Café de Nuit

gonzoron wrote:EDIT: Now I'm confused, though. I thought you once said that the CoD version Valana contradicted the Death Undaunted version enough that you would have had to rewrite a lot of the module. But what you presented here seems pretty close to what's in the book, even down to lifting several sentences nearly exactly.

The two main differences are that the DU version of Valana (which I provided to the CoD authors, mainly because my notes on the Tribe of Hyskosa were intertwined with her NPC entry) A) is one of the youngest members of the tribe, and just a disposable assassin, lot a leader (she wasn't even the raunie of the family with which she originally appeared), and 2) (the big one) by the end of DU, she's dead.

Mangrum wrote:Trivia: This would not have been her first appearance in the pages of Ravenloft

NotWD?

Act II: Better to be Loved

Desire with loathing strangely mixed
On wild or hateful objects fixed.
Fantastic passions ! maddening brawl!
And shame and terror over all!
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “The Pains of Sleep” (1816)

Act Two opens as soon as the heroes arrive in Martira Bay, preferably in the company of their new companions Oldar and Balitor. Act Two is organized differently than Acts One and Three. While other acts have a strong narrative drive, with one scene following another in a single chain of events, the PCs are largely free to blaze their own trail through the back alleys of Martira Bay. Thus, the scenes in Act Two focus on major locations the heroes might visit and special events that the PCs may either trigger or avoid entirely through the choices they make.

Although Act Two follows no rigid chain of events, the scenes will most likely fall into the following pattern. The heroes arrive in Martira Bay in this scene, and begin their investigation by visiting the Temple of the Overseer in Scene Nine. At the Temple of the Oversser the PCs find clues that lead to the Kargat’s secret headquarters, the Cosmopolis Club, in Scene Ten. There, the heroes can recover the soul focus (as well as its duplicate, the false focus, and make a dash for Avernus, ending Act Two.

Optionally, if the DM feels that the heroes need more of a challenge, they can encounter more of Death’s minions in Scene Thirteen.

On the other hand, if the PCs’ investigation takes too long, another Horseman arrives in Martira Bay in Scene Eleven, spreading panic throughout the city. The Kargat also react to this threat, and if the heroes have not yet obtained the soul focus, they will discover that it has been moved to a new hiding place in Scene Twelve.

Finally, if the heroes continue to dawdle, they will eventually run out of time. In Scene Fourteen, the heroes have one last, desperate chance to reclaim the soul focus as Tavelia’s Kargat and the Horsemen battle each other for the future of the domain.

Scene Eight: Martira Bay
This is an extensive overview of the city -- expanding on the information presented in Death Triumphant. The overview is broken down into the following subsections:

City of Ambition
A general introduction to the city and its appearance.

Queens and Pawns
A guide to all the power players in the city, including "The Lady Mayor," "The City Constabulary," "The Harbor Watch," "The Guilds," "The Overseer," "The Kargat," and "The Kargatane."

Each section basically describes that organization, what others know about it, and how it is likely to interact with the events of this adventure.

Layout of the City
A detailed description of each of the city's sectors, including side encounters and secondary NPCs. Also includes ways for the PCs to research or gain information on various locations around town, such as the "open secret" passwords needed for admittance into the East District's Cosmopolis Club. Also makes mention of some locations outside the city proper, including Cassus Hous, which stands a mile north of the city, where it is flanked by the Sea of Sorrows to the west and Wolscroft Field (one of Darkon's oldest graveyards) to the east.

The Darkling's Reprise
General advice on how to run Valana's continuing siege on the PCs during this Act. Basically, whenever the PCs get separated or otherwise put themselves at a disadvantage (but not within the confines of the Kargat's bases), Valana can pop up for a quick hit-and-run attack, hoping to pick off PCs one by one. Valana defintiely steps back into the shadows during this act, however, assuming she's even still alive.

Scene Nine: The Overseer
When the PCs arrive in Martira Bay, through Balitor they know that Tavelia has regained possession of the soul focus. They also know that she's a vampire, a Kargat leader, and that she poses as a priestess of the Overseer. Thus, the Temple of the Overseer is the obvious place to start looking for the focus. The PCs are basically on their own when it comes to these investigations. Oldar's helpless in a serious fight, and Balitor's insider status is a double-edged sword; although he knows more than anyone should, he is equally well known by Azalin's minions. If he shows his face around the Kargat, they'll nail him on the spot.

This scene details the Temple of the Overseer.

The Faith
A basic overview of the Overseer, the role it plays in Martira Bay's society, and its true purpose in the mind of its creator, Tavelia. Most of this can be found seeded into Gaz II.

Area Descriptions
A keyed map of the location. Just to tease you, here's the key:

1. Entryway
2. Worship Chamber
3a-b. Winding Stairs
4a-d. Testament Rooms
5. Clerical Apse
6. Cells
7. Communal Room
8. Storage
9. Sanctuary
10. False Crypt
11. Catacomb
12. Drainage pits
13. Inner Sanctum

Events and Encounters
With the exception of High Cleric Derakoth, the clergy are all Tavelia's nosferatu spawn, but Tavelia is extremely strict in insisting that all "Kargat business" be kept off the property. With the exceptions of the clergy's well-hidden coffins and a booby-trap or two intended to snare the overly curious, there really isn't much to find here. if approached, Tavelia refuses to "break character" in front of a crowd; her public persona is quite the little Mother Theresa.

While investigating, however, the PCs can uncover a few clues that lead them to the Kargat's true headquarters, the Cosmopolis Club.

* Lady Kazandra, owner of the infamous Cosmopolis Club, is listed on a plaque listing the Temple's biggest contributors (Tavelia slyly encourages this sort of competition among the city's elite).

* If the PCs ask too many questions (either of the clergy, or within the clergy's earshot), they may notice one of the priests sneaking off to file a report. If they successfully shadow the spawn, it leads them to the Club (or at least, a secret entrances located in a nearby soup kitchen).

* if the PCs somehow manage to get High Cleric Derakoth away from his "handlers" for a few minutes, the old lost one is quite open with what he knows, which is to say, almost nothing. He's incapable of acknowledging the existence of the Kargat, and he's quite excited about Tavelia's upcoming wedding to the king. He claims all the important people will be there, and doesn't seem to understand that the king is 'dead." He adds that he's not supposed to know about it, but he thinks he overheard a conversation where Tavelia said the reception would be held at the Cosmopolis Club. After a few minutes, the Kargat clergy hustle Derakoth away.

Scene Ten: The Cosmopolis Club
The Cosmopolis Club is a large urban estate in the East District, owned by the scandalous Lady Kazandra. In fact, this upscale "gentleman's club" is a front for Martira Bay's thieves' guild, which is in turn a front for the Kargatane, who in turn have no idea that they actually operate out of the main headquarters of the city's Kargat.

The PCs can gain entrance to the Club through a multitude of means, from good-old-fashioned sneaking over the wall, to exploring and discovering one of the secret entrances to the stronghold hidden beneath the manor. If the PCs have made the right social connections around town, they might even learn the right words to say to be invited in the front door. In short, getting in isn't the hard part.

When the PCs arrive in Martira Bay, this is where both the soul focus and its false duplicate are being held.

Area Descriptions
Once again, I'll tease you with the map key.

1. South Lawn
2. Approach
3. Antechamber
4. Guard Room
5. Cloak Room
6. Grand Lounge
7a-f. Private Rooms
8a-d. Private Rooms
9. Tavern
10. Cloak and Dagger Room
11. Ballroom
12. Kitchen
13. Secret Staircase
14. Hedge Maze
15. Courtyard
16. North Lawn
17. Entrance Hall
18. Carriage Room
19a-b. Stalls
20. Balcony
21. Kazandra's Office
22. Accounting Room
23. Gallery
24a-l. Bedchambers
25. Storage Closet
26a-c. Servant's Quarters
27a-b. Servant's Quarters
28. Bath Chamber
29. Linen Room
30. Orchestral Gallery
31a-d. Kazandra's Suite
32. Secret Staircase
33. Morwyck's Quarters
34. Hay Loft
35. Cold Storage
36. Wine Cellar
37. Secret Tunnel
38. Furnace Room
39. Fire Trap
40. Secret Staircase
41. Guild Hall
42. Hallway
43. Kazandra's Office
44. Safehouse
45. Hidden Entry
46. Observation Room
47. Secret Passage
48. Cage Trap
49. Magical Laboratory
50. Hallway
51. Upper Vault
52. Tavelia's Office
53. Water Trap
54. Pump Room
55. Secret Passage
56. Stake Trap
57. Trapworks
58. Dungeon
59a-p. Cells
60. Cage Mechanism
61. Crypt
62. Winding Passage
63. Sacrificial Chamber
64. Hidden Stairs
65. Lower Vault
66. Hallway
67. Spike Room
68. Records Depository
69. Torture Chamber
70. Lower Dungeon
71a-d. Cells

It's quite the sprawling bit of real estate, and basicalyl divided into three sections. First, there's the Club itself, the aboveground manor and pleasure hall that acts as a "honey trap" for the city's elite. This section is rife with secret doors, passages, and listening tubes, but generally "safe." Tavelia's employees want their patrons to have the feeling of being daring and risky, without thinking that they're actually endangering themselves by coming here.

Hidden beneath the manor is the thieves' guild/Kargatane headquarters, which can be accessed only by a few secret entrances.

Finally, at the core of the complex sits the spawling passages of the Kargat headquarters. Getting in here means not just finding exceptionally well hidden entries, but bypassing its lethal traps. The Kargat run this place like a bank vault.

All of the employees here are either Kargat or Kargatane, depending on their function, and the grounds are constantly patrolled. The PCs must rely on stealth, slipping in and out without raising the alarm, or they'll be in for the fight of their lives as assassins, werebeasts, and the undead all converge on them.

Events and Encounters
Well, where to begin? This location is really the heart of the adventure. The PCs need to explore the Club without being detected long enough to find the soul focus. They might even have to go in twice, in case they're unlucky enough to accidentally steal the false focus the first time around. The false focus is a mirror image of the real one; they're easily mistaken for each other, if you don't know what you're looking for.

If PCs walk in the front door or infiltrate the thieves' guild, they're likely to encounter Lady Kazandra. In public, she denies all knowledge of the existence of the soul focus, the Kargat (well, she doesn't know anything more than any other Necropolitan, at any rate), or the Kargatane. Of course, she acknowledges the Kargatane when dealing with its recruits, though probaby not by name. In private, if the PCs can get her talking (whether they have her at their mercy or vice versa), Kazandra admits that she does know about the soul focus' existence, but not its powers or purpose. If the PCs discover evidence of Tavelia's treachery and present it to Kazandra, she'll quietly throw her allegiance to them (which more comes into play in Act III).

If the Kargat detect the PCs, they'll play it subtle until they can steer the intruders away from the invited guests.

PCs who cause trouble or are captured are imprisoned down in the Kargat's cells for "questioning." They'll have to work their way free from there.

The soul focus automatically drains the life force of any living creature that touches it, dealing a negative level per round. To safely carry it, it must be contained in either a lead box or wrapped in negative energy-imbued leather. In other words, you have to skin something undead.

In various places, the PCs can also find Tavelia's immaculate notes, which
include her creation of the focus and its duplicate, her plans for it -- and the fact that she's already dispatched agents to Avernus to entice Galf Kloggin into bringing Azalin's phylactery here to Martira Bay. The clock is ticking!

As soon as the PCs have the soul focus in hand, they can race for Avernus, ending Act II. All the remaining scenes are optional.

Scene Eleven: Enter War
Three or four days after the PCs enter Martira Bay, War arrives. The PCs probably only hear about this incident, and may encounter its aftermath. The PCs can have a run at War if they want to, however; it's basically a recap of the Famine encounter, but this time the PCs know about the antithetical tokens, thanks to Oldar and Balitor. If they manage to defeat War, no matter; it'll be back soon enough.

More important than the encounter itself is what it triggers: First, the PCs realize that the Horsemen are closing in. Second, the Kargat freak out and up their security. Kazandra doesn't want the Horsemen coming to her Cosmopolis Club, so if the PCs haven't already stolen the soul focus, she and Tavelia relocate it and the bulk of her forces to Cassus Hous, Kazandra's home (and and old, somewhat disused Kargat headquarters), triggering Scene Twelve.

Scene Twelve: Tavelia's Crypt
The PCs might reach this scene one of two ways. First, if War arrives; second, if the PCs infiltrate the Cosmopolis Club, fail to acquire the soul focus, and are detected. Either way, the Kargat relocate to this relative remote location and hunker down.

Cassus House stands at the edge of Wolscroft Field. At the heart of Wolscroft Field, far beneath its surface, lies the incredibly elaborate crypt of Malemare, Tavelia's wasteful -- and long since destroyed -- creator. Tavelia hides the soul focus inside this deathtrap of a tomb. There are two secret ways into the tomb: Through a trapped entrance in Malemare's mausoleum above, or through a hidden entry in Cassus Haus. One option is obscure and lethal for the uncautious; the other requires that the PCs battle their way through the Kargat.

Area Descriptions
There are three interconnected locations mapped out in this scene: The Shuttered House, The Shunned Mausoleum, and Tavelia's Crypt.

Events and Encounters
The crypt is built around one elaborate deathtrap in particular, which involves a receding staircase that winds around a vast, seemingly bottomless pit. Add to this a living wall and some dive-bombing gargoyles, and you've got some fun. While exploring the crypt, the PCs may encounter Malemare's other vampire brides, all of whom have been mortared inside their sarcophagi since the night he was destroyed on Tavelia's behalf.

Once again, this scene ends when the PCs escape with the soul focus -- it's on to Act III.

Scene Thirteen: Dead Man's Chest
In case the PCs need a little more of a challenge, the DM can insert this scene. While the PCs sneak into either the Cosmopolis Club or Tavelia's Crypt, odds are they have to leave Oldar and/or Balitor behind.

Thing is, the Horsemen aren't Death's only servants in Martira Bay; there are others who would prefer to see the domain fall. When the PCs get back, the allies they left behind are gone, but someone is waiting in their place: A fisherman, who keeps his face in the shadows and covered up by his oilskin tricorn and greatcoat. A sailor who positively reeks of rancid fish and guts -- and who uses that stench to mask his own foul odor.

He's one of the "Black Crimps," a press gang that supposedly stalks the Waterfront streets by night, looking for crew to take back to the Bountiful.

The Black Crimps are also ghouls and ghasts, and their ghoul lord captainhas thrown in his lot with Death. If he hands over the soul focus, Death will let him rule Martira Bay -- an entire city of rotting meat.

The Black Crimp has a simple proposal: The PCs must come to the docks at midnight, at which point they'll be rowed out to the Bountiful to make a trade: Their allies for the Fiery Eye. If the PCs took the false focus with them when they stole the real one, they might realize that these ghoulish sailors won't know one from the other. Alternatively, they can just blow off their friends, or have a throwdown with the undead crew.

Scene Fourteen: Where All Roads Lead
This scene takes place only if the PCs really dawdle. One week after the PCs reach Martira Bay and Act II begins, Galf Kloggin and his boys arrive in town with Azalin's phylactery.

Tavelia immediately publically announces her upcoming wedding (though to whom exactly remains a much-discussed mystery about town). The PCs have just one more day to recover all of the various tokens they need. If they fail, Tavelia's plan is to invite the high-and-mighty of Martira Bay to her wedding. There, she will join the phylactery and the false focus and restore Azalin to power -- as her slave.

Of course, this doesn't escape Death's notice either, and the Horsemen storm the Temple of the Overseer during the ceremony. If the PCs are present at this event, it's really their very last chance to snatch victory away from the jaws of defeat. Of course, it also means slipping into the middle of a battle between the Horsemen and the Kargat, so the odds are bleak.

If, by this point, the PCs still haven't won Kazandra over to their side, then (barring PC intervention) she throws her Kargatane into the fray, holding off the Horsemen long enough for Tavelia to complete the ritual. The adventure ends with "Tavelia Triumphant."

On the other hand, Kazandra has thrown her lot in with the PCs, then she avoids the ceremony. Barring the PCs, the Horsemen overwhelm the Kargat, destroying Tavelia and her spawn. They then make off with the various talismans. If the PCs are still alive -- at this point, we're going "off the map" of the adventure -- they have to somehow reclaim the talismans before the Horsemen deliver them to Death in Il Aluk. If they do, they can squeak restore Azalin themselves, resulting in either a variants of "The Heroes Triumphant" or "Tavelia Triumphant," depending on their actions. if they fail, it's "Death Triumphant."

The short version is, this is a scene the PCs really don't want to have happen.

Next post: Act III.

The more I read of this outline, the more I feel it's a darn shame it didn't get published. I love this adventure with all of my body, including my clavicles. The adventure makes me want to flip out and restore liches. And it's clearly a manifestation of real ultimate power.

OK, last one:

Act III: Castle Avernus

Thus, I had so long suffered in this quest,
Heard failure prophesied so oft, been writ
So many times among “The Band ”- to wit,
The knights who to the Dark Tower’s search addressed
Their steps - that just to fail as they, seemed best,
And all the doubt was now - should I be fit?
—Robert Browning, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” (1855)

Act Three begins when the player characters acquire the true soul focus and successfully flee Martira Bay with it in their possession. The heroes will be in even better shape if they also possess the false focus. The heroes should be headed toward Avernus to unite the soul focus with Azalin’s phylactery. Should the heroes try to flee the domain with the soul focus in their possession, the borders of Necropolis will automatically close to keep them trapped. Azalin is now increasingly aware of the heroes’ actions, and he will not allow them to flee with his last hope for restoration.

Although the heroes are free to go anywhere they want in Necropolis, Balitor and Oldar (assuming they are still alive) will stress that they have no time to spare; the Horsemen are still closing in, and now the Kargat may be on their heels as well. If neither Oldar nor Balitor has survived this far, the encounters in Scenes Fifteen and Sixteen can still warn the heroes that time is of the essence.

Scene Fifteen: A Desperate Chase
This scene basically covers the PCs' flight from Martira Bay across the countryside to Castle Avernus. It includes two encounters:

Valana's Final Bow
Valana makes her final assault on the PCs, doing everything in her power to kill as many of them as possible. If she was killed earlier in the adventure, odds are the PCs didn't burn her body to ash. If that's the case, she comes back as a wight (retaining her class levels). When the PCs finally put an end to her in this encounter, she chokes out one final prophecy: "Know this: When the King of Death has your sword to your throat, it will be too late to change your fate." (This is referenced in "The Heroes Victorious.") Valana may also spit out a dying curse, depending on the whim of the DM.

Strange Bedfellows
At some point, Kazandra and a small entourage of Kargat spawn and human Kargatane catch up with the PCs while on the road. They've been dispatched by Tavelia to stop the PCs and recover the talismans.

If the PCs won Kazandra over to their side during Act II, she and her Kargatane doublecross the vampire spawn, joining with the PCs. She offers her assistance as an ally -- at least until Azalin is rightfully restored. She also presses that Tavelia will send more and more Kargat when she fails to report back.

If the PCs failed to recruit Kazandra back then, this is their last chance. If they convince her now, then it's as above. If not, it's a battle to the death (though Kazandra would rather flee to fight another day).

Scene Sixteen: Enter Pestilence
On the outskirts of the Forest of Shadows, with about two days' journey left to go before the PCs reach Avernus, the PCs pass a roadside farmstead. They notice that the animals in the paddock are all oozing with sores -- most of them are already dead -- and there's even a human famer lying in front of the barn, wheezing his last breath, his body rotting as the PCs watch. If the PCs try to help the man -- Oldar will insist on it and try to rush over to help him -- Pestilence bursts from the barn, launching its attack. (And if the PCs don't stop to help, Pestilence attacks anyway.) If Oldar did run up to the barn, then it's he who Pestilence attacks first, pinning him to the ground with it lance. This scene plays out like the encounter with Famine, except this time, Pestilence isn't playing around. It demands the soul focus -- and it knows the PCs have it.

If the PCs don't hand it over immediately, Pestilence lets Oldar go -- he's rotting now anyway -- and moves in on the PCs. If the PCs are clever and resourceful enough, they can hand over the false focus. Pestilence doesn't suspect the trick, and takes off immediately for Il Aluk, cackling horribly with glee. Otherwise, it's a battle to the finish. (If Pestilence is destroyed, it's still restored in time for the next scene.)

The final clock is ticking down -- Pestilence will rush the false focus to Il Aluk. In the meantime, the PCs won't have to worry about the Horsemen. However, once Death gets its claws on the false focus, it'll see through the trick, and it won't be pleased to say the least.

Scene Seventeen: At the Gates
The PCs arrive at the gates of Avernus with their surviving allies. As the PCs reach the foot of the castle, however, they spot the Horsemen -- all three of them -- bursting from the edge of the forest to the north at a mad gallop. They still have to cross the cleared land, but the combined fury of the Horsemen will be on the PCs in a matter of moments. If Kazandra is with the party, she offers to hold off the Horsemen to buy some time. She won't last long, however, so it won't be much time.

Meanwhile, Galf Kloggin and his brigands are up on the crenelations. Balitor announces himself and demands that Galf let them in, but Galf reveals his doublecross. The little rat-bastard (literally) says he won't let them in unless they give him the soul focus. Galf's also a little rattled by the hellish trio currently barreling up the way toward him.

The PCs have a couple of options here:

* The PCs get inside the castle by their own means. The simplest means to that end is to have someone climb the walls and fight their way to the gate controls. Galf's forces are mainly wererat rogues and warriors, with a handful of werewolves and maybe even a werebear.

* The PCs agree to hand over the soul focus. Galf opens the gate a crack and tries to take it before letting the PCs in. If he somehow succeeds, he shuts the gate again, leaving the PCs outside, at which point he returns to the crenelations and taunts the PCs with his cleverness. In this case, when the Horsemen arrive, all the PCs have to do is point out that they don't have the soul focus anymore -- it's Galf's problem now. As much as the Horsemen would like to destroy the PCs, their primary focus is on recovering the focus, so the PCs can just step aside if they like -- or even help the Horsemen breach the gates.

More likely, when Galf opens the gate to take the focus, the PCs use the opportunity to force their way inside. The werebeast brigands put up a fight, trying to get the focus from them, but it doesn't last long -- some of the brigands have to turn their attention to shutting the gate before the Horsemen get in.

* If the PCs bluff Galf, saying they'll just hand the focus over to the Horsemen then, Galf breaks down (he's been ordered to make sure the Horsemen don't get it) and lets the PCs in anyway. After they shut the gates, the brigands attack, as above.

The Horsemen arrive shortly thereafter. They don't mess around with threats or promises. Instead, to breach the powerful magic reinforcing the gates of Avernus, they dismount and use their own steeds as battering rams. This destroys the steeds (theoretically, at least until Death reforms them for the Horsemen) and thus weakens the Horsemen, but it does get them inside after a few rounds.

Scene Eightteen: The Keep
The PCs need to find Azalin's phylactery in the remaining moments before the Horsemen breach the gates. Fortunately for them, it's no longer all the way up at the top of the keep. While occupying the castle, Galf's brigands have thoroughly looted the place (losing quite a few of their number in the process) and have been packing up their stolen loot -- much of which they don't even understands -- in the thone room. Galf's wererats engage in a fighting retreat in that direction, inadvertantly leading the PCs the right way. Galf's men don't really have the PCs' destruction as a goal; with the Horsemen bearing down on them, they just want to get back to their loot, grab as much as they can carry, and scurry away the first chance they get.

As a note, along with the phylactery, Tavelia ordered Kloggin's men to gather up anything of "sentimental value" to Azalin, to spark his memories and ease his return to the world. But there was also plenty of valuable stuff lying around that Galf didn't think the old wizard would miss.

Galf isn't insane; if the PCs explain that they can combine the soul focus and the phylactery to destroy the Horsemen -- who otherwise are going to slaughter everyone present -- that bit of Diplomacy can convince Galf's forces to stand down, and even to lead them directly to the throne room.

The scenes inside the castle are keyed to the map from From the Shadows, though the PCs are likely only going to enter a few rooms. If the PCs do go "off track," however, brief descriptions are included for the rest of Avernus to bring it up to date (and reflect its years of neglect and Kloggin's recent activity).

Scene Nineteen: The Throne Regained
The PCs reach this scene when they enter the throne room with the soul focus. If it hasn't happened yet, the Horsemen breach the gates at this moment, and will thus be on the PCs in a matter of rounds.

To restore Azalin, the PCs need three things:

* The soul focus, which the PCs have. Check.
* Azalin's phylactery, which Kloggin's men have rolled down to the throne room. Check.
* A body for Azalin to inhabit. As Balitor eyes the remaining brigands, he mentions "any old bones will do." Rather than become the sacrifice in a magic ritual, Kloggin (and any of his remaining men) are quick to point out that they have bones -- a complete skeleton, just sitting in a sack propped by the thone. They were told to find objects of sentimental value, and Kloggin assumed that whoever the inhabitant of the ornate crypt they discovered was -- Irik Zal'Honan, in fact -- he probably meant something to Azalin to merit the royal treatment.

As the PCs touch the soul focus to the phylactery, Mists immediately begin to coalesce and converse around the bones and assorted trinkets. Azalin's spirit is being drawn back into a corporeal body, a process that will require several rounds. As soon as the process begins, any remaining brigands, including Kloggin, try to unobtrusively grab some loot and sneak out, hoping to lay low until the Horsemen have passed, then slip away.

Round One: Reddish lights start to pulse in the mist as it flows around the bones. Any ability drain caused by the Shroud immediately disappears as the Shroud begins to lift.

Round Two:: The bones clatter together into a human shape, and the pulsing skeleton sits bolt upright. As the Shroud is fully disipated, the PCs' maximum hit point totals are restored to normal (along with getting that 10% of their hit points back immediately, a nice little boost).

Round Three: The skeleton flies to its feet. Good news! Also, if they haven't already, the Horsemen burst in. Bad news.

The Horsemen have but one goal: To stop Azalin's return. If they separate the soul focus from the phylactery, the process stops cold. The bones clatter to the floor, and if the talismans are combined again, the process has to start from scratch.

Until the process completes itself, the PCs have to keep the Horsemen away from the phylactery, by every means at their disposal. If the Horsemen get an opportunity to slip by, they'll take it, but otherwise they're content to simply hack their way through the heroes. This is the final stand, with no room for retreat on either side.

Rounds Four and Five: As the skull's eye sockets fill with an increasingly bright reddish glow, mists continue to stream through the room into the skeleton. The reddish, pulsing glow surrounding the bones intensifies, almost as if forming blood and muscle around the skeleton. Meanwhile, the PCs just need to stay alive.

Round Six: With a final flash of reddish light from his eyes, Azalin once again cloaks himself in his mortal illusion. The Horsemen freeze, then back away in terror. Now they fight only if attacked, and black mist begins to stream away from their bodies, as if blown on a wind originating from Azalin himself.

As the last wisps of pale vapor seep into Azalin, just before the glow dies out in his eyes, he proclaims, seemingly to no one, “I… am… Darkon.” His gaze then gains focus, and he glares at the heroes before him. Azalin asks, "Where... am I?"

If no PCs reply, Balitor supplies that Azalin has been gone for nearly five years. Azalin frowns. “I have gone nowhere. I have been swimming in dreams of darkness.” His gaze then shifts to the cowering Horsemen, and he sneers, taking a step toward them. He addresses them. “Interlopers… You are the servants of Death, are you not? I sense his presence in your fear. In your final moments, tell your master this: Azalin Rex has returned, and there will be… changes made.” Azalin gestures at the Horsemen — barely a flicker of his fingers — and the Horsemen are instantly destroyed as if hit by an atomic blast.

Far away, in Il Aluk, Death senses the destruction of the Horsemen as one might experience having the blade suddenly drop while sticking one's arm through a guillotine.

Scene Twenty: Denounment
As the dust settles from the final battle with the Horsemen, the PCs find themselves in the throne room with Azalin, who -- mentally at least -- is still settling in from his state of powerless omnipotence. However, he's also at full power, and in his rattled state, he brooks no insolence. His first act is to demand that everyone present kneel before him. If anyone tries to attack him, he bats them away with a simple spell -- or perhaps simply destroys them outright. Azalin is obviously on the razor's edge of a TPK here, and demands to know why he shouldn't simply destroy the PCs where they stand. It's up to the PCs -- or Balitor, if needed -- to "talk Azalin down." Once Azalin is himself again, the adventure is over, with "The Heroes Victorious."

And that's it, folks.

I have copied all of this in a file which is currently printing for easier reading (29 pages!).

John, in your summary you posted 2 years ago, the last "section" of DU's epilogue was "Once and future king". I guess most of these notes are now into Gaz 2 - current status of Azalin Rex?

Joël

Man, I've been waiting to read all of this for... going on 8 years now. Thanks, John!

Once and Future King
Night had fallen across the land, cloaking the evening sky in deep violet. Azalin stood alone on the King’s Watch atop the highest tower of Avernus, and gazed out over his kingdom, savoring the silence.

“Congratulations, father.” The voice jolted Azalin from his reverie. He spun to face the speaker, a golden-haired, spectral youth who had silently materialized on the balcony.

“Irik,” murmured Azalin, stunned. “How is it that you have left your crypt?” Azalin’s son had not strayed from his tomb in all the decades since his death.

Irik gestured to his father. “You wear my bones,” he said, without malice. “Where else would I be?”

Azalin looked down at his hands. “I will remedy the situation at once,” he uttered, after a heavy pause.

“There would be little point,” said the ghost. “My resting place has been defiled. It no longer holds any meaning for me. Plus, I fear you need me here more.

“Was the murder of all those thousands worth it?” Irik asked, his voice still devoid of hatred. “Look what it won you. Five years of oblivion. Your kingdom is in ruin, and the jewel in your crown is lost.” Irik cast his gaze towards Il Aluk, a dark smudge on the horizon.

Azalin scowled. “Always to be my tormentor?”

Irik frowned, his face sorrowful. “Never. Your conscience, perhaps. My words can only torment you because you know them to be true. I know you too well, father. Already you plan your vengeance — against that thing calling itself Death, and against everyone else you blame for the choices you yourself have made. Death calls you ‘father’ as well, you know. But you won’t be able to cut off that son’s head.”

“Enough!” Azalin bellowed. “You do not know me as well as you think! I have lost much. And I do already think towards the future. But I did not sleep these past years.” Azalin turned to look out over his domain. “I could hear them all; the thoughts of the living, of the dead, of everything… even your thoughts, my son.”

Azalin turned back to Irik, grinning. “Vengeance is for another day. Tonight I will heal a wound.”

Azalin’s illusory eyes closed as he focused his thoughts. In a moment, the deed was done.

The people of Necropolis dreamed that night. When next they woke, they remembered something new. Each and every one of them recalled that their homeland suffered under the pall of Death no longer. One thought at a time, the name of Necropolis withdrew from the land, replaced by an old memory, until it retreated into Il Aluk, and was heard no more. The kingdom of Azalin Rex was Darkon once again.

gonzoron wrote: But even if he did end up in Tavelia's body, liches revert over time to their original undead appearance, no matter what kind of corpse they move into.

How boring...

I remember the note on Irik, however...

------------------------------------------------------

Whoa! What a cool adventure, Mr Mangrum!

I want to run it right away! (...Actually, why not... My next gaming group starts next week, though we had agreed to explore Souragne, why not give them such a pleasant surprise... )

Thank you Mr Mangrum.

Extraordinary as we expected.

A question: For everyone, not just J. Mangrum

Mangrum wrote:Azalin’s illusory eyes closed as he focused his thoughts. In a moment, the deed was done.

The people of Necropolis dreamed that night. When next they woke, they remembered something new. Each and every one of them recalled that their homeland suffered under the pall of Death no longer. One thought at a time, the name of Necropolis withdrew from the land, replaced by an old memory, until it retreated into Il Aluk, and was heard no more. The kingdom of Azalin Rex was Darkon once again.

He can do that? Can he change all the memories at once? I thought it was one person at a time...

And for posterity's sake, remember that this is all based on an outline written by Steve Miller and Cindi Rice.

alhoon wrote:He can do that? Can he change all the memories at once? I thought it was one person at a time...

He can change one memory at a time. In this instance, he's making one simple change, and applying it across the board, without it requiring any individualized finessing or fine tuning.

Wow.... I never thought I'd see the day. Thanks again, John. It is really a great adventure that finally makes the whole Grim Harvest debacle worth it.

And thanks for the info on Valana. Good to see that the CoD stuff wasn't too far off. Raunie or not, she's still the same age, and she wouldn't be the first character to reappear after seemingly being destroyed in an adventure or book. (I always wondered why the tribe of Hyskosa grabbed me so much more than the rest of the book. It's because it was written by someone who understood the setting. )

I am sure good Joel is already behind this, but would it be legit to compile and layout your notes as a PDF for public download, Mr Mangrum?

Good work!

So, as others have asked, might we see this as a downloadable pdf?