Gods of the FAll

A LEAK IN THE DIKE By Christopher Robin Negelein

SMALL STREAMS BECOME BIG RIVERS

A Leak in the Dike is a mini-adventure that used in a few different ways, a Tier One
Fantasy Cypher set in Monte Cook Games’ Gods of the Fall setting (where mortals are
tackling the problems of the world), a Tier One Demigod game for Gods of the Fall, or it
can be an inspiration for your unique Fantasy Cypher game adventure.
Something calls to Advarace Duzi, a prominent citizen in a highly cultured and educated
Ghoul colony that see its kind in ascendency as the cultures of humanity and the other
races all have started to become shadows of their former selves. Being isolated from these
other cultures has fed this arrogant attitude with no reality check in sight. As as example,
their word for human is cibotum, which roughly mashes up the concepts “outsider,”
“expendable,” and “food” into one word.
Duzi, though, has heard whispers that call her to a distant location, promising strong
undead allies and strong dark magics that can help accelerate the downfall of the humans
and other mortal races. Without consulting the colony senate, she takes her cohort and a
few cibotum as slaves -- and rations, to discover this place and what it can provide.

Cover Artist: Aaron Lee

Editor: Cheryl Trent
Interior Artist: Jacob Atienza, Jeff Brown,
David Lewis Johnson
Map: Jared Blando and Dyson Logos

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 A leak in the Dike

A LEAK IN THE DIKE

BRIEF SUMMARY
Beginning an adventuring
career is easy if you start
humble. But, as the PCs will
discover, things can soon
escalate far faster than they
think when as answer the
call of being heroes. This
adventure works for Tier One
fantasy characters or Tier One
Gods of the Fall Demigod
PCs.

DETAILS
Some villages have a long trip
to get their goods to a market,
at least a couple of days.
Luckily, the minor magics of
the Gods of the Fall setting
include ways to keep produce
Corsco, page 33 fresh until it gets to a market,
where it’s often picked up
and moved to an even larger
market, eventually making it
to cities like Corsco, Loreda or
Old Nemoro.
While this decreases
a farmer’s profit, it also
decreases risk in a dark land where slavery
and evil spirits abound. Many such farmers MOOD SUGGESTION
will pay a modest sum (20 moons/silver The PCs are here to find their lost friends
each), plus meals, for armed escorts. and then leave. Combat may be necessary,
Quite often, these same escorts can pick but the don’t have to clean out every room
work as cheap guards for the next leg of the to get the job done. If they rescue the slaves
journey. and discover the looming danger, they have
It can be a way for the adventurous to done a good job.
travel and make a tidy sum (20 suns/gold Salient Points:
each), which will be gone quickly if they do • The lead ghoul, Advarace Duzi, has
nothing but sightsee. been following the voices that bring her
While our heroes started at the farming here. She has convinced several of her
Adilabad, page 294 community of Adilabad and planned to go warren mates to come with her and free
to Corsco, but their adventure never got the the undead. She needs slaves/human
Winter Road. After the second day, several livestock to do that. So she sends her
young people where gone with tracks that people to go out into the Nightlands to
has lead out away from the Winter Road find more humans for the stables and
and across the Winter River. Getting paid feeding pit.
Ghouls, page 294 extra, or perhaps some of kidnapped are • If you’re running a non-Gods of the Fall
relatives to the PCs, they are now have gone game, the tent area also has a small
from caravan guards to being a rescue team. stable of horses that can be used for a
They’ll eventually discover cultists, ghouls distraction or an escape.
in fact, are collecting slaves to dig into the • These Ghouls are intelligent with their
dome and release a city of undead. own culture and agendas. While they

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 Gods of the FAll

when they touch or somehow attempt

WHAT IS GODS OF THE FALL? to damage the seal, thus the need for
The Gods of the Fall setting is Monte human slaves. But even the humans CSR, Statue, Animated,
Cook Games’ own fantasy setting find it unnaturally taxing to chip away at page 316
where a Sorcerer Empress rules the dome.
unchecked ever since heaven fell from • The Anakim (Statue, Animated) are
the sky and spilled forth the mad, automated fail-safes if the first seal is
flayed corpses of the gods. Dwarves broken.They wil guard an area 100 feet
and elves are half-forgotten myths from any spot where the rune seal has
while curse storms and orcs ravage the been defaced. If the GM is running
land. Gods of the Fall, replace the Statue,
It is a place in dire need of heroes. Animated with two Seraphs of Virtue.

STARTING POINT
After a couple of days of chasing down
hide in small colonies, they have come the tracks and clues, they’ve caught sight of
into competition against the Empusa, the kidnappers’ base. A nest of tents near an
who voraciously feed on human prey. old castle. In the distance sits an enormous
What could feed a Ghoul family for dome, big enough to cover many farms -- or
a week, keeps an Empusa satisfied even a whole city.
for only days. These Ghouls are also
arrogant and self-centered. The idea of WRAP UP
one of their own kind mounting a rescue When the Ghouls are defeated or the
for them is foreign. They’ve assumed camp is far out of sight, the adventure is
that their victims have been written off completed. The survivors and any additional
by the farmer’s caravan and no one has slaves will need care and nutrition that’s
dared follow them back to the Crypt. best delivered from Adilabad. From there,
• The Sorcerer’s Crypt has a ribbon or it’s hard hike to catch up with the caravan
runes, about two feet tall, running the which has slowly moved down the road but
entire circumference of the dome as the haven’t reached Loreda yet.
first of the seven seals. The Ghouls burn

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 A leak in the Dike

TENT AT THE ENTRANCE

Several tents are clustered nearby the
building. They are unoccupied at the
moment. There are no weapons, armor
or cyphers, but there is 50 suns/gold in
the chests full of robes and clothes.

GUARDS
Two ghoul guards are stationed at
this post are looking down the hall,
more concerned about escapees than
outsiders coming inside. Though they
are armed with large swords, they only
their listed damage.

THE STABLES
This is where 11 human slaves (four of the are
survivors from the heroes’ escort mission) are
kept. Heartbreakingly, they are overseen by a
fellow Level 1 human slave, Pade. He’s been
convinced that if he is a “proper citizen,” he will
be transformed into Ghoul. Beyond being crazy,
he’s also been lied too. The biggest danger he
represents is raising the alarm. He often cries
out, though, so the PCs have only a couple of
seconds to deal with him before reinforcements
arrive. The slaves are healthy enough to walk and
run short distances, but they are in no condition
to endure a fight.

Advarac Duzi, Level

6 Ghoul, Health 20, THE LISTENER
Armor 1, Might defense Advarace Duzi, a Level 6 Ghoul, is here meditating and listening to whispers that come
roll Level 4 against the
from the Sorcerer’s Crypt with her shield propped up next to her and a sword in her
paralytic agent on Duzi’s
weapon and bite. lap. The same whispers will warn her when someone crosses her threshold or aims
a weapon/ability at her. So she can take advantage of her dark vision, she will find a
way to snuff out any light sources that the PC brought with them. GM Intrusion: The
mastermind inside the Crypt reaches out through Duzi, doing four Intellect damage,
ignoring Armor.

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 Gods of the FAll
FEEDING PIT.
At this dead end are gnawed human bones are
stacked here in an organized fashion. The arm and Ghost, page 293
leg bones are assembled in square formations of
alternating stacks. An angry young boy’s Ghost
haunts here. Even though he strikes out at everyone,
he can be communicated with and laid to rest if his
small bones are collected and buried (or burned.)
It takes an Intellect Level 5 task to find the bones
in an hour. If a success reached Level 6, the time is
reduced to half an hour.
THE DIG SITE
In a 40-foot wide cresent-shaped room,
the humans have been slowly chipping
away at the first seal of the Crypt (which
is the far wall.) They have also partially
uncovered the head and torso of an
Anakim (Statue, Animated). If it can be
fully freed (its feet are half a foot above
the rune seal), it will stand guard at the
dig site, attacking anyone who chips
away at the seal. This mute creature is
more golem-like with no imprisoned
sentience inside.

YOUR TURN
There are two more Ghouls here
playing a gambling game of some sort
with cards. They are incredibly intense
and quiet in their playstyle. Those
trying to sneak by the room have an
asset. If they are alerted to intruders
or engaged in combat. They will try
raise the alarm to get Advarace Duzi’s
attention.

Giant Rats, page 296

A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS

This hallway is patrolled by seven trained Giant
Rats. They respond to fairly standard Animal
Training commands unless ordered to attack
their Ghoul masters. They are also easily
distracted by food until they see human slaves.
At that point they loudly squeak and try to herd
the slaves back to the cages. Any attempt to
deter the rats from this task will be at Difficulty
Task Level 4.

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 A leak in the Dike

MORE DETAILS WINTER RIVER PASS

Read this sectioin if you have more time. The Duzi’s Ghoul colony live in The Krakens
mountain range, not far from the Winter
NIGHTLANDS Road pass. They occasionally pose as
The largest populated region for the bandits to cull the weaker Winter Road
Gods of the Fall setting, the Nightlands travelers for their slave/larder pens. They
exist in perpetual night thanks to a giant do this to introduce new blood into their
moon, Nod, that hovers in permanent, close slaves/livestock. They also collect and
eclipse over the area. Farms, called bowers cherish any books, treasure or art which
often need artificial light to grow their crops. keep their own culture and intellectual
The adventure take place in the heart of the pursuits fresh. Which is ironic, considering
Nightlands. their claim of superiority to humans.
Eventually, future generations will rewrite
Sorcerer’s Crypt, page 51 SORCERER'S CRYPT history and claim the best of what they find
The crypt sits on top of the twice-cursed as their own, crediting the inventions to long
city of Ceriss. Cursed once into a city of dead Ghouls.
various undead and the cursed twice to a
goddess’ prison with a giant stone dome USING THIS IN A
and seven seals to bind her in the crypt. CAMPAIGN
Read this section only if you’re using the
Adilabad, page 33
ADILABAD scenario in a campaign (and thus less likely
This is a small farming community to be under time pressure).
where the PCs come from. They export a This adventure can introduce a low-key
combination of magically preserved produce start to a recurring threat that will allow the
and some leather goods from pig hide. It’s PCs to revisit to keep it in check until they
been relatively unmolested by both slavers are able to finally able to take on the final
and Retribution representatives because mastermind behind the voices.
the community has been able to make their The cause of the voices depends on the
“insurance” fees and no one wants to wants focus of the game as either a traditional RPG
to upset the apple cart. fantasy setting or Monte Cook Games’ Gods
of the Fall.

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 Gods of the FAll

FOR A FANTASY GAME: Sorcerer’s Crypt, it will become a default

The voices are the sources of evil for outpost for the Order until the danger is
your next dungeon, which was sealed off to dealt with. That, in itself, presents its own
protect the world. As an off the cuff example, challenges for demigods who are trying to
the voices are the Masters of Ceriss, a cabal hide from the authorities.
of Vampire Lords, that have finally grown
strong enough to reach out through their FURTHER DEVELOPMENT: Vampire Lord, page 325
enchanted dreams. Evil creatures, especially Read this section after the session is over. Transitional Vampires,
undead, will slowly converge near the Crypt The PCs should get 1 XP a piece in their page 324
Vampires, page 232
to eventually create a “camp” of burrows discoveries of the Cyrpt and Ghoul habits. If Zombies, page 333
and warrens filled with Ghouls, Transitional they were able to also bring the Giant Rats
Vampires, Vampires and Zombies. with them as new pets, they also get one
extra XP. Saving their friends with some
FOR A GODS OF THE FALL GAME extra innocents will make their trip back take
For either a mortals or demigods game: an extra day (three days total.) There could
The main voice in choir is the imprisoned be other dangers on the road back home if
Goddess Cerissia using her Vampire Lords’ GM wants to create a more tense story.
minds to boost her mental broadcast. Not But now the voices inside the Sorcerers
only does she want lure all sorts of spirits Crypt know their secret is out and they must
(Empusa and Rakshasa) and undead, speed up their timetable. Not sure where
she wants to also corrupt the Anakim (or the PCs hail from the voices will send out
Seraph) into Seraphs of Sin (page 172). occasional undead to hung and assassinate
The sensible thing for an imperial citizen the heroes. If the heroes have moved on to
is to report these events to the Order of the big city of Corsco, they will sadly not be
Retribution. But with Adilabad being the last around to protect their families and friends
sign of civilization before heading out to the from these occasional terrors.