COR2-01: As He Lay Dying

A Two-Round Continous D&D Core LIVING GREYHAWK Adventure version by Erik Mona An ambassador from the Duchy of Umst needs adventurers to transport her cousin's cursed corpse from the City of Greyhawk to their ancestral home in Leukish. She's hired a barge, complete with its superstitious crew, to carry the party from city to city, but the dangers of river travel and the specter of an ancient curse will stand in the way of success.
  ## ADVENTURE SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND As He Lay Dying begins in the cosmopolitan city of [[Greyhawk]], with the characters paying a visit to the aide of an ambassador from the [[Duchy of Urnst]], one of Greyhawk's strongest allies. This woman, Jaziadeen, explains that her family has recently suffered a grievous loss with the recent death of her cousin, an adventurer named Ramel Kem. She explains that one of her ancestors, a tomb robber named Garahan Kem, once fell victim to a powerful, mysterious curse. This curse stipulated that so long as the Kem family existed, the bodies of their dead would be denied a peaceful rest. In the hundreds of years since the curse first made itself known, she explains, her family was able to construct a sanctified mausoleum in [[Leukish]], the port capital of the Duchy of Urnst, where the bulk of her family is situated. Jaziadeen hires the party to accompany her cousin's corpse on its journey to this safe haven, offering them a fair reward if they ensure that his body makes it to safety intact.
  There is one additional complication to her offer. Since Jaziadeen wishes her cousin's body to avoid any of his enemies from his former life as an adventurer, she has contracted a [[Rhennee]] sail barge to take the characters to Leukish via the [[Selintan River]] and the [[Nyr Dyv]], the so-called Lake of Unknown Depths. She doesn't trust the nomadic Rhennee folk, whom she considers to be of ill breeding. She warns the characters that they will need to keep an eye on the bargefolk throughout the travel.
  At the end of the journey, the characters are to bring the crate containing Ramel Kem's body to her uncle, Valesh Kem, a merchant in Leukish.
  Though the job may seem like an easy way to make some coin, everything is much more complicated than it initially appears. For starters, the cursed ancestor Garahan Kem is an elaborate fiction. There is no curse on the Kem family, and Ramel's body is in no supernatural danger. It is, however, in a great deal of "ordinary" danger. Jaziadeen, Ramel, and "uncle" Valesh belong to a shadowy organization known as the [[Scarlet Brotherhood]]. The Brotherhood espouses the superiority of the [[Suel]] branch of humanity above all others, and uses guile, assassination, and a complicated form of martial arts to achieve positions of influence within the power structure of the Flanaess. As the Duchy of Urnst happens to have a largely Suloise population, the secret order is particularly powerful in that country.
  On a recent adventure in an ancient, abandoned city in the [[Suss Forest]], the Brotherhood agent Ramel Kem came upon some important information about the Octychs, mysterious items of magical power currently sought after by the Brotherhood and a number of other organizations throughout the Flanaess. The adventuring agent was never able to reveal his information to his contact, Jaziadeen, since he was murdered in an apparent street robbery in the River District the night after his arrival in Greyhawk.
  The ambassador's aide knows only that Kem had discovered information vital to the Brotherhood's search for the Octyhs, and that something as trivial as death shouldn't stand in the way of the order gaining this information. The murder of her associate troubled her, however, and so Jaziadeen decided Greyhawk was "too hot" a locale in which to perform the ceremony (she also lacked the resources to pay for his resurrection). Other powers clearly sought the Octychs. If they were to get to Kern's body, a simple speak with dead spell or a raise dead combined with a regimen of gruesome torture might reveal what he had learned, and all the Brotherhood's efforts to discover the whereabouts of the Octychs would be lost.
  To avoid this, Jaziadeen set upon the idea of hiring a band of tight-lipped, unsuspecting Rhennee and a group of transient (and hence likely expendable) adventurers to ferry the corpse to Leukish, away from the threats of the open road. That leads the characters into the hands of the Rhennee.
  The voyage will take nearly two weeks. In that time, the characters must deal with the prejudices, tempers, and superstitions of their bargefolk hosts, the dangers of the Lake of Unknown Depths, and the attacks of a cleric of the evil god [[Iuz]], who seems to have more than a passing interest in the corpse of Ramel Kem. On the priest's ship, the characters might learn about Kern's affiliation, at which point they must decide what to do with the body, and what to do with their contacts in Greyhawk and Leukish.
  ## INTRODUCTION The city of Greyhawk is a bustling metropolis of some 70,000 folk. Situated along the [[Selintan River]] at a point that could adequately be described as the "geographic center" of the [[Flanaess]], Greyhawk benefits from a healthy trading economy. The nearby [[Cairn Hills]] are the site of hundreds of tombs from several ancient cultures, and while much of the riches to be found there were plundered ages ago, the hills remain a beacon to those who seek coin in exchange for dan- gerous exploration. The legendary [[Castle Greyhawk]], abandoned former home to the allegedly insane (and certainly rich) archmage [[Zagig Yragerne]], has long tempted the greedy and desperate with its gilded, trap-filled halls. Accordingly, Greyhawk's population is bolstered by a number of transient adventurers. The protagonists of this scenario, the player characters, are culled from the ranks of these adventurers.
  At some time in the last three days, each member of the party has met [[Jaziadeen]], second adjunct to [[Count Reichart Petrides]], the ambassador of the Duchy of Urnst. Their encounters have been brief, usually a short conversation at one of the [[Foreign Quarter]] taverns frequented by adventurers. The adventurers remember Jaziadeen as extremely charismatic, though a bit rushed, her mind apparently preoccupied with her work at the embassy. When the woman learned the character was an adventurer, she invited him or her to visit her at the duchy's embassy, in the [[High Quarter]], on Starday morning. She has a job, she explained, that requires special attention.
  > The seven flags flying above you snap with a loud rustling in the cold winter air of the [[Plain of Greyhawk]]. The largest, a green banner depicting a brown bear standing upon its hind legs, marks the building over which it flies as property of the Duchy of Umst, one of Greyhawk's strongest trading partners. You stand before the flags, and before the large [[Garden Quarter]] structure, with a handful of somewhat shady characters who have the look of adventurers about them. > > You recently made the acquaintance of Jaziadeen, a fair woman with a bright smile contrasted by a furrowed brow. After chatting briefly in one of the countless taverns that dot the Free City like boils on a stray dogs back, Jaziadeen asked you to come to her place of work, the embassy of the Duchy of Urnst, to help her with a private matter. Though talking your way past the vigilant guards at the gate into the quarter took some doing, you finally arrived only a few minutes Late, weaving your way through a maze like growth of shrubs to come to a large oaken door at the head of a small stone stairway.
  The door has not opened, and does not open if anyone attempts to knock. Finally, when things begin to die down or when someone suggests that perhaps they've been stood up, continue with the following:
  > The large door opens soundlessly, and out steps Jaziadeen, the woman you met only recently. In the morning light, it's possible to make out more details than when you last saw her. Standing about five and a half feet tall with the sleek, bony features common to those of Suloise ancestry, Jaziadeen's long blonde hair is pulled up in a bun secured by a delicate metal lacework tiara. She wears a fine dress of deep green, with mustard accents and an elaborate knotwork pattern of subdued blues. A small ivory badge depicting a sword and sparrow rests upon her breast. > > "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," the woman says with an apologetic smile. "The Count asked me to go over some important documents, and I simply lost track of time. Rather complicated matters of mining rights along the eastern [[Abbor-Alz]] boring stuff, I'm afraid, but I've managed to become rather engrossed in it." > > "But where are my manners? Come in, come in. We've much to discuss."
  Assuming the characters assent to her invite, the young adjutant leads them down a short hallway, resplendent in the green and browns of Urnst. After a brief walk, the group arrives at a small sitting room decorated with suits of armor and a detailed map of the border between Greyhawk and Umst in the Cairn Hills hanging upon one of the walls. A wooden table with several chairs dominates the center of the room. Jaziadeen casually takes a seat at the head of the table and motions for the characters to take a seat around her.
  > "You'll have to forgive me if I seem a bit distant, today. Its been a difficult week for me, dealing as I have with such a terrible loss ... "Jaziadeen trails off, studying the surface of the table as if hoping it contains the right words. "I never could communicate well with your class - with adventurers, I mean. Its not my world. My cousin, Ramel, now he was the adventurer." She shakes her head sadly. "And look where it got him." > > "My cousin, Ramel Kem, is dead. He was killed two days ago while chasing skirts and spirits in the River Quarter, having recently returned from one of his grand adventures. The watch seems to think it was a robbery, I've no reason to disbelieve them. One of my jobs here in Greyhawk is to keep track of Urnst nationals who die in the city, and believe me, there are a lot more murders in Greyhawk than the Oligarchy would like you to believe." > > Jaziadeen puts her left hand to her hairpiece, tucking a loose blonde strand behind a silver tine. "You've probably never heard of the Kem family, but we're fairly we'll known in Urnst. I don't expect you to agree to what I'm going to offer without hearing it, but I would request that you keep what I'm about to tell you to yourselves, if only for the sake of my family."
  When she gets a sign of assent from everyone in the room, she continues.
  > "Our family, though respected merchants in Leukish, the capital of Urnst, are not particularly well off. I cannot afford to have Ramel resurrected, so I'm afraid that his death will be permanent. That, unfortunately, is the least of my familys worries. > > "Decades ago, an ancestor named Garahan Kem plundered the wrong tomb in the Bandit Kingdoms, and brought a terrible curse upon our family. Few of us know the exact details of who Garaban crossed or why, but we do know that any member of our family who dies arises from the grave as an undead creature three weeks after dying." > > Jaziadeen furrows her brow. "I want my cousin's rest to be final. Generations ago, my family constructed. a special magical mausoleum in Leukish, a magically protected structure where bodies could be interred without fear of the curse. There are other options, of course, but our family ties are strong, and. it would mean a lot to us to see Ramel returned to our familys resting place.'' > > "Overland travel is out of the question. Ramel gained more than a few enemies in his years as an adventurer, and news of our family curse isn't exactly a secret among those who go looking for weapons to use against us. I'm afraid the road east to Umst is untenable." > > "I've arranged with a family of Rhennee bargefolk, who have agreed to take my sensitive cargo from Greyhawk to Leukish. Their bargelord, Mariakos, drives a hard bargain, but I've paid him fairly for his discretion and his silence on the matter. I haven't told him the specifics of what's inside the crate that was loaded into his barge yesterday, and I see no reason why he need ever know the particulars." > > "The Rhennee are wild, untrustworthy wanderers. They value coin as much or more than you or I, but their customs are strange, and its impossible to know fer sure whether Mariakos and his crew will honor the agreement. The barge leaves at dawn tomorrow on a twelve-day journey. I've informed him that I'll be sending my own agents to accompany the barge and guard the cargo. I propose that you people act as those guards."
  Jaded players will immediately assume that Jaziadeen is setting up the characters for some sort of terrible betrayal. While in a certain sense that's true, it's important to review a few facts before playing out this encounter:
  1. Jaziadeen is lawful neutral, and does not trigger detect evil spells, or any similar magics that reveal the presence of an evil creature. 2. Jaziadeen genuinely distrusts the Rhennee (in fact, careful discussion on the matter reveals that she finds their entire race distasteful, and is nonplussed that they seem to present the only option of getting her "cousin" to safety. Her primary goal is to hire adventurers to guard the cargo, exactly as she claims. 3. Jaziadeen belongs to the Scarlet Brotherhood, a sinister secret organization that dedicates itself to the advancement of the Suel breed of humanity over all else. Though Ramel Kem is not in fact her familial cousin, the organization's hierarchy is built such that members refer to each other as "cousin" or "uncle" depending upon ranks within the organization. So, when Jaziadeen says that Ramel is her cousin, she's telling the truth, from a certain point of view. 4. Jaziadeen is one of the brightest Scarlet Brotherhood agents currently operating in the city of Greyhawk. She achieved her current position by being an excellent liar (which conveniently makes her an excellent diplomat). Jaziadeen's Bluff score differs based on the chosen Encounter Level for the adventure, but in any case it is formidable, and should be more than a match for untrusting characters with a maximized Sense Motive score. Her full statistics appear in Encounter Twelve. In any event, the adjutant attempts to deflect any questions regarding her trustworthiness as nervousness and unfamiliarity with dealing with adventurers and the sensitive nature of her family's curse. If called on her behavior further, she convinces in the characters that she's concerned that Ramel may have crossed the mysterious [[Homed Society]], which is in fact true. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL SHE REVEAL HER AFFILIATION TO THE CHARACTERS! 5. She suspects, but does not know for sure, that her "uncle," a Brotherhood agent posting as a merchant named Valesh Kem, will do something nasty to the characters at the first sign that they could upset the Brotherhood's plan. It is Jaziadeen's hope, however, that that won't ever happen, and that the delivery will go off without a hitch.
  The following information will help you flesh out the encounter with Jaziadeen, answering many immediate questions the characters may have. Use the information presented in the rest of the adventure to flesh out answers for additional questions as they come up. Jaziadeen offers each of the characters a small immediate payment (a tremendous show of faith in a city as riddled with charlatans and fakes as Greyhawk). She's sent magical communications to her uncle in Leukish, asking him to hand over an additional payment once Ramel's body has been delivered.
 

Mariakos's barge leaves Greyhawk's harbor about two hours after sunrise tomorrow. If the characters are late, he'll leave without them.

The trip should take about 12 days. The first four will consist of river travel up the Selintan. Thereafter, the barge will travel on the surface of the Nyr Dyv (Lake of Unknown Depths), probably in sight of the shore, until reaching the bar.

The Rhennee make this trip regularly, and it should be free of most danger, though pirates and lake monsters are always a concern.

Mariakos is the equivalent of a minor noble within Rhennee society, and should be treated with the same respect the characters might afford the captain of a real ship. Each Rhennee barge generally holds fewer than a dozen sailors, including woman, or "veth." a wise woman

Ramel's body has been placed within a rectangular crate that already has been delivered to the Rhennee barge. Jaziadeen has managed to pay a cleric to cast gentle repose upon the corpse, so decomposition should not be an issue. the Rhennee are not to be told of the contents of the crate under any circumstances. They've been well paid not to ask any questions.

Jaziadeen is happy to provide directions to Mariakos's barge as well as directions to the place of business of her uncle, Valesh Kem, who owns a small garden and winery within the city of Leukish.

After delivering the crate to Valesh Kem and picking up their payment, they're free to do whatever they please, and her uncle will let her know via magic if they have successfully laid Ramel to rest. Assuming all goes well, Jaziadeen happily puts in a good word about them to Count Reichart Petrides, the politically powerful and extremely popular ambassador of the Duchy of Urnst. "Who knows where that could lead?" she says, hinting at future employment AS HE LAY DYING opportunities.

  ### GATHERING INFORMATION Since characters have an evening to spend however they wish before departing, canny adventurers may wish to trawl the city's taverns and streets using the Gather Information skill. Here are a few subjects about which they might inquire, broken down by the quality of the Gather lnformation roll. In general, a given attempt reveals the information associated with the listed DC, and with all lower DCs, as well.
  Jaziadeen

DC 15: Jaziadeen works with Count Reichart Petrides, who seems to think very highly of her.

DC 20: She came to Greyhawk just prior to the Greyhawk Wars, and specializes in the many (for the most part friendly) border disputes in the Cairn Hills mineland along Greyhawk's eastern border.

DC 25: Jaziadeen once made quite a scene in the Black Dragon Inn about three years ago. Some drunken yahoo attempted to make an unwanted advance upon her, grabbing her somewhere she didn't want to be grabbed. To the astonishment of the crowd, the diplomat whirled around on the ball of her left foot and kicked the man so hard with her right foot that it shattered his arm at the shoulder.

  Ramel Kem

DC 15: Ramel Kem is not a "fixture" of the local adventuring scene. Almost no one has heard of him, and those who have say he's a silent drifter who visited the city maybe a couple times a year, never making much of an impression with his visits.

DC 20: Kem made something of an impression upon patrons of one River Quarter bar when he nearly got into a fight with a young mage who happened to have a raven familiar. The wizard merely wanted to have a private drink, but Kem insisted he leave, muttering something about ravens being spies of the "Horned Ones." This happened on the night he was murdered, and the young wizard hasn't been seen since. Most people think he's simply afraid of getting tied up in the murder investigation (an investigation that doesn't actually seem to have manifested-a common problem in the crime- plagued River Quarter).

DC 25: Ramel Kem was once a member of an adventuring band known as the Brazen Bulls. The Bulls adventured extensively in the western Duchy of Urnst, but came to grief in the dungeons beneath Maure Castle about ten years ago. Surviving members scattered throughout the central Flanaess.

  Mariakos the Rhennee Barge Lord

DC 15: Mariakos is thought by many to be an agent of Iuz the Evil who ran supplies for the armies of the Old One during the Greyhawk Wars, and who really isn't welcome in most free ports along the NyrDyv.

DC 20: During the Greyhawk Wars, Mariakos was suspected of running supplies to Iuz's armies in the Shield Lands. He challenged a rival Rhennee lord, one Tamannik, to a knife fight in the heart of Shack Town for spreading such lies. Mariakos gutted Tamannik in ritual combat, which exonerated him in the eyes of his people.

DC 25: The combat wasn't enough to dissuade the city watch, however, who would not tolerate even a suspected traitor in their midst. The watch financed a series of divinations regarding Mariakos's loyalties, and discovered that he had never worked for Iuz. Tamannik, on the other hand, had. The watch posted a few messages to that effect around the harbor, but few citizens ever saw them, and Mariakos still lives under a cloud of suspicion.

  #### ENCOUNTER l: MEET THE CREW This encounter ranges over the first four days of the journey, ending as the characters emerge from the Selintan River onto the surface of the Nyr Dyv, the dangerous Lake of Unknown Depths. During the trip upriver, the heroes will have a chance to interact with the Rhennee crew and fight off some of the strange creatures fleeing the lake. Much strangeness is afoot under the surface of the great lake, and its residents have become agitated and extremely dangerous.
  The appendix of this adventure contains a map of Mariakos's barge, drawn to a scale appropriate to 25-30 mm miniatures. While it is technically possible to run this adventure without miniatures, a great deal of tactical movement and combat takes place on the barge, and it's in your best interest and in the best interest of your players to make things as clear as possible.
  Once the players have decided to make their way to the harbor, proceed with the following:
  While the louts of the River Quarter sleep off well-earned morning hangovers, Greyhawk's [[Harbor District]] is alive with activity. Hundreds of laborers swarm over dozens of keeled merchant vessels, tied close to well-kept wooden docks. All sorts of folk pass you by, most carrying cargo of various descriptions. In the morning bustle, you make out elves, halflings, half-orcs, and all variety of humans, weaving around each other with a manic sense of urgency.
  ##### Optional Details

Tar-stained rope rasping through callused palms as knots are cinched.

The tannic reek of wet oak planks warmed by the new sun.

Fish scales glittering on the deck like spilled coins.

River wind snapping pennants; loose lids thrum against crates.

Bitter chicory on the tongue from a shared morning brew.

Lambs bleating from tiny cages, wool musky and slightly sour.

  > [!NOTE] > Following Jaziadeen's instructions, you turn north, leaving the core harbor behind you as you proceed to [[Barge End]], a smelly, still backwater littered with dozens of Rhennee barges. Even in Greyhawk, melting pot of the central Flanaess, no one trusts a Rhennee lord enough to let him dock at a nearby berth. > > Without too much effort, you come across what must be Mariakos's barge, an oversized flat bottomed vessel of simple yet elegant construction. A squat wooden structure decorated with intricate carvings of intertwined linework stands at the back of the boat, surrounded by piles of cargo in the form of crates, barrels, and even a few small cages holding a half-dozen baby lambs. > > Four strong Rhennee men weave around the barge, tying down cargo and preparing the vessel for travel. A door on the aft structure opens, and a bear of a man emerges, squinting slightly in the morning sun. He motions to the workers, barking in the cant of his people. > > "Allesh! Allesh! We leave as soon as you're finished, whether the Suel tart's guards are here or not!'
  ![[Pasted image 20251004104520.png]]
  This is Mariakos, the overbearing Rhennee lord and master of the barge. His status within his clan has dwindled somewhat since spurious claims about an allegiance with the Old One during the Greyhawk Wars tarnished his reputation beyond repair. He once controlled a much larger barge, with a much larger, more experienced crew. Now he does as best he can to get by on small commissions such as the one from Jaziadeen, ferrying materials (often illegal) across the Lake of Unknown Depths at outrageous prices to desperate folk without any better options.
  He'll be pleased to see the characters, greeting them gregariously with hugs and handshakes. Once the heroes have gained the barge, Mariakos introduces himself and his four man crew, explaining that the barge's wisewoman (or 'Veth"), an old Rhennee woman known as [[Esinica]], is very ill, and is resting within the aft structure. Mariakos speaks almost reverently about the old woman, though he treats his crewmen like barely tolerated underlings, at least here in the harbor.
  Though Mariakos is the undisputed despot of the barge, it's easy to get the impression that he'd do just about anything Esinica told him to. While aboard his barge, Mariakos explains, the characters are expected to help out in emergencies, but are welcome to keep to themselves for most of the day.

Fishing on the Nyr Dyv is especially good this time of year, he says, and he'd appreciate it if the party would help with the daily lines, as it will mean better food for everyone.

If it rains during the journey, which he figures it will, he expects the characters to help his crew cover the barge in a heavy tarpaulin, which ought to protect the cargo from water damage.

In the unlikely event that the barge suffers attack from pirates or lake monsters, he says, he expects the characters to guard both his cargo and his crew, doing their part to protect the barge.

### THE RHENNEE CREW #### Mariakos: ![[Pasted image 20251004104702.png]] - Male human (Rhennee) - Possessions: +1 leather armor, masterwork longsword, masterwork light crossbow, potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of endurance, daggers (3). - A bear of a man, Mariakos does little to dispel the stereotype of the sexist, aggressive, fiercely protective Rhennee bargemaster. Every action makes it clear that this is his boat, that the crew and cargo are his responsibility. When talking with passengers, his eyes always scan the deck and the horizon, as if he's completely unwilling to let something slip him by. - The bargelord stands about six feet tall, has a powerful chest and arms, and wears thin leather armor tanned a deep brown. His hair and full beard are black peppered with the earliest traces of gray. He wears a colorful red and yellow sash like a belt around his belly; dangling from his belt are three daggers and a long, curved sword. - No stranger to the Greyhawk-Leukish route, Mariakos expects little trouble from the passage this time around. - He loves fishing, womanizing, and gambling, in that order, and his eyes turn violent at the first mention of iuz or any of his demon agents. He'll warn anyone accusing him of being in league with the Old One once. Further prodding along that line will result in a challenge to a knife fight. - Mariakos has only his (tarnished) honor, and will protect it as fiercely as he is able. Despite his boorishness and his biases, Mariakos is a generally good person who's merely going about his business. He views his relationship with the party as one of comrade mercenaries who happen to be working for the same boss. The only difference is, Mariakos has several pieces of cargo on board, and hence answers to several different employers. He is not curious about the contents of Jaziadeen's crate and stops any attempt to tamper with it. "If she'd have wanted me to know what's in the box, she'd have told me. I'm paid not to care either way, so I respect her privacy," he says. - In fact, Mariakos would be very, very angry were he to find out the crate contains a corpse. The Rhennee have strong taboos against keeping dead bodies on their barges; were he to find out, he would immediately order the box thrown into the Nyr Dyv, and would keep the money paid to him by Jaziadeen as the cost of misleading him. He would, of course, be willing to overlook tradi- tion if Jaziadeen's agents, the characters, would be willing to pay him a generous "inconvenience" fee (equal to 200 gp times the chosen encounter level for the adventure). #### Esinica ![[Pasted image 20251004104859.png]] - Female human (Rhennee) Soq - The elderly Esinica is a veth, a Rhennee wisewoman who offers her bargelord council on his journey and serves as the voice of wisdom and lore upon the barge. - A woman of about sixty-eight years, Esinica has grown plump in her old age-she must once have been very beautiful. These are far from her best days, however. - For the past two days (ever since Jaziadeen's crate arrived on the barge, though she hasn't made the connection), she's suffered from terrible nightmares that leave her in a weakened condition, almost as if she had contracted some sort of wasting disease. Privately, she worries that she's losing her mind, and has told Mariakos that she suffers from an illness associated with a brush she had with a rival veth in Barge End a few weeks ago. Esinica is convinced that the woman put her under the effects of an evil eye, a powerful vetha curse that eventually will be her undoing. She hopes that by getting away from Greyhawk and out on the Nyr Dyv, she'll stand a greater chance of making it out of the affair with her sanity, not to mention her life, intact. - Sadly, though her symptoms may be similar to a simple Rhennee curse, the actual cause of her lethargy and frailty is a great deal more sinister. For the past two nights, Esinica has suffered from the attention of a night hag in service to Iuz, who has been riding her back on the Ethereal Plane, tampering with her mind and leeching off her strength as she dreams. Each night she suffers so, Esinica loses one point of Constitution. Already somewhat frail from old age, she has only six days left before she is reduced to a Con of o, at which point she will die. The night hag, a foul creature named Dark Meggala, came to the city of Greyhawk seeking Ramel Kem, who was known to be on the trail of the Octychs, which Iuz also seeks. By the time she found him, however, he was dead, and following his corpse led to Mariakos's barge and the tasty mind of Esinica. Meggala plans to ride the veth's back until she dies, at which point she plans to gather Ramel Kern's body and take it to her contact, a grim priest of Iuz named Renkus Rand, who's currently making his way to the Free City aboard a ship called The Pride of Axeport. The characters will cross paths with Rand as time goes by. - ![[Pasted image 20251004105046.png]] - In the meantime, Esinica treats all of the Rhennee aboard the barge like members of her immediate family. She is the ship's healer as well as its font of wisdom, and she's become a sort of mother figure to the crew, who will protect her fiercely if they fear she's in any sort of danger. - It's likely that Esinica will be the friendliest of the crew, as far as the characters are concerned. She's genuinely interested in their stories, and will spend long hours talking to them of the Nyr Dyv and its tributaries, upon which she has lived her entire life. - She is a kindly old woman, if a tad superstitious-a sort of "every grandmother" figure, which should make her eventual death that much more touching. It's possible, though unlikely, that powerful adventurers will discover what ails her. Most parties will at the very least attempt to cast remove disease upon her. She'll claim to feel better afterwards, but once she falls asleep for the night, the terrors return. It will take a stunning Diplomacy check (DC 20) to convince her to trust a character enough to tell him or her about her dreams, in which a foul old woman rides around on her shoulders, cackling madly and wearing her down with every step. Powerful characters might venture into the Ethereal Plane to do combat with Dark Meggala, which will save them the trouble of fighting her in the company of an extremely powerful force later in the adventure. - If a combat should occur, Meggala's statistics appear in Encounter Five. In any event, Esinica does not fight under any circumstances, and retreats to the aft structure in the event of a battle. #### Bargemen ![[Pasted image 20251004105121.png]] - Male human (Rhennee) War1 - Possessions: leather armor, longsword, light cross-bow, dagger. Mariakos's bargemen are quiet seafaring folk who have an enormous number of responsibilities to keep the boat moving and afloat, and who don't have a lot of time to spend in idle chatter with mercenaries. Their clays consist largely of manning the fishing lines and poling the barge along the Selintan, always watching the shore for signs of would-be pirates while at the same time keeping one eye on the water ahead in search of rocks, sandbars, or the tell-tale signs of an impending monster - attack. - In battle, the bargemen do their best to protect the ship, arming themselves with heavy crossbows and spears. - They are fiercely loyal to their lord and to the barge's veth, and brook no insult to either. Just as their captain, the bargemen are superstitious, chauvinistic, and quick to find grave insult in the most innocuous statements. That's not, however, to say they're no fun at all. - When the sun sets, travel on the lake or river more or less stops completely, and while the fishing lines remain a concern, things become much more lax on the boat. - One of the Rhennee, a young man named Crochan, delights in playing the lute, and the entire Rhennee crew engages in several rounds of riversongs following the evening meal. Any foreigners who attempt to join in with the singing gain a greater respect from the bargemen. - All bargemen speak Rhop, otherwise known as Rhennee Cant, the language of the bargefolk of the 1~lanaess. Each speaks enough of the Common tongue to communicate, but the bargemen tend to have difficulty understanding complex or difficult topics unless they are discussed in their native language. #### The Rhennee Barge - A 30 mm-scale map of Mariakos's barge has been included in the appendix (each square on the map rep- resents a five-foot square in tactical combat). - The barge is about 55 ft. from fore to aft, and about 35 ft. from port to starboard. The boat has a completely flat bottom, and bears a mast about twenty feet high near its center, for use when winds are particularly strong. - The perimeter of the barge is ringed by a short wall about three feet tall, which helps to keep waves from adding too much water to the deck. A decorated wooden structure at the aft of the vessel stands about six feet off the deck, and contains quarters for Mariakos (r) and Esinica (2). - A small closet off the aft structure's internal hallway contains several cushions and rolled-up sleeping pallets, for use by the crew and the characters, who must sleep on the wooden deck (Mariakos never allows anyone else into the aft structure unless it's a matter of life and death). - The barge lord keeps his entire personal treasure, 735 gp, hidden in a locked chest (DC 15) under his bed. - The fore half of the barge more or less "belongs" to the Rhennee bargemen and the characters for the duration of the journey. - A large metal fire-pit has been built into the deck itself, near the anchor box (AB). A crank off one of the ends of the box controls the depth of the barge's heavy anchor. Because it's somewhat higher than the rest of the foredeck, the anchor box serves as a popular lounging spot on the barge, especially during mealtimes or after hours. - Four poles that extend about ten feet high mark the comers of the barge. - A thick tarpaulin, stored in a large box with the rest of the cargo, can be affixed to these poles to provide a modicum of protection from the sort of heavy rains engendered by the unusual weather patterns of the Nyr Dyv. A special slit in the tarp allows it to wrap tightly around the barge's mast. - Several crates, cages, kegs, and other containers dominate the aft, tied tightly to the deck with a multitude of knotty rope. - The six-foot-by-three-foot wooden crate containing Ramel Kern's body is marked on the map with an "R". ## ENCOUNTER 2: UP THE RIVER
  ##### Optional Details
 

Long poles thunking off the riverbed, vibrations humming up the shaft.

Cold spray peppering faces as the bow shoulders wake.

Distant bell of a harbor buoy tolling through the gorge.

Tarpaulin smell—pitch and smoke—when the cover is unfurled.

Sunlight strobing through gull wings as they pace the barge.

Silt-grit between teeth when the wind gusts across sandbars.

  The mighty Selintan River, one of the greatest trade byways in the entire Flanaess, enjoys a very deep channel from the City of Greyhawk all the way to the Nyr Dyv. Generally, the terrain surrounding the river stands very close to the surface of the water, but as the party's travels bring them close to Midbay, where the Selintan opens on the Lake of Unknown Depths, the surrounding lands rise considerably. By the third day of their journey, the party will have entered the Gorge of Selintan, in which sheer cliff walls jut from the banks of the river to several hundred feet above. The river's source is the Nyr Dyv itself, so a fairly slow current works against the barge during its journey. The attention of the bargemen is easily enough to counter this current, though if one or more of the bargemen should perish for whatever reason, a character must take the Rhennee's position to ensure forward progress. Throughout the party's travel upriver, they pass several dozen ships of all varieties and descriptions. Most appear to be merchantmen flying the colors of [[Dyvers]] or [[Furyondy]], but a few bear no distinguishing marks whatsoever. The vessel passes perhaps three to five different Rhennee barges a day, but the bargefolk exchange few pleasantries with other crews for any reason. When the characters have met the crew and are ready to depart, read the following:
  > [!NOTE] > The river wind snaps your cloaks and tussles your hair as the Rhennee crew brings the vessel out of Barge End and into the Selintan River proper. Mariakos stands at the front of the barge, keeping an eye on the other ships making their way into and out of Greyhawk's great harbor. The four bargemen dip deep poles into the river, nudging the barge further and further from the free city. For a long while, no one speaks. > > About fifteen minutes after departing, once the barge has made its way out of the main line of traffic to and from the city, the bargelord steps away from the fore and makes his way to the aft structure, opening the door and disappearing for a moment. He returns in the company of an older Rhennee woman wearing a loose-fitting dress marked with intricate linework. The woman looks very haggard, as if she's been sick for weeks, and the fact that Mariakos gently holds her elbow as she walks does little to dispel the idea that all is not well with her. > > The bargelord leads the woman to the front of the boat, where she slowly gets down on her knees. She leans over the side of the barge, staring at the water's surface, and almost immediately gives a start. She whispers to the water, pausing occasionally as if listening to its response before looking at Mariakos, worry circling her deep-set ryes. The two speak to each other in hushed tones, and Mariakos's expression falls from one of supreme confidence to one of doubt. For the first time, the bargelord looks south, in the direction of Greyhawk, and the furrows in his brow give every indication that he's deep in thought, as if considering a return to the city. > > After a brief moment he shakes his head and speaks almost apologetically to the old woman. She nods; perhaps a bit sadly, and shuffles back to the aft structure. Mariakos approaches your group. > > "That was Esinica, our veth. You might call her a wise-woman. A powerful woman indeed is Esinica, though I fear her best days are now behind her." > > "The veth have a way with the lake and her tributaries. Esenica reads the waters, coaxing from them their secrets that we might gain a safe journey to our destination." Mariakos brings his right hand to his forehead and exhales deeply. > > "Esinica says that the lake is angry, that spirits long undisturbed near the lake's heart have awakened, sending waves of disquiet even as far as Greyhawk. Esinica believes we should wait for a more fortuitous time, but I do not know. We've been paid well by many to take this cargo to I.eukish, and it's money we well need. I don't dare defy the lake, or Esinica, for that matter, but this cargo must make Urnst before two weeks are out." > > "We brave the lake. I ask that each of you keep on the strongest possible guard. When the Nyr Dyv is upset, the best thing we can do is try to stay out of its way."
  Mariakos doesn't really understand why the lake is "upset," and neither does Esinica. Were the vetha to speak plainly instead of shrouding their visions in mystery, Esinica might say that something near the center of the Nyr Dyv has been sending waves of negative energy that has made travel difficult and that has greatly upset the lake's numerous inhabitants (some of them quite large and dangerous). The disturbance involves new activity in the long sunken Isles of Woe, but the exact nature of this activity is beyond the scope of this adventure, and will be revealed in future LMNG GREYHAWK scenarios and special events. These distant happenings do, however, have wide-ranging consequences that very much play a role in As He Lay Dying. The disturbances at the center of the lake have upset many of the Nyr Dyv's monstrous inhabitants, a few of which have responded by swimming down the Selintan, looking to put as much distance between themselves and whatever's happening near the Isles of Woe as possible. The creatures fear this malevolent force, and hence monsters that might ordinarily avoid the Rhennee barge will instead treat it as a threat- something to be destroyed before it destroys them. Three times per day (once for morning, afternoon, and evening), roll a d10. If the result is a r-3, the party will experience one of a handful of random encounters. If they have not yet endured a random encounter before by the fourth day, choose one of the combat e:ncounters (appropriate to the party's level, of course) to happen on that day, at a time of your choosing. ### RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

Heavy Rain: The skies open, pouring heavy, obscuring rain onto the barge. For the next three random encounter opportunities (dro rolls), visibil- ity is reduced by half, resulting in a -4 penalty to Spot and Search checks. Unprotected flames are automatically extinguished, and protected flames (such as lanterns) dance wildly and have a 50% chance of being extinguished. Ranged weapon attacks and Listen checks are made at a -4 penalty.

Battle Encounter: The barge crosses paths with a dangerous lake creature or creatures swimming angry and scared in the deep waters of the northern Selintan. Use Battle Encounter (a).

Flotsam: The characters are passed by the wreckage of a merchant vessel floating down- stream. A couple bodies float alongside the detritus, apparently the victims of some savage attack.

Battle Encounter: The barge crosses paths with a dangerous lake creature or creatures swim- ming angry and scared in the deep waters of the northern Selintan. Use Battle Encounter (b).

Shore Problems: The barge passes a building on the shore that has been flattened, gutted by fire, or in some other way spectacularly destroyed. Mariakos urges that they ignore these structures, but anyone or shore making a Wilderness Lore check (DC 10) can easily determine that something huge slithered from the river, destroyed the building, and slithered back. All ruins have already been looted, and nothing of value can gained from them.

Something Hit Us! The barge is rocked violently as something huge brushes up against the bottom of the vessel. Anyone standing on deck must make a Balance check (DC 15) or fall heavily to the ground, suffering ld6 points of damage. Those who fall within 5 ft. of the edg;e of the barge must make another Balance check immediately (DC 20) or tumble headlong into the Selintan. Remember that armor heavily encumbers would-be swimmers. Whatever it was that hit th e boat moves on, troubling the characters no more.

  ##### Optional Details
 

Rain needles pricking skin; tarp gutters gurgle as water sheets off.

A shattered crate bobbing by, smelling of sour citrus and brine.

Black river mud oozing between boots on a scraped sandbar.

A half-burned ledger page plastered to the hull, ink bleeding.

Low, bowel-felt thud beneath the planks as something brushes past.

Carrion tang riding the wind from a ruined shoreline byre.

  ##### Other Details
 

Rain needles pricking skin; tarp gutters gurgle as water sheets off.

A shattered crate bobbing by, smelling of sour citrus and brine.

Black river mud oozing between boots on a scraped sandbar.

A half-burned ledger page plastered to the hull, ink bleeding.

Low, bowel-felt thud beneath the planks as something brushes past.

Carrion tang riding the wind from a ruined shoreline byre.

  ### ENCOUNTER BREAKDOWNS APL4 Battle Encounter (A): The underlake d:isturbances to the north have frightened a lone sea lion that seeks safety down the Nyr Dyv. Enraged and frightened to the point of insensibility, the creature swims at the boat with great speed, propelling itself into the front of the barge with a powerful thrust of its tail. Allow anyone specifically watching the waters ahead to make a Spot check (DC 15) to notice a fast-moving disturbance in the water approaching the barge at break- neck speed. At least two of the Rhennee (assuming they're still alive) get a chance; they make Spot checks at +o. Those who notice are not surprised by the sea lion's attack.
  #### Who Was Ramel Kem? Given the curiosity of most adventurers, it's reasonable to assume that sooner or later, at least one member of the party is going to crack open Jaziadeen's crate to see what exactly it is she's shipping to her uncle in Leukish.
  The crate's lid has been hammered shut with eleven nails. Unless extraordinary precautions have been made, any attempt to force the lid gives everyone on the barge a free Listen check with a +5 circumstance bonus. Generally, this check is made against DC 10, but if the players are being exceptionally crafty, you might allow the Listen checks to be made against opposed Move Silently or even Disable Device rolls.
  Kern's body, fresh as the day it was killed thanks to a high-level gentle repose cast upon it, was stripped of its material wealth in the "robbery" in which Kem was killed. Kern's skin is an opalesque white, as is his hair. Only his beautiful (even in death) blue eyes give him away as something other than an albino. He appears to have been about 32 years old.
  The only wound on his body is a deep cylindrical cut at the base of his neck, going upward into his brain. The edges of the wound fester with a black goo that evokes thoughts of insect pupae. (In fact, an insectoid creature in service to the Homed Society poked him in the brainstem in a successful attempt to steal his knowledge of the Octychs, which killed him instantly).
  Kem is lawful evil, and hence receives a Will save against attempts to communicate with his corpse via speak with dead. As a 1 oth_level monk with a high Wisdom, Kern's Will save is +10. If the characters should happen to open a line of communications with his corpse, use the following questions and answers, as appropriate.
  **Who are you?** Ramal Kem.
  **Whom do you serve?** I serve my uncle, Valesh Kem, of Leukish. (He emphatically does not answer "The Scarlet Brotherhood," here.]
  **Do you serve the Scarlet Brotherhood?** Yes.
  **Who klllad you?** I don't know.
  **Who do you think killed you?** An agent of the Homed Society.
  **Why would the Horned Society want to kill you?** Perhaps they seek the Octychs.
  **What are the OctychS?** Eight magical keys that will open a gateway to incalculable power that the world has not known since the glorious days af the righteous Empire of the Suel. (Kem does not give any more information about the Octychs, for any reason.]
  **How ware you killed?** I remember coming out of the Green Dragon Inn, in Greyhawk. Something sharp hit me in the back of the head, and everything went black.
  **Would you Ilka to return to life?** Very much so.
  ### THE RHENNEE AND DEATH ON THE WATER Should any Rhennee die during any of the above battles, their fellows immediately push their bodies into the river. Mariakos (or one of the other crew members, should he be the dead man) explains that the Rhennee believe that carrying a dead body across water is a grave insult to the spirit of the lake, who desires to collect that which is rightfully hers.
  Should a character die, the crew will strongly advocate throwing his or her body into the lake (or river) as well. If the characters will not agree to this, the crew demands that they make an offering to the Nyr Dyv, either of something of great symbolic importance to the deceased or something of obvious material value (worth over l,ooo gp ). The chosen item must be thrown into the lake in place of the deceased.
  ## ENCOUNTER 3: APPARITIONS IN THE FOG ##### Optional Details
 

Lantern light swallowed to halos; moisture beading on lashes.

Rigging creaks ghosting across flat water like whispers.

Charcoal-ash smell from the burned hull of the distant cog.

Fog droplets cold on tongues, tasting metallic and clean.

Deck boards slick as soap; palms squeak on wet rail.

A muffled knock—rope against mast—seeming far too loud.

  Unless the characters stopped to heal their wounds or for some reason delayed their journey up the river, this encounter occurs on the fifth day of the trip. Read the following text aloud to your players:
  > [!NOTE] > The barge emerges from the mouth of the Selintan and into Midbay, where the great river meets the greatest of lakes. A thin fog hugs the surface of the Nyr Dyv as the barge emerges onto it, and as the day passes by, the fog gets thicker and thicker. You sense a nervousness in the crew, who spend most of the day peering into the fog, fingering the pommels of their longswords and nervously checking the strings of their crossbows several times an hour.
  About two hours before dinner, allow any character on deck to make a Spot check (the crew make the check at +o) at DC i 5 to notice a dark shape, perhaps a ship, floating in the distance several hundred feet away. The vessel seems to be completely dark and still, not moving in the slightest.
  Due to the fog, most of ship remains shrouded from the sight of the characters. Anyone looking at the ship through a spyglass can determine that the hull of the cog has been heavily burned, and bears the legend: The Pride of [[Axeport]]. (As almost anyone with knowledge of the region knows, Axeport is a city in the [[Shield Lands]] that fell to the humanoid hordes of Iuz during the Greyhawk Wars a half-decade ago.)
  If the characters alert Mariakos to the ship's presence (assuming he is still alive), he can instantly tell that there's no one at the helm, it's a ghost ship (he's only partly correct on that accord). If Mariakos is not present, one of the other Rhennee makes this observation. The Rhennee are completely against exploring the seemingly abandoned ship.
  If Mariakos is around, he out-and-out forbids the characters from investigating the ship.
  "The lake's dead are her own" he says with forceful conviction.
  If any of his men have died on the journey upriver, he adds: "Besides, my crew has suffered enough on this journey. We are not meant to explore the corpses of the Nyr Dyv's dead." Rhennee strongly consider "ghost ships" extremely ill omens (and remember that their culture is built around such superstition).
  The crew pleads with the characters not to explore, telling them that with the increased monster activity on the lake, their presence on the barge is absolutely required. If, for instance, the ship was haunted, those exploring it might become trapped inside or worse--killed, leaving the entire barge crew in future danger due to their absence.
  Mariakos tells the characters that he will not bring the barge nearer the vessel, and that anyone who leaves his barge to investigate the ship is not welcome to ever return. Of course, that's not likely to stop the most curious adventurers. The ship is a ghost ship only in that it contains numerous undead. It also contains the cleric Renkus Rand, who has been awaiting the characters ever since he received magical communication from Dark Meggala that the barge had departed Greyhawk.
  Thanks to the ineptitude of the undead piloting his ship, however, he came too close to the barge, and has ordered his entire crew below decks, counting on the superstitions of the Rhennee to ensure that he's not disturbed. He isn't ready for the characters, just yet, and would prefer to take Ramel Kern's body by force further from the mouth of the Selintan.
  Should the characters investigate the Pride of Axeport despite the wishes of the Rhennee (who take such disrespect as a grave insult), proceed to Encounter Six, only the combatants who ordinarily would appear in Encounter Five are present on the ship, as well sometimes being brave leads to terrible consequences. Assuming the characters assent to the discretion of the Rhennee, the barge passes by the ship, allowing fog and distance to swallow the Pride of Axeport. For now.
  ## ENCOUNTER 4: DEATH COMES TO THE NYR DIV
  ##### Optional Details

Blankets heavy with night damp as the body is borne out.

Beeswax and old herbs clinging to Esinica’s shawl.

Crew murmurs in Rhop, voices hoarse, eyes rimmed red.

Coins thudding softly in a pouch set aside as offering.

The lake’s breath exhaling chill over bare feet at the gunwale.

Final splash—horribly ordinary—then ringlets tapping the hull.

  This encounter assumes that Esinica has survived up until this point (not always a safe assumption, frankly). If she is already dead, the sixth day of the journey passes by uneventfully. The Nyr Dyv fog doesn't let up, and throughout the day it brings strange sounds that might be the distant call of lake monsters, but those monsters don't seem to be interested in the barge. If, on the other hand, Esinica has managed to survive this far, it's all been in vain. After several nights of losing Constitution to the depravations of Dark Meggala the night hag, the Rhennee wise-woman's body simply gives out.
  This isn't a foregone conclusion. It's possible that the characters have cast several lesser restoration or even restoration spells upon her, in which case you'll have to recalculate how many days the wise-woman has left. This encounter assumes she dies on the morning of the sixth day.
  When Esinica's time has come, proceed with the following:
  > [!NOTE] > You awaken to a strange sight. Mariakos, usually the first to awaken, is nowhere to be seen. Just as you think to ask someone about whats happened to the barge's lord, the door to the aft structure opens slowly, revealing the captain's burly frame. He's carrying' something heavy that·takes a moment to recognize as the lifeless body of .Esinica the wise-woman. > > "She has finally succumbed. A Rhennee barge without its veth is a fateless vessel indeed, he says, his left cheek twitching involuntarily.
  Mariakos brings the woman's body to the fore of the ship, laying it down respectfully and allowing the crew (and the characters, should they wish) to pay their final respects to the kindly, grandmotherly figure. On the highly unlikely chance that Esinica is the first of the Rhennee to die, Mariakos explains that the Rhennee never allow a dead body to stay on their barge for more time than is absolutely necessary. Those who die upon the lake belong to the lake, and the .6.erce Nyr Dyv covets those who should be delivered to her bottomless embrace.
  Any character with the Diplomacy skill can make a DC 5 check to determine that now would be a terrible time to tell the crew about the contents of Jaziadeen's mysterious crate. Should the barge lord find out that he's been misled all along at this already emotional juncture, he becomes irate, swearing up a storm about the "Suel witch and her disrespecting the traditions of the Rhennee. As before, he's willing to accept a bribe to flaunt the desire of the lake to have Ramel's body given up to her, but if it's gone this long he blames all of the barge's misfortune upon the corpse, and the cost will be high indeed.
  Mariakos dumps the corpse unless he is paid 300 gp times the party's chosen Encounter Level. The man is, above all else, a merchant. After the crew has said their respects to the wisewoman (mostly spoken quietly in the Rhennee cant), they hoist her body (magic bracers and all) into the cold waters of the Nyr Dyv.
  That night, Mariakos (or the Rhennee in charge) orders the boat further out into the lake, avoiding the rocky shore due to the added level of danger imposed hy the thick fog.
  ## ENCOUNTER 5: THE ATTACK The middle of the moonless night of the seventh day brings the long-awaited attack from the forces of Renkus Rand. Gathering the dire power of the Old One to subjugate undead (and, at higher encounter Levels, outsiders) to his will, he has sent a force from the Pride of Axeport to Mariakos's barge with a simple order-find the body of Ramel Kem and return it to the cleric's cog.
  Rand is himself a minor expert in the Octychs. During the Greyhawk wars, one of his superiors, a dark wizard named Barrat Roshan, turned up one of the minor artifacts during the siege of Molag, then the capital of the Horned Society. (With the fall of that city, so fell the nation of the same name, though an insidious secret society made up of those who escaped the wrath of Iuz still infests the Flanaess.)
  Desiring an Octych of his own to present to his wizardly superior in hopes of currying favor with Roshan and thus gaining a greater status within Iuz's empire, Rand plans to reanimate Ramel Kem and draw what he knows about the Octychs from him by force. Should such experiments lead him to an Octych, he plans to present the object to his master later this year, during a ceremony of divination (to determine more information regarding how the Octych may be used) known as the Revelation in Ichor.
  Rand's confidante, the night hag Black Meggala, caught Kern's scent in Greyhawk, but by the time she found him, he was dead. Through magical communications, the hag managed to direct Rand here, almost within sight of the barge. But seeing the ship is another thing, altogether.
  Even if the barge is illuminated magically, the fog obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. As per the Dungeon Master's Guide, due to the fog creatures within 5 ft. have one-half concealment (attacks by or against them have a 20% miss chance). The fog does not limit vision underwater, however, which is how the agents of Renkus Rand manage to flnd the barge.
  The Pride of Axeport, at this point, is only about eighty feet away from the barge, though it's unlikely that the characters will be able to determine this before all hell breaks loose. The attack comes three hours after midnight. Allow anyone awake and on deck a Listen check (DC 15) to hear a light splash about ten feet to the west of the barge. The splash is that of a lake fish leaping from the water in an attempt to flee from the horrific creatures swimming toward the boat. It's not much to go on, but it ought to at least put the characters on watch on edge for what happens next.
  Allow anyone in the front half of the boat to make a Spot check against the Move Silently roll of the sea hag detailed below. Those who manage to beat her roll see a sickly yellow hand reach up from the lake to find a hold on the front rail of the barge as the disgusting woman pulls herself aboard. Those who do not see her are surprised.

Sea Hag

Ghouls (lacedons) (6)

Tactics: The sea hag emerges from the water two rounds before the lacedons, hoping to lure most of the barge's inhabitants to the boat's fore.

Her appearance is so horrifying that all who look upon her must succeed at a Fortitude save or instantly be weakened, taking 2d8 points of Strength damage.

She leads off with her Evil Eye ability for the first three rounds, favoring targets that appear to be the greatest threat to her. After she has used the attack three times, she fights with her claws.

Once she has the attention of at least a few members of the party, she begins cackling to herself, screaming wildly such phrases as "Who dares to disturb the Lake of Unknown Depths," "I shall cook your flesh in. a kettle of fish," and whatnot. Anyone can make a Sense Motive check against her Bluff ( +o) check to determine that she's obviously trying to call attention to herself. What she's trying to do is draw the attention of the party away from the back of the barge, where four lacedons have emerged from the lake with orders to remove as the barge's cargo and toss it into the water.

Two additional lacedons remain submerged below the barge, with orders to inspect each piece of cargo underwater for signs of Ramel Kem.

The ghouls on deck make Move Silently rolls at +7, though the splashes of the cargo as it hits the water grants anyone on deck a +2 circumstance bonus to Listen checks made to hear the commotion at the back of the boat. If anyone goes to investigate the noises at the back of the barge, one or more of the lacedons attacks him or her (as convenient), throwing paralyzed bodies into the Nyr Dyv, where they will most likely drown.

If left completely undisturbed, the ghouls throw Ralnel Kem's makeshift casket into the water on the seventh round after the hags emerge from the lake. Thereafter, all of them dive off the barge to the north their splashes can lead the party in the exact direction of the Pride of Axeport.

Remember that during this fight visibility is limit- ed to 5 feet. Party members hearing the screams of horrified friends fighting the sea hag probably won't know to cover their eyes until it's too late.

Those on one side of the boat should have a great deal of difficulty knowing what's going on the other side.

  Finishing the Encounter When all foes have been dispatched, the actions of the characters may vary widely depending upon the status of the body of Ramel Kem.

If the lacedons managed to throw it into the lake, the party likely will want to follow it. Ramel's "casket" fl.oats, so the lacedons tugging it to the Pride of Axeport make a terrible, easy-to-follow racket all the way back to their ship (which of course is impos- sible to see due to the fog).

If all enemies have been killed and the casket remains onboard, a frustrated Renkus Rand sends a single lacedon (one of the two who remained underwater) back to the barge with a letter sealed in a waterproof bottle of green glass tied around its neck. The lacedon is given orders not to attack, simply to act as a messenger.

The letter is written in common, and reads thusly: You have been betrayed. Ramel Kem is a member of the Scarlet Brotherhood, as is his associate who hired you in Greyhawk. I trust you'll forgive my intrusion, and I apologize for any grief my servants may have caused you. I only wish to retrieve the body of my hated enemy, Kem of the Scarlet Sign, so that it may be given its just punishment. Do not seek me out. I am very near, and very dangerous. Hand over the treacherous bastard's body to my delivery agent, and I shall deliver ten times whats in his pouch to you immediately. I swear this upon the honor of the Old One, Iuz, Most Infamous Lord of Dorakaa.

The lacedon bears a pouch containing 50 platinum pieces. Should the characters tum over the body, Rand is true to his word, forking over an additional 450 platinum via the lacedon messenger, along with a hastily scrawled note of thanks and farewell. Likely, however, the characters won't deal with Iuz. Likely, they'll take the fight to the Pride of Axeport.

  # End Round I
  ## ENCOUNTER 6: THE PRIDE OF AXEPORT
  > [!NOTE] > # The Pride of Axeport — Ghost Cog of the Nyr Dyv > > **Mode:** Event (boarding action) with Traversal pressures (tight quarters) > > **Tier (Cypher-style CR):** Default 6; knobs for 3 and 8 noted inline. > **Base Difficulty:** Moderate (most tests start at DC 14; raise to DC 16 when the fog matters). > **Impulses:** Lure intruders aboard with a false derelict; isolate targets in tight spaces; escalate fast via alarms; let the master arrive showboating. > **Potential Adversaries:** Deck Skeletons (Large), Vestath the Lamia (Iuz’s agent), Renkus Rand (necromancer-cleric), Bodak on the slab (hold). > > --- > > ## Features (passives → actions → reactions) > > ### Passives > > - **Ghost-Fog Blanket.** Heavy fog hugs the deck. Perception checks that rely on sight are at disadvantage beyond 20 ft; ranged attacks beyond short range are at disadvantage. Loud sounds travel and echo. > > - **Dead Watchers.** The deck is littered with jumbled “lifeless” skeletons from Medium to Gargantuan. A careful scan reveals several overlarge bones; on a success, a PC can ready vs. sudden animation. > > > > **Prompting questions:** What tells you these bones were _placed_, not left by chance? Whose breath frosting in the fog gives away your position? > > ### Actions > > - **Gong of Alarm (Track).** The first animated skeleton rushes the mast-mounted brass gong. If it rings, tick the **Alert Clock** (see Timers). Other skeletons engage immediately. > > - **Rise, Deckhands.** When any stranger sets foot on deck (or is spotted above it), 6–10 Large skeletons animate (Tier 3: 4–6 Medium; Tier 8: 10–12 Large, plus 1 Huge). They try to surround and drive intruders toward the forecastle door. > > - **Illusory Parley.** From inside the forecastle, **Vestath** casts _mirror image_, then projects a _major image_ of a blood-splattered “Renkus Rand” by the door, inviting parley. Through a small porthole, she whispers **suggestion** to the nearest PC within 45 ft to “put away weapons and step inside to talk—shut the door to keep the noise out.” > > - **Showtime, Captain.** Once alerted, **Renkus Rand** spends two rounds behind the sterncastle door drinking potions / casting defenses, then strides out barking orders and smashing interlopers, reveling in command. > > - **Operating Theater Horror.** In the hold, two dozen hook-suspended zombie victims moan (½ HD equivalents that soak Turn attempts). Upon intrusion, the slab’s occupant—**Bodak**—rises and leads with its deadliest specials (e.g., gaze), fighting until destroyed. > > - **Sealed Fore Hatches.** Fore trapdoors are nailed tight; opening them is loud and slow. Stern hatches open cleanly to narrow steps into the reek below. > > > > **Prompting questions:** Who does the false “Rand” remind you of? What detail of the operating tools tells you this work is recent? > > ### Reactions > > - **When the Gong Rings…** Advance the **Alert Clock** immediately; Vestath arrives onto the deck on the next round, Rand three rounds later—unless already engaged. > > - **When a PC Splits Off or Enters the Forecastle Alone…** Vestath abandons the ruse and strikes, leading with Wisdom-draining touch and opportunistic dagger work. > > - **When Turn Undead is Used…** Apply turning to the hook-zombies first; only overflow reaches deck skeletons or the bodak. > > - **When PCs Flee to the Barge…** The Rhennee won’t join the fight but linger nearby unless it’s obviously fatal; they can extract survivors if signaled. > > > > **Prompting questions:** Whose shouted warning carries through the fog—and who hears it that shouldn’t? What do you drop or leave behind squeezing through the hanging corpses? > > --- > > ## Timers / Tracks > > - **Alert Clock (0–3)** > **0** Quiet derelict. > **1** Vestath peeks and sets the illusion; skeleton sent to the gong. > **2** Vestath takes the deck (or drags prey into her room). > **3** Rand emerges, buffed and blustering. > _Advance on: gong strike; ranged thunderous spells; screamed orders; a body hitting the lake._ > > - **Stench & Claustrophobia** (optional mental strain clock, 0–2): advance when PCs push through the hanging dead without preparation; at 2, impose disadvantage on focus/will checks until they breathe clean air. > > > --- > > ## Telegraphs & Collateral > > - **Sights:** Skull faces tilted toward the gangway; a polished gong by the mast; a small porthole in the forecastle door; lake-mist beading on blood-splattered robes hung to dry. > > - **Sounds/Scents:** Distant chains; the metallic breath of the foghorn-gong; sweet rot from below. > > - **Default GM Move:** Isolate someone (door slams, chains sway, fog blinds escalate the clock; or reveal a grisly tool with a clear purpose. > > > --- > > ## Scaling & Knobs > > - **Tier 3 (Low):** Fewer skeletons (4–6, Medium), Vestath prefers control over burst damage; Rand is lower-prep (1 round bodak swapped for **mummy** if you want gentler save math. > > - **Tier 6 (Default):** As written; 6–10 Large skeletons; bodak in the hold. > > - **Tier 8 (High):** Add a Huge skeleton among the dead; Vestath gains lair-like advantages in her quarters; Rand has an extra defensive buff; increase fog penalties by one step for ranged. > > > --- > > ## Rewards / Changes > > - **Clues:** A fresh **handwritten note** on Rand’s desk (Handout One on the instrument rack, a **folded parchment** of questions for Ramel Kem (Player Handout Two). > > - **Treasure:** The **boneblood scalpel** (detectable by magic amidst mundane saws and knives). > > - **Position:** Capturing or scuttling the cog shifts local fear and rumor; seizing the gong or smashing it removes the clock’s easy advance for future raids. > > > --- > > ## Running Notes (quick ref) > > - Vestath stays in her quarters unless prey is in reach; she does not rescue Rand. > > - Rand never surrenders (especially if Iuz’s spy lives he showboats and fights to the end. > > - Skeleton tactics: allow boarding, then surge; one peels to the gong. > > - Hold: Hook-zombies don’t attack, they soak Turning; the bodak uses its strongest opener, then closes. > > > --- > > ## GM Intrusions (use on 1s, failures, or golden openings) > > - **Shift the Environment:** A lurch sends hanging corpses swinging, entangling someone; a hook tears free, dropping a body atop a PC. > > - **Capture/Isolate:** A slammed door or chain snare splits the party. > > - **Clear an Effect:** Fog eddies briefly, revealing the false Rand—right as the real one steps out behind you. > > - **Escalate:** A second skeleton reaches the gong; double-tick the Alert Clock. > > > --- > > ### Quick Stat Hints (system-agnostic plugs) > > - **Skeleton mob (Large):** Strong swings, vulnerable to radiant/turning, low will. > > - **Vestath (lamia):** Illusions, charm/suggestion, Wisdom-draining touch; pendant of the six-fingered hand (Graz’zt). > > - **Renkus Rand:** Necro-cleric; two rounds of self-buffs; mace with horned skull head; arrogant morale. > > - **Bodak (hold):** Lethal gaze opener; loathes bright magic light; fights to the last. > > > --- > > ### Conversion Nubs > > Use these toggles to click into your system of choice: > > - **Spot/Notice the oversized bones:** DC 13–15; success lets you preempt the skeleton surge. > > - **Gong dash interrupt:** DC 15 contest or opportunity attack to stop the striker. > > - **Porthole suggestion:** DC 14–16 Will/Presence to ignore; failure compels a PC to enter & shut the door. > > - **Fore hatches (nailed):** DC 17 + noisy; failure ticks Alert. > > - **Operating gauntlet:** DC 13 to push through without dropping gear; failure imposes disadvantage on your next action from revulsion.
  Whether he's communicated with them via his lacedon messenger or whether he's simply awaiting the return of his agents with the body of Ramel Kem in tow, Renkus Rand expects that the characters will be boarding his ship in short order.
  He's scattered a handful of apparently lifeless skeletons on the deck of the ship, hoping that they'll reinforce the image of the Pride of Axeport as a vessel that befell some calamity and now ferries about its dead crew in aimless wanderings upon the surface of the Nyr Dyv. Rand himself remains secluded in his private chamber in the cog's sterncastle. The forecastle is home to a powerful servant of Iuz that's oflate positioned itself as his ally. Rand's bizarre and grotesque operating theater, situated in the ship's hold, bears more than a few surprises of its own.
  Regardless of how much they have suffered to this point, no member of the Rhennee barge crew will accompany the characters on an attack against Rand's cog. They will, however, remain in the area and await the party's return (unless it becomes obvious that the party isn't returning).
  In order to facilitate play, the ship has been broken down into specific encounter areas keyed to the map of the Pride of Axeport found in the appendix. Despite the fact that Rand, his ally, and the skeletons are listed in separate entries, it's entirely likely that the party will face them all at once due to loud noises, shouted warnings, or suchlike. It's probably best to familiarize your- self with the entire ship before running the adventure, spending some time thinking about how events in one part of the ship might affect happenings in another.
  ### THE PRIDE OF AXEPORT Renkus Rand's vessel is little more than a glorified cargo ship captured during the Greyhawk Wars and repurposed as his mobile laboratory and command center. It has a single mast supporting a square sail. About 50 feet long from bow to stem, the boat has a beam of about I I feet.
  In happier times, the ship might have supported a crew of some 20 men. Its cargo capacity is about x50 pounds, though the ship is no longer used for trade. Large fore and stemcastles mark the front and rear of the boat, serving as the private quarters for Rand and his unsteady ally.
  The boat doesn't bear a particularly deep hull-its main deck stands about ten feet from the surface of the lake.
  Heavy fog remains a concern at the time of the characters' attack.
  #### Area 1: Main Deck Numerous bones, many in the form of skeletons rang ing from Medium-size to Gargantuan, litter the cog's weathered deck. How many and which of these skeletons possess an animating force is largely a function of the party's chosen encounter level. Allow anyone taking a careful look at the skeletons (even if from a distance) a Spot check to note that several of the most-intact skeletons are larger than Medium-size. Regardless, tactics for the skeletons remain the same no matter the power level of the characters.

They lay upon the deck in a jumbled, "lifeless" position, their skulls positioned to watch over the ship.

The skeletons allow interlopers to reach the deck, but once a stranger sets foot on the deck (or is seen flying above it), the skeletons animate. One rushes to the mast, where a large gong has been placed for emergency situations. The others make battle with the characters.

Should a skeleton manage to ring the gong, the noise brings the forecastle inhabitant to the deck within one round, and Renkus Rand out of the stemcastle within three. It's highly likely that clerics will make short work of the skeletons by turning them, which doesn't bother Rand in the least. He's always got time to create more undead servitors, and if he manages to defeat the party, he'll have no shortage of candidate bodies to use for the immediate future.

*Skeletons, Large (9)

  #### Area 2: Forecastle Rand grudgingly gave up the Pride's forecastle to a "guest" from Dorakaa earlier this year, and he's still pretty bitter about it. Though the type of the creature in question varies depending upon the chosen Encounter Level, its mission does not.
  Two months ago, Rand and the Pride of Axeport put in at Admundfort, the occupied Shield Lands city that serves as Iuz's regional capital on the northern shore of the Nyr Dyv. At the time, Rand had a handful of disreputable humans and ores in his crew, and one of them happened to mention in casual conversation at a dockside bar that his master was searching for a powerful artifact. This news trickled through the informational underworld of the city, and eventually found its way to one of luz's loyal agents. That agent made contact with his superiors, who contacted Renkus Rand on the eve of his departure from the city. The agent praised Rand for his initiative, telling him that he had the support of the Old One himself in his current endeavor. In fact, the agent said, Iuz was so pleased to hear that one of his loyal subjects had a lead on an item that might be of great use to the Empire that he dispatched a special assistant aid his cause. The subtext lacked subtlety: Use the Octych to further the goals of luz or the monstrous agent will kill you. Violently. Rand grudgingly accepted the "help" from the Old One, consoling himself only by murdering his entire crew and animating those he trusted as skeletons and those he didn't as wmbies suffering endless torture in the ship's ghastly hold.
  Iuz's agent knows that Rand resents its presence, but it also knows that the cleric is too afraid of luz to do anything to harm it. It also knows that Rand represents its best chance at rising in the eyes of Iuz, so the cleric's survival is tied intimately to its own future. Therefore, the creature fights to protect its "master," even though Rand does little to nothing to reciprocate the insincere affection. Lamia Tactics: The female lamia Vestath grew up in the northlands of luz's kingdom, and pays homage to the father of the Old One, the demon prince Graz'zt (a pendant around her neck features a six-fingered hand, revealing her affiliation to anyone who makes a Knowledge (religion) check at DC 20).

She knows that the hags and lacedons have left for the Rhennee barge, and remains in her quarters awaiting either their arrival or the arrival of the characters. She's bored a porthole in wall facing the deck, which she uses to observe the space directly outside her door. The fog precludes her from getting a good view of the entire deck.

The moment she determines something is amiss (because the skeletons begin to move, the gong is sounded, or she hears the characters sneaking about the ship) she uses her mirror image spell on herself.

On the following round, she casts major image, creating an illusion of a blood-splattered male human cleric emerging from the forecastle, shutting the door behind him. The noise of the door opening and closing ought to attract the attention even of characters that cannot see the front half of the boat. Because the fog is so bad, she keeps the cleric close to the door, well within her sight. Assuming the appearance of the cleric does not attract an interloper in and of itself, she makes the illusion speak, saying, "I am Renkus Rand! Welcome to my ship! This fighting is pointless. Come here, and we shall discuss what we can do for each other. I mean you no harm."

The latter, of course, is a terrible lie, but as the illusion is not a living creature (in fact, it looks nothing like the real Renk.us Rand) the characters probably won't be able to detect such magically.

Vestath is careful not to make her "Rand" give any impression other than that he wants to talk peacefully - she knows that if he's hit by an attack, the image will fade and the ruse will come to an end. Her plan is to encourage at least one character to approach the forecastle to get within range of her suggestion spell, which she'll quietly utter through the hole in the wall.

Vestath's sultry-voiced suggestion targets one living creature within 45 feet (or preferably much shorter so she can be reasonably quiet about it). She mentions that the target could solve their current predicament by putting away his or her weapons and entering the forecastle for some conversation, shutting the door behind them to keep out the noise of those who foolishly continue to fight. Targets who make a successful Will save (DC x4) are free to ignore the suggestion. If the character fails, however, he or she must do exactly as Vestath suggests.

Once one or more characters have entered her quarters, the lamia attacks violently, preferring to use her Wisdom-draining touch but relying upon her dagger if things begin to get rough.

Vestath doesn't particularly care for Renkus Rand, so she's in no hurry to rush out onto the deck to run to his aid. She believes that her best course of action is to deal with the ship's enemies on her own turf, allowing the cleric and his distasteful undead to do most of the heavy hitting.

  #### Area 3: Sterncastle The stemcastle of the Pride of Axeport serves as the private home of Renkus Rand, the ship's current captain. Rand fancies himself an up-and-coming force in the Empire of luz. His interest in the Octychs has brought him to Ramel Kem, and his interest in Ramel Kem has brought the characters to his ship.
  He fully expects the characters to visit him, but unless they utterly wiped out his hags and other agents in Encounter Five, he's not too worried about them. Supremely confident in his own abilities (too confident, in fact), he's not overly concerned even if the characters roundly defeated his weaker agents.
  The Pride of Axeport contains the strongest of his allies. Besides, it also contains himself, and he'll certainly win any battle he enters. It's been true for him so far in life, and he sees no reason for the trend not to continue. Unless otherwise noted, Rand's tactics remain the same regardless of the party's chosen Encounter Level. He spends the first two rounds after being alerted to the presence of the characters preparing for battle by casting defensive spells upon himself (choose the best of these from his list of prepared spells) or drinking one or more of his extremely useful potions. Thereafter, he emerges onto the deck and attempts to dispatch as many foes as he possibly can. While doing so, he brashly orders around his "inferiors" as if showing off to his enemies that he is in command of the ship. Renkus Rand is an overweight Oeridian man with dark brown hair cut in the style of a monk (an unsubtle, not particularly funny "joke" that Rand considers the height of irony). He wears blood-spattered off white robes over a suit of chainmail and carries a mace tipped with a homed metal skull. He will not surrender (especially if Iuz's spy remains alive) and fights to the absolute end. If he is killed, characters are free to confiscate his equipment. Even a cursory search of his quarters yields a hand- written note which, due to the fact that it sits on a desk next to a fresh inkwell and wet pen, appears to have been written within about an hour or so. If the players discover this clue, give them a copy of Handout One. Renkus Rand #### Area 4: The Hold/Operating Theater Two sets of trapdoors open to the Pride of Axeporfs massive hold. The fore doors have been nailed completely shut, and will take a great deal of effort (not to mention a lot of noise) to open. The stern doors are unlocked and open easily, revealing a makeshift stairway leading down into darkness. Anyone opening either sets of doors is assaulted by a horrific stench of decay and rot coming from down below. The hold consists of one room that essentially spans the entire length and width of the ship. A single beam of continual light shines from some magical source near the hold's ceiling, about twenty feet from the ship's bow. The light illuminates what looks to be a humanoid body (ranging in size from Medium to large, depending upon the Encounter Level) resting motionless upon a metal table. A small wooden rack holding several instruments of an apparently medical nature stands on the opposite side of the table. The scene is difficult to make out, however, as two-dozen human and ore bodies hang impaled upon hooks suspended by chains from the ceiling, here. Moving from the stairs to the operating table involves pushing one's way through several dangling dead bodies. Worse, the bodies appear to be alive, after a fashion, as most of them emit low moans of pain, as if they can feel the sharp hooks transfixing them to the ceiling. These are the traitorous crewmembers who revealed Rand's mission to one of the Old One's spies in Admundfort, plus a few loyal crewmembers thrown in for good measure. Technically zombies, the bodies will not attack anyone, existing only to feel pain. However, they do count as 1/2 hit die undead creatures, and will soak up turning damage before it is applied to more powerful undead creatures, as described on page 139 of the Player's Handbook. As mentioned above, the hold contains 24 animated zombie hook victims. All of this could very well be academic, however, since only in the EL 4 and EL 8 versions of this adventure is the creature on the operating table (the only real threat in the room) an undead creature (a mummy and a bodak, respectively). Rand uses the hold as a bizarre operating theater. Should he get a hold of Ramel Kem's body, he'll bring it here in an attempt to perform an autopsy upon it with a specially enchanted scalpel located among the medical tools upon the rack. In the meantime, however, Rand has been practicing his stitching skills by putting together a full body suit of tanned human flesh for one of his most powerful servants. He's long wanted to costume his servitor in flesh, both for aesthetic purposes and because he hopes to trick enemy clerics into attempting to turn or control the creature, thinking it undead when it in fact is a golem. Tactics: Though the abilities of the creatures on the slab vary greatly depending upon their type, each deals with intruders in largely the same manner. - Once it becomes aware of interlopers in the hold, it rises and attacks, leading with its most powerful special attacks and continuing to fight until either it has killed all of the intruders or until it is itself killed. Treasure: Two items of interest can be recovered from this encounter. The first is a folded piece of parchment that Renkus placed upon the rack of instruments yesterday. The paper contains a list of possible questions to ask Ramel Kem, and is reproduced as Player Handout 2 in the appendix. DM Reference r, also in the appendix, contains the same list of questions with Ramel Kem's answers, should the characters choose to put them to the corpse themselves. Remember to review the speak with dead spell carefully- if the characters interrogated Kern's body within a week of their most recent attempt, the spell automatically fails. The second item of note is a scalpel of bone and metal (the boneblood scalpel-this is a special item list- ed in the Treasure Summary) that Renkus Rand uses to extract information from the bodies of the dead. Mixed in with other knives, saws, and items of less obvious nature, the characters will most likely need to cast detect magic to determine that this item is more valuable than the rest. Enemy: Bodak #### Where Do We Go From Here? Once Renkus Rand's operation has been brought to the ground and the characters have had a chance to lick their wounds, they'll be faced with determining what to do next. Essentially, they have two choices: Return to the City of Greyhawk or continue to Leukish. This choice determines which of two out-comes the players will experience.
  Though similar, each conclusion offers different challenges and spins the ongoing story of the campaign in different ways. Should the players choose to return to Greyhawk, continue with the next section. Should they instead decide to continue to Leukish, skip to Conclusion 2: Leukish.
  ## CONCLUSION l: GREYHAWK The next few encounters assume that the characters head back to Greyhawk without first stopping at their original destination, Leukish.
  Assuming he is still alive, Mariakos will not join the characters. His livelihood depends upon getting his cargo to Leukish, and he's willing to make the journey alone if need be to ensure that he gets to Urnst within a week's time. If they wish to return to the city, they'll have to take the Pride of Axeport. If the barge lord was killed during the adventure, on the other hand, his underlings happily abandon the doomed barge and join the characters aboard Rand's cog.
  Though their death-taboo makes them skittish about the ship, they've seen enough on the journey so far to scare them into doing just about any- thing. If the entire Rhennee crew is dead, the characters can sell off the barge's cargo for a total of 500 gp once they reach a safe harbor.
  Properly captained, the Pride of Axeport can make it back to Greyhawk in just two days of sailing (it could reach Leukish in a single day, were the characters inclined to travel there). The Rhennee have the skill needed to guide the ship correctly (as, no doubt, will a few characters).
  If the entire party lacks Profession (sailor) skills or the like, they'll be able to fumble their way to Greyhawk eventually, but the trip will take twice as long. Though the journey back to Greyhawk contains more than its share of strange monster calls in the distance and mysterious thumps upon the hull of the ship, the party makes it back to the Free City with very little difficulty.
  Since Jaziadeen suspects the characters have not even made it to Umst, she hasn't even started to worry, yet, and is going about her daily routine.
  The characters arrive in Greyhawk at about three in the afternoon. Inquiries at the embassy of the Duchy of Urnst reveal that Jaziadeen left work early today after finishing her tasks sooner than expected, and that she probably can be found in the Green Dragon Inn, one of her favorite hangouts.
  If the characters ask, Ambassador Reichart Petrides is in a long meeting with the ambassador from [[Nyrond]], and is not expected out for another three hours. No matter who the characters are, the lesser functionaries at the embassy will not grant them access to Count Petrides.
  If the characters play up their need to speak with the Count as having major repercussions upon the fate of Urnst, the functionaries tell them that they will make sure the Count keeps some time open for them near the end of the day, after his current business is concluded. Try to give the players the impression that no one available to them at the embassy is really qualified to hear their problem. Likewise if the characters go to the city watch-a young clerk takes down their story and places of residence (or where they're staying in town) and unconvincingly tells them that he'll pass it on to his superiors, and that the watch will "most likely" be contacting them within a week or two. It should swiftly become clear that the characters will have to contact Jaziadeen on their own.
  ## ENCOUNTER 7: GETTING EVEN WITH .IAZJADEEN The [[Green Dragon Inn]] is a popular drinking establishment situated in Greyhawk's boisterous River Quarter. It's a haunt of adventurers, thieves, Rhennee, rivermen, smugglers, and other lowlifes who love the low prices and genuinely seedy atmosphere. On the night the characters arrive, the bar is fairly quiet. Jaziadeen sits at a table near the center of the common room, her eyes engrossed in an oversized book resting upon her table and a mug of ale in her left hand. When confronted by the characters, the woman's shoulders sink visibly. It's clear that she knows something's gone terribly, terribly wrong.
  While many parties will want to go in guns blazing, do whatever you can to discourage such activity. Remind them that the other inhabitants of the bar (some two dozen adventurers and other assorted riffraff) might take offense at a group of armed mercenaries barging into the bar to attack an unarmed, defenseless woman (little do they know ... ).
  For her part, Jaziadeen attempts to parley with the party even if attacked-she knows she has little chance of defeating the entire group, and figures she has a better chance of surviving if she keeps things relatively cool. Assuming she's confronted about being a member of the Brotherhood or if she's simply accused of using the characters, she spreads her hands apologetically and a genuinely sad look comes over her face. Read the following:
  > [!NOTE] > Jaziadeen shakes her head slowly. "I know you probably won't believe me, but I never meant for you to come to any grief. I simply wanted protection for Rame and you seemed to have the appropriate skills for the job. Judging by the fact that you're here leads me to believe that you may have been even more skilled than I originally anticipated." > > The woman pushes away from the table nonchalantly, as if getting up from a meal enjoyed with friends. "I'm willing to bargain for my life-but not with you. In the years since I came to Greyhawk, Ambassador Petrides has always treated me with honor and respect, even when unknown to him I was selling him out. If I'm to reveal myself to anyone, it will be to him. I give up. I am caught. Take me to Count Petrides, and I promise you I will help Greyhawk before I leave. If I know the count as well as I think I do, I suspect he will reward you for bringing my. . . affiliation to his attention."
  Of course the characters have the option of turning Jaziadeen over to the legendarily corrupt city watch of Greyhawk or to administer a little street justice. In the former case, the guard takes her into custody and asks the characters for their contact information, assuring them that they'll be contacted when the case goes to trial. In this case the adventure is, essentially, over.
  Inquiries with the watch three weeks or more after Jaziadeen was turned over are met with the "sad" news that Jaziadeen was crushed when a workhouse acid vat broke free of its mooring. Regrettably, her case never will reach trial. If the characters simply decide to off Jaziadeen without taking her up on her offer to spill her guts to her boss at the embassy, use the statistics for Jaziadeen as found in Encounter Ten. Should the characters bring her to the Urnstan Embassy, however, proceed to Encounter Eight.
  ## ENCOUNTER 8: PETRIDES This encounter assumes that the characters have come to the Embassy of Urnst with the captured Jaziadeen in tow. You'll have to spend some time adapting it if Jaziadeen is already dead or if the characters manage to barge in on Petrides's meeting before capturing Jaziadeen.
  Assuming the characters captured Jaziadeen at the Green Dragon Inn, she leads them to the embassy and speaks with one of the ambassadorial underlings, telling him that she has information of vital interest to the Count, and that he should be interrupted immediately. The functionary looks puzzled, but ventures upstairs to alert Count Petrides (apparently, Jaziadeen has more pull than the characters as far as interrupting her boss is concerned).
  [[Petrides]] is a handsome Suel man in his late 50s. He wears stylish clothing cut in the latest fashion and oozes both respect and wealth (the rings on his fingers appear to be worth more than the combined wealth of the party, for instance). His short light brown hair tapers to a widow's peak, and he has powerful hazel eyes.
  Despite his patrician appearance and noble upbringing, Petrides gives off a very warm, welcoming presence, especially toward adventurers. He adventured for a time in his youth, and had he not been asked by a former Duke of Urnst to take up the path of the diplomat he might still be out in the field.
  When he comes downstairs from his meeting, his face bears lines of worry and puzzlement. He trusts that Jaziadeen would not interrupt him unless her news was important indeed. He looks directly at Jaziadeen and asks "What is it? What's going on?" Jaziadeen replies by pointing at the characters. "These people have something to tell you. Before they do, I wish to tell you that I have genuinely enjoyed your hospitality and company during my time here in Greyhawk. I shall remember it forever." The count's face contorts in further confusion. "Well?" he asks the characters, "What's the news, then?"
  As the characters tell him their story Gaziadeen will not fill in any details and in fact wants to know how much they know), Petrides looks mortified that his organization could have been penetrated so effectively. When they have finished, he turns to his assistant and asks, "Is this true?" Jaziadeen's only answer is a slow, almost apologetic nod. Then she speaks.
  > [!NOTE] > "I realize there's probably no way you'll allow me to leave the city in dignity, but there are ways that I could help you, ways that I could help Urnst. Valesh Kem, in I.eukish, is a member of the Brotherhood - that much is obvious, and it would be foolish of me to deny it. There are others in the city, but I swear to you that I do not know their names." > > The woman purses her lips, as if considering her next move. "I do know, however, of a Brotherhood cell here in the City of Greyhawk. If you allow me to leave the city with a promise that I will not be tailed, I will reveal their names and location to you. I promise you this information is true. Breaking up a ring of traitors in the city would be a gnat vic tory for the Duchy of Unst, and might lead to greater favor with the Directing Oligarchy." > > "I'm obviously speaking from self-interest, here, but I think ifs in your best interest to accept my offer." Petrides looks deeply into his assistants eyes, his face a picture of controlled rage. He sits silently for a full minute before continuing. "I accept your offer. You served me well, despite your subterfuge, so I feel that I owe you a chance to survive this. Give me the names of the traitors, and I will release you with an oath that you will not be trailed or harmed." > > Petrides looks directly at you and your companions. "And I can assure you that you have little to worry about from these folks. They have done a great service to both Urnst and to Greynawk, and I'm sure they've had enough of fighting over the past few days. They will be richly rewarded for their efforts," he says, opening a small locked cabinet built into a wooden wall and removing a small velvet pouch. "And for their silence." > > The ambassador removes several small green gems from the pouch, one for each member of your group. "I trust these will suffice. There's been enough blood shed over this already. Ja.ziadeen is discredited. She'll not be welcome in either Greyhawk or Urnst ever again. I don't believe that she intendedjor such grief to come to you, but she is a traitor, and I can stand her presence. no longer."
  The gems are worth 100 gp each. There are as many gems as there are characters in the game.
  Petrides reminds the party that, while within the embassy they stand on the soil of Umst, and that he is a noble of that nation whose wishes should be respected. "The Oligarchy respects my orders regarding the affairs of Urnstan nationals in the city. You should, too."
  He asks Jaziadeen to write the names and location of the Brotherhood spies on a piece of paper, and asks her to leave after he has glimpsed the names. He asks the party to remain in the embassy, asking them to tell him about themselves.
  > [!NOTE] > "I have many tasks which require men and women of your talents," he says, tapping the piece of paper with the name of the Brotherhood's Greyhawk agents. > > "Please let me know whenever you're in the city nen, and we'll work something out. If you'll be around for a while, perhaps l can use you to solve our little Brotherhood problem." > > "I want you to know I appreciate your discretion in this matter, and my doors are open to you at any time."
  Essentially, the count is stalling to allow Jaziadeen to make her escape. If she was to be killed in the embassy it would create needless legal entanglements, and bringing her in to the watch would cause incredible diplomatic embarrassment to him and to the Duchy of Urnst. After he's stalled for a significant period of time by asking the party to talk about themselves, he rubs his eyes tiredly and asks them to see themselves out. The encounter has the feel of a wrap-up - some of your players may assume that the adventure is over. Don't do anything to dissuade them from that belief until they've made it clear that they've left the embassy. Then, proceed to the following encounter.
  ## ENCOUNTER 9: BUT SERJOUSLY, FOLKS Later that night, as the characters wind down from their adventure (most likely at one of Greyhawk's numerous drinking establishments), they're contacted by a messenger wearing the green aind brown colors of the Duchy of Umst. The young man tells them that their presence is requested at the embassy, and that they have been asked for by name by Count Petrides himself.
  Assuming the characters assent to the request, continue with the following:
  > [!NOTE] > The messenger leads you into the Umstan Embassy, where the entire Jaziadeen affair began days ago. The building's halls are cold and dark, lit only by a single candle. The messenger takes the candle from its sconce and turns toward you. > > "The count awaits you in his office upstairS: he says. "I shall lead the way." He walks up an expensive marble stairway and down a short hall to a wooden door. He raps three knocks on the door, and you fainty hear the voice of the count say "enter" from the other side. > > The servant opens the door and motions you inside. Several candles illuminate the large room. A tall stuffed bear standing upon its hind legs dominates one of the far corners, and the walls are lined with maps and bookshelves. > > Petrides sits behind a large oaken desk. The desk is mostly bare-what items it contains are meticulously arranged. The count himself looks different than he did earlier in the day. He's changed clothes from a colorful outfit to a gray and black doublet. He looks at you with cold, calculating eyes and you note a conviction in his gaze that was lacking only a few hours ago. > > Once your entire group has entered, the servant closes the door quietly behind you, remaining in the hallway. "Of course I cannot allow her to live," Petrides says calmly. "Jaziadeen is a traitor to both Umst and Greyhawk, and belongs to one of the most insidious organizations the Flanaess has ever know. Officially, it is not within my capacity to order the execution of anyone, especially not within Greyhawk's walls." Petrides takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "But Jaziadeen is no longer within the city walls. According to my spies, she and two companions left the city via the Marsh Gate two hours ago. She is a creature of habit, and I would be willing to bet that she spends tomorrow evening at the Cup and Cradle, a wayside inn on the way to Dyvers. I'd quite like you to find her and kill her for me." > > Petrides drops a weighty pouch of coins upon his desk. "Unofficially, of course."
  The pouch contains 10 pieces of platinum per character in the party. If they decline the offer, Petrides nods glumly, telling them that he will have to find other agents to do his admittedly dirty work for him.
  "I only asked you because I figured you had a right to get back at her for what she did to you," he says.
  Petrides gives the characters directions to the Cup and Cradle, telling them that if they leave tonight and ride the whole night, they ought to arrive at the inn just after dinner on the following day, arriving only a few hours after Jaziadeen. He tells the characters that he will not admit to hiring them to anyone, and that he will not be able to assist them if their mission comes to grie£ Any of Jaziadeen's possessions that do not directly relate to the welfare of the Duchy of Umst, of course, are theirs to keep. If the characters refuse to take the count up on his offer, the adventure ends here. If they do decide to get back at the woman who betrayed them, however, proceed to the next encounter.
  ## ENCOUNTER 10: REVENGE Refer to Player Map 3, in the appendix, for the lay of the land in the Cup and Cradle.
  The inn is typical of its type, containing a large common room, bar, and kitchen on the main floor and a small number of rooms on the single upper floor (not pictured). When the characters arrive, Jaziadeen and her two companions (other nonhuman agents of the Brotherhood who were active in the city and who have left it to ensure that she gets safely to Dyvers) are dining in the tap- room. The only other customers are three merchants (Com1; hp 2, 3, 5) and the barkeep and his innkeeper wife (Com2; hp 4 and Exp1; hp 3 respectively). None of the patrons or employees of the inn will flght unless they have to, and attempt to flee the inn at the first sign of danger.
  If Jaziadeen sees any of the characters, she knows exactly why they've come and immediately attacks, screaming to her associates to hack her up. Jaziadeen's associates appear human (whether due to their own abilities or to potions imbibed earlier in the day), but in fact are dangerous monsters. Both fight to the death. Tactics for the battle are straightforward. Jaziadeen is not interested in bargaining for her life and believes that the only way she can survive is by killing her pursuers.
  Jaziadeen: Female human (Suel) Monk Dopplegangers(2)
  That's It! After the characters have dispatched Jaziadeen, the adventure is effectively over. They may report to Reichart Petrides, who solemnly thanks them for the duty they have done for the Duchy of Umst and tells them that he will contact them when their services are needed again. All characters who participated in con- fronting and killing Jaziadeen receive an Influence Point with Count Reichart Petrides.
  ## CONCLUSION 2: LEUKISH The next few encounters assume that the characters continue to their original destination of Leukish before seeking out Jaziadeen in Greyhawk. Assuming he is still alive, Mariakos is eager to get to Leukish - his livelihood depends upon getting his cargo to the city, and he's willing to make the journey alone if need be to ensure that he gets to Urnst within a week's time.
  The characters are free to continue the journey on the barge, or they may take the Pride of Axeport. If they choose to commandeer the cog, they can either go slowly alongside the barge to provide Mariakos extra protection or sail at a much faster speed to Leukish, leaving the Rhennee barge to finish its trade journey on its own time.
  Mariakos will not abandon his barge under any circumstances. If the barge lord was killed during the adventure, on the other hand, his underlings happily abandon the doomed barge and join the characters aboard Rand's cog. Though their death-taboo makes them skittish about the ship, they've seen enough on the journey so far to scare them into doing just about anything. If the entire Rhennee crew is dead, the characters can sell off the barge's cargo for a total of 500 gp once they reach a safe harbor. Properly captained, the Pride of Axeport can make it to Leukish in a single day.
  The Rhennee have the skill needed to guide the ship correctly (as, no doubt, will a few characters). If the entire party lacks Profession (sailor) skills or the like, they'll be able to fumble their way to Leukish eventually, but the trip will take twice as long. Because the characters are now a great distance from the disturbances at the center of the Nyr Dyv, their journey to Leukish is largely uneventful.
  Valesh Kem, the Brotherhood "uncle" posing as a merchant in Leukish, runs a small storefront attached to a private vineyard enclosed by a tall stone wall. Kem caters to a highly speciahzed clientele willing to overpay wildly for his "specialty" wines. Though the vineyard is tiny (consisting of less than an acre of real estate) the fact that it exists at all within the city's walls means that most citizens of Leukish know where it is, even if they've never heard of Valesh Kem.
  The "special mausoleum" to which Jaziadeen hoped the characters would deliver her "cousin" is an elaborate fiction. It does not exist. Leukish, Umst's capital, is a good deal smaller than Greyhawk, boasting some 22,300 inhabitants. Nestled among the rolling hills that make the northern duchy famous, the city features an impressive clockworks, a large castle, and thousands of crowded buildings. In contrast to those of Grey hawk, the buildings of Leukish appear tall and narrow, with pointy arches and square towers. Columns and pillars are everywhere. Roofs and tower caps are steeply peaked.
  Once they've landed in the city, Mariakos bids the characters farewell, thanking them for their assistance during the difficult journey. He will not accompany the characters for any reason - he and his crew have had their fill of danger for the time being.
  The characters essentially have two options- track down Valesh Kem in his lair or attempt to enlist the aid of the local authorities. If they choose the latter option, proceed to Encounter Eleven. If they choose to go straight to the home/business ofValesh Kem, jump ahead to Encounter Twelve.
  ## ENCOUNTER 11: THE LAW While it might be an overstatement to say that every member of the Leukish city watch is corrupt, there's no denying that the city is dominated by powerful merchant houses who bully the authorities with their financial brawn. While the rank-and-file members of the city watch are predisposed toward helping the city's inhabitants, their superiors are generally well paid to ensure that the status quo is maintained.
  The merchants know that Leukish isn't perfect, but it certainly is profitable, and anything that upsets its delicate balance might have an adverse affect upon the business community. Disruptions in business hurt the city itself, the merchants claim, and pay the higher members of the city guard very well to ensure that things remain largely as they were yesterday.
  What this means to the characters is that, while a junior watch member will take notes excitedly about Valesh Kem and the Brotherhood cell in the city, he'll also ask the characters to remain in Leukish for a few days while his superiors review his paperwork and decide what to do next.
  Predictably, they decide to do nothing next, leaving it up to the characters to deal with Valesh Kem. Kem has an associate in the watch organization, however. Should the characters wait more than a day after contacting the watch, he'll know that he's been discovered and will attempt to flee the city (with his associates acting as his personal guards). Proceed to the next encounter.
  ## ENCOUNTER 12: VALESH KEM Consult the appendix for Player Map 4, which gives a general layout of Kern's workshop. Unless attempting to flee due to a tip-off from the city watch, he'll most likely be going about his merchant business when the characters arrive.
  Valesh Kem is a lithe Suel man of about 50 years. He wears his long blond hair (flecked with gray) gathered in a braided ponytail. He dresses expensively in a tight shirt of valuable fabric and snug leather breeches. His face betrays a fair amount of arrogance. Two associates, slightly overweight teenage boys who might be his sons, stock racks of wine along the walls as the characters arrive. In fact, the boys are monsters in service to the Brotherhood who have taken human form either by their own power or by imbibing a potion earlier in the day.
  Kem expects the characters, and in fact has their payment ready in his desk drawer (refer back to Encounter One to determine how much money the party has waiting for them). If everything goes according to his plan, he'll simply pay off the characters in exchange for Ratnel Kern's body. Likely, however, things will not go as he hopes.
  If confronted about being an agent of the Scarlet Brotherhood, Kem at first scoffs, telling the party they are lucky he doesn't bring them up on charges for such a spurious accusation. If presented with proof, however, he becomes somewhat glummer. He offers to give each member of the party 100 gp in exchange for them allowing him to leave the city freely. The only condition is that he needs some part of Ramel Kem's body. "I can't afford to be picky," he says. "Even a finger will do." Needless to say, the scene will very likely erupt into a fl.ght. In this case, both Kem and his monstrous assistants do everything within their power to destroy the characters.
  Valesh Kem: Male human (Suel) Monk Dopplegangers (2)
  Cleaning Up and Getting Out The vineyard's wine can be sold for 200 gp. Within a month of the altercation, city planners in Leukish c.onfi.scate the property from the characters-it can- not be kept. The body ofValesh Kem bears a much more valuable prize, however, in the form of an ivory badge that grants its wearer a limited amount of protection and reveals him as a Brotherhood sympathizer to other followers of the Scarlet Sign. See the Treasure Summary for more details.
  ## ENCOUNTER 13: WHERE'S JAZIADEEN? By the time the characters arrive in the City of Greyhawk, Jaziadeen is nowhere to be found. Inquiries at the Urnstan Embassy reveal that she left the city a few days ago, leaving absolutely no clue of where she went or why she left in such a hurry. Assuming the characters tell Count Petrides about their exploits and about the affiliation of Jaziadeen, he thanks them for their efforts in Leukish but becomes very sad about his assistant's treachery. "So much makes sense, now," he says glumly. The count promises to keep in touch with the characters, asking them to let him know the next few times they come to Greyhawk. "Important things are developing here in Greyhawk," he says. "Who knows what use I could have for a group of capable heroes such as yourselves?" The End
  ### What Jazladeen Really Wants The Scarlet Brotherhood has for some time been on the trail of the Octychs, eight triangular metal minor artifacts that they believe will open certain doorways to paths of immense magical power. The history of these items is tied to the history of the Suel migrations across the Flanaess following the great magical devastation of their empire more than 2000 years ago. The fanatical Brotherhood believes that the Octychs are their imperial birthright, and has been hunting them since before the Greyhawk Wars.
  Ramel Kem, a monk in service of the Brotherhood, was one of the organization's foremost experts on the Octychs. About a month ago, while meditating in a special chamber below an ancient pre-migratory Suel outpost in the Suss Forest, Kem received a vision from the goddess [[Syrul]] that revealed the location of one of the Octychs. Unfortunately, before he was able to relate that information to his contact in the city of Greyhawk, Jaziadeen, he was murdered by an agent of the Homed Society, who plumbed the secret of the Octych's location from his shattered mind. Unable to return Kem to life through magic and unwilling to allow a cleric to speak with his corpse about the Octychs, Jaziadeen has arranged transport to Leukish, where she believes Ramal will be resurracted and will have a chance to make a full report. are released from service.
 
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