AUthors: Art Djrector:

Ari Marmell & C.A. Suleiman Mike Chaney

Developer: Layout and’Typesettjng:
Joseph D. Carriker, Jr. Mike Chaney
Editor: Cover Artist:
Scott Holden-Jones Kieran Yanner
Managing Edi tor: Interior Artjsts:
Andrew Bates Nate Pride
Playtesters: Cartography:
Jim Sharkey,Jeff Ibach, Dawn Ibach, Royce Groff, and Ed Bourelle
Angelo Sargentini

Apologies
To Jim “The GM” Sharkey, for leaving his
name out of the playtesting credits in The Serpent &
the Scepter. Mea culpa, brother-man. We couldn’t
have done it without you and your team. Take a bow.

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THE SERPENT CITADEL

Table of Contents
lntroductjon 3
Chapterl: The Bosom of the Mother 6
Chapter 2: The DarkHeart of the Wood 23
Chapter 3: The Shattering of thehphora 34
Appendix 46
 INTRODWCTION

Introductjon
e Supent Colls...
The adventure you hold takes a party of 6th- to The SerpentAmphora
7th-levelcharacterson the final leg of a quest to destroy Very little is capable of harming the Serpent
the Serpent Amphora, a foul artifact of the Witch Amphora. There is little need of game statistics
Queen Mormo. The artifact’s story began in The for this vessel -its hardness is not quantifiable in
Serpent Amphora (available for free download at mortal terms and it resists all damagingmagic used
www.swordsorcery.com), and continued in Serpent in on it. It does not radiate magic, though to spells
the Fold and The Serpent & the Scepter. It reaches its that detect the presence of evil, it certainly does
exciting conclusion in this, The Serpent Citadel. detect as such. It also detects as an item of law,
however, leading sages who have studied it to
What Has Gone Before conclude that they are in fact detecting the power
of Chardun which seals the Amphora rather than
Serpent jn the Fold any kind of malign influence or power the vessel
The first adventure of the Serpent Amphora itself may have.
Cycle, for 3rd- to 4th-level characters, introduced the By the same token, the Amphora does not
charactersto the Serpent Amphora and the machina- negate non-damaging magic used on it or against
tions of the servitorsof Mormo. It was then that they those carrying it. Such spells can be used on it
learned of its true power, and of the existence of those freely; indeed, the asaatthi are known to have
who would harness that power to resurrecttheir fallen used tactics involving grease and mage hand to
titan queen. At the conclusion of the adventure, the retrieve it. The vessel is simply unaffected by any
heroes helped prevent the theft of the Amphora in powers that would alter its form, whether by
Vesh at the hands of a traitor within the Vigils’ midst. transmutation or damage. Sages have theorized
If the characters did not play through Serpent in the that this imperviousness is due to Chardun having
Fold, its salient points will likely be relayed to them in imbued it with great powers of stasis- it is forever
Vesh by Commander Dum. unchanging, at least by the powers mortals can
But even Dum does not know the whole story.
In the darkest reaches of Khet, deep in the
thickest forest, dwells the creature Ilkuthsra, called
sometimes not so subtly) assisted the characters in
by some the Autumn King. Those who have seen their search for the Amphora’s secrets, and he has
him say that his visage is that of a flesh-barren, dried
monitored their activities ever since, even going so
skull, scribed with serpentine, twisted knotwork.
far as to waylay the party’s opposition from time to
Ilkuthsra is known to be a druid of immense time along the way - all this unbeknownst the
power, but few can testify to his true identity. Ilkuthsra heroes themselves, of course.
is too old to be mortal, and even the other druids of
None can say why Ilkuthsra would seek to aid
Khet remain befuddled by their hoary patron. Most
the characters, and he certainly isn’t one prone to
believe he is a lich, or perhaps some other unique
revealing his own secrets in any event. Thus, for
form of undead. Others believe him to be a dark
now, the Autumn King remains a mystery.
creature of the fey, the likes of which has not been
seen since well before the Titanswar. Even to his The Serpent &theScepter
fellow dark druids, the Autumn King is an enigma in In the second installment of the Serpent Am-
deed as well as in form; he seems to share their goals, phora Cycle, the Vigils asked the characters to seek
yet he spends as much time working toward his own a means of destroying the terrible artifact. Using
ends as he does cooperating with them. He com- information found in the Vault of Chardun in the
mands his own faction of the cannibal druids called Sky Keep ruins, the PCs were sent to Lageni to
the Bringers of Autumn, yet even they are ignorant discover a True Ritual that would allow them to
of his true ambitions. destroy the Amphora and its contents. O n the way,
Ilkuthsra has been observing the party for some they learned they were being spied upon, and may
time. For reasons of his own, he is highly interested have even identified the culprits as the Dar a1Annot
in what they’ve done and what they continue to do. -a fanatical cult of druids and witches in Mormo’s
More strange still (for all that the party opposes the service who make their home in the Hornsaw Forest.
stated goals of the Cannibals of Khet), Ilkuthsra At the temple of a High Priest of Chardun, the
seems to want them to succeed! During the events of PCs discovered that the one place in which the ritual
Serpent in the Fold, the Autumn King subtly (and was surelyrecorded was among the works of Marilvaz,
THE SERPENT CITADEL

an ancient sage and wizard-priest who served “I’m sorry to disturb you, my friends, but Com-
Chardun. Marilvaz died shortly after the Divine mander Dum requests an audience immediately.
War, but then rose up as an undead creature, de- ‘They’veuncovered the finalpiece of the puzzle,”
manding that the entirety of his works be scribed on he whispers conspiratorially, “And the time has
the walls of his tomb. Once this was done (including .
come to put the.. ahem.. . object to rest.” If the PCs
an expansion of his tomb to allow enough wall-space agree, the messenger nods knowingly and leads them
to fulfill his commands), he returned to true and straight to Commander Durn.
peaceful death. If, on the other hand, the party has not been
The heroes entered the tomb and were there set involved with the Amphora to date, the messenger
upon by undead guardians and various traps in- begins by asking for a specific member of the group
tended by Marilvaz to weed out all but the most (whoever has the closest relationship with the Vig-
worthy. There, they discovered that the Mad Scribe’s ils). Once he’s identified the right character, he says,
tomb contained many spells in addition to the ritual “I’m sorry to disturb you, but Kelemis Dum, Home
they sought -and they learned that the ritual itself Commander of the Vigils, requests an audience with
was written in the Infernal tongue. During the hours you immediately. He’s learned that you are in town,
it took to copy the ritual down, a band of Dar a1 and he needs your help. Would you grant us a bit of
Annot invaded the tomb. After some quick thinking your time?”
(and no small bit of luck), the successful party finally The PCs (again) meet the Major Domo of the
returned to Vesh with the copied True Ritual. Home Command, Trophion (male human, Rgr4/
RogSIVigl, NG), who guides them into the Sun
Room, a large and beautiful room with huge picture
At the opening of The Serpent Citadel, it is windows that contain flecks of mica so that rays of
assumed that the party is in Vesh. This makes sense sunlight are split into glittering golden spangles
if they’ve just completed The Serpent & the S c e p when the sun shines through into the room.
ter, as they would have just recently returned from Waiting in the Sun Room isKelemis Dum (male
Marilvaz’s tomb with the copied True Ritual. Hav- human, RgrS/Ftr6/Vig5,NG) ,now almost completely
ing succeeded in so dangerous a mission, it is more or recovered from the wounds he received when his
less a given that the Vigils would approach the same traitorous former lieutenant, Amra, attempted to
party again for the difficult task that lay ahead- the steal the Amphora. If the players are new to the
transporting of the Amphora and the True Ritual to Serpent Amphora Cycle, the first thing he does is
a place of power where it may be destroyed truly, give a very brief summary of the events of the first
once and for all. three adventures in the series. He then explains that
If your group has not played through The Ser- the adventurers who retrieved the True Ritual from
pent & the Scepter, they might be in Vesh for any the tomb of Marilvaz the Scribe are unavailable (or
number of reasons. While it is vital that they have otherwise unable) to continue assisting him. If the
some sort of strong connection with either the Vigils party has been involved to this point, he of course
as a whole or with some specific member of that refrains from summarizing what they already know.
organization, any viable excuse will do. In fact, Vesh (For more information on Trophion, Kelemis, and
is a perfect place for weary adventurers to rest, as it the Hall of Command, see Serpent in the Fold.)
is the one bright spot for miles around (at least for In either case, Kelemis continues as follows:
good-aligned folks). “While the True Ritual was being recovered
In either case, a messenger approaches the party from the Mad Scribe’stomb, my advisorsand I were
while it is in or near Lave. He bears a token marked set the task of discovering the best place to perform
with a stylized sun with a sword above and below it. such a ritual. After all, when it comes to artifacts of
A Knowledge (nobility and royalty), Knowledge titanic age and power, one cannot simply prattle off
(local: Vesh), or Intelligence check (DC10) will the disjoining incantation in any old place.” Dum
recognize this symbol as incorporating the Vigilant says this last with some vexation, and his tone
Sun heraldry of Vesh. Those who make a Knowledge suggests that he himself assumed such was the case
(nobility and royalty) or Knowledge (local: Vesh) before someone more knowledgeable regarding such
roll (DC12) will recognize the seal as being that of matters politely informed him otherwise.
the Home Commander, the leader of Vesh. If the “In any event,” he continues, “We discovered
characters have just completed The Serpent & the that the best place -the only place, really, consid-
Scepter, they know this symbol already, of course. ering the artifact’s source - is a druidic ‘holy site’
If the heroes have been through the events of located deep in the Ganjus Forest. While it is only a
the previous module, the messenger says instead, few days’ ride west from here, it may be a perilous
journey, as we know all too well that there are others
 1 NTRO D WCTl O N

who would seek both the Amphora and the only but certain that someone will make a play for the
means to destroy it.. . and they know we have them Amphora along the way. So be wary.
both. To complicate matters, the Ganjus is the home “I cannot trust many of my own people enough
of the Jordeh druids, and they are not the most to send them, given recent events here. Still, those
hospitable of hosts. Still, we have a man who has I do will be with you - 12 good soldiers, in all. I just
some experience with them, and he’ll be tagging hope that, with your help, it’ll be enough to see this
along; in fact, he’ll be leading the expedition, but not monstrosity through to its well-earned end.”
so’s anybody would know it.” He then discusses potential rewards, ranging
At this, Dum smiles lopsidedly. “And that,” he from training among the Vigilants to cash-in-hand.
says, “is where you’re needed.” If the PCs do not succeed, it will probably be because
“We need you to accompany the Amphora and they died trying, but if they somehow return without
the True Ritual to the Ganjus, where -if luck is on having destroyed the Amphora, he’ll compensate
our side -a little smooth diplomacy will allow us to them up to 500 gp each for their troubles in any case
use one to destroy the other at this sacreddruidic site (in addition to providing healing assistance, if re-
of the Jordeh. It is mostly a straight trek west, but quired). If, however, they do succeed in destroying
there are some mountains in the way, and you will the Amphora, the rewards will be commensurately
have to cross these before you catch sight of your first greater, from fine equipment (perhapseven magical)
tree. The route itself isn’t precisely hostile territory, to training to grants of land or money.
but it can be a dangerous way to travel and we’re all
PjrjdvrandHiswarriors (see PHB, Chapter 8, “Movement-OnlyActions,” Run
V i Pirib-, mds hma Rg5/RogWi:CR 10;SZ W i - s i z e subsection).
hunanold (6 ft., 1 in. tall); HD 5d10+15(Ry) pcls ld6+3(Ry)plus Rmgrspellsprepnred (1): 1st --.Spflkd rmimals.
4dl2+12(Vg); hp 94; lnit +3@ex); Spd 30 k AC 19 (+3Dex, +6 Vigilantspells p w d (2/1): 1st-delay pkon, resist
amor);Atk +13/+8mdee (ld&3, crit d,+I bsttkaxe)),or +11/+6
mdee(ld&3, crit d,+ l k h a x e )and +10mdee(ld6+l,crit14-20
ekments; 2nd -circle ofsolcnds*.
(d),mastemorkshortsword),or+15/+10ranged(ld&4,critd, +2 Possessions: +2 chain shnt, ranger’s cloak**, wooden
m&coqwsite+and mastemorkarrow);SA ranger two- holysymlml(Tanil),+lbaaleaYe,masteTworkshortsword,
weapon fighting,Favored enemies (beasts +2,momtroushumanoids +2 mi& (Str 14) composite h&w,quiver and 20
+1,rabnen +1 [stacks wlth bonus vs romtrous hwnanolds]), snedc masterwork arrows),2 podons ofcure libwmnds,potia of
~+lds,ferocl35sk;~~~ti~~LGSVF~ +l3,Ref
+7,Win +4;Str 15,Dex 16,Con 16,Int 11, Wis 14,Cha 12. hlT~MadedoftrueStrike**.
Skius: Animal Empathy +6, Climb +3/+5,Diplomacy S d h(I), m$e or fandehmmWar6: CR 5;SZ M i - s i z e
huMnold;HD6d&b;hp33;ln~+O;~20Rin~;ACl9(+7
+6,Gather Information +6,Heal +6, Handle Animal +6, half-plate, +2brgesteelshii); Atk+l0/+5mdee(ldb3,crit 19-
Hide +8/+10[cloak], Intuit Direction +4, Jump +3/+5, 20(d), longsword), OT +6ranged(ld8,ait 19-20 (d),80R, l i
Knowledge (nature) +3,Listen +5, Move Silently +2/+4, croslbow);ALanygood;SVFort+6,Ref+2,Wi11+2;Str16,Dex10,
profesion (herbalist) +7, Ride +12, Search +2, Spot +8, con 12, Int IO,wis 10, Cha 9.
Wilderness Lore +9. (Two values qamted by a slash Skius: Handle Animal +5,Intimidate +5,Profession
representbonuseswith/w&out armor skillcheck penalties, (soldier) +6, Ride +9, Spot +l.
respectively.) Feats: Cleave, Mounted Combat, Power Attack,
Feats: Dodge, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Mobility, Weapon Focus (longsword).
Mounted combat, Power Attack, Track, Toughness. hguages: Common (Veshian).
Languop:Common(Veshian),Ledean,MiddleElvish. l-bm,HEevyWar(l2+): CR2;SZLargeanimd;HD 4d8+12;hp30;
lnit +l (Dex); Spd 50 R; AC 14(-1 size, +1 Dex,+4natual); Atk 2
Fmky (Ex):Vian may act normally when disaMed or hooves+6mdee(ld6+4),bite+lmdee(ld4+2);Face5Rby10 R;
dying. ALN;SVFort+7,Ref+5,Wi11+2;Str18,Dex13,Con17,Int2,Wis
Spint(Ex): l/hr-Vimaymovethree timesnormal 13,cha 6.
movement on a charge action. sm: Lism +7, spot +7.
Tireless(Ex):V i &IS no cumulativepenalty to the *ThesespdkormagicitemsappearinRdics&Rihds.
GmstitutioncheckDCwhenrunningforextendedperiods **ThesespdkormagicitemsappearinRalics&Ri.
steers his horse through the courtyard and stops
beside them. The newcomer is perhaps in his early
30s, with blond hair already fading to gray at the edges
and a thin scar running down the left side of his neck.
This,” Dum says by way of introduction, “is
Vian Piridur. In addition to being one of my best
vigilants, he has prior experience with the Jordeh
druids of the Ganjus, and stands a fair chance of
convincing them to help.’’ Vian nods his greetings,
clasping hands with any of the PCs close enough for
him to reach without dismounting.“He’sempowered
to make any agreements necessary with them. You
are in charge, but as our emissary to the druids, I’d ask
that he be allowed to handle the negotiations with
the Jordeh. He’ll also be responsible for carrying the
copy of the Song of Unmaking.
“However, his face and name are known to the
enemy. It would be best, I think, if you all made an
effort to keep him out of the way until you do reach
the Jordeh. Ask for his assistance if you need it, but do
not draw attention to his presence.”
The initial leg of the journey takes the expedi-
tion west from Lave, across the width of Vesh and
into the foothills of the Kelder Mountains. At this
stage of the journey, the party experiences relatively
little in the way of dangeror discomfort. The night air
has begun to grow chill, as winter is but a few weeks
away, and the occasional autumn shower drizzles
chilly water down their backs. The heroes - unless
they wish to prepare their own meals -must endure
the competent but uninspiredcooking of the soldiers.
THE SERP€NT CITADEL

He presses a jingling bag of coins into the

character’shand. “100gold,”he says. “I don’t imagine
we should require more than two weeks to pass On ’ThejrOwn
through the canyon at this time of year.” It’s possible the PCs will attempt to brave
The Ontenazans watch them, curiously but with- the canyon o n their own, either out of stingi-
outhostility, untilthe party and the warriorsdismount. ness or because they are frustrated with (or
At that point, a young woman approaches them. She suspicious of) Aisha.
is dark-skinned and wears a sand-colored baggy tunic This is an awful idea. Once out of sight of the
over sheepskin leggings and heavy black boots. canyon entrance, the heroes must make Intuit
“Greetings,travelers,” she says,her melodic voice Direction checks (DC 15, +1 for every hour of
tinged slightly with Ontenazan accent. “I am called travel after the first) every 10 minutes or become
Aisha. How may we welcome you?“ lost. Once a party is lost, it requires another check
Aisha (femak humn, Rgr 6 , LN) is friendly if (DC20, + 1 for every day they have been lost) to
slightlyreserved. She is also one of the wind-walkers, regain their bearings.
and will mention this if the PCs express any desire to Further, precious little food or water exists in
hire a guide or to cross the Canyon of Souls. She the Canyon of Souls, making starvation a very real
confirms Piridur’s estimate of travel time - just danger. To “get along in the wild” (see PHB,
under two weeks, perhaps 15 days - and cost. Her Chapter 4,“Wilderness Lore”), a character must
Sasking price of 100 gold is fixed. She’ll not haggle, make a successful Wilderness Lore check (DC18)
and the heroes run the risk of offending her if they while moving only one-third her normal overland
press the issue. If haggling is attempted, she immedi- speed in order to find sufficientfood and water for
ately raises her price to 120 gp; the heroes will either herself for one day; she can find enough food and
have to pay this amount or find another guide. water for another person for every 3 points by which
(Piridur will not cover the extra 20 gp, insisting the this check exceeds DC 18.
PCs pay it out of their own funds, since he did warn Finally, the winds here range from strong to
them about haggling.) hurricane-force at seemingly random intervals and
Assuming the party eventually hires Aisha (or, if fromrandom headings, with all the relevant affects
they’ve offended her, some other guide), she offers on the characters and their mounts. (The effects of
them the hospitality of severallarge tents, specifically strong winds can be found in the DMG, Chapter 3,
I1
erected for visitors to the encampment. “Make your-
selves as comfortable as you can, and try to sleep,”she
tells them. “We’ll set out first thing in the morning.”
Should the PCs suggest attempting the Canyon making speech difficult unless the listener is within a
without a guide,Piridurflatly overrulesthem. “I’llnot few feet. If it’s this bad at the entrance to the gap,
commit suicide - to say nothing of murdering my what must conditions be like within?
men, and losing the Amphora -to save 100 gold. I The next 15 days are a miserable experience.
can’t stop you from going if you wish, of course. If The winds are truly hideous, even at the bottommost
Aisha believes it safe, we’ll even try to make a detour levels of the canyon. Speech is nearly impossible;
and collect your remains for proper burial.’’ only by screaming at the top of one’s lungs at someone
Into the Canyon directly adjacent can one make oneself heard. The
Aisha and the soldiersare awake before dawn the direction of the wind seems to change at the whim of
next morning, ready to go the moment the sun rises. some capriciousgod, and a character leaning heavily
The beasts of burden, however, well trained though into the wind one moment, trying desperately to
they are, require a bit longer to start moving. make some headway, can find himself flat on his face
The path the wind-walker intends to travel, seen
the next as the next gust suddenly comes from be-
hind. Split lips, chipped teeth, bloody noses, and
in the light of morning, is somewhat daunting. The
scraped hands become a universalpart of the uniform
earth is hard and rocky, covered with pebbles and grit
of Piridur’s soldiers. The horses pull and strain against
enough to make footing precarious. The horses will
their halters, eyes rolling in near-constant panic. No
have to be walked, not ridden. The walls of the
tents can stand against the wind, and “camp”consists
canyon are rough, unyielding, and reflect the sun-
of little more than sleeping bags stuffed as painstak-
light downward, heating armor and blinding eyes.
ingly behind rocky outcroppings as possible.
Still, unadulterated heat would be preferable.
Even more frustrating, Aisha refuses to hold a
Merely standing on the precipice exposes the heroes
straight course, often doubling back, pausing for
to gusts of wind sufficient to rock them back on their
hours on end, and making turns that take the expedi-
heels and to send their hair streaming behind them
tion in the wrong direction. She explains, if asked,
like pennants. The roar is a constant companion,
 CHAPTER ONE: B O S O M O F T H E M O T H E R

that these are required precautions if the travelers are “Will you be returning this way soon?I intend to
to avoid the worst of the winds. take my ease for a few days in Featherweb Camp. I’d
The only upside to this journey is that the be happy to lead you back as well.”
combinationof conditions in the canyon and the size The PCs can arrange for Aisha to stay to guide
of the expedition obviate any worry of wandering them back or not, as they prefer. If they want her to
monsters. This doesn’t mean the trip is entirely safe, wait for them, turning down other offers, however,
of course. Due to her knowledge of the canyon, Aisha they’ll have to pay her now. If they’ve been polite to
is able to keep the travelers from the worst winds, but her -especially if they offer her a gratuity of 10% or
the gusts still fluctuate wildly, with all the difficulty more of what they’ve already paid -she’ll even offer
that implies. Conversation is almost impossible, and to take them back for a mere 40 gold per week, rather
many of the characters will find their ears aching after than the standard 50 gp/week.
only a few hours in the canyon (apply a -2 penalty to In any case, the expedition continues. Most
all Listen checks while PCs are in the Canyon, in travelers through the Canyon stop in Ontenazu to
addition to those penalties imposed by actual wind relax and recover, but Piridur insists on crossing the
conditions, lasting until the PCs have been out of the grasslands and making straight for the Ganjus.
Canyon for ld4+4hours). Additionally, any time the
party is within 10 feet of a canyon wall, a 5% chance
exists for a rockslide.
e C7aryus
The journey from the Canyon of Souls to the
Ganjus forest is not a long one, requiring only a few
days of travel through the Kelder foothills before the
Encounter Level: 2 (slide zone) or 5 (bury zone). ground becomes less rocky and the first of the trees
tower from the fertile soil.
SeeDMG,Chapter3,“The environment,"^^
slides and Avalanchessubsection;see also Wilderness Unless the PCs have been to the Ganjus before,
& Wastelands, Chapter 1, “Hazards,” page 8. they’ve likely never seen a sight like the one that
greets them now. Enormous trees, still largely adorned
with thick green leaves even as winter grows near,
The GM is encouraged to make every effort to stretch skyward to near unimaginable heights. Ab-
convey the inherent dangers of this journey. One or sent are the twisted growths or barren patches so
more of the warriors may fall prey to the rockslides common to other forests of Ghelspad, wounds of the
mentioned above, or should be caught by freak gusts Divine War that have not yet and perhaps never will
of wind and carried off the walkways to plummet to heal. Here, in the Ganjus, the earth remains as it was
their deaths to the canyon floor (perhaps along with in the days before the titans and the gods nearly
their unfortunate mounts). destroyed all. Small shrubs and thickets bloom in the
Assuming no side adventures run by the GM shadows of the trees, surviving on the sunlight that
during this period slow travel, the expedition arrives trickles, like water, between the branches. Birds call
at the Featherweb Bridge at the western end of the from trunk to trunk, their songs mingling into a single
canyon in the afternoon of the twelfth day. The varying tone. Small animals dart about, storing food
bridge, hardly more than a network of ropy strands, for the cold months ahead, and avoiding predators
pulleys, and enormous buckets, does little to inspire that might look upon them as winter provisions.
confidence, but Aisha assures the heroes that cross- It isabeautifu1,upliftingsight-but sorrowfulas
ing is safe. It requires about 10minutes to walk across well, for here is the last echo of what all the Scarred
the bridge (Balance check DC lo), and about 30 Lands once were.
minutes to haul a wagon, a horse, or a few acrophobic
characters across in a bucket. The winds blow and A Cautious Greeting
howl, the bridge swings precariously, but the expedi- The expedition is forced to wend slowly through
tion can manage to cross safely by Taking 10 on the forest, as they must find a path wide enough to fit
Balance checks. the carts between the trees. Other than a possible
After assisting the soldiers in leading their horses random encounter with a creature curious (or hun-
up the shallow but precarious incline, Aisha turns to gry) enough to approach despite the size of the
face whichever PC has been serving as the leader. expedition, little of note happens until the travelers
“Worry little about your hearing!” she shouts, make camp on their first night in the woods. If these
even though the wind is far softer here than it was elves are encountered randomly, the GM should
below. “Exposureto the howling of the canyon some- make any necessary modifications for time of day,
times hurts the ears of those unaccustomed to it, but etc., but otherwise the encounter proceeds as follows.
you should be fine after a few hours. Perhaps an hour after sunset, any characters
still awake may make a Listen check (DC 23).
THE SERPENT CITADEL

Ganjus Forest Encounters(CR 6)

?- ~ ' U l l r ? * = ; ~ ~ ~ , ~ ~ . ~ ~ - ~ w , ~ = ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ -
Encounter Chance: 5% per hour; 5% per hour at night (30% per six hours; 30% per six hours at night)
Encounter (# Appearing) * , CR EL' Source
Ankheg (ld4) 3 5 MM
- 03-04 Aranea (1) 4 4 MM
"q&#"04 -7
Assassin vi& (1M) 3 " 5 MM
8" *.,"%.
05
1

-"

05-06 06 Behir (ld2) 8 8 MM

14**- "
'07-08 07-08 ' Blackbear (ld3) * 2 4 MM
- 09-10 Brewer gnome (ld10+4) 4 10 cc
"W-13 '- 11-15 Brown bear (ld3) 4 6 MM
14-16 16-17 Centaur (ld4-4) 3 8 MM
"77-14 . "18-()""
e 4 - 4
'*
Dryad (1) -Mdw
" 1 1 ' MM'
1- j_

20 21 Emperor stag (1) 7 7 cc

"'21-23 .22 ' * * Ethwealmarauder17HE)1~""' *' 5-
I ' 5 MM '
24-25 23
'
Forest walker (1)
, . 1 0 10 cc2
"26-30- * Giant bee (ld20) ""*1/2 ' 6 MM
31-32 - Giant eagle (ld2) 3 3 MM
w
- 23-25 ' ' Giant bombardier 2 7 ' *- M M " '
- 26-31 Giant owl (ld4-1) 3 6 MM
* "3-3Tw""32-36" ' . Goblin bear (1) 7 7 cc **
38-39 37 Grippett (ld2) 3 3 cc
40-41 38-3Q ' Hamadryad (ld6)"--
'
4 " 7 cc
42-43 - '
Hippogriff [6 HD] (ld2) 4 4 MM
' 7
'"44-45'"' 40-41 Krenshar (1dlO) 1 5 MM
-' 42 Lillend(ld4) 7 9 MM
jl*-
- ' * 43-44' * Mistwalker(1)
.* qrt-'* "4 "i 4 cc *

45-47 Nymph (1) 6 6 MM

- - /9* Pqgesus(,d,O) '9----9=". 4cx . 3' 8 MM "

54-55 48 Phase spider (1) 5 5 MM

1 - 44 ' f'hasm(1)
, . 7 * 7 MM
56-57 50-52 Pseudodragon (ld2) 1 1 MM
"*-54' I "'"yj3
" *
River nymph'f (2d821)'"
*'* "I

3 ** ? cc
54-56 Satyr [with pipes] (2d6-1) 4 9 MM
3'- 57-60 Shambling mound (1) * " 6 6 MM
64-65 61 Slarecian worm (1) 4 4 cc2
.1
- "'62-63 Spider eater (1)
- 64-68 Sprite, grig (ld10+1) 1 6 MM
w.
-r 3 c c . ivr
64 Sprite, pixie (ldlO+l)' "'-
' **"- * 4'
4 MM
66-67 70-71 Stick giant (1)
.... 13 13 cc
%8-64 72-74' " Tanil's fox (1)
-7
e9+-
L1
5 5 ~' cc
70-73 75-77 Treant (1) 8 8 MM
74-75 -* -7a-w Unicorn (ld6)
*
rbl .
"d .-?-7r.$. - 3 " 6 'MM
76-79 80-84 Willow tree warrior (1) 6 6 cc
'' 80-81 e 85-86 I - Wolf spider, giant (I) rt? m'L^uI'
-' 3 - 3 - - * C t
**
82-96 87-96 Wood elf, Knight of the Oak patrol ** 6
97-00 . . 47-00 Wyvern (ld2) 6 6 MM"
* Where a dice roll is listed under IC# Ap- has occurred,whether randomly or as a set encoun-
pearing" (as opposed to a single number), the EL ter, disregard this result and roll again.
has been determined using the average result of t This encounter occurs only if the PCs are
the variable. near a waterway within the forest. Otherwise, roll
** Wood elf, Knight of the Oak patrol: Should again, ignoring this result.
a random roll indicate an encounter with a party CC -Creature Collection.
of wood elven knights, proceed to "A Cautious CC2-CreatuceCoUection2: DarkMenagerie.
Greeting" below, regardless of how long the expe- MM -Core Rulebook 111.
dition has been in the woods. Once this encounter
 CHAPTER ONE: B O S O M OF THE M O T H E R

Success indicates that they hear a single figure several elven archers (male or female elf, Rgrl / F t r l ,
approaching the camp from the west-northwest. CG) in the trees around the camp. (There are 5
Whether or not the characters heard him coming, archers in total.) As with the elf who approached,
a single elf steps to the edge of the campsite (male these elves’ bows are not currently aimed at the
elf, Rgr5, CG; Move Silently +13). He has long expedition, but they’re clearly ready to act at a
black hair tied in an intricate braid; garbed only in moment’s notice.
leather leggings and tattoos, some of which indi- Should a character mention them, the elf to
cate his rank, he carries a sleek-looking composite whom they are speaking will nod. “Yes, I have
longbow. The weapon is nocked and ready to fire, companions. We do not necessarily mean you
but the elf is, for the moment, pointing it at the harm, but neither do we necessarily mean to per-
earth by his feet, rather than at any of the expedi- mit you to travel further into our lands. So I ask
tion. again, why have you come?”
In a soft voice that nevertheless carries, he Piridur intends to let the PCs handle the
says, “I would speak with your leader.” discussion, at least unless and until it appears
Piridur surreptitiously motions the PCs for- they’re getting into trouble. The heroes’ best op-
ward if necessary -particularly the one acting as tion here is to tell the elves the truth, that they
group leader - but makes a point of trailing not intend to destroy an artifact of Mormo, that they
far behind, ensuring that he’s available if needed. need the Jordeh to assist them in the ritual, and
The elf bows his head very slightly to whoever that they have been informed that it must be
identifies himself as leader. This is a gesture of performed in a certain place of power at the center
respect, but one that also allows him to keep his of the Ganjus. If they choose instead to offer other
eyes on the humans. “It seems unlikely to me,” he explanations, the GM must decide how likely the
says in charmingly accented Common, “that so elves are to believe them.
many of you could possibly have entered the Ganjus The GM may rely entirely on roleplaying or
by accident. I must assume that you are here she may involve Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense
deliberately, and this troubles us. Why have you Motive checks, as appropriate, to determine how
come?” thoroughly the elves are convinced, as she prefers.
As the elf speaks, allow each PC who is awake If the PCs are at least somewhat convincing and
a Spot check (DC 20, or 18 for anyone with low- give the elves no reason to distrust them, the
light or darkvision). If they succeed, they notice leader will eventually assent - to a point.. ..
 Just after noon on the third day, the elves show
the expedition into a clearing easily large enough to
fit the entire expedition and their carts. A single elf,
garbed in a simple brown tunic and leggings, steps
forward from behind a tree -or perhaps through the
tree, it’s difficultfor the PCs to tell. She appears to be
middle-aged, with thin lines on her face and a head of
iron-gray hair.
Inaciel speaks to her for a time in Middle Elvish.
Any characters who speak that tongue know that he’s
merely offering formal greetingsto one of thelordeh,
and explaining to her the humans’ purpose. The
woman is Tamlaine (female elf, Drd6/]or4, N). She
listens intently, her expression changing only when
Inaciel tells her the location of the “place of power”
the humans seek. (Obviously, if the heroes didn’t
provide this information to Inaciel, he cannot con-
vey it to the druid.)
)resent.Onthe other hand, Piridur and his Finally, in heavily accented Ledean, she says, “I
will almost certainly attempt to stop the will speak with their leader.”
If the PC acting as leader starts to rise, Piridur
waves them back. “I think this is where I’d best take
over. Keep an eye on things here, would you?”
He approaches the druid, making formal greet-
if a several scores of warriors equal to the one!
ings in Middle Elvish, and she then nods and leads
ed above, will appea
him across the clearing and into the trees, where they
may speak undisturbed.
(If the PCs refuse to allow Piridur to take over at
this point, he will try to insist gently that is all
iince they do not know that some of happening as Kelemis Dum had foreseen, and ac-
:ried to help the elves’ brethren. cording to their orders. If they are not willing to back
down - very possible if the PCs remember Amra
A t this mint. the missinn i s
Varith‘s treachery in Serpent in the Fold -the one
of the PCs may be allowed to accompany him, al-
though this may alter upcoming events to some
extent.)
For a time, perhaps 20 minutes, the heroes have
little to do. Piridur’s soldiers take the opportunity to
brush, feed, and water their horses, check up on the
carts’ wheels and axles, sharpen weapons, polish
armor, grab some rations and, in general, do the
things traveling soldiersdo when they have an unex-
pected break. The elven warriors watch curiously,
occasionallyasking questions about human traveling
habits and equipment. Inaciel and the elves are more
than happy to converse on pretty much any topic the
PCs care to bring up.
And then, things start to go very wrong.
The first clue that all is not right is the abrupt
fading of the sun as the sky suddenly clouds over. The
wind picks up, whipping small items about the clear-
ing, and a slick rain begins to fall. Anyone with ranks
in Knowledge (nature) or Wilderness Lore recognizes
that this sudden storm is unnatural.
Over the rising wind, Inaciel shouts, “Hold here,
if you can! We’re going to warn Tamlaine!” All six
 C H A P T € R ONE: B O S O M O F T H E M O T H E R

elves vanish into the trees, ducking to avoid the (see DMG, Chapter 3, “The Environment,” Weather
branches now thrashing about in the wind. Harmds subsection).
The PCs and Piridur’s soldiers have 3 rounds to act For the first 2 rounds, combat proceeds normally.
in any manner they choose. Then, with a maniacal Thehags-andtoalesserextentthegolem-willreact
cackle that carrieseven over the roaring wind, a pair of to any unusual actions by the PCs,but otherwise seem
storm hags swoop down from the clouds, and a wood content merely to deal out damage however possible.
golem lumbers into the clearing from amidst the trees. In the 3rd m u d , a new p i c i p a n t enters the fray,
The wind in the clearing is strong, imposing a althoughtheheroesprobablywon’tbeawareofit.Circ1i
penaltyof-2 toallrangedattacksamongothereffects inthecloudsove~~istheDaralAnnot’saceinthehole

Wood, Wind, and Weather piercing damage with every successfulslam attack. A
creature that attempts to grapple the golem takes
Encounter Level: 11 (but see below) automatic thorn damage each round the grapple is
s-k$(2). fem8bstml bg[famsrlyhunon] Drd6: maintained.
CR9; SZLarge monstroushumanoid; HD 6d8+18;hp49.41;
Init +5(Dex); Spd 40 ft., fly 80 ft. (good); AC 20 (+5 Dex, Special Quulities: Constwct: Immune to critical
+5 natural); Atk bite +6 melee (ld6+3), 2 claws +1 melee hits, subdual damage, death from massive damage,
(ld6+1), hair +3melee (special, hair); Reach 10 ft. (20 ft. for poison, disease, blindness,deafness,drowning, death
hair); SA improved grab, constrict ld6+3, speak with ani-
spells, stunning or mind-affecting spells;Magic immu-
mdsqells; SQ damagereduction5/+1, electricityresistance
20. nature sense, woodland stride, trackless step, resist nity (Ex): Wood golems are immune to all spells,
nature’s lure, wi/dshape(2/day); AL NE; SVFort +8,Ref +7, spell-likeabilities, and supernatural effects, except as
Will +lo; Str 16, Dex 20, Con 17. Int 10, Wis 21, Cha 14. follows: a warp wood or any fire-based spell slows the
SkiUs: AnirnalEmpathy+S,Concentration+12, golem (as the slow spell) for 2d6 rounds, no saving
Handle Animal +5, Intuit Direction +11, Knowl- throw, and an antiplant shell holds the golem at bay as
edge (nature) +6, Profession (herbalist) +11, Scry a protection fiom evil keeps outsiders at bay; Weapon
+6, Spellcraft +9, Wilderness Lore + 11. immunity (Ex): Immune to piercing damage and to
Feats: Blind-Fight, Brew Potion, Combat Cast- blows from wooden weapons, magical or not (wood
ing, flyby Attack, Heightenspell, Spell Penetration, golems are immune to each other’s attacks); half
Weapon Finesse (hair). damage from bludgeoning attacks; Regeneration (Ex) :
Special Attacks: lmproved Grab (Ex) :To use this Heals 1 point per minute when in contact with a
ability, the storm hag must hit an opponent of up to living tree.
Medium-size with a hair attack. If she hits, she can Source: Creature Collection.
constrict; Constrict (Ex): These hags deal ld6+3 Technically this is a level 11encounter; the PCs
points of damage with a successful grapple check; are not, however, fighting alone. Unless they’ve lost
Speak with Animals (Sp) : Hags may speak with ani- numerous companions to random encounters, they
mals at will, as the spell, but only with those animals have a number of 6th level warriors fighting alongside
normally found in the hag’s normal habitat. them. Be sure to divide any experience gained among
Dnridsgellsprepared(5/5/4/3):0- chi~uannth*, the NPCs as well as the PCs. Furthermore, this isn’t
create water, detect magic, light, resistance; 1st - necessarily a fight to the death -see below.
chameleon skin”, cure light wounds (x2), magic fang, If the GM chooses, she can run this as a single
obscuring mist; 2nd - chill metal, cold snap*, massive melee, but given the sheer number of com-
downdraft**, entangle (heightened);3rd -call light- batants, that’s going to get very complicated (to say
ning, Ganest’s furstrike”,summon nature’s aUy Ill. nothing of boring the players as they wait for their
* From Relics & Rituals. turn to come around again). Instead, the GM may
** From Relics & Rituals 2: Lost Lore. choose to run the PCs in combat against their own
opponent -one of the storm hags is probably best -
Source: Creature Collection.
without worrying about rolling for the other NPCs. If
Wood gdsm: CR 6; SZ Medium-size construct; HD 10d10;
HP 60; Init -2 (Dex); Spd 15 ft.; AC 18 (-2 Dex, +10 the DM doesn’t wish to roll for all the NPCs, she
natural); Atk 2 slams +11 melee (2d6+4 and ld4 thorns); SA should assume that by the time the combat is over -
thorns; SQ construct, magic immunity, weapon immunity, 5 rounds after it’s begun, unless the players manage to
damage reduction 15/+1, regeneration 1; AL N; SV Fort +3, change things - 2d4 of the warriors are dead, as is
Ref +1, Will +3; Str 18,Dex 6,Con -, Int -, Wis 11, Cha 2.
one of the storm hags. The golem is largely uninjured
Special Attacks: Thorns (Ex): At will as a free (unless the PCs themselves battled it), as the warriors
action, the wood golem may sprout thorns from its can do little to penetrate its damage reduction with-
body. These thorns deal an additional ld4 points of out critical hits.
THE SERPENT CITADEL

-a woodwrack dragon, ridden by none other than the round to observe the sky, and then only with a successful
stormhagHielaa(whomtheffihaveencounteredtwice Spot check (DC 20).
before if they’ve played through previous chapters of The The dragon’s action in the 3rd round of combat is
SerpentAmphoracycle).Becausethedmgoniswaitingin simply to delay its action, ensuringthat when it does act,
the clouds, it can be noticed only by a who takesa full it knows what is happening. At the end of the 3rd round,

WhenWe’kreeMeet Again... (20 k for hair); SA improved gab,constrid 1 6 5 , s p d with

~~~spelk;sQdamagereduction5/+l,dectricltyresistance20,
Encounter Level: 15 (but see below) nature sense, woodland stmle, traddessstep,resist nature’sh,
SetbThemss,nroodmkkbagarCR14;S2Hugedragon(earth); wiM+(3/day; SmalltoLarge),venomimmtmlty;ALE;SVFort
HD18d12+108;hp225;lnit+Q(+5Ck,+4lmproved Initiative);Spd +11,Ref+Q,Will +12;Str20,Dex22,Con20,lntl2,Wis22,Cha12.
60k,climb40Ft,flyQOk(poor),swim50k;AC31(-2size,+5 Skius: Animal Empathy +4,Gmcentration +13,
Dex,+18 natural);Atkbite+26mdee(2d10+10),2claws+21melee Handle A n i 1 +3, Intuit Direction +11, Knowledge
(2d6+5); Face 10 k by 20 k;Reach 10 k;SA breath weapon,
frtc$thl presence,pounce,r&e2d6+5,spelk; SQdamagereduction (MtUre) 11,&dCasting* 10, +4,speiiCraft+ 12,
10/+3, immunities,SR 18,Mindsght180k;ALNE;SVFort+l7,Ref Wilderness Lore +15.
+16, Will +14; Str 30, Dex 20t (16),Con 22, Int 16,Wis 16,Cha 16. Feats: Blind-Fight, Brew Potion, combat Casting,
Skias:Gmcenmtion+24,HandleAniil+15,Hide Flyby Attack, Heighten Spell, Quicken Spell, Spell Pen-
+18, Knowledge (arcana) +21, Knowledge (geography) etration, W e a p Finesse (hair).
+8, Knowledge (history) +8,Listen +21, Move Silently SpeaalA&: I&grub (Ex) :To use thiiability,
+23,sCry+22,Search+22,Spellc&+20,Spot+ 12,Swim Hielaa must hit an opponent of up to Medium-sizewith a
+18. hair attack. If she hits, she can constrict; Constkt (Ex):
Feats: Cleave, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Hielaa deals ld6+5 points of damage with a successful
Power Attack, Snatch. grapple check; Speak with cmitds (Sp): Hags may speak
Speclal A&: Breath eoeap~n(Su): 50-ft. line of withanimalsatwill, asthespell,but onlywith those animals
lighming, lodl0 electricitydamage, Reflex half (DC 25); normally found in the hag‘s normal habitat.
Frightful presence (Ex): 180 feet, Will save (DC 22) or DruidspeUspreprzred (6/6/6/4/3/2):O-&e toouood*,
becomepanickedfor 4d6 rounds if less than3 HD or levels, d u R J d * ,detect magic,@e, h& resistmw; 1st-cure
or else shaka for 466 rounds if 4 HD or levels or higher; l i g h t ~ ( x 2 ) , ~ e e l e m e n t s , ~ , m a g i c m a g i c f a n g ( x 2 ) ;
Pounce (Ex) :If a woodwrackdragon dives or leaps u p a 2nd - c h personoranimal,fiogtongue*,heat metal, hdd
foe asitstirstmeleeactionagainstthat foe,it canmake ah11 anrmal,soften d r m d s t o n e , speak withanimals; 3rd- CaR
attackevenifithasalreadytakenamoveactionthatround; ,-b UXU@B,I Gmt’s fm~&*, 4th -d ~ @
Rake (Ex): A woodwrack dragon that pounces on a n magic,ruSringgrup, sleetstonn;5th--candwinds,&
opponent can make two rake attacks (+21melee) with its (quickened).
hind legs for 2d6+5 points of damage each. As long as it Possessions:4jawhofllgtunmg,oiIofoaneofhjbge**
remains atop an opponent, it can continue to rake each (3 doses), 3 potions ofenhawed senses**, 3 potions ofcure
round, in addition to its normal attacks. moderate cvounds,wm$ ofdown&& ** (50 chg),
Sorcerer Speus known (6/7/7/7/6/5/3): 0 - c h * , source: creaturecollection.
dancing khts, detect magic, -m*, m**,
&cbse, read magic, resistrmce; 1st - comprehend h-
mage hm$, * From Relics &I Rituals.
guag-s,feathefd,prOteaionfwmgood,serpents’sme*, shield;
** From Relics &Rituals 2: Lost Lore.
2nd-&*,cat’sgrace,detectthou&s, mviddity, Gune-st’s These stat blocks are provided just against the awful
fmtlike*;3rd-~cLspelmagic,grt?atknodc*, haste, !mggestion; possibility that the GM needs them, but in truth, the PCs
4th -c&memimdoor,scrying, -*; 5th -hold are never expected to face the dragon directly. Sath-
monster,shadoov eoMcatiotl; 6th-powr w d dumder*.As Theransusalone iseasilyamatchfora7th-levelparty, tosay
a 12th-levelsorcerer. n o t h i i of Hielaa. Fortunately,the dragon’s not interested
in slaughter now, and will depart as soon as it has its claws
S p ec l
a l
m h :I m d t i e s (Ex): Immunetoelectric-
ontheAmphora(seebe1ow).Ifpursued,however,ithasno
ity, paralysis, poison, and sleep effects.
objection to blasting its enemies out of the air with its
Source: Creaturecollection
breath weapon.
Note: Sath-Theransushas cast cat’s grace on himself, Because the dragon does not remain to flght, the
so his statsabovereflect his having a +4 bonus to Dexterity encounterisnotconsideredaschallengingasiftheffihad
from that spell. to fight a prolongedbattle. If the party manages to prevent
Hi€!h%stam heg(FcnrrrlyMF-ac) [kdQ: CR 12; sz Large mon- it from stealingthe Amphora without getting themselves
strous humanoid; HD Qd8+45; hp 117; lnit +6(Dex); Spd 40k,fly
80k(good);AC21(+6 Dex,+5nahrd); Atkbite+lOmlee(ld6+5), killed, however, they should receive experienceas though
2clam+5melee(ld6+2),hair+6melee(special,hair);Reach10k they’d overcome an EL 8 encounter.
 CHAPTER O N E : B O S O M O F T H E M O T H E R

after waiting until all opponents have acted, Sa& one full action every 2 rounds), it gets two saves for
Theransus dives. this purpose every second round. If necessary, it will
The first warning the heroes have is the sound of simply dimension door upwards again in the 3rd round
flappingwings and the cackling of Hielaa, which may of the fall, before it hits the ground, and repeat the
sound uncomfortably familiar. Hielaa is using her process until it regains control of its flight. Once the
control winds spell to prevent the storm from interfer- dragon recovers from the stall, it heads west (using
ing with the dragon’s flight, and had already cast frog the run action in flight to travel a hasted 540 feet per
tongue. Utilizing a haste spell,which it cast upon itself round), while Hielaa uses her spells, her wand, and
in the round immediately before it arrived,the dragon her javelins of lightning to deal with any aerial pursuit.
plummets from the clouds directly atop the cart During the 4th and 5th rounds, the first two hags
containing the Amphora -at full speed, it can dive (if both are still active) and the wood golem concen-
180feet (double speed for diving) and still reduce the trate their efforts on covering the dragon’s escape,
wagon to tinder with its pounce attack; Hielaa has focusing attacks on anyone who seems capable of
taken a readied action to grab the small chest holding discerning or following it. In the 6th round, unless
the Amphora with her frog tongue as soon as it circumstances prevent them from doing so, they
becomes visible, so her action triggers at this point, retreat, the golem covering the hags as they leave if
amid the dragon’s actions; then, the dragon uses its necessary. If somehow cornered, they fight to the
final hasted action to cast dimension door, effectively death.
teleporting itself and its rider 880 feet straight up. Should the heroes somehow manage to prevent
Between the clouds and the cover provided by the Hielaa and Sath-Theransusfrom snatching the Am-
trees, this puts them out of range of most any ranged phora, or if they’ve moved it from the wagon and
attacks and spells, but resourceful PCs might some- hidden it somewhere else, the pair does not hang
how be able to attack or pursue them. around to search for it.
In the 4th round, the dragon, being effectively
stalled in flight due to having just useddimensiondoor,
Insult to Injury
falls 150feet and must make a Reflex save (DC20) to The heroes are now dealing with the loss of
recover from the stall (see DMG, Chapter 3, “Move- many of Piridur’s soldiers, and probably that of
ment,”TacticulAerialMovementsubsection).If it fails the Amphora itself. And the worst has not
this save, it falls another 300 feet each subsequent happened yet.
round, and may attempt the Reflex save again each If the heroes immediately head west, trying
round; due to its haste spell (which in essence grants to find Piridur and the elves, they soon encoun-
ter Inaciel, looking haggard. If they do not
THE SERPENT CITADEL

leave the clearing, h e arrives perhaps 10 min- “The Hornsaw Forest is a hideous, danger-
utes later. In either case, his message is the ous place,” the druid tells them, her breathing
same. already coming a little more steadily, “with
“I’m afraid you had better come with me. much room for even a dragon to hide. I fear that
Quickly.” you’ve much toil ahead of you, if you would
Inaciel immediately turns and sprints into recover the Amphora, for I cannot even tell you
the woods, assuming the heroes will manage to where in the Hornsaw to begin.
keep up with him. After a brief but exhausting “I can assure you,” she continues, “that the
run, pushing through thick scrub and between Jordeh will be only too happy to perform this
heavy trees, feet sinking deeply into earth made ritual for you, now that we have seen what is at
muddy by the recent rains, the heroes find stake. If you survive the citadel of the Dar a1
themselves standing alongside Inaciel in an- Annot, return to the southernmost point of the
other much smaller clearing. Several of his Ganjus, southwest of the Healing Circle. My
elven companions are crouched low, tending to brethren will await you there.”
something - or someone - on the ground. Several of the elveshave maps of the Ganjus and
T h e earth is torn and lies i n chunks, as though its surroundings,and will be able to show the PCs the
something large and clawed recently stood here. spot of which she speaks.
The elves draw back as the party approaches,
and the PCs can now see the druid Tamlaine
lying o n the sodden earth, torn and bloodied. A
substantial portion of the mud around her is
unusually dark, suggesting that as much blood
as water has soaked into it.
“Dragon!” she chokes out as soon as she
spots the characters. “Came from ... your direc-
...
tion. Couldn’t ... stop it. It took it took your
companion, Piridur.” , -

T h e players probably won’t need remind- least driving it off in such a way that it can
ing, but if they do, any one of the surviving ceed west to kidnap Piridu
soldiers can be heard to gasp, “But the com- ChnuilA the Amnnn c n m

mander had the ritual!” reaching Piridur, don’t wony - the P

The Dar a1 Annot seems to have won.
(Tamlaine or any of the elves can explain that
the storm hags of the region serve that sect, if
the players are unaware of that fact.) They have d, so that the PCs still have
a high-ranking vigilant. They have the only msaw. If the dragon can’t
available copy of the Song of Unmaking (hid-
den in the secret pocket in Piridur’s ranger’s
cloak). And, unless the PCs pulled off a truly
amazing coup earlier, they also have the Ser- 1 . 1
is also possitxe tnat
pent Amphora itself.
But all is not entirely lost, for the injured
druid offers a ray of hope. “The dragon” she
...
gasps, “flew southwest. We can call upon the I his fate. The surviving warriors and the ell
...
birds a n d t h e beasts of t h e wood, t o ith should oppose this notion, reminding t
learn ...where it went. You may yet ... be able to UldC C I K lUUTI1eV UdLK L O V I 3 1 1 lb LUllU
”
retrieve what you have lost. ur can expect nothing but a slow, 11
Indeed, after only a few minutes, several ith-at best-from the Daral Ann
‘I. 1
elves enter the clearing and one draws out a
wand that she uses to cure a small portion of 1 no guilt for having Sal
Tamlaine’s terrible wounds. They then report ofhis siblings)attack them
t o Tamlaine that the dragon flew directly to- with full intent to k
ward the Hornsaw Forest, passing swiftly out of
t h e Ganjus a n d over t h e Haggard Hills.
Tamlaine frowns darkly at this news.
 CHAPTER O N E : B O S O M O F T H E M O T H E R

a r ’ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . . ~ - ~ . u ~ - ~ * . ~ - ~ ~ ~ ~ r ? ? ; ~ ~ ~ U
Haggard Hills (CR7) Encounters
Encounter Chance: 1% per hour; 3% per hour at night (6% per 6 hours; 18% per 6 hours at night)
D% Day D%Night Encounter (# Emountered) CR EL* Source
01 01-02 Acid shambler (2d4) 1 5 cc
02-04 03-05 Ankheg (ld4) 3 5 MM
05-14 06-15 Arcane symbiote” (1) ** 8.
cc2
15 16 Barrow worm (1) 8 8 cc
16 17 Beholder (1) 13 13 MM
17-18 18-19 Blade beast (ld6) 3 6 cc2
19-20 - Blight wolf (2d4) 5 10 cc
- 20-22 Bone lord (1) 6 6 cc
21-22 23-24 Bonewing (ld4) 3 5 cc2
- 25 Butcher spirit t (3d6) t t cc
23 26 Carrion hound (ld6+4) 3 9 cc2
24-26 - Chern’s children (1 swarm) 6 6 cc2
27 27 Devourer (1) 11 11 MM
- 28 Dire hillcat [as dire lion] (ld4+6) 5 11 MM
- 29 Displacer beast (ld4+6) 4 10 MM
28 30 Dragon, mock (ld2) 4 4 cc
29-31 - Dragonne (ld2) 7 7 MM
32-39 31-35 Ettin (ld4) 5 7 MM
40 36 Flailing dreadnought (1) 12 12 cc2
_.
37-38 Gauntling (1) 4 4 cc2
41 34 Gaurak troll (ld3+1) 8 11 cc2
- 40-49 Ghoul (ld6+6) 1 7 MM
42-44 - Giant wasp (ld4+1) 3 6 MM
45-46 - Gore beetle (ld10+10) 112 6 cc
47 50 Gorgon, low (ld4+1) 7 10 cc
48 51 Grey render (1) 8 8 MM
- 52 Hag, cavern*** (1) 9 9 cc
49 53 Howling abomination (ld4+1) 8 11 cc2
50-51 - Manticora (ld4+1) 1 3 cc
- 54 Mohrg (ld4) 8 10 MM
52-54 - Monstrousscorpion, Large (ld4+1) 2 5 MM
55-64 55-61 Monstrousspider, Gargantuan(1) 7 7 MM
65-67 62-64 Monstrousspider, Large (ld4+1) 2 5 MM
- 65 Nightshade, nightwing (1) 14 14 MM
- 66 Nightshade, nightcrawler (1) 18 18 MM
- 67-73 Night-touched pack1 t t
cc2
68-69 74-75 Ratman, brown gorger (ld6x15) 112 10 cc
70-71 - Scythe falcon (ld2) 2 2 cc
72 - Shard spider (ld2) 3 3 cc2
73-74 - Snake, Huge viper (1) 3 3 MM
75-81 76-80 Troll (ld4) 5 7 MM
82-95 81-86 Umber hulk (1) 7 7 MM
- 87-88 Undead ooze (1) 4 4 cc
46-98 89-94 Vengaurak (1) 4 4 cc
- 95 Wight (ld6+5) 3 9 MM
- 96-99 Wolfrat (ld3+1) 1 4 cc2
99-00 00 Wyvern (ld6) 6 9 MM
* Where a dice roll is listed under “+Y Appearing" (as * * * & a & l e v e l M d m 6 t h e m ~ ~
opposed to a single number), the EL has been determined t Roll randomly or c h a fromamong the animalson tht
using the average result of the variable. ~~~~~lythebutcherspiritterrglateto~~~
* * A m + @ : Rollagainontheencounterchart; $ Ni&-mhed padc: One night-touched controllerplu
this determines the creature to which the arcane symbiote ld8 night-touched hounds.
has attached itself. Add 1 to the CR of that encounter. If CC -Creature Collection.
more thanone creatureis rolled,the symbiote has attached 0 2 2 -Creature Collection 2: Dark Menagerie.
itself to one of them and probably leads the group.
MM -Core Rulebook 111.
T H E SERPENT CITADEL

APartjng of the Ways

As the PCs prepare to depart, one of Piridur’s
warriors, her face twisted i n a look of indeci-
sion, approaches whichever character was
* Where a diceroll is listed under “#Appe& (as
qpsed toasinglenumber), theELhasbeendetermined
serving as the expedition’s leader -and is now,
using the average result of the variable.
in Piridur’s absence, commander in fact.
**Dmkwwnbhiw:Adarkwombhiveconsistsofthe
“Begging your pardon, sir,” she says.
hive mother (CR 6) and up to EL 9 of cloned “children”
“There’s nothing we’d like more than t o head
down to the Hornsaw and slaughter every damn *** Dar d Annot: Dar a1 Annot group consist of
druid there until we get Commander Piridur ld3+2 witches (druids, sorcerers, and adepts, mostly
back. But we’re under very strict orders from female,ofCR 1to3),ledbya6th- to8th-leveldruid (75%
Home Commander Durn. We’re supposed to female) or female sorcerer.
report back if we lose the Amphora, sir, so h e t Gorgon patrol: Gorgon patrols consist of ld3 low
can prepare to defend Vesh against anything gorgons(ave.EL9),2d6commonraanen(ave.EL4),and
the bastards might conjure up with it. W e know ld3 redwitch slitheren of 2nd to 4th level (ave.EL 5), all
that you’ll have a better chance of getting it led by a single high gorgon (CR 10).
back if we’re with you, but we can’t risk all of us 5 Hags: The typical moon hag encountered in the
dying in the attempt. There’d be nobody left to Hornsaw is a M4/Sor4 with the moon hag template.
carry a warning.” The typical storm hag encountered in the Homsaw is a
Although technically her commanding of- Drd6 with the storm hag template.
ficer, the PC lacks the authority to countermand +Hexcreaanee:Ahexcr~~isanynormalanima
a n order from Durn himself. Splitting the war- verminorgroupofthelikewiththehexcreaturetemplate
riors, so that some can accompany the heroes, applied(seeCC2),ofanumber~cienttobringthetotal
isn’t a wise idea either. Most of the survivors EL to8. Creaturestypicallyaffectedincludeboars,cougan
are wounded, and a weakened group may not (useleopardstats),orwolves;hawks,ravens,orowls;black
make it back to Lave. After all, the journey or brown bean;or monstrous centipedesor spiders.
back will be far less safe than the journey here, ++ Raanrm patrol: Ratman patrols are made up of
as monsters t h a t were frightened by t h e ld10+5normalramen, led by 2 red witchslitherenof 3rd
expedition’s numbers may be more willing to to 5th level.
attack a smaller group. AA Vipers w u m : Viper swarmsarea mass offrenzied
As much as they hate the notion of leaving poisonousserpentsmadeup of ld8+4Tinyvip, ld8+4
with their leader in trouble, the soldiers are Small vipers, ld6+2 Medium-size vipers, ld3 Large vi-
determined to follow orders and return home to pers, and Id3 Huge vipers.
warn the Vigils. “We’re counting on you, sir,” CC -creature ~llection.
the warrior tells the PC. “Don’t let the com- CC2 -Creature Collection 2: Dark Menagerie.
mander down.”

e Hagaad H U
Inaciel and his companions guide the party The terrain the heroes see before them is a study
t o the southern edge of the Ganjus, a journey in contradictions. Unlike the Ganjus, the Haggard
that takes over a week even with native guides. Hills sport the all too familiar signs of the Divine
Once again, reduce the odds of random encoun- War. Much of the land is blasted, barren wasteland
ters to only 3% per hour (18% per 6 hours). covered in nothing but rock and scrub. The hills rise
Just as it seems the journey will become inter- like boils on the skin of the earth, and the wind that
minable and the beauty of the Ganjus has lost its blows across them carries an empty smell.
appeal, the trees begin to thin, the terrain to Yet the region also shows faint but noticeable
gently rise and fall. Ahead, through the dwin- signs of healing. For every barren hill, another is
dling foliage, the PCs can begin to make out the covered in a coat of grass, often brown and feeble, but
first of the rises that mark the Haggard Hills. living nonetheless. The occasional snake darts across
“This is where we leave you,” Inaciel tells the characters’ path, a rabbit rustles one of the sickly
them. “Should you succeed, return to the Heal- bushes, a thin raptor flies overhead seeking its next
ing Circle, or as near t o it as you are able. T h e meal. The land is not lush, it is not thriving, but it
Jordeh will await you, and offer sanctuary.” lives and breathes and grows stronger with every
With a brief bow, he is gone, fading away into passing season.
the forest. The PCs are now truly on their own. Although fewer than 100 miles separate the
Ganjus from the Homsaw, the uneven and rocky
 CHAPTER O N E : B O S O M OF THE M O T H E R

WDgr m w -vEnCantaad) CR EL* soww

01-03 01-04 Assassin vine (ld3+3) 3 8 MM
04-05 05 Bttertree(1) 10 10 cc2
06-07 06-07 Wbeast(ld6) 3 6 cc2
08-09 - Blade hood(ld3) 3 5 cc
10 08 Bloodreaper(1) 10 10 cc2
11-13 - BloodfMW 1 9 cc2
14 09 Bloodman(ld4+4) 5 10 cc2
- 10-11 Bonewing(ld4) 3 5 cc2

-
15-16 12 Carnivoroustree (ld3) 6 8 cc2
17-18 13-14 chwl(1) 7 7 MM
19 15 Dark womb hive" 8.
10 cc2
20-24 - Dw al Annot *U
8 ***
25 16 Dragon, (1) 14 14 cc
26-27 17-20 Gallowseye (1) 8 8 cc2
28-31 - Giant constridor d e (ldkl) 5 8 l
w
32-33 21-22 Goblinbear (1) 7 7 cc
34-35 23 *,serpent (1dkl) 6 9 cc2
36-38 - Gore beetle (2d4+4) 1 7 cc
39-42 24-28 Gorgon,low (ld6) 5 8 cc
43-44 29-30 Gorgonpatrd t 11 cc
- 31-32 Hag, moon1(1) 13 13 cc
45-47 33-35 Hag, storm1(1) Q 9 cc
48-50 36-39 Hagling,moon (ldk5) 2 8 cc2
51-54 40-44 Hagling,storm (ldk5) 2 8 cc2
55 45 Hex creatme (+) + 8 cc2
56-60 46-50 H municorn(ld8) 7 11 cc
61-62 51-53 Howlingabomination(1) 8 8 cc2
63 54 Leechingwillow (ld3) 7 9 cc2
64-66 55-57 Medusa (ld3+l) 7 10 MM
- 58-63 Naga,&(l) 8 8 MM
67-68 64-65 Naga,Mlow(l) 9 9 cc
69-70 66-67 Naga, spirit (1) 9 9 MM
71-72 68-69 Narleth(1) 5 5 cc
- 70 Owlbear(ld4+4) 4 9 MM
73-74 71 Rast (1) 5 5 MM
75-77 72-77 Ratmanpatrol ++ 8 ++
78-79 78 sagOn(3w 112 6 cc2
80-82 79-81 Serpent root [12 HD] (1) 7 7 cc
83-84 82-83 Shamblingmound (1) 6 6 MM
85-86 84-85 .%NW (2d4) 3 8 cc2
- 86-88 Stirge(ldb7) 112 6 MM
87-88 89-90 sunderedwoman(1) 5 5 cc2
89-90 41-92 Tendriculos(1) 6 6 MM
41-92 93-94 Totem of h (ld6) 2 5 cc2
93-94 95-78 Trdl (ld3cl) 5 8 MM
95-00 - Viper swam AA 8 MM
- 99-00 Wynmpawn, abt Id64 2 6 cc

terrain prevents travelers from crossing the region as dead, the ritual and the Amphora still wait to be
swiftly as they otherwise might. Without magical reclaimed.
aid, it.requires five days of travel across the Haggard
Hills before the PCs find themselves standing at the The H O D W &F
edge of yet another forest. The prospects of finding Here, at the northern section of the Hornsaw,
Piridur alive after so long are growing but the oftencalled the BroadreachHorizon, the forest is not
heroes cannot afford to stop. Even if the vigilant is ne
quite so twisted and horrible as elsewhere.
THE SERPENT CITADEL

still loom menacingly above the characters, their

branches scraping together in a breeze that should be
too weak to move them, their shadows stretching
before them indirections completely at odds with the
ambient light. The soil is thick, sticky, as though it
has absorbed something of the corrupted essence of
Mormo’s curse. No birdsong drifts on the wind; in-
stead, the screeches and screams of twisted animals
born to a life of endless pain assail the travelers’ ears.
And that wind carries with it not the scent of flower-
ing and blooming things, but the sickly stench of rot,
as though each rise and fall of the terrain hides a pile
of decaying flesh behind it.
This region is home to the Hornsaw’s remaining
elven population.The heroes do not see them, will not
encounter them, but their protective, cleansingpres-
ence can be felt, if only by those who know the horrors
of the rest of the forest. It’s even worse further south.
This, then, is the forest in which the Dar a1
Annot dwell -hundreds of square miles of twisted,
warped horrors through which the heroes must search
if they are to retrieve what was lost.

Thesentinel
The PCs have, unfortunately, no idea where in
the woods the headquarters of the Dar a1 Annot
might be, and they certainly cannot just search the
forestblindly in the hopes of stumbling over the ritual
and the Amphora. Still, at least initially, it appears as
though they’ve no other choice.
Allow the players to do as they wish, to explore
the woods as they see fit, for ld3 days. Perhaps the
clever use of divinations might help in some way,
although such resources may be limited in a 6th- or
7th-level party. However, on the final day, any char-
acter who succeeds at either a Spot or Listen check
(DC19) notices that they are being followed.
If the PCs turn back and attempt to confront
their pursuers, the encounter described below occurs
immediately. Otherwise, they are approached as they
make their next camp.
In either case, the heroes suddenly hear a very
loud rustling within the nearby brush. A n instant
later, an equine creature steps into sight. It looks like
a large warhorse, covered in shaggy, walnut-hued fur.
Its hooves and teeth glint in the fading the light, as
does the massive, serrated horn jutting from its fore-
head. The creature snorts angrily and paws the earth,
but it does not move to attack, even going so far as to
retreat a few steps if anyone moves toward it.
“I suggest you make no sudden moves,” a low
voice calls out in Ledean from the trees to the
creature’sright. “Duzghul isn’t looking for a fight, but
he’s.. .edgy.”
A woman appears from the trees. She has dark
hair, the exact color of which is indeterminate be-
 CHAPTER O N E : B O S O M O F THE M O T H E R

neath layers of caked-in dirt. Herskin and clothes are Autumn. She also holds a grudge against the local
equally filthy; the only bright spotson her face are her storm hags, because Hielaa killed her first unicorn
glinting blue eyes. Still, she wears studded leather of companion. (Duzghul is her second.)Thus, the Bring-
obviously good quality, although the craftsmanship is ers of Autumn- who wish to see the Amphora taken
not immediately apparent beneath the grime, and back from the Dar a1Annot -delivered a message to
she carries two curved blades that appear to have Leral. She still has the missive on her, although she
been fashioned from the horns of creatures like her has no intention of actually showing it to the party.
companion. It reads simply, “We have arranged for the Crone
If anyone asks her who she is in either Ledean or to be drawn away from Annot Kalambath. See that
Sylvan, she snaps out, “I’m called Leral Moradroth. the Veshan operatives find their way there and es-
Now who the hells are you, and what are you doing in cape with their prize.”
my forest?”(If no one has spoken for more than a brief Because she doesn’t want to admit that she was
moment after she appears,she skips the introduction waiting for the party, she questions them about their
and immediately asks why the party is present.) intentions, acting both angry and rude -but not to
Leral, despite her gruff demeanor, isn’t looking the point where hostilities are likely to break out
for a fight. Actually, although she’ll reveal this fact (GMs should know their PCs well enough by now to
only under duress, she’s been searching for this party know the limits of their patience) -if they refuse to
of“outsiders.”Leral has connections with the Canni- answer. She uses any mention of the storm hags, the
bals of Khet - specifically with the Bringers of woodwrack dragon, the Dar a1 Annot, or anything

Homsaw Sentineland Homsaw Unicorn natural weapons, rage; SQ immunities, SR 16, empathic link,
improved evasion, share saving throws, share spells, track,
Encounter Level: 10 sensitivity; AL CN; SV Fort +13, Ref +lo,Will +7; Str 23, Dex
Leral Moradroth, Female human Rgr6/k3: CR 7;SZ Me- 17, Con 22, Int 12, Wis 19, Cha 24.
dium-size humanoid; HD 6d10+12(Rgr) plus3d10+6(Hsn); hp Skills: Animal Empathy +lo, Intimidate +lo,
64; Init +3 (Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 18 (+3 Dex, +3 armor, +2
Jump +14, Listen +16 [sensitivity],Search +? [sensi-
deflection); Atk +14/+9 melee (ld8+4, crit 18-20 (x2), +1
Hornsawblade),or +12/+7 melee (ld8+4, crit 18-20 (x2), +1 tivity], Spot +16 [sensitivity], Wilderness Lore +4
Hornsawblade) and +12 melee (ld8+1, crit 18-20 (x2). mas- [+19 when tracking, due to muck and sensitivity].
terwork Hornsaw blade); SA ranger two-weapon Fighting, Feats: Cleave, Great Cleave, Multiattack, Power
favored enemies (magical beasts +3, elves +2, beasts +l), Attack, Track.
Hornsaw proficiency; SQ Hornsaw unicorn companion; AL
CN; SV Fort +lo,Ref +5, Will +6; Str 17, Dex 16, Con 14, lnt Special Attacks: Enhanced naturd weapons (Ex):
12, Wis 16, Cha 12. Horn, hooves, and teeth are considered +4 weapons
Skills: Animal Empathy +4, Bluff +7,Climb +6, for overcoming damage reduction; Rage ( E x ) : A
Handle Animal +4,Hide +9, Intuit Direction +4, Homsaw unicorn that takes damage in combat flies
Jump +6,Knowledge (nature) +4, Knowledge (local: into a berserk rage the following round, attacking
Hornsaw) +8, Listen +12 [companion], Move Si- madly until the end of that combat; it gains +4
lently +?, Ride +?, Search +5 [companion], Spot +12 Strength, +4 Constitution, a +2 morale bonus to
[companion], Wilderness Lore +15 [+19 when track- attacks, and-2 AC, and cannot end its rage voluntar-
ing, due to companion]. ily.
Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Mobility, Mounted Special Quulities: Immunities (Ex) : Immune to
Combat, Track, Weapon Focus (scimitar). poisons, disease, and charm effects; Empathic link
Languages: Ledean (Hornsaw dialect), Sylvan. (Su): The sentinel has an empathic link with her
Ranger spells prepared (2/1): 1st - pass without companion to a distance of 1 mile (this distance is
truce, resist ekments; 2nd -bladethirst**. doubled within the Hornsaw Forest); the sentinel
cannot see through the companion’s eyes, but they
Possessions: Masterwork studded leather armor,
can communicate telepathically; Sensitivity (Ex) :
+1H m a wdicorn blade,masterwork Hornsaw alicom While in the Hornsaw Forest, both the Hornsaw
blade, ring ofprotection +2, letter from contacts among
unicorn and the sentinel receive a +4 circumstance
the Bringers of Autumn.
bonus to all Listen, Search, and Spot checks; they also
** From Relics & Rituals 2: Lost Lore. receive a +4 circumstance bonus to Wilderness Lore
Duzghul, Leralf Homsaw u n hcompanion:CR 7; SZ Large checks made while tracking.
magicalbeast; HD 10d10+60; HP 113; lnit +3(Dex); Spd 80ft.;
AC 20 (-1 size, +3 Dex, + 8 natural); Atk horn +15 melee Source: Creature Collection; see also the
(2d6+6),bite +13 melee(ld6+3), 2 hooves+13 melee (ld6+3); “Hornsaw Sentinel” prestige class in the appendix
Face5ft. bylOFt.;Reach5ft.(lOFt. with horn); SAenhanced herein.
TFt E SERPENT CITADEL

else even remotely connected to them as an excuse to

bring up her own interests.
Once anything relevant is mentioned, Leral leans
back against Duzghul, a thoughtful look on her face.
“You appear to have run afoul of the Dar a1 Annot. ey’re expected to. Since this scenario can
Poor bastards,” she quips in her rough Ledean. She mong in a number of ways, GMs are encouragec
smiles, her teeth flashing unnaturally white against o keep contingencies in mind. Some of the m
her dirt-smearedcheeks. “Still,you don’t appear to be follo
running away. Trying to find them, are you?Seeking roes
a bit of retribution?It may be,” she mutters, sounding Lcldl uuca1i L WdiiL LU IlgllL, U U L -1

somewhat less aggressive, “that we can help each nd herself. Even as she fights, howev
other. ng she mus
“I have,” she explains, “a vendetta of my own ak with them. Under these cir cumstances
against the storm hags of the Dar a1 Annot. They 9 ..
killed- hm, someone close to me. I’ve never had the or them, but will immediately r
opportunity to see justice done. If you like,” she says he cannot talk the characters o~
excitedly, as though the idea has just occurred to her, he attempts to escape. When SI
“I can show you the way to their citadel, deep in the
forest. That is Annot Kalambath, the center of their
power. I know the fastest way, and I happen to know,
too, that their leader, the Blood Crone, is away at the The heroes refuse I speak with h
moment. That doesn’tmean the citadel is unguarded, rtg her no opportunity I make her offer of aid
but at least anything you attempt isn’t guaranteed If the PCs seem li :ly to depart withou
suicide.” . . *
ing given her an opening in the conv
The players will no doubt be suspicious, given Leral abandons he
the circumstances.Leralwill do everything she can to ing is coincidence,
assuage those suspicions, even explaining the details ier offer of assistance.
of her grudge. Only as a last, desperate measure, if it
appears the PCs are going to refuse her help, will she
T h e h m r n m r fl,tlw
AI.., AI.,*”.,” ”U.1,..”...,
tmfi
.I C” .’”.V. -..,-
admit that she was waiting for them. She will not,
is to wander aimlessly, the PCs don’t
under any circumstances, tell them the Bringers of
nough to accept her help. In this case
Autumn alerted her, instead saying “The truth is, I
ows the party, fleeing if discovered. She
have a contact among the Vigils who told me you
ery opportunity to maneuver around them,
were coming, and thought we might be able to assist
one another -you could complete your quest, and I
might
u -
have some small niece of mv revenee. I didn’t
wish to tell you of my contact because I do not wish
to get him in any trouble for revealingyour itinerary.”
In the end, the heroes have little choice. They
can either take Leral up on her offer, or wander
through the Homsaw Forest, trying to find their own accept her guidance any further. She and Duzghul
way. will fight alongside the party if they’re attacked, but
The journey to the fortress of the Dar a1 Annot if a battle appears hopeless, they will attempt to flee.
is long and difficult. The Serpent Citadel is located Finally, after a nightmarish trek through the
deep in the forest; see the map accompanying this outlandish and corrupted wood, Leral pushes aside a
chapter. Given the distance, the thickness of the thick cluster of hanging, vine-like tendrils with the
growth, and the difficulty of the terrain -which is tip of one of her weapons.
nearly as uneven here as in the Haggard Hills -the “We are here,” she whispers, her voice hoarse
party requires a full week to reach it. and perhaps even slightly shaken. “Annot
The sentinel herself is poor company. She is Kalambath.”
rude, unfriendly, arrogant, and spiteful. She backs The sentinel steps aside, allowing the PCs to
down from any argument only if she feels she’s at risk move forward and see close up just what it is they’ve
of alienating the party so badly that they’ll refuse to taken on.. ..
 CHAPTER TWO: THE DARK H €ART O F TI+€W O O D

Chapter Two: The Dark

Heart of the Wood
Peering past Leral through the opening in the
foliage, the characters can finally see the mighty Greatest of Serpentholds
Citadel of Serpents in all its horrid splendor - and
Annot Kalambath is arguably the mightiest of
the sight is remarkable, indeed. Rising up into the sky
like a defiant claw is a tree larger than any of them all serpentholds in the Scarred Lands (see The
Divine and the Defeated, p. 210, for details on
could have believed existed (unless one has been to
serpentholds). A place of great power, it has a
Vera-Tre). The giant tree sits in the center of a
massive bowl-shaped depression, around the lip of number of unique traits (where the information
from Hornsaw: Forest of Blood and this book
which is a ring of foliage that marks both the perim-
differ, these take precedence):
eter of Annot Kalambath and the beginning of the
Homsaw proper. It is at a spot behind this ring of Due to its power, druids of Mormo may
foliage that the characters now stand. actually feed their True Rituals part of the ineffable
power of the Serpentmother that has seeped into
The party cannot see the uppermost branches of
Annot Kalambath. In game terms, druids who
the enormous plant due to a green mist that spreads
worship Mormo pay only 75% of the usual XP cost
its pall over the entire area. This sickly fog thickens
for True Rituals cast here.
as altitude increases around the tree, but is still
pervasive enough even at ground level to be visible to Druids of Mormo who use the wild shape
the naked eye. (Characters suffer a -2 penalty to Spot ability to assume a serpent form may become ser-
checks for every 10-foot increment, rather than the pents of one size larger than they are normally
usual -1 .) allowed. Thus, a 5th-level druid of Mormo could
become a Large snake, while a 15th-level druid of
This mist only serves to further darken the area
Mormo could become a Gargantuan snake.
around the citadel, already dark in mid-day from the
significant tree and cloud cover.. . and worse. Hang- Poisons administered within the area have
ing from the lower branches of the tree, in a grisly their save DCs increased by +4.Similarly, spells
canopy of rot and death, are the remains of those who that inflict poison effects or deal acid damage have
have displeased the witches of the Serpent Citadel. their spell save DC increased by +4.
This bitter crop is picked at by the foul,corvine beasts Spells that summon serpents call twice the
that call the boughs home until such time as the usual number of serpents as normal (as per normal
rotting tethers break, sending the bodies to fall like serpentholds) .
overripe fruit to the basin floor below. Certain plant creatures gain regenerative
What is visible, however, is the unnatural influ- properties (or have their innate regeneration en-
ence of the Dar a1 Annot upon this once-vibrant hanced) within the serpent hold, as described in
home of the Broadreach elves. Around the base of the each individual creature’s statistics.
tree is a latticework of lichen bowers, once formed of It should be noted, of course, that the portion
living wicker by painstaking hands, now grown over of Annot Kalambath accessed through the
with tough, thorny vines and dusty lichens and molds. Blackenroot Entrance (area 1) and through which
Today, these bowers house all manner of Dar a1 the heroes must searchrepresents only a subcomplex,
Annot servants. a small portion of this great serpenthold. This
From their place at the lip of the basin, the PCs particular area serves primarily as a prison and
can see light coming from somewhere within. The storage space, although it sees other uses as well.
characters can also see a network of burrows dug deep The current story should not require the party to
into the heartwood of the tree. These betray no explore any other portions, but GMs should feel
obvious activity at the moment, but it is clear that the free to expand the complex on their own if they feel
burrows serve some dark purpose for the citadel, and S

their very presence sends a chill down the spine of any

good-hearted observer. Lastly, a number of enormous
thatched mats are visible at regular intervals along clearly indicate the presence of a network of subter-
the surface of the tree’s mighty roots, including one ranean sub-complexes dug out of and into the very
not far from where the PCs now stand. These mats root system of the tree.
THE SERPENT CITADEL

Approachjngthe Serpent Cjtadel and thus head directly towards it without having to
contend with the bulk of the citadel’s guards.
Before the PCs can reasonably proceed, they
Foremost of these methods is simple deductive
must first determine where to begin. They know that
reasoning. When the woodwrack dragon Sath-
the Amphora was delivered here, but they do not
Theransusarrived with the Amphora, it set the chest
know where in Annot Kalambathit is currently being
containing the artifact down where it was instructed
held. Unfortunately for the PCs, they do not have
-on a patch of ground near a blackenroot entrance
very long to figure out what to do: First, because the
not far from where the PCs now stand. The rather
witches are conducting a ritual when the party ar-
heavy little chest tamped down the grass where it was
rives, at the end ofwhich they will take the Amphora
laid to rest. Although the chest was moved soon after,
elsewhere, thus making it much more difficult for the
the stiff grass where it sat has remained more or less in
PCs to acquire it later. Second, the Hornsaw is
the same shape. Any PC who succeeds in a Spot
wracked with dangers aplenty, and the longer the
check (DC19) notices this rectangular depression in
PCs stand around at the edge of Annot Kalambath,
the grass near the blackenroot entrace. From there,
the greater the chance that they will be discovered or
it’s a safe conclusionto assume that the Amphora was
killed or both.
taken below.
Ofamore immediate concern, the witchesof the
Dar a1Annot have cultivated a large patch of serpent
If no PC succeeds in this initial Spot check, the
root (see Creature Collection) around the perimeter
DM should allow each character another chance
when he or she gets nearer the site itself (this time at
of the basin, and the longer the party tarries here, the
more life the serpent root will drain from them. In
DC 15). If absolutely necessary, the GM may use
addition, small patrols of asaatthi and slitheren de- some other device to have the PCs find the spot, such
as having Leral come forward furtively at this point
part and return to the citadel at fairly regular intervals,
and it is only a matter of time before one of these (ostensibly to see what the PCs are doing) and hap-
happens upon the quiescent PCs. pen to notice the spot.
One way or another, though, regardless of the
From the sheer numbers they would face, the
odds are stacked in favor of the characters dying Spot check results, the party should eventually be
horribly if they try to rampage their way through the able to make their way (quietly) to Area 1.Leral offers
entire citadel, room by room. Thankfully, there are a to wait in the woods for the party’s return (if they are
number of ways in which the PCs can figure out reasonably expeditious), but in no event will she
which part of the complex contains the Amphora, herself agree to venture into the bowels of Annot
 CHAPTER TWO: THE DARK HEART O F THE WOOD

Kalambath. The characters are very much on their

Own.

The Blackenroot Entrance (1)

Encounter Level: 5
When the party gets a little closer to the
blackenroots, they can make out three shapes leaning
haphazardly near the entrance. Those with lowlight
vision can make out that these are humanoid bodies,
bound and staked into the dirt.
Some time ago, the Citadel suffered one of the
worst security breaches in its history, when a handful
of Denev’s druids sneaked onto the grounds and into
the very sub-complex the characters now approach.
One of their own, a high-ranking priestess named
Allegara, had been captured by the Dar a1Annot and
was being tortured in the prison cells below (torture
being the primary function of this particular sub-
complex). Through sheer determination (and a bit of
luck) the druids managed to make good their escape
with their compatriot, and the three Dar a1Annot in
charge of the complex’s security at the time were
executed and staked outside the entrance as a lesson
to all those who would falter in their vigilance of the
citadel.
The head warden in charge of the sub-complex
at the time was a cultist named Boaz. Boaz’s own guilt,
coupled with the place and manner of his execution,
returned him to the vigilance he allowed lapse in life
(although others blame the Hag Queen’s witches for
his reanimation). Whatever the cause, the fact re-
mains that Boaz returned to a state of unlife (or
undeath) shortly after his execution. He is now a
memory-eater - a pathetic yet dangerous creature
that seeks only to regain its former life, and which,
indeed, does not fully comprehend its own passing.
When the PCs approach, one of the bound and
staked figures stirs, its drooping head rising meekly to
survey the party. This creature immediately begins
pleading with whoever seems the most kindly (most
likely a female and/or a priest).
He introduces himself as Boaz and answers hon-
estly about himself. He does not relate the part about
being executed, however, as he is not consciously
aware of it. To his knowledge, he and his underlings
were staked out here to die of thirst and he is the only
one left alive - although he “will surely die if not
freed soon.”
Spells such as detect lie do not reveal any false-
hood in Boaz’s statements. He truly does not know he
is dead and does want to be free of this terrible torture.
Any spell or effect that detects life reveal the
truth, of course -namely, that Boaz has none. Sadly,
even such a revelation does not deter the creature’s
pleas. If the PCs refuse to free Boaz, he threatens to
alert the others. He reasons that if he atones for his
THE SERPENT CITADEL

earlier lack of vigilance by being vigilant now, even Screams gets its name from the way the ventilated
while under such punishment, then the witches may root system ferries the cries of those held prisoner
take pity on him and release him. below to the tunnels above. Since the roots are at
Likely, the PCs will have to either free the their most voluminous nearest the top, this initial
creature or kill it in order to prevent it from alerting descent is a veritable echo chamber of shrieks,moans,
the Dar a1 Annot to the presence of the intruders. and sobs whenever the witches are at their cruel work
Those who choose the former, however, will find -which is the case when the party arrives.
their kindness rewarded with brutality. As befits its In all, the tunnel descends roughly 15 feet over
ghoulish nature, the ravenous creature seeks to feast the course of its nearly 30-foot length.
on their precious lives and memories as soon as it is
freed. Interestingly, a simple gagging device would Majn Chamber (3)
probably suffice to avert this (so long as it is made of The tunnel opens up into a large, irregularly-
stern enough stuff to withstand being chewed shaped cavern approximately 30 feet wide, 20 feet
through), and the GM might reward such ingenuity deep, and roughly 12 feet high. As the PCs reach the
with bonus XP at the conclusion of the adventure. doorway, the smell of foliage and damp soil (among
other, less natural odors) becomes more pronounced,
and they notice that a gorgeous eave of vines dangles
over the entrance to this room (where Area 2 joins
Memory-Eater this area). Although it looks lovely, this plant is
CR 5; S2 Medium-size undead; HD 8d12; hp 56; h i t +6 (+2 actually gallows vine placed here by the witches as a
Dex, +4Improved Initiative); Spd 30 Ft.; AC 15 (+2Dex, +3
securitymeasure. Although anyone who enters is left
natural); Atk bite +7 melee (ld8+3), 2 claws +2 melee
(ld4+1); SA create spawn; SQ memory eating, undead; AL unmolested, the vine has been “instructed” to en-
CE;SVFort+2,Ref+4,Will+8;Str17,Dex15,Con-,lnt snare anyone who attempts to leave without first
16, Wis 14, Cha 16. saying aloud the name of Mormo. In this way, the
Skills: Climb +9, Escape Artist +9, Hide +8, cultists have a built-in sentinel to prevent the escape
Intuit Direction +7, Jump +8, Listen +lo, Move of prisoners detained here.
Silently +9, Search +8, Spot +12. The north side of the chamber is actually a set of
Feats: Alertness, Cleave, Expertise, Improved four tunnels leading farther into the earth. These
Initiative, Power Attack. tunnels lead to Areas 5, 7, 8 and 9, respectively.
Create spawn (Su):Creatures slainby a memory When the PCs arrive in Area 3, they find it
eater return as memory-eaters in ld6 days. unoccupied except for a well-rendered mural along
Menmy eating ( E x ) : When devouring a vic- the northeast wall leading to Area 9. The mural
tim, the memory-eater consumes images and depicts a majestic Mormo towering over all the major
memories of the victim. humanoid races of Scam. In one hand she holds a
Source: Creature Collection. Note that this wicked scourge, held back at the ready; in the other
particular specimen is tougher (8HD) and stronger she clutches an enormous brass key, engraved with
(Str 17) than most. eldritch sigils and runes of power. The twin orbs of her
eyes are also the room’s only source of light, suffusing
the entire area in a dim pall of unearthly green light.
(This effect is created by two permanent light spells,
both cast at the 14th level of ability.)
The Tunnel of Screams (2) The rest of the room, including the ceiling but
Descending into the root system beneath the not the floor, is covered with overgrown roots,
basin floor is a dank earthen corridor, poorly lit and brambles, and vines, covering all solid rock except
measuring less than 5 feet across at its widest point. that which displays the mural of Mormo.
The tunnel seems to twist unnecessarilyand descend The entrance to Area 4 (on the northwest wall)
erratically,as though trying to adhere to some special is actually a 1-foot thick wall of brambles covering
shape. In truth, the tunnel was designed with the the opening to a hidden fifth tunnel. For detection
peripheral roots of the tree as its borders; where the purposes, the bramble wall counts as a secret door
roots turn, so too does the passage, and characters (Search DC 17), although there is no mundane way
who make a Spot check (E16) will notice the for PCs to get past it aside from destroying it. Tiny
protruding, blackened wood of the roots all around creatures may make an Escape Artist check (DC15)
them as they descend. to squeeze through, and Diminutive or Fine creatures
In addition, some of the finer roots, which con- can pass through freely. Druids of 2nd level or higher
nect the rooms, have been carefully hollowed out. can pass freely through the overgrowth due to their
This has the effectof creating a makeshift ventilation woodland stride ability, making this a perfect secret
system, carrying air from the surface. The Tunnel of
 CHAPTER TWO: THE DARK H €ART O F THE WOOD

way for the druids of Annot Kalambath to reach the that has been placed here to guard the tunnel to the
prison’s lower level. prison’s lower level (which lies some 30 feet ahead at
Wall of Brambles: Thickness 12 inches; hard- the end of the tunnel). This plant guardian allows any
ness 3;hp 30 (only slashing,acid, cold, or fire damage druid of Mormo to pass, but anyone else is in for some
applies).Anyone cutting through the wall with weap- trouble as the serpent root grabs hold and attempts to
ons takes 10 points of damage, minus a number of strangle the life out of them.
points equal to any armor or deflection bonuses to Fortunately for the characters, the serpent root
AC they might have. Thus, a character in full plate does not constitute an alarm (merely a security pre-
(+8 AC) would only take 2 points of damage from caution), and it will not alert any cultists to the
cutting his way through the wall. Due to magic of the presence of those it trespassing in its tunnel. Assum-
serpenthold that has been channeled into the wall, it ing the PCs survive this encounter, they can follow
regeneratesany damage to itself at a rate of 1hit point the corridor to its end, at an earthen staircase that
per round; it cannot regenerate acid or fire damage in descends to Area 11.
this way.

Gallowsvine SerpentRoot
Encounter Level: 2 Encounter Level: 4
CR 2; S2 Large plant; HD 4d8+12; hp 36; Init +O; Spd 0 ft.; CR 4; S2 Largeplant;HD 4d&20; hp 38; lnit -2 @ex); Spd 0
AC 16 (+6natural); Atk 4 touches +7melee (grab); Face 5 ft.; AC 11(-1 size, -2 Dex, +4 natural); Atk tendril lash+3melee
Ft. by5 Ft.; Reach 30 Ft.; SA improvedgrab,constrict ld4+7; (ld&l); Face 5 k by 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; SA improved grab,
SQ regenerate 3, blindsight, plant; AL N; SVFort +7,Ref +1, constrict ld6+1,vitality drain; SQ plant, damage reduction 5/+1,
Will -2; Str 21, Dex 10, Con 16,Int -, Wis 4, Cha 1. regeneration5; AL N; S V F d+9,Ref -1, Will +l; Str 12,Dex 6,
Improved grab ( E x ) : This gallows vine has 4 Con 20, lnt -, Wa 10, Cha 10.
tendrils with which it may attack. Any creature of Special Attach: Iwd grab (EX): To use this
Tiny to Medium-size that attempts to exit the room ability, the serpent root must hit an opponent of up to
without first saying “Mormo”aloud is subject to ld4 Medium-sizewith a tendril attack. If it gets a hold, it can
tendril attacks. If an attack hits, the prey is grappled constrict; Cmnict (Ex): A serpent root deals ld6+1
by the gallows vine and hauled 20 feet up to the pointsofdamagewithasuccessfuigrapp1echeck;Vitality
chamber’s ceiling; in subsequent rounds, the vine drain(Ex) :The serpentroot deals 1point of damage per
may constrict. Victims cannot pull themselves free day to all living creatures within 60 feet.
of a vine by main strength: only slashing,acid, cold, Special Qualities: Regeneration (Ex): Fire and acid
or fire damage of at least 10points will free a tendril’s attacks deal normal damage to a serpent root. Due to
victim (who may then suffer ld6 falling damage). magic of the serpenthold that has been channeled into
Constrict ( E x ) : The gallows vine deals ld4+7 the gallows vine, its normal rate of regeneration (1hp
points of damage with a successful grapple check. per round) has been increased to 5 hp per round.
Blindsight (Ex): The gallows vine is capable of Source: Creature Collection. Note that this par-
detecting fine changes in air pressure, temperature, ticular specimen has a higher CR thanusual due to its
and vibration through its vines, allowing it to dis-
cern prey within 10 feet of any of its tendrils.
Regenerate (Su):Due to magic of the serpenthold
that has been channeled into the gallows vine, it Cell Block (5)
takes normal damage only from acid or fire. The first tunnel leading out of the Main
Source: Creature Collection 2: Dark Menag- Chamber seems well-worn, as though traveled
erie, p. 78. Where statistics between this sidebarand extensively. The tunnel descends at a slight
Creature Collection 2 differ, this sidebar’sinforma- angle (about 20 degrees), and after about 30 feet
tion takes precedence. Note also that this particular opens up into a chamber of sorts with a wooden
specimen has the ability to regenerate, unlike nor- door set into the north wall. O n the west wall
hang three sets of manacles, spaced evenly, each
with a length of chain running through an iron
ring set into the wall about 7 feet up. Against the
east wall is a small oaken table and a set of three
Druid’s Passage (4) chairs. From the looks of it, the table sees as
Those who make it past the wall of brambles in much use as a whittling project as it does any-
Area 3 are deposited into a short, dark tunnel that is thing else. Lying atop it is a scroll case. Indeed,
even more overgrown than the rest of the complex. they are in luck, for this is the case that was
Without a light source of their own, the characters carried by Commander Piridur: the scroll on
will surely wade straight into a thicket of serpent root
r w SERPENTCITADEL
which The Song of Unmaking is scribed is still simple affairs (anyone with an appropriate skill
within. Apparently, the druids either didn’t take can determine that they were each forged from a
the time to examine it fully, or -more likely - single piece of iron). Each cell also contains an
simply set it aside for later study. old wooden cot, covered in splinters, among
Set into the wall beside the table is what other assorted detritus.
looks to be a second scroll (actually a papyrus In the last cell o n the left (Cell #3, accord-
made from human skin) bearing a sequence of ing to the skin-scroll) sits the only remaining
red, faintly glowing symbols in the figure of an prisoner: a female wood elf, about 5 feet in
upside down “U.” There is n o one presently in height, with stringy brown hair and terrified,
rhis area when the PCs arrive. The symbols are pale eyes. When any PC steps into view, she
actually numbers in the titans’ dialect, numbers immediately shrieks and scuttles backwards to
which happen (although the PCs are not likely the rear wall of her cell.
to realize it at first) to the numbers of the cells in If the PCs can calm her down (Diplomacy
Area 6, beyond the north door. DC 18), she introduces herself as Mina, a native
The oaken door on the north wall (leading of the Hornsaw. With a bit of gentle prodding
to Area 6) seems out of place against the dark and some assurance that she will be freed, Mina
backdrop of roots and soil, but it is nonetheless relates that she and her partner, a half-elf named
a working door. An iron-reinforced wooden cross- Arnaud, were captured by a Dar al Annot patrol.
bar rests in a nook on either side of the door, just Mina knows much about what goes on in the
over an opening for a key above the door’s iron complex, and can provide the PCs with informa-
handle. The most curious thing about the door is tion about a number of topics. She knows that
the small round mirror set into it above the the cultists acquired something very special re-
crossbar, at about head height for an average cently, and she knows it’s being kept somewhere
human. in the complex. She also knows why nobody else
If a character looks into the mirror, he will is around: The Dar al Annot have taken every
realize that he is actually looking through the other prisoner to a place called “the arena,”
door. The mirror is not glass, however, and after there to be executed in Mormo’s name during
an instant the viewer will sense that something some ceremonial rite. If asked why she wasn’t
is strange about the portal from the perspective similarly condemned, she shudders and whis-
it offers him: he sees the rows of cells beyond, but pers, “I think they have other plans for me.”
he sees them from aboue. This is true, but probably not for the reason
If a character viewing the mirror calls out the PCs believe. In truth, Mina is a strife el-
( i n the Titan tongue, of course) one of the emental, and the witches are “saving” her for
glowing numbers etched onto the flesh-scroll o n later use (currently, their plan is to release her
the east wall, the mirror’s image shimmers to a near an enemy stronghold when her nature will
new perspective, as though the viewer were look- prove most advantageous to the cult and to
ing down into the cell he just named. Through Mormo).
this method, a viewer may scan the contents of If asked specifically about Commander
each cell in Area 6 without ever having t o open Piridur - a fair description of him will help -
the door. If the PCs figure this out, they will she confirms that he was indeed a prisoner here
soon find that only one of the cells is currently for a short time. He must have been someone
occupied. special since he was given the “fancy suite,” she
Although the door does have a keyhole, i t is says, indicating Cell #4 (which is slightly bigger
not currently locked, but merely barred. than the others). She relates that he was taken
Iron-bound oaken door: Thickness 3 inches; away earlier this day, with the rest of the prison-
hardness 5; h p 40; Break DC 28. ers.
If the PCs ask about her skills, she admits to
Prisoner Holdjng Cells (6) being competent with a sword and will gleefully
Unlike most of the complex, this area has its tag along.
own illumination, being bathed in a soft reddish Mina is not evil and is genuinely glad to be
glow that comes from the ceiling. The tunnel freed of her captivity. She cannot help her na-
extends about 30 feet, with holding cells along ture, however, and prolonged exposure to her
both sides and one at the end of the hall, for a chaotic presence is sure to exact a high toll from
total of seven cells. The floors of the cells are the party - if not sooner, then most assuredly
covered in old dry straw, and several varieties of later.
vermin scurry about. The doors to the cells are
 CHAPTER TWO: THE DARK H €ART O F THE WOOD

Interrogation Chamber (8)

Mjna, StrifeElemental This is where the cultists who oversee this
Encounter Level: 1 (unarmed and unarmored) subcomplex bring prisonersfor interrogation -and,
CR 2; SZ Medium-size elemental; HD 4d8+4; hp 22; lnit +1 just as often, for a bit of cruel fun. Due to space
(Dex); Spd 30 ft., Fly 30 Ft. (perfect); AC 14 (+1 Dex, +3 constraints, this area also doubles as a council room,
natural); Atk +3 melee (ld3 subdual, unarmed); SA cause where the head warden can go over security issues
strife; SQ elemental, damage reduction 10/+1, impersonate;
ALCN; SV Fort +5,Ref +2, Will +l; Str 11, Dex 13, Con 13, lnt and incoming orders with his prison guards. The
10, Wis 10, Cha 10. room also functions, perhaps most offensively, as a
Skills: Hide +4,Listen +4,Move Silently +6, dining M1.Due to a number of factors (including a
Read Lips +6, Spot +6. most disgusting diet), this place reeks of unwhole-
Feats: Dodge, Mobility. someness, and it is apparent at first whiff that nothing
here has been cleaned in some time.
Special Attacks: Cause srrife (Ex): Whenever a
situation unfolds that might warrant a contentious, Pushed against the western wall is a long oaken
argumentative, or violent course of action, all within table, currently covered in scraps of meat, paper, and
30 feet of the elemental must succeed in a Will save who knows what else. If a character takes the time to
(DC12) to resist being compelled along such a path. search through this detritus (Search DC 14), he will
This is a mind-affecting compulsion. This power discover a scroll containing the spell bed bug bites
should be handled subtly, and the GM should roll on (Relics & Rituals 2: Lost Lore, p. 88) lying almost
haphazardly amongst the other papers. Other than
the PCs’ behalf.
that, there is nothing of value on the table.
Special Qualities: impersonate (Su): The strife
elemental can take a new form, whereupon it may Instruments of torture most vile take up the
remainder of the available space in this room. A wall
redistribute its skills and feats. Each change takes 5
rackcontainsnumerous whips, scourges,thumbscrews,
minutes.
eye-hooks, prods, pincers, and knives of every kind.
Source: Creature Collection Another smallerworktable displays a rather well used
set of bellows, yellow with age and caked in gore.
Placed almost reverently beside it is an iron mask,
Wjtches’ Barracks (7) apparently fresh from use.
Like the other tunnels leading out of Area 3, this In the northeast corner of the room is another
one descends at about a 20 degree slope into the passage (more a hole in the floor than anything) that
earth. After about 50 feet, the tunnel opens up into leads down to Area 10. It is through this room that
a large, vaguely hemispherical chamber about 25 feet prisoners are led to the arena. The witches find this
wide at its thickest. A dozen cots line the far wall at practice riotous, as each prisoner is afforded the
fairly regular intervals, and the stench of human filth courtesy of viewing for one last time the implements
is nearly overpowering. The only relief comes from of his own torture before being sent below to enter-
the presence of various herbs, plants, and incenses tain his captors with his own death.
that would themselves be an assault on the senses,
were it not for their olfactory competition from less Warden’s Quarters (9)
desirable sources. Like most of the other tunnels in the sub-com-
Midway through the room, along the western wall, plexes of Annot Kalambath, this room has no actual
stands an enormous three-legged cauldron made of iron. door. That is not to say that the warden’s quarters are
The legs seem to be fashioned in the form of snakes, each unprotected. Anchored to the floor about 5 feet
ending in a different head (one viper, one cobra,and one before the entrance to the bedroom proper rests an
asp). Although the coals beneath it are not currently active snare spell. Anyone setting off the spell also
glowing brightly, neither are they entirelycool. They glow triggersasecondary chainofeventsinmotion, whereby
a faint red from withii, indicating went use,and quiet the very act of setting off the snare lifts the lid on
bubblingnoisescanbeheardcomingfrominsidethekettle. several crates inside the room, allowing their con-
Alongwoodenladleprotrudesfromitsopentopandifany tents to slip free.. ..
PC can gather the nerve to go and see what’scooking, his The warden, a psychotic druid/sorcerer named
curiositywill be rewaded with a brew most vile: The ladle Dkaell, is currently away on business of the Blood
stirsupaheadybouquetofmcidness, forthis isastewmade Crone. Like many worshippers of Mormo, D’kaell has
fromchoicecutsofhumaninternalorgansandasimmering an affinity for serpents. Unlike many other worship-
broth of biological humors. pers of Mormo, Dkaell also has a fondness for
If the party has the time (andstomach)to search the transformingothersentientbeingsintoserpents.Those
room thoroughly,they will uncover acollectionof 197gp, whom he has tortured often end up as additions to his
231 sp,95 cp and a plethora of disgusting trinkets. private collection of snakes -which he then keeps
THE SERPENT CITADEL

locked away in his chambers as personal pets. When and yet another mural of Mormo flaying the puny divine
the snare spell goes off, all of Dkaell’s “beauties”are races, this time on the northwest wall (coveringthe secret
.
set free.. most of which are quite angry, indeed. door). In this mural, however, Mormo’s free hand is
If Dkaell’s pets are dealt with, the party finds a depictedcarryingabrcmhwithakeyholeinit.(CleverFCs
small ironcoffer underneath his rotted mattress (which might deduce that thiimeans that this wall is a door.)
sits against the northeast wall). It is locked, but not When the PCs arriveat Annot Kalambath,thisroom
trapped. is where all the action is. After being blessed with the
Iron Coffer: Hardness 10; hp 15;Break DC 26; recoveryof the Amphora, the cultistsare preparingfor one
Open Lock DC 20. of their mast prized ceremonies -the rite of the wicker
Inside are 2 druidic scrolls, both scribed at caster man. They build an enormoushollowconstructfashioned
level 8. One contains the spell decompose** and the in the shape of a man. Then, on a specialoccasionsuch as
other holds 2 spells, cold snap* and serpents’ stare**. thii,they fill the constructwith prisoners.At the culmii-
Additionally, there are 2 potions ofneutralizepoison. A tion of a lengthy ceremony, they consecrate the spiritsof
pouch beneath these vials contains Dkaell’s personal thae within to Mormo and set the construct ablaze. The
collection of gemstones: 3 rich green gems (emeralds; smoke travels up through ventilation holes, carrying the
Appraise DC 12; 200 gp each); 2 dark purple gems
(amethysts;Appraise Dc 12; 75 gp each); and a rich
red gem with dark striations (tiger ruby; Appraise DC
18; 500 gp). Spells marked with an asterix (*) are If the PCs oDt
from Relics & Rituals; those marked with a double ee the prisoners, or if they never find out that
asterix (**) are from Relics & Rituals 2: Lost Lore. * 1 *. _ _
riuur .-A
._ .__ Ll. .-1
_ t___
i b among mem, rnen rney nmy nave J
_-_ :
cured their own success and subsequent
Snare Trap e - for, one way or another, Piridur w
CR3;creatureentering affected square is caught
by the snare (see PHB, Chapter 11, “Snare”); no is lit, the wickemian takes
save, no spell resistance; Search (DC23); Disable entience of its own and 1:tecome a
Device (DC28). paging construct of hate (see “Wickerma
Note: When the snare triggers, it does so in such ature Collection 2: Dark Menagerie
a way that it also lifts the lids on the crates holding ). Driven by Piridur’svengefulwill, the wic
D’kaell’s pet snakes,which immediately attack any- onstrosity attacks the Dar a1Annot, spreadi
one in the area. and death in its wake
tion away from the PCs
In the event that the PCs wer
ur’s situation, the GM should includ
EightSmallvipers nt where at least one of the PCs glimp
ian Commander bumine within t
Encounter Level: 4 Y

CR 1/2;SZ Smallanimal; HD ld8; hp 5; lnit +3(Dex); Spd 20 Ft.,

,smiling cruelly as t he wickerman la
climb 30 ft.; AC 17 (+1size, +3 Dex, +3 natural); Atk bite +4
melee (ld2-1 and poison); SA poison; SQ scent; AL N; SV Fort
+2,Ref +5, Will +1; Str 6, Dex 17, Con 11, lnt 1, Wis 12, Cha 2. tentionally opted not
Skills: Balance +11, Climb +12, Hide +15, Listen
+9, Spot +9.
Feats: Weapon Finesse (bite). nt where the charactersand the wicke
Poison (Ex) :Bite, Fort DC 11,initial and second- ss paths, as above. In this case, however, t
ary ld6 temp Con.
Source: MM, Animal appendix, “Snake, Small
viper.”

hough the GM should take pi

Thekena (lo) e PCs actuallyfight their old c
Normally, the warden uses thisroom to entertain the
other cultists. prisoners are brought here and forced to
battle one another in gladiatoriarwtnbat. The winner is
permitted to live -to fight another day. The mom itself
is enormous(henceits name) and is typically adorned with
littleexcepta huge statue ofMormo against the south wall,

F m-mmw-i=!-..--~-.--ez,s-
 CHAPTER TWO: THE DARK HEART O F THE WOOD

pungent stench to the rest of Annot Kalambath and into

the haze-filled sky beyond. It is believed that the smoke
carries the souls of the victimsstraightto Mormo’sglorious
maw.
Unbeknownstto the Pcs,theirformercompatriot-
CommanderPiridur -is one such “criminal.”When the
PCsarrive,theDaralAnnotshouldbeinthemiddleofthe
ceremony;the wicker man with its prisoners is set against
the southwall, in front of the statue of Mormo,with all the
cultists looking on (theireyes away from the entrances to
the room).
If the party catches wind of the witches’ plans for
Piridur (perhaps by seeing him or by way of the strife
elementalin Area 6),they are f a d with a moral dilemma:
If they expose themselvesin an attempt to freePiridur and
the other condemnedprisoners,they might lose their one
andonlychanceatrecoveringtheAmphora.Iftheydonot,
however,thenthey are,by dintofinaction,allowingagood
soldierto die (and die, at least indirectly,becauseof them).
If the Pcssomehow manage to rescuePiridurwithout
botchmg their plans for the Amphora (a difficultprospect
at best, but one worthy of true heroes), he is all but useless
and can hardly move under his own power. If nursed back
to full health (requiring at least a week to recover), he
relates having been tortured by the Dar a1 Annot before
being condemned to death and stacked liked human
cordwood inside their wicker man.
Note that if the ritual is disrupted,the wickerman
does not come to life.

Wickerman
Encounter Level: 8
CR 8; SZ Hugecomtrud (fire); HD 1410; hp 80; lnit -1 (Dex);
Spd 30 k;AC 13 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +6natual); Atk 2 slams +I7
rndee(2d6t?andld6fire);FacelORbylOft;Reachl5Ft;SA
trwnple, fi&t S Q C o m ~ f I r e ~ ~ , ~ ~ l O /
+1, SR 14; ALE;SVFort +4,Ref +3, Will +4; Str 28, DexQ,Con
-, lnt -, Ws 10,Cha 6.
Trample(Ex) :As a standardaction, the wickerman
may simply runover opponents of Medium-sizeor less,
dealing 2d6+13points of bludgeoningdamage and ld6
pointsoffiredamage.Atargetmayeithermakeanattack
of opportunity at a 11. penalty, or else attempt a Reflex
save (DC26) for half damage.
Fireball (Su): 3/day (not more often than every
ld4+1rounds)-The wickermancan launch an effect
identical to a fireball, as the spell cast by a 14th-level
sorcerer (Reflex half, I 3215). It often detonates this
effect on itsetf, as it is immune to fire.
Fire subrype (Ex):Fire immunity;doubledamagefrom
cold- or water-based attacks except on a succesfil save.
Sowrce: Creaturecollection2:DarkMenagerie,p.
210. Where statisticsbetweenthissidebarand Creature
Collection 2 difTer, thii sidebar’s information takes
precedence
THE SERPENT CITADEL

Private Stajrcase (11) 1 full round on the other side a t the entrance
t o Area 13.
The winding descent from the druid’s pas-
Since the PCs must pass through this wall
sage (Area 4 ) deposits travelers into a dark,
if they are to acquire the Amphora, the GM
earthen nook about 10 feet in diameter. Al-
can take pity o n them if they get stuck and
though there is a secret door o n the southeast
drop them a hint. The GM might point out the
wall leading t o the arena (Area lo), the Dar a1
fact that this wall, unlike others in the com-
Annot never use it when prisoners are in the
plex, has no brambles or sharp root edges; or
arena, instead preferring to use this winding
perhaps a PC might lean casually against the
passage back up to the top level, go over to the
wall, only to find himself sliding into it...
interrogation chamber (Area 8), and then pro-
Similarly, if the PCs have a locate object spell
ceed down into the arena.
active, the GM should have its magic prod
Security is important here, and every pre- them in the right direction - toward the
caution is taken when it comes to safeguarding
other side of the wall.
the existence of the Nexus (Area 13). All the
same, the door to the arena is clearly marked
from this side and requires n o checks t o dis-
The Nexus of Mormo (13)
This vaguely oval-shaped chamber is the
cover.
current resting place of the Amphora. It is at
Blocked Corridors (12) this room that the PCs must ultimately arrive
if they are to succeed in their goal. When they
About 50 feet south of the stairwell, the
arrive at the entrance to this cave, they are
hallway appears t o end abruptly. When the
greeted by a startling site: A seemingly un-
characters get close enough, however, they re-
guarded chamber containing nothing but the
alize that it simply turns to the west. If they
object they seek, resting easily in a chest on
follow it, they soon discover that this passage
the floor in the center of the room. The truth,
does end abruptly, about 20 feet west of the
of course, is not as it seems.
turn.
This is no ordinary room. In fact, the room
This tunnel used to connect to the area’s
itself if the Amphora’s sole guardian: it is what
neighboring sub-complex, but when the area
is known as a Titanic Nexus - in this case, a
was inaugurated as a prison/interrogation ward,
Nexus of the titan Mormo.
the witches had the passage sealed off t o pre-
vent access from either direction. Now, the
A Titanic Nexus is created when a signifi-
cant portion of a fallen titan’s essence infuses
surface entrance a t Area 1 is the only (easy)
way in or out of the complex. By virtue of its itself within a specific locality or natural
phenomemon. Several such places exist within
construction, it is evident that this hall used t o
the crater upon which Annot Kalambath sits
lead somewhere, but it is n o longer a viable
(roughly one for each of t h e Citadel’s
passageway. It is now separated from its former
neighbor by over 20 feet of magically shaped subcomplexes). This, the prison ward’s Nexus,
earth and rock. is actually not the most potent of these Nex-
uses, nor is it the least. Still, it is one of
The same cannot be said of the “dead end”
“purest” sites of Mormo’s being - if the word
where the passage from Area 11 turned west.
pure can ever be used to describe the Witch-
What appears to be yet another wall of impass-
Queen -anywhere o n Scarn. Indeed, it thrums
able rock and roots is actually a magical door. I t
not only with Mormo’s power, but with her
is not an illusion, and thus cannot be disbe-
fell consciousness as well.
lieved, and any attempts t o damage it fail
(In technical terms, each of Mormo’s Nex-
miserably (the wall has hardness 6 and 350 hit
uses is t h e e q u i v a l e n t of a n immobile
points, and regenerates 10 hit points per round,
tendriculos; see below.)
in any event). However, striking at the wall
should give the party some indication that it is The Nexus gives up the chest freely to
special, prompting additional (and hopefully anyone who speaks the appropriate command
less violent) ideas in the PCs. word ( i n this case, the word for “regurgitate”
in the Dark Speech of Mormo). It views as an
Ultimately, the wall is similar to the hid-
enemy anyone walking over to the chest with-
den doorway in Area 3. Anyone who attempts
out first speaking the appropriate word. In this
to walk through the wall can actually do so, as
event, the chest seemingly sinks into the floor
with the meld into stone spell - except she may
just as the character reaches for it, and in its
actually pass all the way through, arriving after
place sprouts a giant maw filled with razor
sharp branches and long thorns.
 CHAPTER TWO: THE D A R K HEART O F T H E W O O D

NexusofMormo Swallowedcreatures canalso cut their way out by using a

Encounter Level: 9 Small or Tiny slashing weapon to inflict 25 points of
CR 9; SZ Huge plant; HD 1Cd8+60;hp 113; Init -1 damagetothecreature’sinterior(AC15).Theplant’smass
(Dex);Spd 0 ft.; AC 16 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +9natural); Atk can hold two Large, four Medium-size, or eight Small
bite + 13melee (2d8+9),2 tendrils +8melee ( ld6+4);Face opponents.
25 ft. by 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.; SA improved grab, swallow Smite galspaeon (Su): l/day -The Nexus canmake
whole, paralysis, smite gcdspawn; SQ plant, regeneration a normal attack to deal additionaldamageequal to its HD
15, darkvision 60 ft., cold and fire resistance 15, damage against a non-titanspawn foe.
reduction 5/+2,SR 20, tumvulnerability;ALNE; SV Fort Regeneruth (Ex):Due to magic of the serpenthold,
+12, Ref +2, Will +2; Str 28, Dex 9, Con 22, Int 3, Wis 8, the Nexus regenerates 15hp per round. Acid dealsnormal
c h a 3. damagetoaNexusofMormo.If it lasespartofitsbodym,
I m p d g r a b (Ex) :If a Nexus of Mormo hits with its it can regrow it in ld6 minutes. Holding the severed
bite attack, it can deal bite damage and then try to swallow portion against the mass enables it to reattach instantly.
anopponent.It canalsograbby hittingwithatendrilattack, Tzmz vther&ility (Ex): Due to the Nexus’s titanic
after which it will transfer the victim to its “mouth” as a essence, it can be turned by clerics of any of the Scarred
standard action, automatically dealing bite damage as Lands’gods as they would normally turnundead; further,
abve. beingaplantcrea~,theNexuscanbetumedasus~lby
S& eobk/pardysis (Ex): The Nexus can try to any cleric with the Plant domain.
swallow any opponent of Large or smaller size that it has S m : h4M. For all intents and purposes,a Nexus of
grabbedby making a successful grapple check. Once inside Mom0 is the equivalentof an immobiletendriculas (this
the plant’smass, the opponent must succeed at a Fortitude particular one having 10HD) with the fiendish template,
save (DC22) or be paralyzed for 3d6 rounds by digestive except that its smitegood ability instead appliesagainst all
juices, during which it will take 2d6 points of acid damage non-titanspawnand it alsogainsturnvulnerability. Its CR
per round. A new save is requiredeach round. A swallowed has been increasedby an additional+1due to itse n h a n d
creaturethatavoidsparalysiscanclimboutofthemaswith regeneration ability (caused by the magic of the
a successful grapple check, which returns it to the plant’s serpenthold).
maw, where another grapplecheckis requiredto break free.

Such a character is almost certainly taken If the Nexus is reduced to 0 hp, the central
by surprise. Rather than making Spot or Listen maw yawns wide, the entire room shuddering in
checks to determine surprise in this situation, what are apparently its death throes, then spits
instead have the PCs each make a Reflex save up the chest containing the Amphora (as well
opposed to the Nexus’s attack roll. This reflects as any swallowed PCs). At this point, the party
the character’s ability to avoid the creature’s had better make haste in its escape, as several
sudden attack in time. Any PC who wins the of the Citadel’s druids are attuned to this un-
check may roll initiative (along with the Nexus, holy room and will sense its defeat.
which cannot be surprised) in this first surprise As a guideline, give the party a full 4d4
round and take a single action, as usual. Other- rounds to get out of the complex before trouble
wise, that character is flat-footed during this arrives. If the PCs have not thwarted the rite of
surprise round. T h e Nexus attempts to bite the the wickerman in Area 10, this time may be
closest PC with its first action and tries to extended (or at least the forces reduced), as the
swallow the intruder whole. Dar a1 Annot will surely have other problems
with which to contend by this time.
T H E SERPENT CITADEL

Chapter Three:
The Shattering of the Amphora
Bloodied and battered, the heroes finally emerge Unless they decide not to run for some reason,
from the treacherous depths of the Serpent Citadel. the PCs enter into a nightmare of fear and exhaus-
Vian Piridur is most likely dead, but his sacrifice need tion. The Hornsaw Forest seems, if anything, more
not have been in vain. The PCs now have everything hostile than before, as if angry at the heroes for daring
they require-the Song of Unmaking and the Serpent to penetrate its depths. Branches catch at clothes and
Amphora itself - to destroy the hated artifact once tear at unprotected skin; roots seem to protrude
and for all and strip the servants of the Witch-Queen deliberately where they will turn ankles or catch
of one of their greatest relics. hooves; the birds and animals squawk and squeal
Assuming, of course, h e y survive long enough to loudly when the heroes require silence, as though
reach the Ganjusand &e Jordehdruidswho await them. deliberately trying to attract the attentions of the
forest’s many predators.
Flight Even in their haste, and even with Leral’s guid-
ance, it requires a full week to reach the northern
As she promised, Leral Moradroth and her com-
boundary of the wood, just as it did to penetrate to the
panion beast await the heroes in the forest near the
Citadel in the first place.
entrance to the citadel. Her reasons for remaining
have nothing to do with loyalty, and she’d be more Death From Above
than happy to leave the party to its fate. The message
from the Bringers of Autumn stated that the heroes Despite the potential random encounters, the
were to escape, however, and she’s not going to offend ‘CS consider themselvesfortUnate when, on the
her allies by completing only half her task. afternoon of the seventh day, the trees around them
begin to thin and they can see, beyond the foliage, the
“Quickly!” she hisses the instant they appear.
dull rolling terrain of the Haggard Hills. It’s some-
“We cannot stay here. The Dar a1 Annot are hardly
what dark, despite the time of day, as the sky is leaden
going to abandon the hunt merely because you’ve
with ponderous clouds. An occasional flash of light-
ning illuminates one or another of those clouds, as
though a will-0-wisp dwelt within.
“We must part here,” Leral tells them, one hand
scratching the thick fur on Duzghul’s neck. “The
Hornsaw is my home, and I’ll not leave it just for you
ter One, it’s possible that they’ve arrived at lot. If you travel just a bit north of northeast, you
el without accepting her help. Perhaps she should reach the Ganjus in no more than five-”
here indirectly, pretending to run from
thepartymanaged to avoidher,oreven
their way here through so Hornsaw EncountersRedux
speak with animals,or other Although no planned encounters occur during
they refused to work with her before, this portion of the heroes’ flight, that doesn’t mean
ts the party near the citadel, but she does they aren’t going to encounter opposition. The GM
mg.Ifsheisnotdetected,shefollowsthemon should continue to make use of the Hornsaw Forest
ray through the Hornsaw, revealing Random Encounters Chart (see Chapter One), with
ley require her aid to survive an en0 the following modifications:
iscovered -either because a PC spc The chances of a random encounter increase
IC b ~ v ~ i t ~ l i i mwmaar-sneagaina
c x u
from 8% per hour to lo%, or from 48% per 6 hours
thatshemerelywishestseethepaq
Any “storm hag” or “woodwrack dragon” en-
isdead,sheclearlycannotbe awai counter should be rerolled or else treated as no
point. They must escape to the encounter, as the GM prefers.
aid, which makes the
 Allow the players to each make a Spot check Racing the Dragon
(DC27). Those who succeed may act in the upcom- Assumingthe PCs have survived the final assault
ing surprise round; the others are caught unprepared by Hielaa, they part ways with Leral and may trek
by Hielaa’s cull lighming. back across the Haggard Hills toward the Ganjus.
The last of Leral’s sentence is drowned out in a The journey is not an easy one but it is uneventful, for
sudden, near-deafening clap of thunder as massive the most part. The small animals and hunting raptors
bolt of lightning slams down amidst the party, caus- they saw on their first trip through the hills are gone,
ing 9d10 points of electricity damage to everyone and even the droning of insects is conspicuously
with 10feet (Reflexhalf, DC 16).If the party isspread absent. Monsters and predators, rare in this land to
out, the bolt strikes where it can catch the most begin with, seem to have gone to ground as well, and
characters. the party runs no risk of random encounters. It’s
With a screaming cackle, accompanied by addi- almost as if the entire region is holding its breath.
tional blasts of thunder, the storm hag Hielaa swoops Just as they finally near the Ganjus, the trees
from the clouds. Several manta-like creatures are barely visibleprotruding above and between the hills
soaring through the air beside her, visible only be- that yet separate the heroes from their goal, allow
cause they crackleand pulse with a cobalt-bluecharge. each of the players a Spot check (DC20).Those who
Hielaa has harried and harassed the heroes for succeed happen to glance behind them at the right
quite some time -since the very beginning of this
saga, if the players have experienced the entire Ser-
pent Amphora Cycle. This is the last time they will
have to deal with her - one way or another. If no one notices this pursuer immediately, allow
Hielaa and her kites fight to the death. Until and another Spot check every 10minutes (reduce the DC
unless she runs out of offensivespells, the hag prefers by 2, cumulatively, each time). Bear in mind that
to fight from high in the air, well beyond the reach of longer the heroes take to spot the beast, the less time
melee weapons. (Remember to apply whatever ranged they’ll have to get away from it.
attack penalties, etc., are appropriate based on the The creature chasing them is the woodwrack
current strength of any winds she might summon.) dragon Sath-Theransus. The greatest of the monsters
She focuses most of her attacks on enemy spellcasters, to serve the Dar a1 Annot in the immediate area, it
hoping to eliminate their ability to strike back at her. stole the Amphora once before - and this time, it
THE SERPENT CITADEL

Hielaa the Storm Hag 4th - dispel mugic, rusting grasp, sleet storm; 5th -
and Three Thunder Kites control winds, ice stonn.
Note: Be sure to include Leral and Duzghul for Possessions: 4 javelins of lightning, oil of bane of the
XP awards when dividing XP after this battle (if they forge** (3 doses), 3 potions of enhanced senses**, 3
were present), as the sentinel and her beast fight potions of cure moderate wounds, wand of downdraft * *
alongside the heroes because of her grudge against (50 chg),
Hielaa. Source: Creature Collection.
Encounter Level: 12 * From Relics & Rituals.
H- storm hag (famarlyhalf-orc) DrdQ:CR 12; SZ Large ** From Relics 6z Rituals 2: Lost Lore.
monstroushumanoid; HD 9d8+45; hp 117; lnit + 6 (Dex); Spd Hielaa has already cast call lightning(the bolt that
40 ft., fly 80 ft. (good); AC 21 (+6 Dex, +5 natural); Atk bite struck the party just before her attack). She cannot
+10 melee (ld6+5), 2 claws +5 melee (ld6+2), hair + 6 melee
(special, hair); Reach 10 ft. (20 ft. for hair); SA improved call another bolt for 10 minutes.
grab, constrict ld6+5, speak with animals, spells; SQ damage 'ThunderKites(3): CR 3; S2 Small elemental(air); HD 2d8+2;
reduction 5/+1,electricityresistance20, naturesense,wood- hp 16,13,9; Init +5 (+1 Dex. +4 Improved Initiative); Spd fly
land stride, tracklessstep, resist nature's lure, wildshape(3l 90 ft. (perfect); AC 12 (+1 size, +1 Dex); Atk slam +2 melee
day; Small to Large), venom immunity; AL CE; SV Fort +It, (ld4); SA electrical discharge; SQ elemental, immunities,
Ref +9,Will +12; Str 20, Dex 22, Con 20, lnt 12, Wis 22, Cha partialinvisibility,electricalabsorption,darkvision60ft.; AL
12. N; SV Fort +1, Ref +4, Will -2; Str 10, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 2,
Skills: Animal Empathy +4, Concentration + 13, Wis 6, Cha 4.
HandleAnimal +3, Intuit Direction + 11,Knowledge Skills: Listen +3, Sense Motive +4.
(nature) + 11,Ritualcasting* + 10, Scry +4, Spellcraft Feats: Improved Initiative, Flyby Attack.
+12, Wilderness Lore +15. Special Attacks: Electrical discharge (Ex): Dis-
Feats: Blind-Fight, Brew Potion, Combat Cast- charges ld4 lightning arcs when within 5 ft. of a
ing, Flyby Attack, Heighten Spell, Quicken Spell, suitable conductor (including characters), dealing
Spell Penetration, Weapon Finesse (hair). ld12 points of electricity damage (Reflex half, DC
Special Attacks: Improved grub (Ex) : To use this 13) per arc. The kite may discharge 4 such arcs before
ability, Hielaa must hit an opponent of up to Me- its charge is spent, and the kite must absorb more
dium-size with a hair attack. If she hits, she can power from the surroundingstorm or another source.
constrict; Constrict (Ex): Hielaa deals ld6+5 points Special Qualities: Elemental: Immune to poison,
of damage with a successfulgrapple check; Sped with sleep, paralysis and stunning. Not susceptible to criti-
animals (Sp): Hags may speak with animals at will, as cal hits or flanking; lmmunities (Ex) : Immune to all
the spell, but only with those animals normally found electricity and sonic attacks; Partial invisibility (Ex):
in the hag's normal habitat. Glow iridescent blue when charged, but are naturally
Druid spells prepared (6/6/6/4/3/2): 0 -&re to invisible otherwise; Electrical absorption (Ex) :Absorb
wood*, chilUwarmth*, detect magic, f i r e , light, resis- up to 10 pointsofelectricitydamageperroundwithin
tance; 1st - cure light wounds (x2), endure elements, a 10-footradius, whether or not it is targeted at them.
entangle, magic fang (x2); 2nd - charm person or Source: Creature Collection 2: Dark Menag-
animal, frog tongue", kat metal, hoId animal, soften erie, p 192.Where statistics between this sidebar and
earth and stone, speak with animals; 3rd -call lightning Creature Collection 2 differ, this sidebar's informa-
(already cast), contagion, Ganest's farstrike*, poison; tion takes precedence

intends to ensure that the heroes do not survive to wait over a few more hills. The heroes cannot fight,
come after it again. and they cannot hide. But they can certainly run.
Anyone with the slightest degree of any appropri- Running the Race
ate Knowledge skill (arcana, nature, history, local:
As stated above,a fight between the dragonand the
Homsaw, or anything else the GM feels is applicable)
party is a nearly hopeless proposition, and while The
knows full well that they stand next to no chance in a
Serpent Citadel is meant to be challenging, it's also
direct encounter with a woodwrack. They could try to
intended to be fair. Thus, unless the players do some-
hide, but the woodwrack's senses are acute, and for all
thing monumentally unwise, the GM shouldn't allow
their uneven contours, the Haggard Hillsdon't provide
the dragon to catch them before they reach the Ganjus.
much functional cover from an airborne attacker.
The players, however, don't have to know that.
Is the party doomed,then?No,one viable option
Play this scene for excitement: squeeze all the
remains. The dragon is closing the distance between
tension from it that you can. Describe, in exquisite
them fast, but the Ganjus -and the Jordehdruids -
 snooring rne uragon
situation as fluid as this one,

players rarely behave entirely as

tes. Belowaresome possible amp1
. ..
suggestionsfor dealing with them.
. . C . .

is may stem from a This actually isn’t a“prob1em”atall.

are in desperate need of heroes.
es to sacrifice her character for the
n, let her. Allow her to succeed in del
hat the PCs can’t defeat
.. . .. .
agon long enough for the party to reach t

he’s heard about woodwrack dragons

she lacks the proper Knowledge skills

It.’sjust
* . conceivaoie, aitnougn
all this, the players still in managed to slay the dragon in
THE SERPENT CITADEL

From their midst, a single elf steps forward. He is

shorter than his companions - hardly taller than a
halfling -yet he carries himself with a regal, almost
arrogant bearing. He is bald, save for a jet-black
queue on the back of his head, and his skin is rough
and dark. He wears armor that appears to be made iome suggestionsfor keeping things on
from portions of bear hide, and he carries a scimitar ThePCsaretoosuspicious
that would serve as little more than an oversized druids, or to turn over the *
dagger in the hands of a human.
In either case,Enascie shakeshis
“ASTamlaine promised, we have awaited your 1‘““7 I . r 1.
OOB annoyea. -weve no tune TOT tnls
coming,” the elf says. “I will not wish you good day, ,” he insists. “You wish the A
travelers, for I know already that your day has been lestroyed, yes?We are the
difficult,but I greet you in the name of the Jordeh and
It. You will follow us,and 1
the elves of Vera-Tre. I am called Enascine.” A.--l -1”- **.”. -.--
_.^.. . L
Enascine (maleelf, Dr&/Jur7, CN; wears aringof
mind shielding) and his companions (male and female
elves, B d 6 , NG or N)are happy to bestow a few lesser iring roughly an hour) if they don’
curative spells on the heroes if they’re injured. The
e uptheirinly copy. other than that,
elves don’t have much in the way of powerful healing
lerefusestoocooperate withthepartyor
magics prepared, however. take them mvwil(fz~
UIILII uiev a
-e w 11
If asked about Tamlaine, the elf says, “Her inju-
ries were quite severe. But with the aid of our brethren,
she recovers. She sends her apologies that she is yet
not well enough to meet you herself.”
Once the party is ready to move on, the druids
------------
Anv1 ciirh attemntc
r l rnmve 1 1 w l ~ ~Ac
_-.-----.--.-.
shielding protects Enascine, and the druids
guide them northward. “We will take you deep into him are ignorant of his planned
the Ganjus,” Enascine explains, “where the place of
power may be found. Only there can that.. .”He casts
a glance at whichever character carriesthe Amphora,
and shudders. I‘. ..that thing be destroyed.
“I must ask,”he continues, “that you allow us to
study the Songof Unmaking as we travel. We must be
as familiar with the ritual as possible if we are to
es (see “Bloodshed in the
and attempt to steal the
succeed.Truthfully, I wish we had longer, but a week
or thereabouts - the time required to reach our
destination -will have to suffice.”
And so, the party must once more endure a
lengthy hike through the forest. Still, the lush beauty
of the Ganjus is a welcome change from the twisted
boles of the sickened Hornsaw.
Enascine is reticent, speaking only to answer
questions, and rather abruptly at that. His primary
interest seems to be in studying the Songof Unmaking
and discussing its particulars with his companions. more dangerous than they were even when the PCs
(This is a subterfuge. He, and the others described in wandered in alone. The chance of a random encoun-
“Bloodshed in the Grove,” are already familiar with ter rises from 5% per hour to 8% (i.e., from 30% to
the ritual, thanks to the efforts of the agents they and 48% per 6 hours) for the duration of this trek.
the other Bringers of Autumn have slipped into the If the characters happen to notice the increaseof
ranks of the Vigils.) He does reveal that the Song of encounters and ask Enascine about it, the druid
Unmaking is too powerful for most of his companions, ponders the notion for amoment. “Perhapsthe power
although he himself can participate. They will sum- oftheWitch-Queen has stirred them up. We are near
mon others to aid them once they reach the sacred to destroying her greatest relic, after all.”
grove.
Unlike during their previous trip through the A D j f f j dDecjsjon
Ganjus, the party’s guides seem unable to avoid the After many days of travel, the druids lead the
forest’s random creatures. In fact, the woods seem heroes to the front door of a small hut. It is built
amongst a tightly packed cluster of trees; in fact,
 CHAPTER THREE: THE SHATTERING O F THE A M P H O R A

several of the trunks are incorporated into the walls

or serve as load-bearing columns for the structure’s
roof. The ground around it is littered with fallen
leaves and sticks, and the hut has clearly not seen
much use in quite some time.
“This is as far as we can take you,” Enascine tells - -
the heroes. “We must proceed alone from here with group.
the Amphora. The presence of nonbelievers in the If th id
,,-
II

grove weakens its power, and would render the cast- e present to witness the events ot ’* I reac
ing of the ritual ineffective.This hut was the home of ndBetraya1,” as described therein. Otherwise
one of our number, now returned to Denev’s bosom. lose individuals who shadowed Enascine wit
It’s not much, but it should be comfortable. You may
serve as guards, as this is the only easy route into the
grove.”
If the heroes agree to this arrangement, Enascine
continues: “It’s vital that you not allow anyone to One of them, an elf-maid who was beautiful before
pass. The Serpent Mother’s servants are likely grown something cooked her flesh and burned away her
quite desperate, and they will almost certainly at- hair, collapses against the first PC she encounters.
tempt to disrupt the ritual.”Then, with a final parting “We were betrayed!” she rasps, her voice made
wish for good fortune and Denev’s blessing, they fade hoarse by her injuries. “Enascine has been corrupted.
into the woods toward the north. He told us all to gather in one spot and pray to Denev
The players may be understandably reluctant to while he cast a spell to summon our brethren, but he
simply hand over the Serpent Amphora to someone lied. He called fire down upon us!
they hardly know, regardless of the reasons. Enascine “As those of us who survived attempted to re-
makes every attempt to convince them that staying cover, he took the Amphora and merged with the
behind is an absolute necessity. “We cannot succeed great oak in the center of the grove to which he had
if you are present. You have come all this way to led us. We know not where he has gone, nor why he
destroy that foul thing. Would you now turn back, turned on us, but we know he must be found!”
your task incomplete?This is the only way.” Assuming the party expressesat least some inter-
Again, if the party eventually acquiesces, the est in tracking down Enascine and recovering the
druids take up the Amphora and disappear into the Amphora -not to mention venting their righteous
forest to the north. anger upon him with various martial instruments -
If the heroes absolutelyrefuse to cooperate, how- one of the other elves speaks. “We did not wish to
ever, Enascine’s shoulders finally slump. “I am sorry disturb Tamlaine while she heals,” he says, “but we
you distrust me so. You may accompany us -and let have no choice now. We know she can be trusted, and
any failure of the ritual, and the repercussions of that she will know how to contact the greatest of our
failure, rest on your heads alone.” order. Surely they can determine where the traitor
If the party agrees to wait at the hut, proceed to has gone.”
“A Place of Waiting.” If it accompanies Enascine and Once the party agrees, proceed to “Conflicting
the other Jordeh, continue with “Treachery and Accounts,” below.
Betrayal.”

of Wating
..
Enascine leads the rest of the Jordeh and the party
The heroes remain in or around the hut for north from the hut. Hispath appearsalmostrandom;if he
several hours. It’s a comfortable place, if a bit run followsa trail, it’sone only he cansee. Finally, an hour or
down, consisting of a large central room - some- so before sunset, the travelers enter an open grove,
thing of a living room or a den with a large woodstove perhaps 30 feet across. It’s roughly circular, with small
-and two smallerchambers: a bedroom and, surpris- roughstones haphazardlyplaced around the perimeter. A
inglyenough, an indoor bath. The heroes must provide single great oak stands near the center, its branches
their own heat and water if they wish to take advan- stretching out as though to encompass everyone within
tage of the cramped copper tub, and they must provide its grasp.
their own food if they wish to prepare anything on the ‘‘I have been here,” a blonde elven maiden clad in a
woodstove. green robe exclaims. “I had no idea this grove was a holy
Just as evening falls, several of the elven Jordeh place.”
stagger out of the woods toward the hut. They are ‘Wedo not reveal it to be so, even to many dour own
badly burned, their flesh blackened, clothes charred. bndmq”~inerespr&‘~meifit~~ve,
TH€ SERPENT CITADEL

butthepowerofthisplacecouldeadybedCnlythm
ofuswhohaveleamedthe~~rn~esmev~~a~
of it”He turnsslowly to facethe heros
‘Wlouldyoubesokindastop~the~h~th~~he
asks,pointing to a fink in the me at about eye leveL “Imustmt
and~myselfuntiltheoth~arrive,andthepaunerofthe
g r o v e m u s t h a v e a ~ ~ e n t s t o ~ t t oM t hoet h~~t s
enetgies ifthis is tobe ekxive.”
He frowns “I d y hqx your presence here will not
in~Theoakisthe~ofthe~’spo~.~Iatl~
askyounottotouchi~onceyouGep~the~?With
luck, that will be wflicient to prevent you from t&ing the
ritual”
OncetheAmphmisin place-andEnascineabsolutely
r$uses to mtinue until it is-he directs the odxr Jordehto
~ t h ~ ~ ~ i n a ~ u n t h e ~ s ~ o f t h e
that~prayforDenev’s~vorinthecnningardeal,~keep
awatchforhisalliesHethen~~tothe~and~~~~~
it, one hand on the Amphora,and takes out a sprig of holly,
praying almost silently, his Ips barely moving. (He is actually
casting a spellwithcmly wrhl ar$diiinefocuscomponents,so
onlyacharaaerwidin10feetofhim-whocanthearhis
wtuspenng-canattempta~lldchd~2O]toidentlfi
the spellhe is casting.)
Ifthehemesleavehimdune,Enascinemnpletestheqxll
hewasdycas@a&mesbike~withSdSplL~e
divine f i t man down in the midstofthe druids,lalhng s e d
andinjuringtherestIfany Pcsatewithinthe lo-footradiusof
thestrike,theytm& 1 5 d 6 p o i n t s o f ~ ( ~ v e , E
19,for halfdamage). Enascinethen stads and, grab& the
Amphom,stepthroughtheoakusingtree& (whichhehad
casthoursago).
Ifforsomereasontheptyistooclceeforhuntocast~
sbike andtmahdetected, or ifhe feelsthdmwarenough
to stop hun,he fotgoes this attack and pnxeedsstmght to his
escape,
Ineithercase,the slwiving druids axe stunnd They m
quick to a s m the hems that they had no part in h i n e ’ s
&ery, e v e n d m m i n g t h ~ l v e s a s e voftheirgood
i~
inmtim.
“Wehavenoway&owingwhm hemghthaveme,”
anelf-maid-nol~blandeorbeautifulifshehas~
the magsofthe fire-explains ‘%utothm may.
“WedidnotwishtodTamlainewhilesheheak,”she
says,‘lxltwetenochoiehoicenaw.Wehwshecanbetiwtd,and
shewillknowhow to mtxtthe gmteit ofcur order. Surely
theycandeterminewhmthetraitorhasgone”
Cncethepty~pme”GmflictingAmts.”

ts
The druid takes a moment to thank the heroes
profusely for their efforts to date. “Even if we fail in
retrieving the Amphora from the traitor Enascine, you
have perfomed your duties well. The children of Denev,
and of the many gods, are all in your debt.”
 C H A P T E R THREE: T H E S H A T T E R I N G O F T H E A M P H O R A

She and the other survivingdruidsgather,and several Mormo and seeks to gather all the artikcts ofthe Serpent
of them,oddly enough,extracthan&lofseeds from their Mother from acfoss the Scarred Lands. Led by the Blood
pouches and pockets. They pray aloud for a moment; a Crone, this group possessed the Amphora More it was
Spellcraft check (Dc17) identifies the spell as animal stolenandeven~llyfounditswaytotheVigils.Thestorm
mmenger. After a moment, a small flock of birds descends hags,the woodwrack dragon,the force that attacked the
into the clearing, landing upon outstretched arms and heroes in Marilvaz’s tomb in The Serpent & the Scepter
pecking hungrily at the seeds. -thesewereallagentsoftheDaralAnnot.Theyhaveno
One of the Jordehremoves a bit ofparchment froma interest in using the Amphora for now; they just want to
pouch that fortunatelyescapedthejlume s&, and tears it have it.
into a handful of strips. The other druids scribe a brief The Cannibals of Khet
messageoneachofthe scrap,and then tie them to the legs
of the birds. A shake of the wrist, a whisper of prayer, and
Anotherdruidicorderthathatprimarilyworships,
the CannibaharebitterrivalsoftheDara1Annot.They are
the birds are aloft once more, flying east.
not actually a single kction, but are made up of various
“Now,”one ofthe druids says, “we can but wait.” smaller sects. The largest,ruled by the d r u i d Sharliss
Thewait is not a longone.After anhour or so,the sun Serpent-kiss, possesses a ritual that, when cast upon the
is setting when one of the nearby trees seems almost to Amphora in the presence of another titan,is supposed to
shimmer briefly. Tamlaine (femak elf, Drd6lJor4,N)steps allow the WitchQeen to usurp the other’s form. How-
forth as though the bark were n o t h i i more substantial ever,thiskctionoftheCannibalshasnotbeeninvolvedin
than a wisp of fog. She shows no signs of the injuries the heroes’ adventures. Instead, they have chosen to stay
inflicted upon her by the woodwrack dragon. out of it for reasonsunknown. The Pcshave been dealing
“Why did you not summon me when you went to withasmallerbut farmoresecretivefactionoftheCanni-
meet our guests? she asks the gathered druids angrily, bals of Khet called.. .
gesturing at the heroes. “I might have prevented this!”
“Enascinetoldusyou werestillrecovering,Tamlaine,”
The Bringersof Autumn
oneoftheJordehpmtests.‘‘Wethoughtyou yet injuredand This sect of the Cannibals is ruled by the enigmatic
too weak to travel.” Ilkuthsra, called the Autumn K i . Nobody know pre-
ciselywhatheis.Heappearstobesomeformofundead,not
“Another of his lies. I have been h e for days now.”
unlie a lich, but may in fact be an ages-old creamofthe
Tamlaiiespits into the soil. “I cannot believe Enascine,of
fey. None outside his order can fathom his motives or his
all, would betray us l i e this.”
goals. At times he grants his full cooperation to other
She turns then to the PCS.‘9 have a h d y sent cannibals,while at others he seems bent on his own
messages to others of my brethren. They will join us here objectives, even if they put him at oddswith his brethren.
briefly. Before they arrive,however, I feelyou are due some It is rumored that he may have possessed the Amphora
explanations.” even before the Dar a1Annot.
Keepjng It AllStrajght Tamlaiiedescribesthe vinedead, Ilkuthsrashideous
constructs that appear as vine-wrapped skeletons. The
Thisparticularsummary is asmuch for the sake ofthe Pcs,if they have experiencedthe eventsofSerpent in the
GM as it is for the players. The Serpent Amphora Cycle Fold and/orTheSerpent & the Scepter,may well recog-
involves more than a few factions, each with their own nizethed~ripti~andndrealQthattheBringe
objectives,and it can be difficultto rememberwho’s who. have been involved in their quest far more deeply than it
Tamlaine can relay the following informationhow-
appeared.
ever the GM prefers. The GM might even decide to keep
someofitsecretasabasisforfutureadventures,althoughwe The Jordeh
recommendshe not hold back too much. The players may TheJordehareanderofDenev-worshipping druids
be feeling a bit frustrated at having last the Amphora yet who make their home in the Ganjuswoods. They areelves
again,soitmightbewises~lytogivethemalltheanswers from Vera-tre, with some few half-elvesamong them, or,
at this point. more rarely, elves from other lands. The true J d e hseek
The various factions involved in this story, and their only to protect the Ganjus and its holy places, and to
motivations,are as follows: desmy the taint of Mormo and the other titans when it
threatens the region.
TheVjgjlsof Vesh In a sad tone, Tamlaine reveals that the Bringers of
The players shouldknow how and why the Vigils are Autumn have corrupted a small number of the Jordeh
involved: simply put, they managed to recover the Am- druidstotheirway ofhnkmg.The trueJordehhavemade
phora and they seek to destroy it. frequent efforts to purge their ranks of these heathens, but
The Dar a1Annot have never proved able to do so completely.
One of the primary factionsto have opposed the Pcs “Enascine,” she says, “must be one of these traitors,
at this point, the Dar a1 Annot is an order that worships these Jordeh-seh. That means the Amphora may already
THE SERPENT CITADEL

be inthehandsoftheAutumnKing,andnonecansaywhat what the repxcussions may be. They may accomplish

he might do with it.” nothing atall-ortheymaypoisontheveryessenceofthe
Tamlaiie has no way of knowing that the Bringers of Mother herself!
Autumn have also infiltrated the Vigils, but if the GM “Willyoucomewithus?Willyou lendyoureffortsone
wantstolet the players inonthat facthere,hecan findsome last time to our cause?“
reason for Tamlaine to have recently acquired that infor- Assuming the heroes acquiesce, it requires several
mation. hours for the party and the dozensof druidsaccompanying
them to reach their destination. The hike through the
A Panjcked Warning Ganjus seems unusual to any of the PCswho are paying
As Tamlaiie runs through her explanations, the attentionto the surroundings.No path is visible.Animals
grove (orthe area around the hut, depending on where dash to and fro wildly, as though fnghtened yet unsure
these events took place) fills with druids. Some step whichwaytom.ThedirectionsoftheJordehseemalmmt
through the trees,asTamlaineherselfdid;othersfly or leap wrong; the heroes’ instincts scream at them to turn left
from the trees in animal form and abruptly resume their where the druids go right, to turn back where the elves go
normalshapes;andstillotherssimplystepintotheclearing, forward.
arrivingasnormaltravelers. Ataquickestimate,including Should any of them ask, the nearest druid explains,
the druids who had accompanied Enascine earlier,some- ‘The Ganjus itself protects the Grove of the Mother,
wherebetweentwoandthreedomdruidsarenowpresent. inciting an urge in all stmngersto travel some other way. If
A @led, thick-bearded old man, clad in leather you did not have us to show you the path,you would gone
annor and a heavy cloak the color of gold autumn leaves, astray without ever realizing you had done so. This also
steps forward to Tamlaine and the heroes. So wild is his prevents us from transporting there magically.”
beard and so thick his shoulders, it takes a moment to Finally, around midnight, the trees clear, as though
recognizethat he is not human but half-elven. ‘‘We came the forest itself has come to an end. The h e m and their
as swiftly as we could, sister. And I fear that we um tell you guides stand before a sight magnificentenough to stop the
where the traitor has gone. heart -were it not in the throesof unimaginablehorror.
‘Thetreesoftheforestscreaminpain,writhewiththe The Groveof the Mother is a vast expanseof flawless
obscenitiesoccurring at their heart.” The old druid’s eyes greenery,surrounded by the most ancient of boles, shaded
are wide, and his voice quivers with horror, fear, and by leaves that remain thick and green. The entire area is
outrage. “Enascine has gone to the Grove of the Mother, illuminated by a series ofcanh‘nualflmne spells that flicker
Tamlaine! He has gone to the Grove, and even Denev from many of the surrounding trees.The grass is almost
knows not what he may do there!” unnaturally lush, the soil soft beneath the heroes’ feet. A
stream cuts across the turf,feeding a small pool of water in
the grove’s center, over 300 feet from the PCS.The pool
Her face pale, Tamlainefaces the PCs.“My friends,” itself is surroundedby rock, perhaps restingin the very top
she says,her voice nearly cracking,“we need your aid now of a vast boulder often found in forests that border moun-
more thanever. But I must ask that you take an oath,here tainous regions.
and now, in the names of the Earth Mother and the gods Butthe thickgrasshasbeenaanpddownbythepress
themselves-whomever you hold most dear -that you of many feet, and the pool and the streamare tainted with
will keep secret what you are about to learn. Not even to the flow of blood. The corpses of several elven druids -
your allies amongst the Vigils can you reveal it!” loyalJordeh who gave their life to defend the Grove -lie
She and the otherdruids make it very clear that they scattered about.
will not proceed without such an oath. If the party refuses, Thuteenmen and women surroundthe pool, garbed
the Jordehgo without them to attempt to stop the machi- in ceremonialr o b of deepest crimsonand darkest green,
nations of the Bringersof Autumn -and the druids will thehueofbldandserpent scales.Theirvoicesriseandfall
fai1,allowingnothinglessthantherebirthofMormoherself inachanthypnoticinitsrhythms.Twootherfigures,robed
into the ScarredLands.The playen don’tknow this,but it and heavily hooded, lurk some ways back from the chant-
should be pretty clear that a great deal rests on their ing druids, as though standing sentry.
chamcters’actions at thii point. Enascinehimselfstandsattheedgeof~epoo1,abl~y
Once the oaths have been taken, Tamlaiie contin- dagger clenched in his fit. Kneelig More him, her throat
ues.“Someof you may have heard legends that the resting alreadyopened and her life spillingforth, a brown-skinned
place of Mother Denev herself lies in the Ganjus. These medusa thrashes in her death thrm. She is safe - if
legendsare true. The Grove of the Mother is the very spot unpleasant -to look upon, for her eye sockets gape open
where she returned, exhausted, to the earth in the after- andempty,leakingaviscousmixtureofbloodandotherless
math of the Titan War. If the Cannibals destroy the identifiable fluids. Nothing prevents her from collapsing
Amphora there, if they release Mormo’s corruption into
the soil where Denev slumbers, I cannot even imagine pdedher-saveEnascine’sirongriponhersnake-hair.
 CHAPTER THREE: T H E S H A T T E R I N G O F T H E A M P H O R A

Scattered around the druids are yet more bodies of

loyal Jordeh - several of whom are tightly bound and mottled green scales. The air grows hot and heavy, andthe
gaged, and thus presumablystill alive. stench of diseased meat permeates the grove.
‘Zook!”Tamlaine hisses, pointing. At the edge of the Then, their allies stripped from them, each of the
pool, where the bloodied waters lap against its side, sits the h e m hears a voice in the back ofhis mind, speakingin his
Amphora. The magics of the ritual are almost complete. Even or her native tongue. It is a deep voice, yet feminine,
as the Pcswatch,the blood ofthe third medusa spills across its quivering in agony. It is the voice of a titan, and the power
base. Withasoundlikeatreesplittingbeneaththewoodsman’s - as well as the pain - in the two words it utters is
axe,theAmphmgivesagreattoll,as ofabellundergreatstrain. impossibleto ignore:
“We must attack now!” Tamlainesays. “The ritual is “Helpme!”
but moments awayhmcompletion. It requires 11ofthem
to complete it, so we need only slay three.If they- “ Bloodshed jnthe Grove
And then the medusa’sblood makes its way into the Unless they decide to run screaming -which may
firstoftheminutecracksintheAmphora-andallmund seem like a good idea under the circumstances,but which
the heroes, the world shrieks its agony. has understandablycatastrophicresults-the heroes have
In the center of the grove beside the pool, the earth few options but to try to disrupt the ritual before it is
itself buckles outward, as though something beneath the complete. They don’t have long to do it, either.
soil itself seeks freedom. An enormous rock, nearly a From the moment of Denev’s cry, the ritual is a mere
boulder, breaches the surface. It spreads itself suddenly, 17roundsfromcompletion.Atastandardhumanming
forming into fingers and thumb; it is, surely, the hand of speed,itrequires3mundstocrossthedistancebetweenthe
Denev herself! From the hole thus formed, a pained party and the center of the grove, where the corrupted
keening arises, and all the world’s pain is in that scream. Jordehare conducting the ritual.
Around the PCs,every one of the pure Jordehdruids If the heroes charge the druids, the two h d e d figures
falls to the earth, bodies writhing and thrashing. Many -bothmedusasloyaltotheBringersofAutumn-intercept
begu-~to choke as they vomit putrid and clotted gouts of them about hahay. If the heroes stand back and launch
blood; flesh bulges, and hideous serpentine shapes move spells or missile attacks, the medusas charge the heroes
beneath their skin. From the earth beside the Amphora, instead. In either case, the medusas do their utmmt to kill or
snakes rise from the gore+soakedearth and slither toward petrify the attackers, and are willing to fight to the death.
the gaping pit from which Denev’shand emerges. Some Shouldthe playersseek to wipeout the druidswith an
wrap themselvesaboutthaw stonyfingers,burrowingdeep area affect spell such asfireball,remind them that doing so
into the titan’s very flesh. Gradually at first but with will kill the bound Jordeh as well. (Under the circurn-
THE SERPENT ClTADEL

The Opposition Skills: Listen +7, Spot +7.

Encounter Level: 11 Feats: Power Attack.
Although the corrupted Jordeh are effectively Special Attacks: Earth mastery ( E x ) : Gains +1
11th-level druids with powerful allies, neither attack and damage bonus if both it and its oppo-
they nor the medusas are presently at full strength, nent touch the ground, but -4 if opponent is
nor do they possess the magic items normally airborne or waterborne; Push (Ex): May start a bull
found on characters of their level or have animal rush without provoking attack of opportunity.
companions. (Their CRs have been reduced ac- Dire boar: CR 4; SZ Large animal; HD 7d8+21; hp 52; lnit
cordingly.) +O; Spd 4 0 ft.; AC 15 (-1 size, +6 natural); Atk bite +12
melee (ld8+12); Face 5 ft. by 10 ft.; SA ferocity; SQscent;
The druids do not currently possess their full AL N; SV Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +6; Str 27, Dex 10, Con 17,
complement of spells, since they had to prepare Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 8.
the Song of Unmaking and they have already used Skills: Listen +9, Spot +8.
several spells each in killing the loyal Jordeh who Ferocity ( E x ) : May fight without penalty even
guarded the Grove. This also explains why the while disabled or dying.
druids' hit points are slightly lower than average.
Furthermore, their tactical options are limited by Druids
the fact that they must remain between the heroes CorruptedJordeh(2). male or female wood elf DrdS/Jor3:
and the other druids. CR 8 (see above); SZ Medium-size humanoid; HD 8d8
(Drd) plus 3d8 (]or); hp 41,36; Init +3 (Dex); Spd 2 0 ft.
Because the other monsters are the results of in armor, 30 Ft. base; AC 19 (+3 Dex, +1 natural, +3 armor,
summoning spells, they do not add to the EL of the +2 shield); Atk +8/+3 (ld6,jordeh'/ann), or +11/+6 (ld8,
encounter. c r i t ~3,110ft., composite longbow); SA spells; SQ nature
sense, animal companion, woodland stride, trackless step,
Vipers, Stones, and Djre Boars resist nature's lure, wild shape (3/day; Small t o Large),
Meduslls (2): CR 7; SZ Medium-size monstrous humanoid; Child of the Oak, power of the Ganjus +1, whispers in the
HD 6d8+6; hp 37.32; lnit +2 (Dex); Spd 3 0 ft.; AC 15 (+2 leaves, oaken resilience +1, tap the roots, wood elf traits;
Dex, +3 natural); Atk +8/+3 melee (ld6, crit 19-20 ( ~ 2 ) . AL NE; SV Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +12; Str 10, Dex 16, Con
short sword) and snakes +3 melee (ld4 plus poison); SA 10, Int 13, Wis 17, Cha 10.
petrifying gaze, poison; AL LE; SV Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +6; Skills: Animal Empathy +5, Concentration
Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 15. +11, Craft (tattoo) +3, Diplomacy +4, Heal +5,
Skills: Bluff + 11, Disguise + 11, Move Silently Hide +7, Knowledge (local: Ganjus) +5, Knowl-
+9, spot +lo. edge (nature) +lo, Listen +15 [whispers in the
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Weapon Finesse leaves], Move Silently +8, Ritual Casting +8,
(short sword), Weapon Finesse (snakes). Search +3, Spellcraft + 5 , Spot +5, Wilderness
Petrifying gaze (Su): Turn to stone perma- Lore +11.
nently, 30 ft.; Fort (DC 15). Feats: Combat Casting, Dodge, Endurance,
Poison (Ex): Snake bite, Fort (DC 14); initial Track.
ld6 temp Strlsecondary 2d6 temp Str. Languages: Common, Middle- Elven, Druidic,
Possessions: Short sword, hooded robe. Note Sylvan, Treant.
that these medusas do not carry the shortbows Druid spells prepared (6/6/5/5/3/2/1) [save DC
common to their sisters. 13 + spell level, or 14 + spell level within Ganjus]:
Snake, Huge viper: CR 3; SZ Huge animal; HD 4d8+4; hp 0 - adhere to wood*, create water, detect magic,
22; lnit +4 (Dex); Spd 2 0 ft., climb 2 0 ft.,swim 2 0 ft.; AC detect poison, mending; 1st - chameleon skin*, cure
15 (-2 size, +4 Dex, +3 natural); Atk bite +5 melee (ld4 light wounds, endure elements, shillelagh; 2nd -
and poison); Face 15 ft. by 15 ft. (coiled); Reach 10 ft.; SA
poison; SQ scent; AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +2; Str animal infusion*, burst of energy**, cold snap", heat
10, Dex 19, Con 13, lnt 1, Wis 12, Cha 2. metal; 3rd - cure moderate wounds, earth blast**,
Skills: Balance +12,Climb +12, Hide +3, Listen earthen screen**, poison; 4th - mind over matter*,
+9, spot +9. spike stones; 5th - none; 6th - Song of Unmuk-
Feats: Weapon Finesse (bite). ingf .
Poison ( E x ) : Bite, Fort (DC 13); initial and Possessions: Hide armor, jordeh'lann (master-
secondary ld6 temp Con. work quarterstaff), composite longbow, quiver and
Earthelemenbl:CR 3; SZ Medium-size elemental (earth); 12 arrows.
HD 4d8+12; hp 30; Init -1 (Dex); Spd 2 0 ft.; AC 18 (-1 * From Relics & Rituals.
Dex, +9 natural); Atk slam +8 melee (ld8+7); SA earth ** From Relics & Rituals 2: Lost Lore.
mastery, push; SQ elemental; AL N; SV Fort +7, Ref 0,
Will +l; Str 21, Dex 8, Con 17, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11. t See the Appendix
 CHAPTER THREE: THE SHATTERING O F THE AMPHORA

stances,eventhismayseemlikeanacceptableloss,depend- where they swiftly decay. The stonelike skin of Denev is

ing on the party’s general alignment.) visible once more, and her hand submerges beneath the
The moment the Bringers of Autumn detect the earth,once again tranquil. The gapinghole closes around
incoming heroes -presumably on the first round of the it, the ground on either side melding together seamlessly.
chargeormissileattacks-oneofthembreaksoffhisorher Acoolbreezewithnoapparentsomwashesoverthe
chanting and casts mm name’s d y V. The following heroes. Their pains and their worries are blown away,
round,that druid returns to the ritual, and another druid scattered like a morning mist. Even their wounds, no
proceeds to cast summon naane’s d y V. This continues matter how severe, arefully healed.T h e PCswho listen,
either until the heroes win past the medusas and the truly listen, might just hear a sigh of relief and of heartfelt
summoned creatures to attack the druids themselves, or gratitude canid u p that cleansing wind.
untilall 13druidshavecastthespellintum.Theysummon But all is not quite over.
Medium-sizeearth elementals,dire bars, or Huge vipers. Thegroundkgtnstoshakeoncemore,althoughwith
Once the heroes have defeated the medusas and the less force, as though something heavy pounded on the
summoned creatures, or as soon as they are almost near earth.The leaves rustle, the branches bend back almat as
enough to attackthe druidsdirectly, the first two druids who though clearing a path. What appearsto be an ambulatory
caststanmonnaatre’sdyVbreakofftheirdandmove tree -one easily 50 feet tall -steps into the clearing. It
to attack. This is the last line of defense; because the ritual glancesaboutwitha facenearlyhidden amongstknotholes
requires 11 participants, none of the other druids ceases and moss, and then glares directly at Enascine, who now
casting even to defend themselves. Instead, they try to cowers beside the pool.
completetheritualbefm thePCscanslayany moreofthem. “Youdon’t understand!”The druid cries. His voice is
A druid who is attacked while castingthe ritual must breakinp,and team cut furrowsinto the dirt that now cakes
make a concentration check (E16 + damage taken) to hischeeks.‘Thenaturalordermustberestored!The titans
continue casting,as usual. BecauseEnascine stands in the mustrise,thegodsfall!It’snature!Youtaughtmethat!You!
center, the PCs must first get past the ring of druids This is for you, this is what you want!”
surroundinghim before they can come after him. The leaves atop the treant rustle -the Pcsget the
distinct sensation that he would be shakmg his head, had
& he one to shake. Slowly, in a rumbling, sonorous voice,
The instant the PCsmanage to remove threedruids echoing as though it had traveled up through a hollow in
from the ritual -either by slaying them, or by killing the the earth,the treant says, “I must imploreyour forgiveness,
two who attack them and simply forcing a third to fail a noble stfangers and Jordeh both. I knew when I took this
singleConcentration check -everythingchanges. one as my Oathling that he was excitable,even for one of
flesh, but I knew not that it would come to this.”
A deafening, high-pitched screech -nearly &I-
cient tocausethe heroes’eanto bleed-revebratesfmm Hepauses.“Ihavetaughthmpoorly.Hisemrsaremy
the deeppit growing in the center of the grove. The blood errors.”
of the medusas contaminating the stream and the pool In another almost human gesture,the largest of the
erupts out of the water and flows back uphill toward the treant’sbranchesbend downward,as though his shoulders
Amphora. The relic shudders as the surviving essence of slumped.
Mormo seeks re-absorption. “And now I would beg of you,” the noble beiig
The cracks in the artifact caused by the ritual appear continues,with perhaps the faintest quaver in its rumbling
to shrink, then widen, then shrink again.Then, with a voice,“leaveme inprivacythat I mtghtcorrectthatm i . ”
sound akinto the tearing of flesh, the Amphora,weakened Even if the PCsare reluctant to leave, the remaining
by the incompleteSung of Unmukzng, crumblesunder the Jordehgently but M y esco~ them away. Although the
backlash of titanic energies. In a matter of seconds,little Amphora has been destroyed and Denev saved from
remainsof it but dust. The blood of Mormopools, swirling Mormo’s cormption, the druids’ faces are downcast, their
as though caught in conflicting tides, and then sinks eyes mourning. Clearly they know what is about to OCCUT.
harmlessly into the soil. Andthoughthescreamsandbeggingofonelostdruid
TheJordehceasetheirthrashingandvomitingandrise e c h o b g h theGanjus,onlytofillsuddenlysilent-and
shakilyto their feat, weak and sick but no longer tainted by thoughthatsilence isbmkenjustassuddenlybythecrackle
Mormo’sessence.In contrast,allof the BringersofAutumn of fire,followedby the gentle weepingof the trees as one of
exceptEnascin,havingbomthebrunt of themysticalsurge, theoldestoftheirshepherdsofferstheultimatepenancefor
now collapse. It takes them only moments to die, and the transgressions of his apprentice -at least the heroes
nothingin thepcs’powercanstopit (assumingthey’dwant can take solace knowing that all the suffering and death
toforsomereason).Enascinehimselfremains,staringwide- that led to this moment was for a good cause.
eyed around the clearing at the results of his failure. It was all worth the Amphora’sdestruction.
The titan’s fist protruding from the earthflexesonce, Was it not?
and the scales that had covered it shatter and fall to earth
THE SERPENT CITADEL

Appen djx
Thus, in the midst of both triumph and tragedy, “For what, Tirran? For knowledge. I now know
does the tale of the Serpent Amphora come to its end. that the Grove of the Mother is indeed the resting
...Almost. place of Denev. Granted, it is no great surprise, but
confirmation is always useful.
Epilogue for the GM: “Remember,Mormo can be resurrectedstill. The
power of a titan cannot simply disappear. I would
think that you, who calls upon the magics of Mesos,
As always, the air smelled faintly of roses and the would know that better than anyone. Her powers
earthen floor of rich loam. The underground cham- have simply been redistributed, scattered with the
ber was silent, save for the chittering of insects, the rest of her remains across the world.
startled breathing of the sorceress Tirran Orroko, and “Most importantly, though, we know this: The
the occasional dry rustling sound of bone on wood as titans, and one would almost have to assume the gods,
her master shifted on his throne of thorns. are vulnerable. We knew a titan could harm a titan,
Two pairs of eyes, one living, one not, focused a god a god, yes. But the essence of Mormo in the
intently on the basin of clear water that servitor Amphora represented only a tiny portion of the
creatures had dragged into the room some time ear- Serpent Mother’s power, yet it was nearly enough to
lier. In that water, images moved, revealing the final vanquish Denev when augmented by mortal magics.
culmination of months of planning and orchestra- Mortal magics,Tirran! We now know how to harm-
tion. perhaps even to slay -an immortal.”
“Well.” The images faded, and Ilkuthsra, called Tirran blinked, and slowly her face went pale.
the Autumn King, leaned back. The thorns and “And now that you know?How would you use such
brambles of his throne passed harmlessly through knowledge, Ilkuthsra?”
cloth to bare bone. He ran one hand thoughtfully “Come, Tirran.”The Autumn King rose from his
across the knot-work patterns carved into his bare throne and stretched forth his bony fingers toward his
.
skull. “That was.. unexpected.”His voice, as always, servant. T o m e with me, and I will show YOU.”
was the sharp crack of splitting wood. But for the first
time in Tirran’s long memory, it contained just the FurtherStones
faintest hint of surprise. The Serpent Amphora Cycle may have ended,
“I don’t understand, my liege,” the sorceress but that certainly doesn’t mean your campaign has to.
admitted, turning away from the basin. “Was it not A wily GM should have little difficulty extrapolating
your intent for the Serpent Mother to possess the further adventures from the events that have come
form of her traitorous sister?” before.
“Hardly, Tirran. The ritual to allow such The ranks of the Jordeh are sorely weakened by
transpossession is quite different than the one my the Bringers of Autumn and through the treachery of
servants performed for us. It never occurred to me some of their own. The order may not be strong
that Mormo’s essence might be strong enough to enough to fulfill its duties. The Jordeh may prove
make such an attempt when freed from the Amphora unable to protect the Grove of the Mother and the
without the proper ritual.”The skeletalcreature shook Ganjus Forest from the machinations of various cults
his head and chuckled. ‘Carelessness on my part, and titanspawn. The heroes have already proven
Tirran, I must admit. Still, the Veshan operativesdid their valor and their skill: the Jordeh might turn to
their jobs well, and prevented things fromgetting out them for yet more help. And the threats facing the
of hand. I’m rather glad we didn’t kill them.” Jordeh are many:
The sorceress shook her head. “Excuse me if I The Pcshave dealt the Dar al Annot a mighty blow
seem a bit slow today, my lord ....” in their infiltration of Annot Kalarnbath, but Mormo’s
“I always do.” Another chuckle. druidsarehardlydownforthecount.TneBlo0dCroneand
her servitors won’t take kindly to an invasion of their
Tirran pursed her lips at her master’s humor, but
treasuredsanctum,nortothethe~(again!)andsubsequent
continued gamely. “What did we really accomplish
destruction of the Amphora. They might choose to strike
here? With the Amphora gone, she can never be
at theJordeh,or evenat the weakened h e v in her grove,
raised! We’ve destroyed the Serpent Mother’s great-
before the Earth Mother’sdruidsreturnto fullstrength.Or,
est artifact, and for what?”
they rmght instead choose to target the Pcs directly,
 AI' I' t N U I X

seelungvengeanceagainst those who have caused them so

muchtrouble. Ineithercase,theheroesaren'tinforaneasy
time.
What of the Cannibals of Khet?SharlissSerpentkiss
lads the largest faction of those druids and Mormo- lUIUlWlllUl& 1 LUUIClllIUlC~ U I C J U l U C I I W l l I L K
worshippers, and she is ill-amusedthat the Amphora has
been destroyed, that Mormo's potential resurrection was
thwarted, and that her own ritual - the one actually
intended to transfer Mormo's essence from the Amphora
intoDenev'sgrove-isnowrendereduse1ess.Someofthat
ire she might take out on Ihthsra and his Bringers of
Autumn, and a civil war in Khirdet would certainly be
cause for celebration in other lands. More likely, though,
Intermsofexperience,
she(liketheDara1Annot)willtargettheweakenedJordeh
and possibly the heroes themselves.
As for Ilkuthsra, even if he's not fendingoff the ire of
his brethren,he clearlyhas his own schemes-schemesin
which the entire SerpentAmphoraCycle served as amere
opening gambit. Simple reconnaissance, as it were. The
AutumnKing'sprecisedesignsre~amystery, atleastfor
the nonce -but you, as GM, are certainly entitled, and
even encouraged,to decide that for yourself. Your players
will almost certainlybe interested in finding out what the
mysteriousAutumn King's interest was in these events, in If this should happen, your instinctive reaction as
learning why he intedered as he did. Let them find their GM-especially iftheirfailure isdueentirelytobadrolls,
answers-or not -as you will. asopposedtobaddecisions-might be tostepinandsave
Remember,as well, that not all the threatsfacing the the day yourself,perhaps with another 0fJordeh or
J&& and the pcS need mme from without. surely not a team of Vigils showing up at the last possible moment
every one of the Bringers of Autumn who infiltrated the to set things right-
order was present at the Grove of the Mother. Only the That's a viable option, and certainly the easiest, but
gods know how many of Ilkuthsra's agents remain within it may not be the most funor the most interesting. Many
the Jordeh's ranks;additionalserpents in an all toovulner- playerswill feel,and rightly so,as though the spotlighthas
able fold. shifted off their characters. The players might prefer that
Filly, this: Annot GlambQth is =id to be the game end in their own failure than in someone else's
thecentralheadquartenfor the massive Dar a1Annot. The victory.
heroes cannot possibly have seen and explored the entire Iftheheroesfailintheirquest,why not allowMormo
complex!Other chambersand entire levelsmost certainly toreenterthe world?It'sa hideous,terrifyingconcept,one
exist, so well hidden that the Pcsnever found them, or that would utterly change the direction of any Scarred
perhaps accessible only through dark magics or foul rites. Lands campaign. So what?
Whether the characterschoose to return there -perhaps Itwouldalsoprovidestoryfodderfordozensofgames.
inthehopeofdealingtheDaralAnnotacripplin- Cantheheroesfindsomewaytodestmythenewlyrebom
orwhetherthey aredrambackinthecourseofyet another titanbeforesheregains herfullpower?CanthePCsstand
story, the Serpent Citadel can provide countless hours of up to the power of Mormo's massedtitanspawn,who must
fearsome, dungeon-crawl-styleadventuring. certainly rally around their mother?Can they convince
allthe warringnationsthat theirultimatelypettysquabbles
and power playsmust be put asidefor the good of an entire
world? For that matter, what of the gods themselves?
What if the unthinkable should occur?What if the
PCsfail? They've had a century and a half to cement their rivalries
and conflicts. Even with their previous experience with
It'' certainly not -"el The serpant 'tadel in the titans, can they set aside those differences and work
@*' an$ theentk bhm in together against a threat such as this?
havenumenxlsscenesw~~~h~bly~.~the P
Pcsshould hesitate at the wrong time, if they should make a The challenge of a handful of heroes attempting
to overcome such challenges offers countlesshours of
smglehltydecision,orevenifthedicesimplyturnagahtthern
exciting roleplay.
atauucialmoment,theymay~unabletostopthem
ofMormofromth~~theGroveofheMother.
THE SERPENT CITADEL

The Song of Unmaking within, often breaking down into do; it need not be one specifically
Lmwl: ‘True Ritual - Drd 6, Wiz 7 (see its componentparts or substances. associated with the artifact.)
below) Undermost conditions, the magic All the above must be ac-
Componmk V, S, M, XP of the item disperses back into the complished within the first three
Casters Required: 11 world. The ritual’s creators theo- hours of the ritual. For the re-
Proxy: None rize that, if conditions are right, maining two hours, the casters
Casting T i m 5 hours the power might have unforeseen need merely continue their song.
Range: Close (25 Ft. + 5 Ft./2 levels) and potentially adverse effects on Because some passages and verses
Effact:One artifact the area. are longer than others, not all
Duration: Instantaneous The ritual takes the form of a casters need be present for the
Saving T h m None
~ complex song, which must be sung entire ritual. They must all start
Spell Resistanca: No in harmony by all 11casters,each together, but two of the 11will be
Descnptjon voicing his or her own passage. finished (and can thus leavewith-
Unlike the other spells in his The casters must stand on the six out adversely affectingthe ritual)
Tomb, Marilvaz did not create points and five of the six intersec- after three hours have passed, and
this ritual. Rather, he found it and tions of a six-pointed star, with two more may leave after the
copied it from an older work the artifact resting at the sixth fourth hour. The remaining seven
owned by a druid/sorceress named point of intersection. The ritual must remain for the duration. If
Zithinru. The ritual is supposedly must be performed in some place any of the necessary casters cease
the creation of the followers of of power, such as a region greatly their singing or are interrupted
the titan Mesos for use against the infused or associated with the es- for longer than a singleround, the
creations of the gods during the sence a titan or a god. entire ritual fails.
Divine War. The ritual was first During the course of the song, Material Components: The
penned at the end of the war, and one of the singers must spill the blood of a sacrificial creature, as
hasnever, to anyone’sknowledge, blood of a creature closely associ- mentioned above, plus any num-
been used. ated with the god or titan whose ber ofherbs, substances, or objects
worshippers created the relic. The holy to or revered by the entity
Spell Effect relic must be bathed in this whose worshippers created the
This true ritual destroys any creature’s blood before the body artifact. (For instance, if destroy-
magic item it is cast upon, even of the sacrifice has cooled. The ing an artifact of Denev, the casters
those powerful artifacts normally relic must also be bathed in the would have to possess large quan-
immune to effects such as dispel- nothing less than the blood of a tities of holly, stones, fertile soil,
ling or Mmden’s disjunction. The god or a titan during the ritual. rare woods, and so forth.)
relic cracks and shatters from (In this case, any god or titan will XP Cost: 2,000 from each
caster.
 APPEN D IX

The Broadreach sentinels, a troop of wardens

who patrolled the forests of the Veridan Province, He awoke hours later to find himself surrounded
were originally founded during the Ledean Em- by a trio of unicorns, badly wounded from the war.
pire. They evolved from a simple military One of them was pregnant and in labor, and the
organization into a true brotherhood and contin- unicorn that was born was strange and different.
ued to adhere to their duties despite the fall of the The mother died giving birth to it, torn from A
Ledean Empire.
In the times before the Divine War, the
Broadreach sentinels helped patrol the forests of
the Broadreach, defending it with the aid of the
Liliandeli archers, as well as the warriors of the
now-vanished Clan Unicorn. The Broadreach sen-
tinels were a proud brotherhood of rangers and
woodsmen, willing to sacrifice everything to keep
their protectorate safe from those who might de-
spoil it.
The sentinels held the unicorn to be the soul
of the forest and were dedicated to defending
that creature to the utmost of their ability. It
was a death sentence to be a
 __--

THE SERPENT CITADEL

Homsaw Sentinel
ClassLaval 6ase Fort Ref Will Special Spells per Day
Attack Save Save Save
Bonus
1st +1 +2 +o +o Unicorn companion +1 level of ranger class
2nd +2 +3 +o +o Hornsaw blade (+l), +l level of ranger class
Hornsaw proficiency
3rd +3 +3 +1 +1 Favored enemy +1 level of ranger class
4th +4 +4 +1 +l Hornsaw blade (+2) +1 level of ranger class
5th +5 +4 +1 +1 Improved magic fang; +1 level of ranger class
Lightning Reflexes
6th +6 +5 +2 +2 Favored enemy, +1 level of ranger class
Hornsaw Blade (+3)
7th +7 +5 +2 +2 Venomous blade +1 level of ranger class
8th +8 +6 +2 +2 Hornsaw blade (+4) +I level of ranger class
4th +4 +6 +3 +3 Favored enemy +1 level of ranger class
10th +10 +7 +3 +3 Hornsaw blade (+5) +1 level of ranger class

within, and the other two unicorns panicked and Feats: Alertness, Track, Weapon Focus (scimi-
fled when they scented the foal. tar).
Elitoran was unsure what to do with it, so he Skill: Knowledge (local: Hornsaw) 3 ranks,
cared for it and marveled as it grew strong and Wilderness Lore 9 ranks.
powerful, equipped with a wicked serrated horn Spellcasting: The ability to cast magic fang
and sharp hooves and fangs to defend itself against using titanic magic (ranger or druid).
the forest’s dangers. His solitude and grief eventu-
ally drove him mad, and he came to believe that, Class Skjlls
while the nature of the forest had certainly The Hornsaw sentinel’s class skills (and the
changed, he yet had oaths to maintain. So, he key ability for each skill) are Animal Empathy
continued his guardianship of this new forest, (Cha, exclusive skill), Climb (Str), Concentra-
soon dubbed the Hornsaw. tion (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha),
Today, the Hornsaw sentinels are a brother- Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Intuit
hood of wicked rangers who guard the Hornsaw as Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local),
fervently as their previous incarnation guarded Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move
the Broadreach.They will gladly give their lives to Silently (Dex) , Profession (Wis) , Ride (Dex) ,
prevent anyone from changing the Hornsaw; they Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis),Spellcraft (Int),
believe that the “taint” was actually the vast Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Wilderness Lore
forest’s true destiny, unlocked by the touch of (Wis).
Mormo. Though they rarely worship Mormo per Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
se, many certainly do ally themselves with her
servants. Just as many, however, see Mormo’s Class Features
touch as merely the catalyst for change and hold All of the following are class features of the
Mormo’s servants in disdain, for their activities Homsaw sentinel prestige class.
often threaten the health of the Hornsaw as well. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Hornsaw
Hornsaw sentinels are usually bitterest en- sentinels are proficient with simple and martial
emies with both Renewers and the Liliandeli. weapons and light armor. Note that armor check
Hit Die: d10. penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to
;he skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide,
Requjrements Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket, and Tumble.
To qualify to become a Hornsaw sentinel Also, Swim checks suffer a -1 penalty for every 5
(Hsn), a character must fulfill all the following pounds of armor and equipment carried.
criteria: Spells per Day: Hornsaw sentinels continue
Alignment: Any non-lawful, non-good. to advance in ranger spellcasting ability. When a
Base Attack Bonus: +4. new Hornsaw sentinel level is gained, the charac-
ter gains new spells per day as if he had also gained
 APPENDIX

then determines spells per day and caster level

nj accordingly.
he Hornsaw unicorn that comes to 1 Unicorn Companion: The Hornsaw sentinel
. I . . . ,
nornsaw sentinel retains its inaepena
‘I
attracts a Hornsaw unicorn companion. Though it
thought and will. Though some sentinels will occasionally permit the sentinel to ride it, the
ilessly dominate these unicorns beast is not a mount. See the “Hornsaw Unicorn
sentinels are themselves maste Companion’’ sidebar for more details.
Luiariy ~ u i i i i i i i gaiiu V~LIUUJ i Hornsaw Blade: At 2nd level, the Hornsaw
sentinel’s companion leads him to a secret site
where generations of Hornsaw unicorns have come
to die. There, he is guided through the sacred
as mounts, save in process of harvesting two of their curved, serrated
alicorns for the purpose of crafting Hornsaw blade
scimitars. The process of actually sanctifying the
alicorns takes a full month, though it need not be
a level in ranger. He does not, however, gain any performed at the “unicorn graveyard”; many
other benefit a character of that class would have Hornsaw sentinels harvest the alicorns and then
acquired. This essentially means that he adds the return to their lairs to work on the blades. In the
level of Hornsaw sentinel to the level of ranger, Hornsaw, the most common place for this activity
is Alicorn Vale, though of course there are many

Hornsaw Unjcom Companion

Hornsaw Sentinel Level Bonus HD Special Ability
1-2 +1 HD Empathic link, improved evasion, share saving throws, share spells
3-4 +2 HD Track, sensitivity
5-6 +3 HD Share resistance
7-8 +4HD Bond of rage, unerring tracking
?-lo +5 HD Share immunity
Bonus HD: As the sentinel increases in class level, his Hornsaw unicorn companion gains HD as specified on the table
above.
Empathic Link: The sentinel has an empathic link with his Hornsaw unicorn companion out to a distance of 1 mile, or
2 miles within the Hornsaw Forest. The sentinel cannot see through the companion’s eyes, but the two of them can
communicate telepathically. This is a supernatural ability.
Because of the empathic link between the companion and the sentinel, the sentinel has the same connection to an item
or place that the companion does. For instance, if his companion has seen a room, the sentinel can teleport into that
room as if he also has seen it (assuming he has the ability to do so, of course).
lmproved Evasion: i f the companion is subject to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage,
it takes no damage if it makes the saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.
Share Saving Throws: A t the sentinel’s option, any saving throw that he makes can also affect his unicorn companion
as if it had rolled the same number. The companion must be within 5 feet of the companionat the time, and the decision
to share a saving throw must be made before the die is rolled.
Share Spells: At the sentinel’s option, he may have any spell he casts on himself also affect his companion. The
companion must be touching the sentinel at the time. As is not the case with familiars, however, if the spell has a
duration other than instantaneous, the spell does notend if the Familiar moves more than 5 feet away. The sentinel and
companion may share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the companion’s type (magical beast).
Track:The companion receives the Track feat and, when tracking, it gains a racial bonus t o Wilderness Lore equal to
i t s HD. Most of the time, the sentinel’s total bonus is still better, so Hornsaw unicorn companions often prefer to use
the Aid Another action t o augment the sentinel’s Wilderness Lore check rather than make one of their own.
Sensitivity: While within the Hornsaw Forest, both the Hornsaw unicorn and the Hornsaw sentinel receive a +4insight
bonus to all Listen, Search, and Spot checks, as well as t o all Wilderness Lore checks made while tracking.
Share Resistance:The Hornsaw sentinel gains a +4 bonus t o saves against poisons and diseases. In addition, he ignores
the first 2 points of ability damage from poisons and diseases to which he does succumb.
Bond OF Rage: The Hornsaw unicorn may use i t s rage whenever the sentinel to whom it is bonded is wounded. The
unicorn will never harm the sentinel to whom it is bonded during i t s rages.
Unerring Tracking: The sentinel may always take 20 on Wilderness Lore checks used to track his Hornsaw unicorn
companion; the companion may do likewise when tracking the sentinel. Should either the Hornsaw sentinel or the
Hornsaw unicorn ever be killed, the other may always take 20 when tracking the killers.
Share Immunity: The Hornsaw sentinel gains immunity t o poisons and disease.
THE SERPENT CITADEL

other places where smaller groups of unicorns Each time the sentinel gains this ability, all
have fallen. previous favored enemy bonuses increase by + 1 as
Once the process is completed, the alicorns well. Thus, for instance, a 6th-level ranger/3rd.
are considered to be masterwork scimitars; they level Hornsaw sentinel has three favored enemies,
have a hardness of 13 and 6 hp. one having a +3 bonus, one +2, and this, the
The process of sanctification also grants one latest, + 1; likewise, a 10th-level ranger/6th-level
of the blades an enhancement bonus or special Hornsaw sentinel has five favored enemies, with
weapon enhancement. At 2nd level, this bonus is bonuses of +5/+4/+3/+2/+1 respectively.
+1. At every other level, this increases by an Improved Magic Fang: At 5th level, the
additional +1 until the total bonus reaches +5 at Hornsaw sentinel’s use of the magicfang and greater
10th level. These bonuses may apply to a single magic fang spells improves. When casting such
blade, or may be divided between the twin Hornsaw spells on his Hornsaw unicorn companion, the
blades wielded by the sentinel. bonus is increased by an additional +1, and fur-
Each time the bonus increases, the sentinel ther, for the purpose of these spells, his caster level
must perform again the sanctification ritual. Dur- is considered to be his total ranger level plus his
ing this time, the bonuses may be shifted about. Hornsaw sentinel level.
For instance, upon achieving 6th level ( + 3 total Lightning Reflexes: At 5th level, the Hornsaw
bonus), a sentinel that had previously invested a sentinel gains the Lightning Reflexes feat.
+ 1 bonus in each of his blades may now transform Venomous Blade: At 7th level, the Hornsaw
one of his blades into a +2 keen weapon, leaving sentinel gains the ability to imbue his blade with
the other a masterwork item. a virulent venom. This venom is made by spread-
Items enhanced in this fashion are treated as ing some mud from the rich loam of the Hornsaw
magical only for the Hornsaw sentinel who cre- forest and the sentinel allowing his own blood to
ated them; any other who uses the items does so as drip over it. If the sentinel is unwounded, this is a
though they were merely masterwork weapons. full-round action and deals 1 point of damage to
Further, the weapons enhanced in this fashion the sentinel; if he has taken wounds and has some
may not be enhanced through normal item cre- of the loam at hand (either at his feet or from a
ation feats; if this occurs, the item forever loses its pouch at his belt), i t may be done as a move-
qualities granted through this class. equivalent action and deals no damage. In neither
Hornsaw Proficiency: A t 2nd level, the case does it provoke an attack of opportunity.
Hornsaw sentinel’s paired Hornsaw alicorn scimi- This poison causes severe loss of muscle con-
tars are treated as though they were both light trol and eventual erosion of health to those it
weapons for the purpose of his ranger fighting affects.
ability. This ability is only gained by sentinels of Injury: Fort DC 10 + the Hornsaw sentinel’s
Medium-size or larger. class level + the sentinel’s Constitution modifier;
Favored Enemy: At 3rd level, the Hornsaw Initial Damage: ld3 temporary Strength + ld3
sentinel may choose an additional favored enemy, temporary Dexterity; Secondary Damage: ld6 tem-
adding to any favored enemies granted by the porary Constitution.
ranger or other classes. This is treated as the The poison may be created a number of times
ranger special ability in all aspects, save that the per day equal to 1 + the Hornsaw sentinel’s Con-
sentinel must choose an enemy that somehow has stitution modifier (minimum l/day).
to do with his guardianship of the Hornsaw forest. In addition, when applying poison to his Hornsaw
The Hornsaw sentinel gains additional favored blades, a sentinel does not suffer the usual 5% chance
enemies at 6th and 9th level. of accidentally poisoning himself.
 APPEN DM

Ofthe many tales told of the Ganjus, probably The druid or ranger who would know the secrets
the most prevalent are of the so-called “tree ghosts,” of the Oakbrothersmust seek out a patron among the
mysterious figures that fade in and out of sight among treants of the Ganjus who is willing to teach him the
the oaks of that mighty forest. More than one would- secrets of the Jordeh. The treant mentor, usually
be invader has found himself referred to as Oakbrother, then grants the candidate
suddenly surrounded by these elfin a quest that not only tests his worthiness, but also
“spirits” and their oaken allies as teaches him of the delicate ecological and metaphysi-
the very woodland around him cal balance in the Ganjus that they serve. If the
comes to life with one purpose - seeker passes and is accepted, the treant gives him
to prevent further trespass into his jordeh’lann and his training begins.
the sacred Ganjus. The Jordeh are not merely forest guard-
The deeps of the Ganjus har- ians, however. They serve their people as
borvera-ne, the soaring,majestic scholars and diplomats to the outside
tree city of the wood elven folk. world, often travelling extensively on
A city grown from the trees behalf ofVera-tre and the Verdant Seat.
rather than built, Vera-tre The Jordeh work closely with the
is jealously guarded by its Ganjus Vigil; indeed, several of the
people, for there are vigilants of that Vigil are known to
many forces in the have been accepted by treants as
Scarred Lands that
seek todestroy this Hit ‘Die: d8.
bastion of Denev’s
worship. Foremost
among the tree-city’s To qualify to become a Jordeh (Jor),
guardians are the Jordeh a character must fulfill all the following
(“Oakbrother” in the dru-
idic tongue). Alignment: Any neutral.
The Jordeh of Vera- Race: Wood elf or half-elf of wood elf
tre are more than
guardians of the Ganjus, Skills: Diplomacy 4ranks, Hide
however. The Jordeh - 4 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 9
an organization that in-
cludes not just members
of this prestige class, but
Spellcasting: Abil-
also druids, rangers, and
ity to cast 2nd-level
even the rare cleric ofTanil
divine spells, includ-
- are the link between the
ing speak with plants.
spirit of the forest and the wood
elvenpeople. The Jordehhold Special: The charac-
close council with the
Coventacle of Trees, the elder
treants of the Ganjuswho serve
Denev, relaying the will and
advice of their mistress to her deh. Additionally, the character must
people. The Jordeh also serve
their people as impartial advi-
sors to the Verdant Seat of undoubtedly test the character in order
Vera-tre. Indeed, it is the to ascertain his worthiness.
Jordeh who administer the
tests to find the latest incar-
nations of the Four The Jordeh‘s class skills are
Eldest Beasts. TK,9 Balance (Dex), Climb (Str),
Concentration (Con), Craft
(Int), Diplomacy (Cha),
Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex),
THE SERPENT CITADEL

Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (na- hiding in the tree's shadow, scaling its boughs, or
ture) (Int), Listen (Wis), MoveSilently (Dex),Ritual leaping silently among its branches.
Casting (Con, exclusive skill), Scry (Int, exclusive Jordeh whose Oakbrothers die are bereft of the
skill), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Wilder- power of the Ganjus, oaken majesty, walking the
ness Lore (Wis). Oaken Path, and sylvan spirit powers and qualities of
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier. this prestigeclass until he finds another treant willing
to accept him as Oakbrother. This is rarely difficult to
Class Features do, especially if the Jordeh did everything in his
All of the following are class features of the power topreserve the life of his Oakbrother, but there
Jordeh prestige class. are tales of those who have been rejected and left to
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Jordeh is live a solitary, melancholy existence, bereft of the
required to adhere to the weapon and armor limita- spiritual connection they once knew.
tions of druids, though an elven Jordeh may add the Power of the Ganjus: Part of a Jordeh's learning
weapon proficiencies he gains from being an elf to involves learning to tap into the ambient power of
those accepted under his oaths. Denev's favored forest. While within the Ganjus
Spells per Day: Jordeh continue to advance in forest, the Jordeh adds a + 1 to the spell save DC of all
spellcasting ability. When a new Jordeh level is divine spells he casts. This increases to +2 at 4th
gained, the character gains new spells per day as if he level, +3 at 7th level, and +4 at 9th level.
had also gained a level in a spellcasting class he Whispers in the Leaves: At 2nd level the Jordeh
belonged to before he added the prestige class. He learns to listen to the whispers in the leaves around
does not, however, gain any other benefit a character him, which often echo what transpires elsewhere as
of that class would have gained (improved chance of the trees whisper from one to another throughout a
controlling or rebuking undead, metamagic or item forest.This grants the Jordeh a +5 competence bonus
creation feats, and so on). Essentially, he adds the to Listen rolls when in a forest or heavily wooded
level of Jordeh to the level of some other spellcasting area, as the leaves echo even the tiniest sounds that
class he has, then determines spells per day and caster he might ordinarily miss.
level accordingly. If the character had more than one This also allows the Jordeh to whisper a message
spellcastingclass before he became a Jordeh, he must to the trees and have them carry it to anyone else
decide to which class he adds each level of Jordeh for within the same forest who also has the whispers in
purposes of determining spells per day when he gains the leaves ability (including any treant), allowing the
the new level. Jordeh to communicate with one another anywhere
Child of the Oak: At 1st level the Jordeh is in the Ganjus. Distant wood elven settlements often
named an Oakbrother and accepted as a student and stay in contact with one another thanks to their
friend by a treant, allowing him to call upon the resident Jordeh. The Jordeh has no way of knowing
treant for its aid and knowledge, assuming that such whether or not his target is in the forest through this
is to the benefit of the Ganjus as a whole. In doing so, method -he can only whisper his message and hope
the treant gives the Jordeh a staff, called ajordeh'lann, that the trees are able to deliver it to him. This is a
crafted from itself as part of that bond. This staff is supernatural ability that can be used a number of
considered a masterwork quarterstaff and may be times per day equal to 1 + the Charisma bonus of the
enchanted (though it bears no magic when first given Jordeh (minimum of once per day). There is no limit
to the Jordeh). to the number of times per day he may receive such
When this staff is used as the focus for a shillelagh messages.
spell,the duration of that spell extends to 10minutes/ Oaken Resilience: At 2nd level the Jordeh
level and the staff is considered a +2 weapon. Addi- begins to take on a tougher, darker skin, granting him
tionally, if used as the focus for spellstajf, it may hold a +1 natural armor bonus to AC. This bonus contin-
either a single spell (as normal for the spell), or a ues to increase as the Jordeh rises in level, becoming
number of spells whose combined spell levels equal +2 at 5th level and +3 at 8th level. The skin of the
that of the caster's Jordeh class level, maximum. This Jordehdarkensas this power advances until it is arich
staff may be replaced if destroyed, but not until the wooden hue at 8th level.
Jordeh has redeemed himself in the eyes of his Tap the Roots: At 3rd level the Jordeh learns to
Oakbrother. tap the powerful energies of life found in the oak in
The treant also teaches the Jordeh how best to order to speed the healing process of himself or
use the sheltering boughs of the oak. This grants him others. The wounded character smears the recipient's
a +10 competence bonus to all Climb, Jump, Hide, wounds with sap from an oak and the being then
and Move Silently checks that involve an oak, be it sleeps beneathor in the tree. This doubles the normal
healing processes, allowing the one so treated to heal
double his character level in hit points with a simple
 APPENDIX

The Jordeh
CkISSLevel Base Fort Ref Will Special Spelk psr Day
Attad< Save Save Save
Bonus
1st +O +2 +O +2 Child of the Oak, power of the Ganjus +1 +1 level of existing class
2nd +1 +3 +O +3 Whispers in the leaves, oaken resilience+1 +1 level of existing class
3rd +2 +3 +1 +3 Taptheroots +1 level of existing class
4th +3 +4 +l +4 Oaken majesty, power of the Ganjus +2 +1 level of existing class
5th +3 +4 +1 +4 Oakenresilience+2 +1 level of existing class
6th +4 +5 +2 +5 Sylvantongue +1 level of existing class
7th +5 +5 +2 +5 Walking the Oaken Path, +1 level of existing class
power of the Ganjus +3
8th +6 +6 +2 +6 Oakenresilience+3 +1 level of existing class
Qth +6 +6 +3 +6 Power of the Ganjus +4 +1 level of existing class
10th

night’s sleep, or to heal quadruple his character level Walking the Oaken Path: At 7th level the
in hit points as well as 2 points of ability damage per Jordeh learns to become one with the oak, merging
full day of rest. The Jordeh can only tend to one being with it and transporting himself along the mystic ties
at a time in this fashion, himself included. that bind all oaks. He may cast tree s t d e spontane-
Oaken Majesty: The oak has often been called ously by sacrificing 5 or more levels of spells. Note
the King of Trees. At 4th level the Jordeh draws upon that these levels do not all have to come from the
his learning to rebuke or command plant creatures. same spell - he may sacrifice multiple lower level
This ability operates as the granted ability for the spells in order to gain the 5 spell levels needed.
clerical Plant domain in all ways. If the character Additionally, the Jordeh may elect to nominate his
already has this ability, oaken majesty doubles the Oakbrother treant as one of the trees in this jump,
number of times per day he may use it. regardless of the distance, as long as they are currently
Sylvan Tongue: At 6th level the Jordeh learns located within the same forest.
the language of plants. He may cast speak with plants Sylvan Spirit: At 10th level the character be-
spontaneously by sacrificing3 or more levels of spells. comes one of the High Jordeh, achieving
Note that these levels do not all have to come from transcendence by way of the oaks and joining with his
the same spell - he may sacrifice multiple lower Oakbrother on a soul-deep level. In game terms, the
level spells in order to gain the 3 spell levels needed. Jordeh‘s creature type becomes “fey.” Like a dryad to
Additionally, any time the Jordeh casts speak with her oak, the High Jordeh is bound to his Oakbrother
plants by the Jordeh, even from a magic item, it lasts treant. Damage taken by one is felt (but the points of
10 minutes/level and the plant is considered to be damage are not suffered) by the other. If one dies, the
friendly. Plants are still limited by their normal abili- other must make a Fortitude save (DC25) or likewise
ties and understanding, but are more likely to be able die.
to communicate fully, as the Jordeh understands the Further, the Jordeh is able to cast tree shape as a
plants’ level of communication on the plants’ own spell-like ability at will. Additionally, he may cast
terms, rather than using the spell to force them to his liveoak spontaneously by sacrificing6 or more levels
(as is normal). of spells. Note that these levels do not all have to
come from the same spell- he may sacrificemultiple
lower level spells in order to gain the 6 spell levels
needed.