Long ago, when the Old Dynasty began to fail on the
mainland, Uruk Kigal was exiled with a whole cadre of his
supporters for practicing deviant and forbidden magic.
Uruk departed the jungle valleys of his youth in search of a
new home. He crossed the sea and discovered Sahu, a large
island of mysterious beauty that resembled, in many
respects, his beloved home.
The island was divided into a low-lying coastal region,
an inner high plateau embraced by jungle, and a high ridge
of mountains rising from the center of the island like the
spine of a vishap. On the high plateau, by the shores of a
sepia lake, Uruk built Nycopolis and made his city the capital of a new monarchy. He built the Great Summer Palace
out of solid ivory and erected a mighty Colossus in his
image to guide visitors safely to his island. Uruk was the
first and most powerful of the Necromancer Kings, and he
ruled Sahu, some say wisely, for many hundreds of years.
Now, Sahu was not entirely uninhabited when Uruk
founded the New Dynasty. The colonists found the traces
of an even more ancient civilization on the island, based on
the low, sandy shores. They discovered entire ruined cities
of antique metal towers, sundered and dilapidated, lapped
along the coast by the hungry sea. In these mushroom-
shaped spires, exotic totems and strange shrines were
unearthed, temples of the forgotten god Thasmudyan,
King of Worms, Lord over Life and. Undeath. Many of the
New Dynasty began to worship this ancient god whose
first followers had long since abandoned Sahu to live forever beneath the cold waves of the sea (or so the ancient
legends say).
The worship of Thasmudyan, known as the Cult of
Worms, soon flourished again under an ambitious priestess named Vermissa, one of the first nobles to accompany
Uruk into exile on Sahu. But the King was jealous of Vermissa's mounting influence, and he conspired with his
most powerful nobles to destroy her. Vermissa disappeared
soon after from Nycopolis. When she died, the Cult of
Worms floundered without her direction, and Uruk
reigned supreme once again in his mighty new kingdom of
necromancers.
Thus the age-old conflict between king and high-priest
began again in Sahu, transplanted from the mainland by
its colonists, and it sprang forth anew with all the vehemence of old. As it destroyed the Old Dynasty, so too did
it unravel the Necromancer Kings. The New Dynasty
eventually withered and died, leaving only mournful spirits to glide over the still black waters by the ruins of
Nycopolis. Now only their histories and their mysterious
artifacts remain as sad, silent testimonies to their former
power and glory.
—From Kazerabet's Art of Necromancy
Thus far, we have been primarily concerned with
developing the individual components of the necromancer and death priest. We have presented kits,
powers, spells, and magical items, but we haven't
really discussed how to fuse these elements into
characters and use them in a campaign. In this chapter, we address these issues.
First we present a sample campaign with guidelines for creating a detailed and convoluted storyline
lasting for many adventures The chapter also contains some adventure hooks which the DM can drop
as rumors or expand into full-length scenarios if
desired. These scenarios illustrate a multitude of roles
for the necromancer and death priest in the campaign.
Finally, we devote the remainder of the chapter to
seven detailed NPC necromancers and death priests
who will pop up intermittently in this chapter as
they have been doing so throughout the rest of this
book. Our goal is to provide the DM with an interesting setting, specific adventure ideas, and necromancer characters that can be easily incorporated
into an existing campaign.
General methods for creating settings and NPCs
have already been covered in other blue-cover DM
supplements. For more general information on running a successful campaign, the DM should consult
the Creative Campaigning sourcebook. A starting DM
may also refer to the Complete Book of Villains for general guidelines on creating compelling nemeses for a
campaign.
Isle of the Necromancer Kings
Every campaign or adventure begins with an epic
story such as the tale of the Necromancer Kings. Legends and lore form the backdrop of any campaign,
creating a mood and background that will inspire
your players and get them interested in your world
and all of the things that occupy it.
A good campaign is created like an onion, with
various layers of perception and reality overlaying
one another. At each layer, a party of adventurers
starts with a common perception, myth, legend, or
rumor and uncovers the reality or truth behind that
perception. This revelation leads to a new, deeper
awareness of the world, which can be again challenged in another adventure. This cycle progresses
until the entire onion had been peeled away, revealing a single, terrifying truth or reality at the core that
irrevocably changes the PCs' perception of the entire
campaign.
A detailed setting is extremely important to creating a vivid and memorable campaign. Sahu, the Isle of
the Necromancer Kings, can easily be transplanted
into the ocean of any world. Its official location is in
the southern hemisphere of Toril, in a region of the
Land of Fate setting known as the Ruined Kingdoms
of Nog and Kadar. (Incidentally, the Old Dynasty,
alluded to in Kazerabet's tale of Sahu, is fully detailed
in the Ruined Kingdoms boxed set). But Sahu could just
as easily be located off the coast of Amn or the Shining
South in the Forgotten Realms, another region with a
legacy of powerful ancient empires.
Sahu is an ancient place, the home of two destroyed
civilizations: the New Dynasty of the Necromancer
Kings and the Old Empire of Thasmudyan that preceded them. It is an island of ruined cities, magical
pools, and cursed lakes. Its forgotten palaces are littered with the treasures of bygone epochs and scattered with the bones of foolhardy explorers.
Sahu itself is the outermost layer of the "campaign
onion" mentioned earlier. It is important that, in the
beginning of the campaign, Sahu appears like "just
another interesting place to adventure." Indeed, Sahu
is dubbed the "Isle of Serenity," though the actual
meaning of the word is rooted in deep antiquity. Actually, in the ancient language of Kadari, spoken by the
Necromancer Kings, Sahu means something like
"Serene Eternity," an old euphemism for Death. The
island's name is another example of the contrast
between conventional popular belief and a deeper,
more sinister reality.
Sahu is a perfect setting for adventure, and in this
section, we present a brief guide. Note that you, as the
DM, can "deconstruct" Sahu, scattering its individual
elements anywhere in your campaign, especially if it
is primarily land based with little or no access to the
sea. Finally, these place descriptions also illustrate the
varied settings and contexts in which a necromancer
or death priest will feel most at home.
The Twin Villages of Misbahd and Jinutt
Sahu is not completely bereft of civilization. Two
villages, Misbahd and Jinutt, can be found on the
island's northern shore, at the base of the giant
plateau. These settlements can be used as the starting
point for most adventures, since the party will presumably have arrived at one of these ports by ship.
Misbahd is a dilapidated and squalid den of rogues
and pirates. The settlement is well fortified, protected by a small fleet of "privateers," and its shops and stores are filled with all types of merchandise,
illicit and otherwise. Jinutt, on the other hand, is a
small, simple village of fishermen who provide food
to Misbahd in exchange for various necessities.
Despite the villages' serene or mundane appearance, there is something peculiar about them which
should only be learned after several visits in which the
PCs have become sufficiently familiar with the locals
and village leaders. Eventually, the party members
will notice that there are a few shrines to mainland
gods, but there is no large temple or priesthood in
either Misbahd or Jinutt. There are no healers or
priests capable of raising the dead on Sahu. Neither is
there a cemetery. When people die (which happens
quite frequently in rough Misbahd), their bodies are
carried in a funeral procession out to the edge of town,
where they are abandoned to "the wild forces of
nature," presumably to be devoured by wild animals.
This ancient tradition is very sacred to the villagers,
and it applies to everyone on the island - both natives
and visitors. To break with this holy rite would anger
the evil spirits of the highlands, who would punish
the offending village. Those attempting to interfere or
stop a funeral procession will be quickly confronted
by a hysterical and violent mob.
Although they would never admit it to any visitor,
many of the villagers are secret worshippers of the
ancient god Thasmudyan and are fanatical members
of the highly secret Cult of Worms. The entire ruling
hierarchy in both villages is made up entirely by
cultists who arc sworn to absolute secrecy. The bodies
of the dead are actually carried away by a pack of
ghouls (disguised as plum-robed priests) to a nearby
underground temple where the corpses are ritually
devoured by the ghouls and a small hierarchy of death
priests (Charnelists) whom the PCs may recognize as
members of the village council. Each temple has a
black stone idol of Thasmudyan and a small treasury
which may contain a few magical items of minor
importance. Obviously, important magical items are
wielded by the priests and ghouls themselves.
Finally, these villages are also ideal locations to
learn various rumors and lore about the island. In
general, the superstitious villagers (island natives)
consider the upper plateau to be haunted, a forbidden, dangerous place of ghosts and evil spirits. A few
retired adventurers in the villages have more information. With suitable monetary encouragement, they
reveal the location of "ruins along the shore of the
sea" (Ereshkigal) supposedly containing fabulous
treasures and magical items, virtually unguarded.
The Iron Spires of Ereshkigal
Further north along the coast from Jinutt lies
Ereshkigal, a largely deserted city of ruined metal
towers, located about five miles inland so its appearance cannot easily be discerned from the sea without
a telescope. The ruins are quite extensive, spreading
out over a few square miles.
The city encompasses hundreds of metal spires
fashioned like giant mushrooms or fungi. The few
intact specimens are hollow shells bereft of any
kind of stairs, with only a few small entrances at the
base (symmetrically arranged) and a central hole in
the 120' high ceiling. Most of the outlying towers
have already been stripped of anything interesting
by explorers, but spires in the center of the city are
filled with bizarre inscriptions in an unknown language (predating the Kadari tongue of the Necromancer Kings).
Contrary to rumor, Ereshkigal's treasures are
hardly unguarded, since the towers of the inner city
serve as lairs for several packs of ghouls and ghasts.
These lairs are clustered around a central spire that
has been converted into a lofty cathedral to Thasmudyan, guarded by a powerful high priest with the
powers of a greater mummy, who carries an ancient
horn of the exalted dead.
Concealed beneath the shrine's altar is a secret
passage leading into a convoluted mazework of tunnels and subterranean corridors that stink of ghast
breath. Ultimately, these caverns lead to the Garden
of Eternity (detailed below), but they are filled with
roving packs of armored undead soldiers, deadly
glyphs of warding, and ravening beasts of the Underdark.
The Colossus of Uruk
On top of the plateau, overlooking Ereshkigal and
the deadly Horn of Sahu, stands the Colossus of
Uruk, easily visible from the coast. This gargantuan,
150'-tall granite statue was erected by the first of the
Necromancer Kings and originally served as a lighthouse to protect incoming ships from the reefs. The
Colossus has been completely overgrown by plants
and birds' nests. The statue's stone body is entirely
hollow, like an odd tower, and contains numerous
chambers, including a small library and a magical
lantern room in its hollow head. The eyes of the
statue once contained specially enchanted lenses that
magically magnified any light source in the room so
it would be visible for miles at sea.
Now the huge eye lenses of the Colossus are shattered, but two of the broken fragments might still serve as makeshift eyes of minute seeing. The walls of the lantern chamber were lined with fire-proofed gold to
augment the internal reflection, a source of fabulous
wealth for the lucky adventurer who recovers it. However, the primary light source for the chamber is still a
huge, imprisoned, and very angry fire elemental (16
HD, maximum hit points) who will attack any who
enter the room and attempt to steal its valuable furnishings. Without the enchanted lenses of the Colossus, the elemental's glow can no longer be perceived from outside, except nearby and at night.
The first time the party visits the Colossus, the
entrance at the base of the statue will be wizard locked
(cast at 20th level), and the beautiful philosopher Kazerabet will be perusing some of the volumes in the
library (see her separate NPC sheet at the end of this
chapter). Luckily for the PCs, she will have already
deactivated the most deadly of magical wards in the
Colossus. She will not attack the party unless they
assault her first, and will warily introduce herself as
Zaribel, since her formal name might be too easily recognized by any experienced student of magic. Note
that this powerful archmage could easily obliterate
even an experienced party, so try to drop veiled hints
about the kind of person the party is dealing with.
Comments like "I'm glad you didn't come here earlier,
before I disarmed the old symbol on the door" should
work nicely.
Although she will not reveal anything about her
past history or future plans, Kazerabet does not
mind hinting that she is interested in the history of
the Necromancer Kings and had always wanted to
visit the Colossus. Most scholars like to flaunt their
knowledge, and Kazerabet is no exception. The PCs
might pump her for information about the ancient
history of the island, learning all of the lore presented in the chapter introduction. Before she teleports mysteriously away, she warns the party not to
take any of the books in the library, since she might
want to return and peruse them later. Although the
books are not warded in any way, Kazerabet will
come looking for them eventually if the party takes
any. The party is free to peruse the books in the
library itself, however. Its shelves may contain copies
of various histories of the Necromancer kings,
including a copy of the Nycoptic Manuscripts and On
Corning Forth by Day. This is a good opportunity for
the DM to introduce the party to some of the necromantic lore or spells presented throughout this book.
The Tower of Pizentios
This spire lies on the eastern shores of Sahu, as
described in the Tales of Captain Omar (see the introduction to Chapters 7 and 8, and the NPC sheet for
Pizentios). The mushroom-shaped metal tower, similar to the spires of Ereshkigal, cannot be seen from
shore, but there is a small collection of wooden
buildings in a sheltered lagoon that serves as a supply base for a pirate ship of necromancers, the Scrofula (see the NPC sheet for Sarzec).
Normally well-camouflaged by palm trees, the
wooden supply sheds might have been temporarily
uncovered in a recent storm, making them visible
from a ship at sea. Otherwise, a party might stumble
across the lagoon by chance, with or without the
Scrofula at port.
The supply sheds are guarded by a squad of
twelve zombies (maximum hit points). The zombies
will not attack if the party leaves the supply sheds
alone. If the undead are defeated, the storerooms will
be found to contain spare sails, spars, rigging, and
planking - everything one might need to equip a
ship, except food and water.
The palm groves near the sheds are the home to
four newly made shadows, recent victims of Pizentios's shadowblade. These creatures only emerge from
the grove at night. Of course, any sounds of battle at
the lagoon or supply sheds will undoubtedly attract
Pizentios, who will appear with his infernal familiar
Ifrit to exact vengeance (and perhaps gain more
zombies).
If the party leaves the sheds alone and explores
inland, they are quickly spotted by the invisible Ifrit,
who warns his master of their approach. The evil
necromancer will attempt to dupe the party using
the same ruse he employed on Captain Omar, but he
will have telepathically summoned his zombies and
shadows just in case the stratagem fails. He has
learned from his past mistakes and is determined not
to let history repeal itself.
The DM should place only a moderate amount of
treasure ill Pizentios's tower, since Omar's raid already
stole most of the finer pieces in the necromancer's
hoard. Should the party manage to defeat Pizentios, he
will attempt to flee through a massive bronze door in
the basement, leading to the Underdark beneath Sahu
and, eventually, to the Garden of Eternity. The DM
might allow a resourceful party to follow him there,
only to be driven back by the Bone Legion after the
PCs have briefly glimpsed the Garden.
Capital of the Necromancer Kings
The ruined city of Nycopolis stands on Sahu's
inland plateau, on the shores of an inky black lake.
The desolate ruins are utterly devoid of life. No speck
of grass grows within a mile of its crumbling walls.
No animals, living monsters, or island natives will
voluntarily approach it. The last of the Necromancer
Kings, in his madness, opened a gate to the Negative
Material Plane in the lake, and it promptly sucked all
the life force out of the city's debauched inhabitants.
Some believe it was the evil god Thasmudyan who
inspired the last King's madness, a final act of vengeance against the dynasty that betrayed him. Others
believe the King's vile act was performed out of sheer
spite held against those that were destined to outlive
his tortured soul's time on this earth.
At night, Nycopolis comes alive with the spirits of
the dead. Pale ghosts, spectres, and banshees rise up
from the lake every evening, flitting mournfully
around the ruins. These spirits take on the shapes and
professions they had in life, centuries ago when the
metropolis prospered. Every night, the ghost of the
last Necromancer King rises from the lake to hold
court in his Royal Palace, accompanied by an entire
doomed retinue of spirits. The living are not welcome
in this ghost city by night, but there is nothing to deter
adventurers from exploring the city during the day
The monumental architecture of Nycopolis is at
once sinister and beautiful to behold. The city was
hewn from the blackest of volcanic rock, erected in
the shape of a perfect nonagon with a monolithic
black tower at each of its nine corners. Wide boulevards radiate into the city from each gatetower,
opening into a network of palaces, bazaars, shops,
and warehouses, all constructed from the same dark
granite, all completely deserted and eerily empty.
The city looks as if it were deserted yesterday, with
laden carts still littering the streets and fully-furnished homes still lining the boulevards. Nycopolis
has been frozen in undeath by a terrible curse.
The vast Royal Palace at the center of Nycopolis
still contains many treasures of its past. There is
enough wealth and magical items in the palace to fill
a thousand coffers, but all of the gold is tainted with
an irrevocable plague curse, and its only surviving
artifacts are twisted and evil.
In the basement of the Royal Palace, past the vaults
heaped with antique treasures, lies a massive copper
portal tarnished blue-green with age and heavily
traced with spirit wardings and ghost banishings.
Indeed, the warded door is meant to keep out ghosts,
spirits, and other undead, but these magic runes have
no power over the living. The door is unlocked, and
leads into a tiny, 10' teleportation chamber. Those who
enter immediately vanish, reappearing in a similar
chamber beneath Uruk's Summer Palace.
Uruk's Summer Palace
The Summer Palace was King Uruk's second great
architectural wonder, a complete contrast to his capital's dark and dreary buildings. Erected a hundred
miles south of cursed Nycopolis, on the high plateau
overlooking the Rubban's Tears, the Summer Palace
was fashioned from tons of solid ivory and white
marble. Its domed halls and wide courtyards gleam
like polished bone in the bright sunlight.
The Summer Palace is completely secluded from the
rest of the island in the heart of an impenetrable wilderness. There is no road across the ghoul-infested plateau from Nycopolis, and the approach by sea is impossible due to the cliffs, jagged reefs, and hungry schools of
ixitxachitl. The safest approach is by air (and even that
can be dangerous because of the wyvern roosts in the
Spine), though the King himself favored the teleportation cell deep in the basement, for both its quiet efficiency and its unquestionable security.
The Summer Palace is thus a perfect, secluded
retreat, shielded from the rest of the world by anti-
divination wardings. Even the existence of the Summer Palace was a closely guarded secret, since
according to legend, Uruk himself raised the building with immortal laborers, tasked genies, and
fiendish servitors in only three days and three nights.
He told its location to no one and filled the surrounding jungles with undead creations and fell guardians
to safeguard his privacy.
Kazerabet stumbled across the Palace quite by
chance, while flying over the island on a magical
steed. She had read references to the Summer Palace
in ancient texts from Uruk's reign and was delighted
to find the palace uninhabited by any significant
threat, with most of its library intact. She has lived
there for years, leaving only to explore the island or
pay a social call on Vermissa in the Garden of Eternity. Now she devotes much of her time to researching the various methods of attaining lichdom.
There are two magical gates in the basement of the
palace, one ancient (forged by Uruk himself) and one
new (created recently by Kazerabet). The ancient gate
leads to the basement of the haunted Royal Palace in Nycopolis. The newer portal gates visitors directly to
the Garden of Eternity. Both portals have been massively warded to keep out undead, and Kazerabet has
placed an invisible symbol of stunning in the foyer to
trap uninvited living visitors. An invisible stalker has
been tasked with watching these doors and will report
immediately to Kazerabet the moment one opens.
The archmage is bound by her own code of honor to
offer hospitality to visitors, and she will be wryly
amused if she encountered the party previously at the
Colossus. Providing the heroes treat her with proper
respect, Kazerabet entertains them grandly for three
days. She then asks them not to trouble her research
again, and she allows them to leave the way they came.
These three days are a perfect opportunity for the
adventurers to ask Kazerabet more questions about
Sahu and its many secrets. She might offer insight
into Pizentios's loathsome character (particularly his
vulnerability through Ifrit), some lore about the history and dangers of Nycopolis, and perhaps some
veiled hints about the Garden of Eternity.
As noted earlier, Kazerabet should be much too
powerful for the party to fight with any real hope of
survival. References to invisible fiendish servants,
the occasional glimpse of a genie, and the numerous
embalmed ju-ju zombies maintaining the palace
should be ample hints of her extreme power. If the
party is rude, attacks her, or pries too much into her
private research, Kazerabet will promptly subdue
the offenders and let them rot in her oubliettes for a
while. Days later, she will release them, stripped of
all equipment and magical items, into the monsterinfested jungle outside her palace.
The Garden of Eternity
Deep within the core of Sahu, somewhere beneath
the Vishap's Spine, rests an ancient prison for an
undying priestess of Thasmudyan, the lich Vermissa
(see her NPC sheet). Imprisoned in the Garden of
Eternity by King Uruk and eight lesser barons, Vermissa was abandoned in her subterranean abode and
all but forgotten. The Garden is not a physical prison,
but a magical binding that prevents Vermissa (or her
spirit) from leaving. Others can enter and leave the
Garden freely. Vermissa gives regular audiences
from her prison to a steady stream of undead followers and living cult members.
The magical binding was formed with nine magical seals, each enchanted with life force transfer and
wrought into the main doors of the Garden by a
different necromancer. Vermissa will need another nine
similarly powerful necromancers to free her, each
casting revoke life force transfer on an unbroken seal.
Recently, Vermissa persuaded Kazerabet to break
one of the seals, just as she convinced Nebt Bhakau
(Pizentios's former master) and four other powerful
necromancers in the past centuries to aid her, for Vermissa knows the secrets of lichdom, and she gladly
bestows them on wizards who aid her. It is only a
matter of time before she is freed, but just to help
matters along, Vermissa bestowed her patronage on
the young Pizentios, expecting him to break the seventh seal when he becomes sufficiently powerful.
The garden itself is in a vast cavern whose walls
have been magically smoothed. The ceiling has been
imbued with continual light, and the rich soil has
given root to many strange plants that Vermissa has
augmented over the centuries of her imprisonment.
The trees and flowers in her garden give bloom to
many horrendous human parts with grotesque limbs
and faces grafted into the scaly brown bark of twisted
mauve bushes or somehow fused into giant orchidlike flowers. These pale limbs and contorted faces are
not dead, for that would be merciful and provide
little entertainment for Vermissa. The trees and flowers in the Garden arc alive, after a fashion, twisted
into pathetic, fleshy things that crave new fodder.
Vermissa feeds her Garden frequently, sometimes
with the occasional visitors when they displease her,
or with hand-picked enemies from the surface.
Vermissa lives in a U-shaped palace that wraps
around one half of the Garden, embracing it in a semicircle as if it were an outdoor courtyard. The largest
chamber in the palace, besides the audience hall, is a
huge cathedral to Thasmudyan, beneath which rests a
hidden treasure vault containing Vermissa's phylactery. The palace contains an extensive library of necromantic lore (stolen from Uruk's vaults in Nycopolis by
Vermissa's ghouls) and a tall trophy room, where the
lich saves the animated heads of her most entertaining
visitors for moments when she craves light-hearted
conversation. There is an entire wing of "guest"
rooms, though only the necromancers Pizentios and
Kazerabet (and other prominent, living cult members)
make frequent visits.
Reaching the Garden is not an easy task, as it lies
beyond a mazework of twisting runnels, protected in
key regions by powerful glyphs and symbols or guarded
by well-organized detachments of Vermissa's Bone
Legion, an elite force of mummies and ju-ju zombies.
These caverns rise to the surface in a number of locations, such as the hidden shrines outside Misbahd and Jinutt, the ruins of Ereshkigal, and the tower of Pizentios. Cult members have a secret password that they
use to gain passage through the various traps and
guardians of the Underdark, but these code phrases
change frequently (once every few months). Perhaps
the most direct way into the Garden is through the
multiple gates leading from Nycopolis to the Summer
Palace, and from the Palace to the Garden, but these
magical portals are used only by Kazerabet herself and
would probably require her personal permission
(unlikely given).
The Garden of Eternity is the secret core of the
Necromancer Kings campaign, and knowledge
about its location and true contents should be kept
mysterious for as long as possible in the campaign.
Infiltrating the Garden, confronting Vermissa, and
defeating the lich priestess should only be attempted
by the most powerful and resourceful parties.
A more likely scenario would involve the heroes'
attempted infiltration of the garden, and their subsequent capture by the lich, who would be more then
happy to give them a tour of her facilities, providing
at least some opportunity for role-playing. If they
entertain her sufficiently (or somehow manage to
beat her at chess), the lich might release them. Otherwise, they will have to devise their own escape (possibly aided by Kazerabet if she has grown fond of the
PCs by now). If not, the party will end up as souvenirs in the trophy room or as screaming nourishment for Vermissa's Garden.
Adventure Hooks
After one visit to Sahu, a timid party of adventurers may want leave and never return. This is only
natural. Some would call such heroes intelligent or,
at the very least, discreet for cutting their losses so
early. In fact, if the adventurers are frightened of
Sahu, you, as the DM, have been doing your job
right! Here are a few more strategies that you can use
to lure a reluctant party of heroes back to the island.
Additionally, they can also serve as independent
adventure hooks for a background even distantly
related to the tale of the Necromancer Kings.
The Pirate Necromancers
While on the mainland, the party hears rumors of
increased pirate activity in the waters near Sahu. The
heroes might be hired by a wealthy merchant to protect his caravel on its voyage past the dangerous
island, or they could be enlisted by a nervous town
council to perform a reconnaissance of the island and
search for the "secret" pirate base.
The adventure itself can be relatively straightforward, with the party first encountering the pirate
ship Scrofula (see Sarzec's NPC sheet) near the island.
During the battle, one of the zombies' eyes begins to
glow with a red light as Vermissa begins to watch the
engagement from the distant Garden of Eternity.
Before the party hacks the zombie apart, the adventurers hear her speak through the undead's mouth.
Although Vermissa does not reveal her identity, her
cold voice is clearly female: "Welcome to the Isle of
Serenity, you fools. You will all be feeding my servants ere long!" The malevolent laughter only ends
when they hack the zombie apart.
Note that the DM can make this simple encounter
much more difficult for an experienced group of
heroes by placing Pizentios among the crew. Of
course, Pizentios will teleport to safety if the battle
looks hopeless, taking Sarzec with him. A search of
the ship after the battle reveals a sea chest filled with
minor booty taken from the Scrofula's latest victims,
Sarzec's spellbook, and a rutter (a navigational aid)
that will help the PCs locate Pizentios's tower once
they decipher its codes (requiring comprehend languages and several days to decrypt).
However, while the party is pondering its course
of action, a powerful storm rolls across the sea
toward them, driving them inexorably towards the
reefs in the Horn of Sahu. The storm has been conjured by Vermissa, and she intends to dash their ship
to pieces. Unless the party can dispel her unnatural
weather, this will likely be their fate. Although the
heroes manage somehow to survive the shipwreck,
they are now marooned on the northern tip of Sahu.
Bhakau's Return
Pizentios's first master, Nebt Bhakau, was the
Court Astrologer in Afyal, a wealthy island kingdom
near Sahu, quietly manipulating events according to
the wishes of Vermissa in the distant Garden of Eternity. But Bhakau's role was eventually uncovered, and
the Astrologer was captured by a small group of wizards who blocked his contingencies and prevented him
from fleeing. In captivity, Bhakau is said to have written the Book of Shadows with the help of minor familiars who had not deserted him. The necromancer was
tortured and finally killed, his body divided into six
pieces, each individually burned and buried separately in distant parts of the island. The Astrologer's
tower in the royal palace was razed, and records of his
very existence were obliterated.
For any regular necromancer, Bhakau's demise
would have been final. But the evil god Thasmudyan
had granted Bhakau a Dark Gift: the ability to regenerate (one reason why the wizard could survive
countless torturing sessions and dictate a book after
his tongue had been cut out). This power would
have enabled the necromancer to rise up from his
ashes, were they not sealed in individual containers
and buried separately.
Back on Sahu, Vermissa has decided that enough
time (almost 30 years!) has passed, and she can safely
attempt to restore one of her favorite dead servants
back to life without arousing undue suspicion in
Afyal. Note that, without major access to the sphere
of Divination, Vermissa must rely heavily on allies
and spies for information.
The necromancer was a valuable ally, an excellent
field agent for her Cult of Worms, and prophesied in
the Nycoptic Manuscripts to be instrumental in her
release (see below). She instructs Pizentios to sail to
Afyal (on the Scrofula or a suitable replacement procured in Misbahd), where he breaks into the cemetery
and steals some burial remains of a known accomplice
in Bhakau's execution. The necromancer conveys the
ashes back to Vermissa, who interrogates the executioner's spirit, learning the locations of the six urns.
Vermissa has no desire to send Pizentios away on
a lengthy quest of this kind, so she arranges for
living cult members on the mainland to hire various
groups of mercenaries and adventurers to discreetly
find the six urns for her. The urns are all located in
inhospitable places (like at the bottom of the sea,
buried at the base of a scorpion-filled ravine, or
entrusted in the care of a neutral dragon, genie, or
guardian daemon). Here is an opportunity for the
adventurers to actually work for the Cult of Worms,
though the cultists are far from sincere about the real
purpose of the party's mission.
The cultists pose as members of the Brotherhood of
Sorrow. The ashes, they claim, are the sacred relics of a
martyred saint. The cultists pay very well, well enough
that the party should not ask too many questions. If
the party simply does as they arc told and recovers the
ashes, they are amply rewarded, and the adventure
ends there. On the other hand, if they start probing
around for hidden secrets, perhaps casting divinations
on the urn or its contents, they may find themselves
confronted with new mysteries, all of which point
directly to deadly adventure on the Isle of Sahu.
The Scourge of Thasmudyan
The Nycoptic Manuscripts foretold many plagues
and portents, but none arc more terrible than the
Opening, when the Ninth Seal in the Garden of Eternity will be broken, releasing Vermissa from her
magical prison. The first portent of her release,
alluded to in the Manuscripts, is the spread of disease
across the land as the "cold breath of Thasmudyan
heralds the return of His chosen."
Rampant plague is an excellent backdrop for a
campaign of necromancers and death priests. It
should descend on a setting slowly, with vague
rumors of unexplained deaths filtering to the adventurers before the massive epidemic breaks out, slaying as much as a third of the local population. This
plague is at least partly magical in nature, since clerical magic is much less effective against it. Cure disease
has only a 50% chance of success (the spell only
works once per victim), and only heal is 100% effective in eradicating the infection.
Before long, the Brotherhood of Sorrow arrives,
and the Flagellants try their best to mediate the local
pain and suffering. One of the Master Flagellants
approaches the heroes, asking their help to stop the
disease. The learned priest has heard of the Nycoptic
Manuscripts, which describe magical plagues of this
sort and might contain suggestions of a cure. He
begs the party sail to Sahu and search for a copy, which may greatly help alleviate the suffering.
The prophetic manuscripts can indeed be found in
Sahu, either in the Colossus of Uruk or perhaps in the
Tower of Pizentios (or the Garden of Eternity itself). A
perusal of the scroll docs reveal a cure for the disease
(eating one raw scarab beetle a day), but it also suggests
the cause of the plague: "the release of Thasmudyan's
chosen." (Vermissa is not named specifically).
There are two other prophesies in the manuscripts
that are directly related to Vermissa: "The Sundered
Man shall be made whole by the Chosen, who will
release Her" (this refers to the restoration of Nebt
Bhakau, mentioned previously) and "The Chosen
shall Emerge when the Colossus walks in Nycopolis" (this can be taken to mean that the Colossus of
Uruk will come to life in some way, but it really
alludes to the fact that Bhakau and Pizentios, working together, will create a huge, flesh golem (a Colossus of sorts) and use the monster to physically destroy Vermissa's prison). All of this will happen
exactly as was predicted, unless, of course, the necromancers' evil plans are thwarted by the intrepid
adventurers after they bring back the knowledge of
how to cure the plague!
Lich Hunting
It is highly probable that the heroes may not survive
a direct, violent confrontation with Vermissa. If the DM
wishes to stage one anyway, in a truly epic style, feel
free to introduce the party to King Talib, lich-hunter, as
an individual who can provide them with some much-needed aid. Introducing Talib helps muddy the situation even further, given his past involvement with
Kazerabet and her secret intention to become a lich herself. Naturally, Talib does not reveal that he is still Kazerabet's husband, and he does not know that his wife is
currently on Sahu in the Summer Palace.
Once Talib learns that the adventurers have visited Sahu, he will approach them (in a corpse host) to
learn about their adventures. He will offer money,
magical items, or even his services as a lich-hunter in
exchange for all they know about the island. He has
long suspected that Sahu might be the haven for (at
least) one lich and has researched its history quite
thoroughly. He has reason to believe that Vermissa
and Uruk made the transformation centuries ago.
Talib confides all these secrets to the heroes, hoping
to sway them to his side. Later, when he gets to know
the party better, he may even reveal the personal reason for his crusade against liches.
Talib is respectfully cautious, particularly where
liches are concerned. He has completed some discreet
magical reconnaissance of the island and uncovered
the existence of the Cult of Worms in Misbahd and Jinutt. He now feels ready to visit the island, albeit disguised in a corpse host. He needs the adventurers
because of their familiarity with the island, and he
would appreciate their company during the visit. He
promises them the wealth of the Necromancer Kings
if they seem uncertain (and are motivated by greed); he also warns of the danger to the surrounding world
when Vermissa finally earns her freedom.
Talib's relationship with Kazerabet adds another
convolution to the exploration of Sahu. If the party
has already encountered her and informs Talib of
this, his first goal will be to track down his wife,
determine her motives for staying on Sahu, and try
to convince her to join him on his lich-hunt. If the
party hasn't met her before, he will insist on exploring the ruins of Nycopolis, where they will find the
"back door" into the Summer Palace and there
encounter Kazerabet. The melodramatic reunion
between husband and wife gets off to a shaky start
(Talib is, after all, disguised in a corpse host). Kazerabet angrily sets her wards blazing when she sees the
party, threatening to wipe them out for disturbing
her research one too many times. Then Talib calls her
by her true name (Inanna) to get her attention, and
he reveals his true identity. She calls his corpse host a
"neat trick," and he praises her radiant beauty and
asks her to come back to him. "You finished your
precious book," Talib notes casually. "I enjoyed reading it enormously," he adds, complimenting her further (he knows too well how to butter her up).
Kazerabet still loves her husband, but she tries
very hard not to show it. She refuses to join him and
the party against Vermissa (that would be contrary to
her personal code of honor), but she will allow him
(along with the adventurers) to use the gate in her
basement to quickly reach the Garden. She says as
little as possible about her involvement with the lich,
except that she was studying Vermissa for a new
book. Her interest in Sahu, she claims, was purely
academic.
Aided by Talib, the adventurers may now be able
to defeat Vermissa. Before her destruction, however,
at a climactic moment in the battle, Vermissa reveals
the true reason Kazerabet was helping her, and suggests that Talib's wife has already made the transformation into a lich. Before Vermissa dies, she wishes
Talib joy in hunting his wife down and slaying her.
Make sure to arrange for Talib's corpse host to die a
grisly, death before the climactic scene, leaving the
final dirty work in the battle, and the destruction of
Vermissa's phylactery, up to the heroes alone. After
her death, presuming that the adventurers emerge
from the battle victorious, the party hears a distant
roar, and Thasmudyan informs them of his displeasure. He curses the heroes with any malediction the
DM finds appropriate (save vs. spells at -4). The curse
can only be removed by a 20th level or higher priest.
Afterward, confirming Vermissa's allegations, the
PCs will find the Summer Palace completely empty
should they return there via the gate, with no trace of
Kazerabet's former occupancy. Talib teleports there in
person to congratulate the adventurers, and he
searches the palace for any clues to Kazerabet's current whereabouts. She has indeed left a clue, a small
vase on a neglected mantle. A legend lore cast on the
vase will reveal the distant location of its manufacture, another renowned center of magical learning.
Kazerabet might be found somewhere near that
vicinity, but perhaps the vase is nothing more than a
red herring, planted there to throw a persistent husband off her trail.
Necrophiles
As the sample campaign has shown, vivid and
believable characters are essential to keep a convoluted plot moving forward. NPC necromancers are
not passive, boring hulks, lurking in a crypt, waiting
for an unsuspecting party to wander by. Each has his
or her own agenda, plans, and ambitions, and these
may - or may not - coincide with allied necromancers,
even in an allied organization. In the last section of
this book, we finally present seven of the necromancers and death priests to whom we have alluded
throughout this book, as concrete examples of the
multiplicity of roles these characters can play in the
campaign.
Two of these characters, Ellandra and Mistress
Yola, are purposefully independent from the Necromancer Kings campaign and can easily introduce a
group of PCs to an entirely different series of adventures involving the Anatomical Academy and Ellandra's goal to restore her dead husband. The DM
should feel free to tailor or modify the backgrounds
for any of the other characters to suit the needs of a
particular setting. May these necrophiles provide
you with inspiration for countless more intriguing
characters in your campaign.
Ellandra
Lady Doctor Ellandra Tolbert
13th-level Human Necromancer (Anatomist)
Str: 9
Dex: 17
Con: 10
Int: 16
Wis: 17
Cha: 15 (10 without grafted face)
AC:1
THACO: 16 (13 with hornblade +2 or throwing knife)
Movement: 12
Hit Points: 39
Alignment: Neutral
Dark Gifts: Nil
Special Attacks: By spell or magical item; opponents save at -1 vs. her necromantic spells; specialized in knife.
Special Defenses: Contingency invokes a fire shield spell if physically attacked.
Saving Throws: PPDM 11; RSW 7; PP 9; BW 11; S 8.
-1 bonus on saves against necromantic attacks, +3 magical
attack adj. (Wisdom).
Size: M (5'3")
WP: knife (specialized), rapier. NWP: anatomy (16), etiquette
(15), heraldry (16), modem languages (elvish, dwarvish, 16),
healing (15), herbalism (15), reading/writing (18), spellcraft
(15), spirit lore (11), venom handling (15).
Spells: color spray, detect disease (WH), light, magic missile, protection from evil, unseen servant; detect life (WH), ESP, ice knife (WH),
knock, living link, protection from paralysis (TOM); delay death
(WH), dispel magic, false face, iron mind (WH), paralyze (FOR),
wizard sight (TOM); brainkill, empathic wound transfer, minor
globe of invulnerability, shout, summon spirit; cloudkill, bone
growth, graft flesh, teleport, throbbing bones (WH), wall of force;
death spell, power word, silence (FOR), transmute steel to bone.
Equipment: Bracers of Defense AC4, greater bone ring, platinum
necklace set with a pearl of power (5th level), amulet of life protection, wand of paralyzation (66 charges), hornblade (dagger +2), diamond wedding ring (5,000 gp), gold necklace (1,500 gp), four
jade bracelets (500 gp each), doctor's satchel with knives,
scalpels, saws, bandages, four vials of soultravel, three vials of
mindshadow, potion of extrahealing, three pots of Kheoghtom's
ointment, and two packets of dust of sneezing and choking.
Physical Appearance: A short, pale woman in her late thirties,
Ellandra has thin yellow hair and hazel eyes, highlighted by
long gold lashes. Ellandra's hands are milk-white and delicate,
her fingers tipped by unusually long nails. When nervous,
bored, or anxious, she will clack her nails impatiently, on the
nearest available hard surface.
Despite her natural beauty, Ellandra is insecure about her
own appearance. She favors long-sleeved robes cut in the exotic,
southern style of Calimshan to modestly conceal much of her
body, and she keeps a black leather shoulder bag nearby, which
contains her surgical equipment and medications.
Background: Ellandra was born into one of the noble houses of
Neverwinter. Her father was a famous Anatomist, and as a
child she assisted him in his dissections. When she was 13, a
disgruntled serf burned the Tolbert Estate to the ground. Only
Ellandra survived, but her face was badly burned in the
inferno. After that disaster, she resolved to continue her
father's research, eventually joining the Anatomical Academy.
At first, Ellandra focused her research on curing - or at least
hiding - the horrible burns on her face. She first developed
false face for that purpose. As her power grew, she learned how
to graft flesh from a cadaver onto her own scarred face, concealing her deformity.
Today she still maintains a grafted face, and her skill with the Art enables her to blend the corpse flesh with her own skin
exactly. She continually fortifies this disguise with multiple
overlapping spells, so that it cannot be undone all at once by a
single lucky dispel magic. Ellandra has maintained this "disguise" for years.
Her former husband, Gerard Anterra, was a famous sea
captain and privateer, but he tragically died in action off
Nelather more than five years ago. His body was never recovered, and Ellandra was plunged into deep depression. After
Gerard's death, Ellandra devoted her life to the Academy.
Ellandra now labors exhaustively at her research, secretly trying to find a way to bring her husband permanently back from
the dead.
Her close friend and confidante. Mistress Yola (detailed in
her own NPC sheet), has recently cultivated a mild cruel streak
in Ellandra. Even though Ellandra does not follow her friend's
fanatical religious views, she still regards Yola as a trusted ally.
Role-Playing Notes: Ellandra carries herself with the hauteur
of a true aristocrat. She is fantastically wealthy and expects
everyone around her to cater to her whims, if not for her wit
and beauty, then for her money. Ellandra is an accomplished
surgeon, but she only practices these skills on the living to
show off or to endear herself to potential allies. She really has
little concern for healing - her interest lies in dissecting and
studying the dead body.
Despite her wealth and power, Ellandra is sad and lonely.
She mentions her dead husband Gerard in just about any conversation, and when she is especially morbid, she dredges up
memories of her father. Ellandra craves love and attention. She
adores flattery.
Despite her quirks and mood swings, Ellandra is more sad
and tragic than cold-heartedly evil. She can be extremely generous with those she is trying to befriend. Ellandra would
make an interesting patron for a party of adventurers. She
might even take a party mage under her wing, especially if he
coincidentally reminded her of Gerard.
Kazerabet (Zaribel)
Angel of the Dark, Former Queen of Ysawis
20lh-level Human Necromancer (Philosopher)
Str: 12
Dex: 15
Con: 10
Int: 17
Wis: 19
Cha: 18
Armor Class: 1
THACO: 14 (12 with magic staff)
Movement: 12
Hit Points: 48
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Granted Powers/Dark Gifts: Nil
Special Attacks: By Spell or magical item; opponents save at -1 against her necromantic spells.
Special Defenses: Chain contingency (TOM) raises a prismatic.
wall and a homonculous shield (TOM) around her in defense
when she snaps her fingers; stoneskin spell withstands 12 physical attacks; contingency spell teleports her to safely if wounded
to 10 hp or less; has combined permanency spells with comprehend languages, protection from normal missiles, read magic, and
tongues; has used wishes to shield her from all divination, location, and scrying spells; immune to cause fear, charm person,
command, friends, and hypnotism.
Saving Throws: PPDM 10; RSW 5; PP 7; BW 9; S 6.
+2 on saves vs. spell (magic staff); +1 bonus on saves against
necromantic attacks, +4 magical attack adj. (Wisdom).
Size: 5'6"
WP: dagger (thrown and wielded), staff. NWP: ancient languages (Kadari, 17), ancient history (16), brewing (17), engineering (14), etiquette (18), herbalism (15), heraldry (17),
airborne riding (17), necrology (19), netherworld knowledge (16), reading/writing (18), religion (19), singing (18),
spellcraft (15).
Spells: animate dead animals, burning hands, color spray, corpse
link, chill touch, exterminate, feather fall, grease, magic missile. spectral voice, spider climb, unseen servant; darkness 15' radius, embalm,
ESP, ghoul touch (WH), levitate, living link, skeletal hands, spectral
hand (x2), protection from paralysis (TOM), vocalize (WH), web; delay death (WH), clairvoyance, dispel magic, dispel silence (FOR),
fireball, infravision, lightning boll (x2), slow, vampiric touch,
tongues, wizard sight (TOM); contagion, dimension door, enervation, magic mirror, summon spirit, polymorph other; animate dead
(x2), dismissal (x2), magic jar, teleport; chain lightning, lich touch
(FOR), invisible stalker, globe of invulnerability, legend lore; finger
of death, lifeproof(AA), power word, stun, spell turning, vision; death shroud, maze, mind blank, sink; time stop, wail of the banshee
(TOM), gate.
Equipment: staff of the magi (18 ch.), amulet of terror (13 ch.),
bracers of defense AC 2, ring of regeneration, ring of wizardry (doubles lst-3rd level spells), talisman of divining (detects undead,
38 ch.), wand of lightning (48 ch.), handglyph of power (death spell,
2 ch.), nether scarab (18 ch.), figurines of wondrous power (three
ivory goats, one use remaining for each), miniature, modified
iron bottle worn on necklace (containing six barbazu), scroll of
protection from undead, two bottles of greater ju-ju wine, potions
of invisibility and extrahealing (x2), two concealed daggers.
Appearance: Kazerabet has a strong, forceful personality and
an intellect so intense and commanding that at first one may
almost be tempted to forget to notice her attractive face and
figure". Her eyes arc a spectacular steel gray, and they flash like
drawn daggers when she is angered. She has a proud and
expressive mouth, with ruby-painted lips that often curl into a
pouting smile or a contemptuous sneer. For important occasions, she puts on a platinum tiara that accents her eyes (10,000
gp) and drosses in a full-length imperial robe, encrusted with emeralds (7,500 gp). During more intimate audiences, she
prefers a semi-translucent gown, vaporous and sheer like a
shroud of mist.
Background: For the past two centuries, Kazerabet has been an
eminent researcher, a scholar, and a theoretician of the necromantic Arts. She practiced necromancy to gain a greater
knowledge of life by studying death, embracing the Art
because it was forbidden and mysterious. Kazerabet has
always been fascinated by the history of the Necromancer
Kings of Sahu and their legacy of magical artifacts.
Kazerabet's researches have taken her to Sahu, the Isle of
the Necromancer Kings, where she uncovered the Garden of
Eternity hidden beneath the island. There she has entered into
a mutually beneficial pact with the lich-priestess Vermissa (see
her NPC sheet). In exchange for access to her ancient library
and assistance in attaining lichdom, Kazerabet has agreed to
remove one of the nine ancient glyphs keeping Vermissa
imprisoned in the Garden.
Kazerabet is a neutral visitor in the Garden of Eternity. She
is fascinated by Vermissa, as she represents the history she has
been studying for decades. Although Kazerabet easily tolerates
the presence of undead, she has no respect for Vermissa's living cult members and allies. She finds the necromancer Pizentios (see his NPC sheet) particularly distasteful.
Role-Playing Notes: Kazerabet carries herself with all the
pride and dignity of exiled royalty. She is an extremely private
person and never discusses her past history or future plans.
Though Kazerabet memorizes divinatory and defensive
magics, she is fully capable of unleashing a torrent of devastating spells (and barbazu) when provoked. If she is seriously
endangered, her chain contingency will activate (see "Special
Defenses"), giving her time to release her barbazu from her
iron bottle, cast time stop, and ready her necromantic attacks.
She will not hesitate to teleport away from a lost battle so she
can gate in a greater baatezu and prepare her own ambush.
Pizentios
Master Pizentios of the Ghoul's Skin, Shadowmaster
11th-level Human Necromancer (Archetype)
Str: 15
Dex: 11
Con: 15
Int: 18
Wis: 16
Cha: 10
Armor Class: 1 (with spirit armor) or 7
THACO: 17
Movement: 12
Hit Points: 58 (including Ifrit's hit points) or 40
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Dark Gifts: Enhanced night vision (and wizard sight (TOM)), turn/command undead as 6th-level cleric.
Special Attacks: By spell or magical item; opponents save at -1 against his necromantic spells.
Special Defenses: Telepathic link with Ifrit, Ifrit's ability to regenerate (1 hp/round), and Ifrit's 25% magic resistance.
Saving Throws: PPDM 11; RSW 7; PP 9; BW 11; S 8.
+3 on all saves (magic robes), +1 bonus on saves against necromantic attacks, +2 magical attack adj. (Wisdom).
Size: 5'6"
WP: scimitar, staff. NWP: ancient languages (Kadari, 18),
ancient history (17), brewing (18), herbalism (16), necrology
(16), netherworld knowledge (14), reading/writing (19), religion (16), spellcraft (16), spirit lore (6), venom handling (14).
Spells: corpse visage (WH), corpse link, chill touch, grease, magic
missile; choke (WH), spectral hand, stinking cloud, vocalize (WH),
web; blink, dispel magic, non-detection, spirit armor (TOM), vampiric touch; Beltyn's burning blood (FOR), dimension door, minor
globe of invulnerability, polymorph self; animate dead, cloudkill,
summon shadow, wall of bones (WH).
Equipment: shadowblade scimitar, staff of skulls (20 ch.), robes of
protection +3, gold signet ring (150 gp, engraved with the wheel
symbol of the Necromancer Kings), heavy black robes imbued
with deeppockets. filled with miscellaneous spell components,
adventuring gear, 14 garnets (500 gp each), three pots of ghast
salve, potions of vitality, gaseous form, and undead control, scroll of
wizard spells (cast at 11th level): chill touch, vampiric touch,
mummy touch (FOR), and animate dead, a protection from fire
scroll, and four packets of dust of coagulation (TOM).
Appearance: Pizentios's most distinguishing feature is his
clammy blue-gray skin. His fingernails and lips are an even
darker shade of blue, lending him the appearance of a fresh
corpse. When he smiles, his blue-black gums contrast hideously
with his pearl white teeth. Pizentios is otherwise a dumpy,
short, middle-aged man with a protruding round belly. Most of
his hair has fallen out, leaving him partially bald, except for a
thin fuzzy band of whitish strands clustered above his cars and
around the back of his head. He has intense, dark eyes and a
cold, emotionless voice that sends shivers up the spines of
weak-hearted listeners.
Background: Pizentios was hand-picked as an apprentice by
the infamous necromancer Nebt Bhakau. When Pizentios was
a youth, Bhakau sent him to explore Sahu and learn the secrets
of the Necromancer Kings. Before Pizentios could return, however, he learned of his master's imprisonment and demise.
Fearing a similar fate should he return, Pizentios remained on
Sahu.
One day, Pizentios encountered a group of ghouls and
joined their pack by using ghast salve. The ghouls led him to the
Garden of Eternity, where he met the imprisoned Vermissa (see
her NPC sheet). The lich had once been Bhakau's patron, and
she embraced Pizentios as an exiled son. The necromancer
swore an oath of fealty to Vermissa and her evil god, Thasmudyan, gaining the ability to perceive hidden auras (enhanced
vision) and command undead. Pizentios also gained the service
of an infernal familiar, Ifrit.
Ifrit is an unusual imp. Although he can take any of the normal forms, his preferred shape is that of a man-sized shadow,
with tiny horns and vestigial wings. In this form, he is 90%
undetectable in shadowy surroundings and completely invisible in deep shadows (or darkness). Unlike an undead shadow,
however, Ifrit is not harmed or deterred by light. The fiend
delights in terrorizing Pizentios' apprentices, and requires one
blood sacrifice per week to assure his loyalty. If so appeased,
the imp follows his master's orders obediently.
Pizentios was too young and inexperienced to contain the
new powers bestowed on him. The initiation nearly killed him,
leaving him hideously disfigured. Pizentios recovered and
founded a small school for necromancers outside the entrance
of Vermissa's Garden. He is currently training new skilled followers for her cult. These apprentices naturally have no idea of
what transpires in Pizentios's "secret garden.
Role-Playing Notes: Pizentios is smug and arrogant, confident
in the knowledge that he is Vermissa's favorite pet. His power
has grown considerably in the past few years, and tie yearns to
leam all of his former master's great secrets. In many ways, he
is like a spoiled child who has been given too much, too soon.
No matter how much he learns or gains, he always wants
more. This insatiable ambition, combined with his genius intellect, makes Pizentios a deadly opponent.
In battle, he will first surround himself in a wall of bones, and
then summon shadows to distract his enemy. He will next prepare minor globe of invulnerability and spirit armor as quickly as
possible. Depending upon the wind conditions, he will hit his
foes with cloudkill or Beltyn's burning blood (his favorites).
Should he be pressed into melee, he can fight with either his
shadowblade or his enchanted staff. Finally, if an encounter goes
poorly, he will call in Ifrit for a distraction and either dimension
door himself away or polymorph into a gargoyle to escape.
Sarzec
Sarzec the Broken, Captain of the Scrofula
6th-level Human Necromancer (Undead Master)
Str: 11
Dex: 11
Con: 10
Int: 15
Wis: 16
Cha: 14
Armor Class: 3 (with spirit armor) or 8
THACO: 18
Movement: 6 (hobbled by old accident)
Hit Points: 25 (including 5 extra hp from Malvolio)
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Dark Gifts: Nil
Special Attacks: By spell or magical item, opponents save at -1 against his necromantic spells, turns/commands undead as 6th-level priest (Undead Master).
Special Defenses: Nil
Saving Throws: PPDM 13; RSW 9; PP 11; BW 13; S 10.
+2 on all saves (magic ring), +1 bonus on saves against necromantic attacks, +2 magical attack adj. (Wisdom).
Size: 4'11" (bowlegged)
WP: darts. NWP: ancient history (14), ancient languages
(Kadari, 15), heraldry (15), navigation (13), necrology (16),
netherworld knowledge (13), reading/writing (16), religion
(14), spellcraft (13), swimming (11), weather sense (14).
Spells: chill touch, charm person, detect magic, magic missile (x2);
spectral hand, ghoul touch (WH), skeletal hands; bone dance, spirit
armor (TOM), lightning bolt.
Equipment: ring of protection +2 (silver band set with a tiny
green ceramic scarab beetle), iron key worn from string around
neck (opens sea chest, see below), gold earring set with a garnet (100 gp), three golden rings (worth 50 gp each), midnight
blue robes (edged in silver thread) whose pockets contain one
black bead of force, spell components, a compact quiver with
nine barbed darts dipped in Type C poison (onset 2-5 rounds,
25 hp damage, 2-8 if save), a spyglass (500 gp), potions of healing (x2), and a wizard scroll (spells cast at 11th level): animate
dead (x3), cloudkill.
Physical Description: Sarzec was once a tall and handsome
man, but a previous accident has left him a crippled hunchback with horribly twisted legs. He walks slowly and painfully
in a bowlegged gait, but he stubbornly refuses to seek medical
treatment. The prideful wizard will not even use a staff or cane
as a crutch. Sarzec is approaching his early thirties, but his blue
eyes are ringed with darkness, and his raven-black hair is shot
with silver. He has a loud and commanding voice and speaks
with an air of determination.
Background: Formerly an apprentice of the necromancer
Pizentios (sec his NPC sheet), Sarzec fell into an oubliette while
feeding one of his Master's prisoners on Sahu. The fall shattered his body, but he survived, and his life was spared by the
escaping prisoners. Enraged by his student's failure, Pizentios
refused to set the broken bones, which healed and fused at
awkward angles, leaving him a permanent cripple. Pizentios
successfully convinced Sarzec that the prisoners were to blame
for his disfigurement, and when Sarzec finished his studies,
the master even outfitted him with a ship and a zombie crew to
hunt down the renegade sailors who crippled him.
Sarzec now scours the seas in a trim caravel, the Scrofula,
with a junior necromancer and a crew of zombies. They patrol the sea lanes near the Isle of Sahu, preying upon understaffed
merchant ships, constantly on the lockout for the adventurers
who wrecked Sarzec's body and filled his life with unending
pain. The necromancers have a small base on Sahu and report
back occasionally to Pizentios, who is pleased with their
progress and keeps them well outfitted in exchange for prisoners and tribute. Sarzec enjoys the current arrangement with his
former mentor (and as an Undead Master, he revels in the
command of an undead crew), but his thirst for revenge takes
him on ever wider forays from the coast of Sahu.
As a natural leader, Sarzec enjoys the complete authority
over his undead crow. These twenty zombies (hp 12-16 each)
have been fortified by embalming, which also prevents them
from decomposing in the intense sun and heat at sea.
Role-Playing Notes: Sarzec is a cruel, foul-tempered bully
who suffers in constant physical pain from his old injuries. He
lashes out, often violently, against any who disagree with his
opinion (these are scarce on a ship crewed mostly by mindless
undead). In battle, Sarzec's first action is usually to cast spirit
armor in defense, then use a lightning bolt to soften up the
enemy while sending over a zombie boarding party. He then
casts spectral hand to deliver touch-related attacks, afterward
animating a pair of skeletal hands or casting bone dance on a
fallen foe. He will not hesitate to use his magical bead. scroll, or
poisoned darts if pressed in battle.
Sarzec's intelligent mind has easily grown accustomed to
sea travel. He chooses his potential victims carefully, always
screening their ships from a safe distance with the help of his
huge raven familiar, Malvolio. If a target seems weak or helpless, he maneuvers the Scrofula so it has the wind advantage
and attacks. The Scrofula has been rigged for speed. Lacking
heavy supplies or cargo and forewarned by Malvolio's reconnaissance, she can outrun most merchant ships.
Talib
King Talib al-Ysawis the Magnificent (and the Accursed)
Dual Class Human: 5th level Desert Warrior/16th-level Necromancer (Deathslayer)
Str: 16
Dex: 13
Con: 15
Int: 17
Wis: 16
Cha: 15
Armor Class: -1 (with ghost armor (FOR)) or 6
THACO: 15 (13 vs. liches)
Movement: 12
Hit Points: 68
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Dark Gifts: Nil
Special Attacks: By spell or magical item, opponents save at -1 against his necromantic spells, liches save at -2 vs. all spells.
Special Defenses: Physical body warded by a corpse host when hunting undead, contingency spell teleports all equipment to safety when the corpse host is destroyed.
Saving Throws: PPDM 10; RSW 5; PP 7; BW 9; S 6.
+1 on saves vs. spell (scarab), +5 on all saves (cloak and stone);
+2 on all saves against liches, +1 bonus on saves against necromantic attacks, +2 magical attack adj. (Wisdom).
Size:6'l"
WP: scimitar (specialized), great scimitar, longbow, spear, dagger, staff. NWP: ancient languages (Kadari, 17), ancient history (16), engineering (16), fire building (15), heraldry (17), survival (17), running (9), blind-fighting (14), land based riding (19),
necrology (16), netherworld knowledge (13), tracking (16),
reading/writing (18), religion (16), spellcraft (15).
Psionics: (wild talent). PSPs: 138, mind blank (9), mind bar
(15), object reading (11), sensitivity to psychic impressions (12).
Spells: burning hands, corpselight (FOR), detect undead, hold portal. magic missile, protection from evil; cloak from undead (FOR),
E5P, knock, levitate, vocalize WH), web; dispel magic, fireball, ghost
armor (FOR), lightning bolt, hold undead, wizard sight (TOM); dimension door, empathic wound transfer, Evard's black tentacles,
polymorph self, thunderstaff (TOM), wall of ice, polymorph other; bind undead, cone of cold, dismissal, graft flesh, teleport. wall of
force; Bloodstone's spectral steed (TOM), chain lightning, claws of
the umber hulk (TOM), legend lore; acid storm (TOM), prismatic
spray, wound conferral; Bigby's clenches fist, homunculus shield.
Equipment: cloak of protection +4, rod of absorption (40 ch.), talisman of divining (detects life, 65 ch.), handglyph of power (disintegrate, 3 ch.), scimitar of life stealing (specialized: #AT 3/2, Dmg 1d8+4), stone of good luck (carved in the shape of a white elephant), a jade scarab of protection (10 ch.), and a girdle of many
pockets containing traveling spellbooks, spell components and
adventuring gear, a composite longbow, quiver with 24 arrows
+2, a purse with 400 gp, 10 pearls (100 gp each) and 10 diamonds (1,000 gp each), potions of extrahealing (x4), flying, invisibility, and growth, an elixir of youth, scroll of protection from fiends
and a scroll (cast at 16th level) with limited wish (x3).
Physical Description: Talib appears to be unusually strong and
muscular for a man in his sixties. His massive shoulders and
arms arc covered by tattoos, and his face is lined with wrinkles
and deep scars. One ear is gone, nothing more than a tattered
strip of skin, and his right eye is covered by a velvet eye patch.
Because of his scimitar, scars, and military demeanor, one
might easily mistake him for a retired general.
For dangerous missions, Talib adopts a corpse host as a disguise and a safeguard, since his distinctive features are easily
remembered and his lethal quarries often set up nasty surprises. He prefers to use the fresh body of an experienced
fighter who died of natural causes (or in battle). Talib always makes sure to conceal any obvious mortal wounds on his host.
Most often, he does this simply by wearing enough clothing to
cover himself fairly well. After all, it wouldn't do much for the
credibility of his disguise to be seen walking about with a gaping chest wound.
Background: In his youth, Talib married Kazerabet (see her
NPC sheet), who advanced his training and let him rule by her
side over a secluded kingdom of undead. After a few happy
decades, Kazerabet mysteriously deserted him. He has never
forgiven her, but neither has he stopped searching for her.
Talib became a Deathslayer after his two sisters, Jal' and
Leyla, were disintegrated by the lich Thalath. He has since
destroyed four liches (including Thalath) and returned all the
zombies in his kingdom back to their graves. Ysawis is now a
secluded and deserted city in the jungle, doomed to slow
decline by its dark heritage. Talib lives in a magnificent Jade
Palace in the decaying city, alone save for a contingent of loyal
jann. At least four jann bodyguards accompany Talib (or his
corpse host) on his adventures, flying invisibly around him.
Role-Playing Notes: At first, Talib fought liches in revenge,
but his anger has been replaced by grim moral outrage. He is
reckless, foolhardy, and fatalistic. He has no fear of pain or
death because his corpse host can easily be replaced, and he
always has at least one clone of himself carefully stored in his
palace. Destroying liches gives his empty life a sense of purpose, and he pursues it with gusto. Though he suffers from
horrible recurring nightmares and terrifying visions, he somehow manages to maintain a sane, positive, and often humorous outlook on life.
Talib (or his host) may sometimes join a party of adventurers to help mask his movements when hunting a lich. To protect his companions, he tries to conceal his true power and
invisible associates unless direly threatened. Talib may serve
as a temporary ally for an adventure or two, provided these
excursions help Talib locate or ultimately destroy his enemy.
Vermissa
The Undying One, Queen of Worms, Matron of Ghouls
24th-level Lich Priestess (Charnelist)
Str: 10
Dex: 12
Con: 15
Int: 18
Wis: 20
Cha: 16
Armor Class: -3
THACO: 6
Movement: 6
Hit Points: 90
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Special Attacks: Aura of power (creatures of 5 HD or less must save vs. spells or flee for 5-20 rounds), chilling touch (Dmg: 1-10 hp, permanent paralysis).
Granted Powers/Dark Gifts: Animate dead by touch (3/day), skull scry (see through any corpse within 17 miles, at will).
Special Defenses: Never surprised (robes), +1 magical weapon
to hit, immune to charm, sleep, enfeeblement, polymorph, cold, electricity, insanity, and death spell.
Saving Throws: PPDM 2; RSW 4; PP 3; BW 6; S 5.
+3 on all saves (ring), +4 magical attack adj. (Wisdom).
Size: 5'8"
WP: staff, footman's flail, footman's mace, warhammer. NWP:
ancient history (16), ancient languages (Kadari, 17), musical
instruments (flute, horn, 10); local history (13), gaming (14), reading lips (15), necrology (19), netherworld knowledge (18), spirit
lore (12), anatomy (17); herbalism (16), reading/writing (18), religion (19), spellcraft (15).
Spells: bless, command (x2), call upon faith (TOM), darkness, detect
food, emotion read (TOM), protection from good, sanctuary, spiritual
hammer, undead alacrity; aid, augury, barkskin, draw upon unholy
might (TOM), enthrall, know alignment, hold person (x2), music of
the spheres (TOM), resist turning, withdraw; bestow curse, dispel
magic (x3), life drain (x3), memory read (TOM), prayer, protection
from fire, speak with dead; abjure, cause insanity (x2), mental domination (TOM) (x2), rapport (TOM), solipsism (TOM) (x2), thought
broadcast (TOM), poison (x2); dispel good, imbue undead with spell
ability, quest, scourge (x2), slay living, undead regeneration (x3); asphyxiate (x3), aerial servant, animate object, summon undead (x2),
wall of thorns; confusion, energy drain, mindkiller (TOM).
Equipment: A loose purple gown (robe of eyes), an electrum
choker adorned with writhing worms and set with a massive
5,000 gp emerald (functions as a helm of telepathy), a gold and
amethyst earring (an adapted ioun stone, absorbs 58 spell levels), a ring of spell storing (contains dispel magic, dispel good,
undead regeneration (x2), word of recall), ring of protection +3, staff
of withering (20 ch.), talisman of divining embedded in an gold
arm band (detects magic, 44 ch.), and three handglyphs of power
wrapped around the wrists and lower arms like exotic bracelets
(fire (2 ch.), disintegrate (I ch.), power word, stun (2 ch.)).
Appearance: For a lich, Vermissa's body is remarkably well preserved, still possessing the same voluptuous curves and
alluring contours of an attractive young woman. Vermissa carries the full weight of her undead transformation in her face,
where the skin has shrunken tight over her skull, and her eyes
bum with infernal radiance in their empty sockets. She sometimes uses a solipsism to disguise her true nature (she can subdue her aura, chilling touch, and glowing eyes at will).
Vermissa's voice can be soft and sweet (she can sing beautifully) when she is receiving visitors; when angered, however,
her voice gains a tone of commanding power and malevolence.
Background: Vermissa lived when the first Necromancer King
ruled Sahu in the distant past. She founded the Cult of Worms.
directly challenging King Uruk's authority. Even then, Vermissa's power was great, and Uruk dared not anger Thasmudyan,
her infernal patron. Rather than destroying Vermissa, Uruk
and eight of his barons forged an eternal prison for their nemesis. They lured Vermissa into the Garden of Eternity and
locked her within using nine seals of power.
Vermissa raged against Uruk, but he left her there to perish.
In time, Uruk passed away, and his dynasty faded into oblivion, but Vermissa lived on, granted the gift of lichdom by
Thasmudyan. Although she is prevented from physically leaving the Garden, others can enter and leave at will.
She has since rebuilt her Cult of Worms into a semblance of
its former glory. Vermissa has cultivated relationships with
powerful necromancers like Kazerabet (see her NPC sheet),
providing ancient lore in exchange for destroying a seal of her
prison. Now only three seals remain, and she is slowly training
her own branch of wizards through Pizentios (see his NPC
sheet). Once her private corps of necromancers is sufficiently
powerful, she will be free at last.
Role-Playing Notes: Vermissa is a master manipulator, a
priestess and politician with a long-term view. Her living cult
members control all the villages on Sahu, and her countless
undead minions (ghouls and ghasts mostly) range freely over
the island's "haunted" highlands. Vermissa's power is strongest
on Sahu. She can project her spirit into any undead creature on
the island and see through the eyes of any corpse within a score
of miles from her lair. Her power extends, more tenuously,
from Sahu to the mainland beyond, where her fanatical cult
members have insinuated their way into positions of political
power and authority.
Vermissa's quick and agile mind has been numbed by centuries of boredom. She would gladly welcome a party of
explorers into her subterranean Garden to relieve some of the
monotony. She might even let some of them live if they are
suitably entertaining. If not, their remains can be served to
Thasmudyan at his next infernal feast. Hostile visitors will
meet a similar fate.
Yola
Pain-Mistress Yolanda Shamat
8th-level Human Death Priestess (Pain)
Str: 14
Dex: 13
Con: 15
Int: 12
Wis: 17
Cha: 13
Armor Class: 5
THACO: 16
Movement: 12
Hit Points: 50
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Granted Powers: Negate emotion spells in others, emotion control (fear, sorrow, or hatred; up to 16 people, 1/day), focus
harm spell (cause serious wounds, 17 hp damage, 1/day).
Special Attacks: By spell or magical item.
Special Defenses: Nil
Saving Throws: PPDM 7; RSW 11; PP 10; BW 13; S 12.
+4 on saves vs. pain; +3 magical attack adj. (Wisdom).
Size: 5'9"
WP: scourge, footman's mace, footman's flail, staff, whip.
NWP: endurance (15), local history (13), reading/writing (13),
religion (17), rope use (13), spellcraft (10), swimming (14).
Spells: bless, call upon faith (TOM), cause light wounds, command,
protection from good: aid, draw upon unholy might (TOM), hold person (x2), silence 15' radius; cause blindness, death's door. dispel
magic; cause insanity, cause serious wounds.
Equipment: Scale mail +1, wickedly spiked staff-mace, whip,
gold signet ring (100 gp), nose ring (50 gp), electrum tiara (250
gp), belt pouch (28 gp, 34 sp, and a pair of thumbscrews), and
shoulder bag with four knives, one dose of mindshadow. eight
caltrops, scourge, spare whip, iron spikes and needles, a
sponge, 50' of rope, flask of salt water, potion of extrahealing,
and four packets of powder of the black veil (TOM).
Physical Description: Yola is a daunting figure. A tall, sturdily
built woman in her early thirties, Yola has pale blue eyes and
midnight black hair which she braids and coils around sharp
iron needles. She has dark, .swarthy features, and she speaks
with an exotic foreign accent. Her stature and demeanor
clearly convey a strong, commanding personality, for she carries herself rigidly erect, moves with deliberate purpose, and
cows everyone around her with an icy stare.
Background: As a child, Yolanda Shamat was sold as a slave to
Signer Matanzas, a priest of Loviatar who introduced her to
the excruciating rites of the Pain Goddess. Yola rose in Matanzas' household to the position of chamberlain, and she ran his
estate with brutal efficiency. Matanzas was a member of the
Anatomical Academy, and the vivisection facilities in his estate
were sometimes used as a meeting place for the Academy. Dr.
Ellandra Tolbert (see her NPC sheet) attended several of these
meetings and met Yola at Matanza's Estate. While their first
encounter was less than cordial, it was clear that Ellandra was
not intimidated by Yola's demeanor. After only a few visits to
the estate, the two began to exchange polite greetings, and then
pleasantries. Ellandra persuaded Matanzas to transfer Yola
into her service.
Since slavery is not as prevalent in her homeland, Ellandra
promptly gave Yola her freedom when she moved north to
Waterdeep. In a curious mixture of gratitude, friendship, and
respect, the priestess agreed to remain in Ellandra's employ as
her "personal assistant." Yola is convinced that her friend's
attempts to bring back her dead husband will only result in
great sorrow and pain, but as a priestess of Loviatar, she finds
some measure of satisfaction at helping in this enterprise. She manages Ellandra's villa just like Matanzas' estate, though the
soft northern servants have almost no tolerance to pain and are
thus almost pathetically easy to control.
Yolanda is also now an established member of Loviatar's
priesthood in Waterdeep, but the city's high priest reminds her
too much of Malanzas. She spends as little time in the House of
Pain as possible, preferring to assist Ellandra in furthering her
research. She has no personal following and no interest in
acquiring one.
Role-Playing Notes: Yola exudes a palpable aura of harsh,
uncompromising severity that is emotionally disturbing to
humans in her presence, as well as animals. Babies cry, children flee, dogs bark, and horses rear at her approach.
Anyone visiting Ellandra will first have to contend with
Yola, who screens her mistress from needless interruptions.
She addresses newcomers with glacial frigidity unless they
have a scheduled appointment. Yola also serves as a recruiter
for Ellandra, hiring adventuring parties to take care of messy
or difficult business (such as acquiring new bodies for Ellandra's secret research).
Yola can be extremely unpleasant if provoked into combat.
Her first action will usually be to release her dogs and invoke
fear using her emotion control (save vs. spells or flee for 8
rounds). If her dogs can shield her from melee, she will first
silence, hold or command spellcasters; otherwise she will wade
into battle focusing cause serious wounds (see granted power) or
cause insanity on an opponent. Once her spells have been
exhausted, she will fight with her staff-mace (THACO 13, Dmg
ld6+3); against unarmored victims, she may use her whip to
entangle or disarm (THACO 20 with called shot, Dmg: ld2/l).
Yola is too prudent to fight to the death. She will use her powder of the black veil and anandful of scattered caltrops to cloak
her escape and deter pursuit.