Mark's Campaign
This website is a place where friends and strangers can browse the ancient and current RPG campaigns that I have created over the past 40 years. Rather than simply shredding my creations from past decades, I will hopefully engrave them in the dubious permanence of the internet. Enjoy the gallery!
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The Prison Level
If a guest makes it this far, they are already doomed. Either they will be captured and imprisoned, killed and discarded or tortured for information then killed and discarded.
20. At this point in the tunnel, the misty air begins to turn more of a reddish color than yellow. It is also much warmer and acrid smelling in this area (about 90F in this part). With a DC 14 Per check, distant grunts and groans can be heard coming from somewhere up ahead.
21. The Menagerie – The air is thick and hot with red mist and a low constant humming can barely be heard as background noise. A roughly circular room with evenly spaced alcoves surrounds a 10’ wide pit. Through the dense mist you can make out the shapes of humanoids standing sentinel in the recess of many alcoves.
When they get close enough to look into one of the alcoves:
Peering through the red mist into the alcove you see a person wrapped head to feet in thick iron chains and leaning rigidly against the back wall. The person appears to be completely naked and either dead or comatose. It is hard to tell without further inspection.
Those individuals who proved to be too strong for the compulsions or too dangerous to be allowed to leave with their knowledge of this place, have been magically ‘Bound’ (as per Bound Slumber in Binding spell DC23 Know Arcana) and placed in here for display/storage. Each body here has been stripped of any magical items and left completely naked in their own alcove. A strong antipathy spell is part of the binding and a DC 23 Will save must be overcome to approach the bound person. Even then, they take a -4 to Dex while in the alcove. The bodies feel warm to the touch, but do not show any sign of consciousness or damage; they appear to be asleep. The chains are part of the spell and although the bodies can be moved with effort, the chains cannot be removed.
The alcoves contain the following prisoners:
A) Cho-lu Feng, H/M/D9 (He was one of the druids present when the group first visited. DC15 Per to recognize)
B) Parumartish Sohiz, H/M/D13 (Visiting druid from Geb, DC20 Local Knowledge of NE Garund to identify)
C) Nyrantheym Evenstar, E/F/D10 (the second of Isabella’s lieutenants), she is the one who met with Ramos originally.
D) Empty
E) Damaski Olian (for a long time, Hygan was able to fool Damaski with the ruse, but Lyana, who had the arch-druids confidence and bed discovered that he was suspicious of the entity and was going to start an investigation. Gathering his most powerful lieutenants, Hygan used Lyana’s hex and their combined spell-might to Bind the powerful druid. Each day, Hygan uses his Magic Jar-like ability to commandeer the body of Damaski and hold the meetings. Lyana dresses him appropriately, then returns to his bindings in the evening, unaware of his use as a puppet.
F) Empty
G) Vandlo Dukker, H/M/D13 (Came for information from Brevoy’s Gronzi Forest, was very distrustful and had a sense of the evil right off. DC20 Local Knowledge of Avistan to identify)
H) Jalabala Krandasi, H/F/M12 (Famous mage sent by the court of Taldor to investigate, DC15 Local Knowledge of Avistan to identify)
The party may get the idea to ‘revive’ the prisoners using the disjunction pulse, which will work when it resets itself in 24 hrs. If they decide to wait it out, the invisible follower will move things along by reporting their intrusion to F & L who will send some guards to find and destroy them (thus forcing their hands).
22. The Pit – Anyone who proves to be too dangerous or inquisitive and does not warrant imprisonment is killed outright and tossed in here for “processing”. The pit drops 20’ from the edge of the Menagerie with a 5’ wide opening 5’ up from the bottom. Blending into the bottom 4’ of the dark pit is an awaiting scavenger who welcomes the frequent meals:
Advanced Fiendish Gray Ooze CR 4
23. The first real indication of the nature of this ruse will come from this room. Used by the minor servants of Foronath, victims are sometimes tortured for information before they are disposed of in the pit #22. Devices and restraints of torture are everywhere including two stretching racks, two pits of hot coals with pokers and daggers resting on the edge (the coals burn with a continual hellfire spell), shackles and two spiked cages. The master of this room is a nasty Bone Devil known as Giggler due to his tendency to giggle as he inflicts pain. He has 3 assistants who enjoy their work very much.
A) The three assistants are helping soften up a young female elf named Tyna (E/F/R3) who got caught snooping around the Lodge after hours. She has been pierced by Giggler’s sharp spines and the Imps are gibbering in her ears and trying to lick her face. She is at 1 HP and suffering from Giggler’s poison (2 STR).
B) An older man (mid-50’s) is strapped to the stretching table here and has been bound for 3 days. However, he is awake and defiant and Giggler appears to be having some difficulty getting close to him. Although he is stripped of most of his clothes, the man appears in fair shape. Sir Jonas Dovon of Andoran came here to find out if an evil cult was corrupting the goodly folk of this land and he was right! Sir Jonas (H/M/Pal8 of Sarenrae) is able to lay on hands to himself and channels a little holy power when the devils get too close. They have been able to stretch him though and their poisons have him weak (at 3 STR) but he is at 45HP. If the group is able to free him, he will escort the young elf out and promise to return armed and ready.
Giggler the Advanced Bone Devil
3 Imps (Feezil, Beezil & Wick)
Giggler will glare at the interruption, then turn invis (quickened), change position to avoid targeting, then he will attempt to summon another Bone Devil (35% chance) and attack after that. The group will hear his giggles seemingly coming from everywhere, but with a DC12 Wis roll will realize it is telepathic.
The imps will turn invisible then attempt to close and sting.
The last surviving imp will be Wick and will try to cut a bargain with someone to spare his life. He will offer to use his Commune (6 questions) for them or to serve as a magic user’s familiar for 1 month in trade for allowing him to leave unmolested further.
C) At this point in the hall, give the group a DC15 Per to hear Giggler “<heehee> You will break, human <heehee> and when you beg me for mercy I will not grant you a quick death! <heehee> Oh no, I plan to play with you for a long long time! <heehee>”
24. Storage – this area has the toss-off trash of victims and prisoners. There is a mix of the mundane (clothing, boots, cloaks, misc gear) and the macabre (severed limbs toes and fingers, bloody bones, a few tongues, ears and eyes, a discarded pile of skin). If searched thoroughly, the following may be found: full set of masterwork studded leather, fine blue silk cloak (bloody), masterwork quarterstaff, crude prosthetic wooden leg (with a lead-lined hollow – DC24 to spot – containing a Wand of Daylight with 35ch, harrow deck in and old red leather case (initials KA on outside with DC15 Per), platinum holy symbol of Calistria (CN trickery lust revenge, three daggers facing outward from a circle of fire)
The Infernal Domain
The wooden corridors from this point forward have been worked and molded into a much more orderly and regular size and shape. Although there are minor irregularities, most of the walls appear to be smooth dark wooden planes. In areas, however, it appears that a red sap oozes from small cracks in the wood.
Hygan has set up shop in this area and placed several high-ranking confidants at his side including the Erinye diplomat Foronath Vrelek, the rogue druid/witch Lyana and several lesser devils he can trust. By the time the group makes it to his lair, they should be in desperate straits, but the ‘diversion’ orchestrated by Abel will help save their hides.
25. When the group gets to this point, read the following:
The irregular wooden corridors and rooms that you have been travelling through quite suddenly begin to change into a more structured design. The floors and walls are smoother and the curves are straightening out. As you descend, you see that the gentle slope you had been following is now a wide wooden staircase. However, unlike the previous parts of this complex, the wood seems to ooze a red sap on various places and has a musty, faintly wood-rotted smell.
26. The Sap Trap – approaching this room, the faint sounds of liquid can be heard dripping ahead. Throughout the room, thin streams of blood-red sap drool down to the floor to create large pools of the sticky substance. Anyone coming in contact with the substance has a chance of becoming stuck to it, similar to a Web spell. For every round a character stays in this room or they step into one of the pools, they need to roll a Ref save vs DC20 or get stuck in a grapple as per Web. They can escape with a DC20 CMB check, but if they are struck a second time, they must make successive checks to get out. A single person can be stuck up to 4 times in this room and cannot move while stuck. Unlike a Web spell, fire does not affect the sap in any way.
The room also contains 3 false double doors and 3 dead creatures who were trapped in here a few months ago and left to rot.
27. Kennels – Hygan keeps a kennel with several powerful Hellcats as well as a few loyal Nessian Hellhounds. Watching over these beasts is a beast of a man called Dirgah. Currently, Dirgah is feeding/training a group of Hellcats in the central area so there is a lot of noise. The portcullis at room A is open, but all the rest are down. The Hellcats in room C are attentively watching the central room and awaiting their turn. The Hellhounds in B are laying down but not displaying any interest in the Hellcat’s activities.
If the Hellcats or Dirgah notice anyone enter the kennel area, Dirgah will attempt to open the doors to the other Hellcats first and then open the Hellhounds’ enclosure if necessary.
A 15’ tall and 15’ wide ironwood portcullis separates the end of the hallway with a larger room beyond. The sounds of snarling, rending flesh and snapping bones can be heard from behind the bars. The smell of brimstone rolls your way and you can make out the ghostly shapes of large skeletal animals at the edge of your line of sight, their bones alight with eerie red flames.
To the left stands a hulking monstrosity of a humanoid, nearly 8 feet tall with greenish gray mottled skin, wearing a chainmail shirt and wielding an immense stone hammer. He appears to be giving commands to the skeletal animals and throwing large chunks of meat to the beasts.
Next to where Dirgah is standing is a stack of 14 dead bodies of all types of races. The “chunks of meat” are actually the dead bodies he is feeding the Hellcats.
Dirgah, ½ Troll Kennelmaster R6
Hellcat CR 7
Nessian Warhounds
28. First line of defense – this large room (20’ tall) is always guarded by loyal creatures from the kennels who are trained to attack anyone not escorted by a known master and make noise when they sense any unfamiliar scent. At the X in the corridor, the closest Warhound can roll a DC10 Per roll to smell the approaching party if they do not mask themselves somehow.
As you enter the room, you realize that the air around you does not contain the self-illuminated ‘mist’ that you have been travelling in. After your journey through the odd but artificial lighting, normal vision is now plunged into shadows and darkness while darkvision begins to penetrate a farther distance. This large room is immersed in a red glow coming from dark flames burning in 8’ tall brazier columns near the corners. Standing in the room are 3 large canine creatures with burning black fur and smoldering red eyes.
28A. The doors to this area are sealed with a high quality lock (DC30). Beyond the doors is a small passage ending in a dark green velvet curtain. Beyond are the private chambers for Hygan’s chief lieutenants, Lyana and Foronath.
This extravagantly appointed bedroom is dominated by a huge 10’ x 10’ bed on the right wall. A sturdy desk and chairs occupy the near corners and on the far side of the room is a strange tree-trunk looking object that appears to be rising out of the floor to a height of about 7’ and 3’ in diameter. A 1’ wide hollow in the trunk reveals a shallow basin containing some sort of dark liquid.
It is highly unlikely that the group will be able to bypass the guardians of the room outside without alerting the couple. In the case where they are alerted, they will Transport to Hygan’s side to warn him of the danger and await the showdown.
In this case, the party will find the room hastily evacuated with sheets laying half on the floor and the wardrobe hanging open. Lyana will take all of her personal items of worth, but there is a hidden cache behind a false panel that she made in the ceiling above the chairs (DC35 Per to find, DC30 to open locking mechanism) containing various gems worth a total of 16,500gp
The hollow in the tree holds a type of cauldron that she is using to brew potions. The current one is an Elixir of Love (CL4). There is enough liquid for 8 potions. A small crate of vials lies nearby with 26 empty containers.
3 Nessian Warhounds (see stats above)
29. A 30’ wide stairway descends into glowing red firelight, lit by regular column braziers. The stairs here alternate between 10’ of stairs and 10‘ of landing, with a brazier at each landing. They descend for 120’, dropping 60’ vertical. At about 80’ down the staircase, an Alarm spell has been cast so that anyone passing within 20’ of it will set off a ringing sound that can be heard in the room ahead.