives thdough If asked about the f o c T x , Chance says, “Id’s a big globe
the mirror to hide in his secret room. If the PCs follow; they that changes shape and lhas stars inside it. Skugad says its
find him rolling his dice over and over, trying to dkcide energy can make him a bower. ”
I

what to do. DM NOTE:If the PCs don’t follow Chance immediately

I through the secret door in the mirror, he gets to imbibe one
CHANCE (PL/6 HUMAN/T8/FATED/CE):
THACO 17; #AT 1; Dmg ld6+ 1 (short sword + I ) ; +C 3 I of the potions of extra healing. If they delay for more than
three rounds, Chance drinks another potion (if he needs it).
(studded leather, Dex bonus); hp 32; MV 12; SA ba stab
T
damage x3, innate abilities (extreme luck, field o bad
luck); SD tumbling (AC reduced to -1 when this is th only
action Chance takes in a round); MR 45%; SZ M
d
(4 feet
The PCs enter this hall ljhrough one of two qnlocked doors
on the long wall. Their’s a single door on the opposite
tall); ML elite (13); XP 3,000. wall. As soon as the fitst PC steps into the hall, a mflnir
Str 15, Dex 18, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 15. mouth on the floor to tjhe far left says, “Ha~lt!Turn bl
I No one may cross this toom!” It then spits out a 3d6 fire-
29. CHANCE’S CHAMBER i ball that rolls down th hall and explodes. PCs who suc-
F
Chance lives among all kinds of games of chance add de- cessfully save vs. spell1 receive half damage. Each round
cision-aiding devices. Card decks, dice, a gambling Yheel, that someone remains itanding on the hallway floor, the
coins, divination sticks, rune stones, and similar o jects
fill table tops and shelves in this bedchamber. The ,e are
books on probability that appear more dense thab the
P magic mouth repeats it? warning and spits abotherfireball
at the PCs. A dispel magic cast at the mouth breaks the en-
chantment.
most convoluted theory of magic, parchment sheet4 with Windows at either/ end of the hall look out onto the
odds calculated to the last decimal, and all kinds of jluck- Plain of Infinite Portalls, the desolate first layer of the
inducing items from various cultures. Two of these iitems Abyss. , I

are actually magical (a lizard’s claw and a bright: blue

feather) and work the same way as a srone of qood luck. A 1.
Ti
.
z.r!
j a r on one table contains live Abyssal leeches, 4hich Six dretches who worklfor Nari guard this room from in-
Chance keeps on hand for Sougad Lawshredder. Aleh PCs truders. In the dretched’ minds, anyone but Nari and her
might notice it’s half empty. There are also four potibns of cohorts is an intruder, ISO they attack the ~ C when S they
healing and two potions of extra healing hidden in case 4 enter.
neath the bed. I

I
If the PCs get Chance to trust and talk to the (he’s 32. NARI’S BEDCHAMBER
very receptive to things that improve his odds, incl ding
\
gifts of lucky coins and such), he reveals that Souga vis-
ited recently and took a few handfuls of leeches w i d him.
Nari has decorated chamber to her liking, filling it
with plush pillows, willowy silks, and candles of all de-
scriptions. She’s here w p n the PCs enter Arqa 33, donning
However, he can’t recall if it was an hour ago, a ago, her most fiendishly re$al garb in preparation for the up-
or a week ago. If the PCs press him about ance coming ceremony.

+ 59 +
1
the Abyss.

32) and to a corridor that

PCs enter this chamber, re

bols glow with a faint, evil light. In the center of the room, enough manes from the Abyss to grab the group’s atten-
a large globefloats about 10 feet above thefloor. The globe, tion. As soon as the fiends and the PCs start fighting, the
almost 15 f e e t across, appears to be made of deep-blue commotion brings Nari, wearing her true form, out of her
stone, perfectly round and smooth. Thirteen sods, bound chamber. She hurries toward the focrux, a long sword in
and gagged, are tied to stakes in a circle around the globe. one hand and the planarity in the other. The planarity re-
Each sod has a dvferent number of slashing wounds, and acts to the larger globe and vice versa. Read:
all appear to be alive - barely.
As the succubus approaches the floating globe, a
The symbols are all marks of chaos and evil, with storm of energy rises to the surface of the globe and begins
quite a few representations of the icon of the Abyss (the to dance within it. Spiky protrusions emerge from the sur-
infinity symbol pierced by a downward arrow). The globe face, j u t as f a r as two feet from the globe, then plunge back
is the focrux, a larger version of the planarity that Nari, into the stormy depths. The smaller globe floating j u s t
Sougad, and the Godsmen believe is the heart of the above the succubus’s hand reacts in the same manner, mir-
House. It projects an aura that blocks the probing presence roring the actions of the larger globe.
of the Lady of Pain and her agents; as long as it remains
intact and operating, the Lady can’t sense what Nari is try- Nari begins to sing a chaotic chant, and all the
ing to do. barmies throughout the House that she’s charmed or other-

sods are identifiably lawful, a few wear either lawful holy

symbols or the icon of the Godsmen. They also have parch-
ment notes pinned to their shirts and a set of the appropri-
ate spell components (either an iron rod and a bronze disc,
three nutshells, or a crushed black pearl) tied to their belts.
What’s more, they’ve all been prepared with a number

who must be killed with a single

stroke, has been left unmarked. The PCs now have choices to make. Do they all fight
The thirteenth sod, the cambion and the manes, or do they split up to try to
save the bound sods before Nan finishes killing them? Give
the players a moment to make plans, but don’t let them
linger over complicated schemes for too long. Here’s how
the NPCs act during the first three rounds of this battle:
+ Crimjak and the manes attack the PCs, trying to
keep them too busy to interfere with Nan.
+ In each round, Nari kills one bound sod.
After the PCs have looked around the chamber but before + In the second round, Trolan rushes toward the
they head to any of the other doors or try to free the cap- focrux, shouting, “Lady, we need you! Save us!”
tives, the doors leading to the Abyss swing open. Into the strikes the globe repeatedly with his sword,
ng to smash it. Nari, fearing the destruction of
R
focrux, shapechanges into the Lady of Pain

60 +
 and, posing a s the Lady, commands Trola
to stop. ‘‘Iam here, she says. “Now, in
”

of our love, I command you to begone!’

guised succubus pushes Trolan away
stunned to react, the tiefling simply falls /back and
collapses to the floor. ~

. In the third round, Sougad emerges f r o b behind

the final set of doors. The surprise of h s sudden
appearance causes Nari to lose her con4ntration
and m u m e her normal shape. Read: ~

The f a r doors swing open with a &ash, and

Sougad Lawshredder enters the chamber. “You
can’t make the House move,” Sougad mocks,
sneering at the succubus, “butI can finish my rit-
ual and join with it. When I offer the last law-
lover to the House, I’ll become a new power of
murder and chaos!”

Sougad either has Bereth (if she was

allowed to wander after the encounter with
on using one of the lawful sods staked
as leis thirteenth and final victim.
P e W E R PLAY
SLIPPING THE BLINDS:If Trolan’s absent
the DM should still have Nari polymorph int
Pain (so the planarity can record her trans
later proof that the su d moves toward t
solution: The energy in the shapechanging to fmish his ri
causes Nan to inv&ntarily change her own
each round, she takes on a new appearance,
one of which is the Lady of Pain.

h”ES ( 3 PER Pc): m C D

ld2/ld2/1d4 or by weapo
hp 6 each; M V 6; SA acidic vapor
(when slain, manes becomes vapor that
c a w s ld6 points of damage to all
those within 10 feet; save vs. poison to
avoid); SD immune to mind-
affecting spells, electricity,
nonaagical fie, and poi-
son; half damage from
coid, magical fire,
and gas; BAR 10%;
SZ S (3 feet tall);
Int semi (2); AL CE;
w 975. I

S@-like abilities (usable at will once per rot&): dark-

ness 15’ radius, inpawision, and teleport withoud error.

THE GANG’S ALL HERE

The DM should finish up the third round and letievergrone you!” S with Sougad to
r make a new initiative roll. The NPCs each take follow- possess
ing actions on their initiative numbers, depen on tfie tinue to
I
actions of the Pes: I
I
 plodes, releasing planar energy into the chamber. This en-
ergy joins with the energy already collected in the sword,
What happens next depends on what the PCs do - or don’t turning Sougad into a lesser power of chaos and murder.
do. The probable courses of action and their outcomes are The rest of the scene plays out as in “The Focrux is
described below. Destroyed,” above.

T H E F O C R U X IS DES+ROYED THE SWORD SbAYS TRQLAW

I I

Having seen Trolan attempt to destroy the focrux, the PCs Trolan’s not going to &rest the glowing sword from any-
might try to do it themselves. However, the focrux can only one’s grip and plunge it into himself, However, PCs who re-
be destroyed by magical weapons. To strike it, a PC must alize what’s going on might choose to do so (or try to con-
hit an Armor Class of 4. No damage rolls are necessary; in- vince Trolan that it’s necessary to prevent Sougad’s ascen-
stead, the globe makes saving throws to see if it’s shattered sion). In any case, if Trolan is killed with the law slayer, he
by the blow. The base saving throw is 4, modified by the becomes a lesser power of peace and love. (The details of
weapon’s enchantment. For example, if a +2 weapon hits the event are the same as in “The Sword Slays Sougad,”
the focrux, the saving throw is modified by 2, increasing above - his body dies, the focrux explodes, and the Lady
from 4 to 6. With each successful hit, the DM must roll the arrives to kill the cross-traders and cast the new power out.)
focrux’s saving throw number or higher for the globe to re- Before he leaves the Cage, Trolan uses his newfound
main intact. A failed roll indicates that the focrux shatters. abilities to smother the negative emotions and end the
If the globe is destroyed, Harbinger House is no longer fighting; Crimjak and any surviving manes return peace-
protected from scrying, and the Lady of Pain instantly be- fully to the Abyss. Trolan thanks the PCs for their aid and,
comes aware of the situation. Read: with a sorrowful expression, departs Sigil. He knows the
Lady won’t tolerate his presence in her city, and he won’t
The large globe shatters i n an explosion of sharp
push the issue. Instead, he’ll go in search of a plane where
shards, bright colors, and cascading energy. A pillar of
he can establish a realm and pine for the Lady in peace.
light fountains up from the spot and crashes through the
DM NOTE: Trolan’s last act before leaving Sigil is to
roof, revealing the overcast sky of Sigil. A shadow moves
dissuade the cultists gathering in Bloodgem Park; see
across the opening, its corners sharp and cutting. It’s the
“Stopping the Cultists”
shadow of the Lady of Pain.
Everyone in the chamber takes 4d10 points of damage
from the explosion and the flying shards (save vs. breath
T H E SWORD SLAYS A N Y O N E ELSE
weapon for half damage). The slashing gaze of the Lady of If Nan manages to get the glowing sword and use it on her-
Pain kills Nari and Sougad - those who dared grasp at self, all it does is kill her; she doesn’t possess the required
powerhood - but never falls upon the PCs, Trolan, Crim- spark of divinity common to the spell-touched barmies of
jak, or the manes. Harbinger House. The same thing happens if an ambitious
Once the deadly shadow passes, Crimjaks too scared PC plunges the sword into himself (or Crimjak, one of the
to do anything but return to the safety of the Abyss. If the bound sods, or even a manes). The energy stays locked
PCs let him, he flees through the appropriate set of double within the blade, waiting for a power-to-be to release it.
doors; if the PCs continue to attack, Crimjak fights with However, Sougad tries to get the sword back so he can use it
manic fury until he can escape through the doors. The DM on himself; if he’s successful, events proceed as in
can have the mindless manes either follow the cambion or Sword Slays Sougad,” above.
remain in the chamber to fight until slain. I
SLIPPING THE BLINDS:If either Sougad or Trolan be-
THE SWORD SLAYS N O O N e
comes a power before the focrux is destroyed, the new
power is not killed. Instead, when the Lady arrives, she If the PCs defeat Sougad without destroying the focrux,
casts the offending being out of Sigil, as powers are not al- they still must deal with Nan (if she’s still alive), Crimjak,
lowed to walk the streets of the Cage. Nothing can be done and the manes. Nari isn’t really a major threat, especially
to prevent this; in Sigil, the Lady’s will is absolute. once her plans are revealed to be futile. She can’t become
a power or get the House to slide into the Abyss. She tries
to flee back to her home plane through the double doors,
THE SWORD SLAYS S O U G A D
fighting to the death if necessary.
The PCs can prevent Sougad from completing his ritual by Crimjak, on the other hand, can be extremely danger-
attacking the barmy or otherwise keeping him occupied. ous, and he fights wickedly at Nari’s side. However, if
However, if Sougad is left alone for even one round, he Nan’s dead, he has no reason to stay and fight; if she flees,
plunges the glowing sword into himself, opening a spiritual he likewise sees no point in sticking around. Without Nan,
conduit. Sougad’s mortal body dies, and the focrux ex- the cambion tries to return to the Abyss through the
double doors. The DM can have the manes decide to follow understanding if everything else turned out well (and imme-
Crimjak back to their home or stay and fight the PCs to the diately begin work on a new globe). However, if Sougad be-
bitter end. comes a power, no Godsman will sleep well ever again.
Ambar also demands the return of the planarity. If the
PCs try to keep it, eventually the dabus themselves sur-
S+@PPING +HE CUL+IS+S round the party and “ask” for its return (using symbol-
pictures). After the trouble caused by Nari, the dabus don’t
While the PCs are trying to bring events to a satisfactory want such a powerful item in the hands of anyone but its
conclusion in Harbinger House, Kedd and the other mem- rightful owner.
bers of Those Who Court the Lady are preparing to conduct As for Narcovi, she’s satisfied with any solution that
another public ceremony in Bloodgem Park. brings Sougad to justice. She’s shocked if told about Nari’s
After the final battle, if Trolan is still alive, he agrees secret plans and grateful to the PCs for their role in stop-
to go with the PCs to the park, where he can dissuade the ping the succubus. Narcovi thinks that any talk of barmies
cultists. Remember, Trolan saw Nari change into the Lady becoming powers is a lot of swamp gas, but she’s ex-
of Pain and realizes he was tricked into starting the cult. tremely nervous if told that Sougad completed his ritual.
Although he still loves the Lady with all his heart, he DM NOTE:If Sougad’s sword wasn’t used to make any-
doesn’t want anyone to die for his love. The cult is dis- one a power, it should be taken as far from the focrux as
banded before anyone else is killed. possible. The Godsmen want to see if it will transform
If Trolan was transformed into a power during the Trolan or some other power-to-be, but Narcovi wants the
battle, his task is even easier. Before he leaves Sigil, he uses thing destroyed or thrown into a very deep hole. Its fate is
his abilities to turn the cultists’ hearts away from the Lady. up to the PCs; they can abide by the dictates of Amhnr,
However, if Trolan died in the final battle or was killed Narcovi, or their own consciences.
back in Curst, the PCs must try to stop Kedd and the cultists
on their own. In addition to making persuasive arguments
(judged by the DM or by successful Charisma checks at -101, S+@RY AWARDS
the PCs can use the planarity to prove Nari’s role in the
scheme. The small globe records and stores images. By hold- For successfully saving Trolan, defeating Sougad, and
ing the planarity in his palm and concentrating, any PC with stopping Nan’s plans, the PCs receive the gratitude of the
a Wisdom of 14 or greater can cause the item $0 “replay” Believers of the Source, the Harmonium, and the dabus. In
some of those images - including that of Nan shapechang- future adventures, they can count on one or two small fa-
ing into the Lady of Pain. vors (healing, information, gate keys, etc.) from each of
SLIPPING THE BLINDS:If the PCs are un- these groups.
able to use the planarity or don’t even The PCs also receive experience points based on the
think of trying it, the DM can have outcome of the adventure in addition to regular XP
Factol Ambar accompany them to the awards. The DM should grant story awards as follows:
park and cause the item to replay
the desired images. SAVING ONE OF SOUGAD’S 13 VICTIMS:
The PCs split 3,000 XP for each victim saved.
SAVING TROLAN FROM XERO BAOX:

AF+ERRIIIA+H The PCs split 2,000 XP.

STOPPING KEDDAND T E CULTISTS WITHOUT TRQLAN’S
If the j F o m was destroyed
able to identifjr Harbinge
3
The PCs split 3 , 00 XP.
STOPPING SOUGAD FROM BECOMING A POWER:
I
HELP:

trouble - stop acting stra

mess. Otherwise, if *hef o c m
to block the House from
after themselves.
With the death or escape of
Godsmen in the House revert to
(such as they were), Other faction
set things right in the House once
portals in the House that h a d to the Abyss.
Factol h b a r a d the Goclsmen are happy wi
lution that sees an end to: the menace of Sougad
IS + U R N I N G +He

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C D E F G H

Key to Sigil street maps

1. The Friendly Fiend

2. Godsmen's hovel
3. The Ascension
4. Athar Bunkhouse F O
5. Murder on Harmonium Street
6. The Parted Veil
7. Grossifs Paints
8. Happy Candies
.9. Penbrum's Parchments
and Papers
10. Untra's Arcana
11. h g u ' s Bath Powder
12. The Wizard's Mark
13. The Sleepy Dwarf Gem
Exchange
14. Geldab's Bakery
15. Sod Dirk's Forge
16. Sougad's rooftop arch
Harbinger House M E N K
 ey to Sigil street maps
.The Friendly Fiend
.Godsmen's hovel
.The Ascension
.Athar Bunkhouse
Murder on Harmonium Street
.The Parted Veil
7. Grossips Paints
8. Happy Candies
.9. Penbrum's Parchments
and Papers
10. Untra's Arcana
11. Logu's Bath Powder
12. The Wizard's Mark
13. The Sleepy Dwarf Gem
Exchange
14. Geldab's Bakery
15. Sod Dirk's Forge
16. Sougad's rooftop arch 0.epc3=0.ep~0
17. Harbinger House
M E N K
0 Door statue
.
Locked door 8 water basin -
. . . ...

Window $ Secretdoor 7

0 Pillar
) Mirror
-
Stairs

spiralstairs
B.Fireplace
4 0 feet