Continued from Part I. Click HERE to go back.
Charts updated 10/14/2012
Areas 1b-4d. Display Galleries
The seven towers feature four exhibition galleries on each of their intermediary levels. Corner areas (20’x20’) can be accessed directly from the stairs. Forcefields segregate 10’-wide strips recessed along the external walls, protecting exhibited contents from visitors. Using a dimension door spell to get past will fail, resulting in the transgressor appearing instead outside the tower. The sole source of light comes from the illusory windows during day time, or if the moon is up. Small glints should reveal the presence of three dozen small bells imbedded in each forcefield. They will drop to the floor if the forcefield is dispelled, alerting the bronze golem in Area 1 below. Detect magic will reveal the presence of forcefields, but will mask any magical aura within the secured areas. Forcefields reset 1 Turn after being dispelled, along with bells if still lying around nearby. Naturally, Bettellyn's ecclesia will be on the lookout for thieves soon after they discover missing items.
After sunset and until sunrise, visitors should sense odd phenomena, as the towers are thoroughly haunted. These should be treated as inoffensive but colorful random encounters (25% chance per viewing area visited; roll d20):
01-04 Cold spots, breath condensation (1 Turn, 20’ radius)
05-08 Unexplained drafts (will snuff out any non-magical light)
09-12 Knocks, thumps, footsteps elsewhere in the tower
13-14 Area of darkness (1 Turn, 20’ radius)
15-16 Whispers calling a visitor’s name; moving shadows
17-18 Hallucinations (1d4 rounds, related to a displayed object)
19-20 Random objects surreptitiously taken from their owners and placed alongside displayed items, etc.
Beyond bizarre manifestations, unnatural residents do not materialize unless an object on display is taken to another level of the tower or outside (30% chance). The stolen item determines which entity may be roused (see D&D Rules Cyclopedia). If objects are removed during day time, these entities may awake after sunset and search for their stolen belongings. Each hour until sunrise, an entity has a base 15% chance of catching up with thieves, +5% per hour. The process resumes the following night (starting over with basic chances), until the entity is destroyed or the object returned to the tower. If an entity can touch its stolen object, they both vanish (the object reappears in the tower).
Type A: Apparition
Type B: Shade
Type C: Poltergeist (shoots bells lying on the floor)
Type D: Ghost, Neutral
Type E: Ghost, Chaotic
Type F: Revenant
Apparition: AC0, HD 10***, hp 45, MV 180’ (60’), AT# 2 claws, Dmg d6+2/d6+2, Save M10, ML10; AL C. Special Attacks: fear, entrancing mist, attacks at +4 to hit. Special Defenses: ethereal at first, +1 or better weapon to hit, may save against a “T” result when turned.
Shade: AC0, HD 11***, hp 50, MV 120’ (40’), AT# 1 dagger, Dmg 3d4, Save T11, ML9; AL C. Special Attacks: 90% surprise odds, lethal fear. Special Defenses: ethereal at first, +1 or better weapon to hit, may save against a “T” result when turned.
Poltergeist: AC-1, HD 12****, hp 54, MV 60’ (20’), AT#2 small bells, Dmg 1 + aging 10 years, Save F12, ML11; AL C. Special Attacks: ectoplasmic net, gaze, aging. Special Defense: +2 or better weapon to hit, may save against a “D” result when turned, immune to all but evil-affecting spells.
Ghost: AC-2, HD 14****, hp 63, MV 90’ (30’), AT# 1 touch + 1 gaze, Dmg paralysis + aging 1d4x10 years, Save F14, ML10; AL Any. Special Attacks: magic jar, ectoplasmic net, gaze, aging. Special Defense: +2 or better weapon to hit, may save against a “D” result when turned, immune to all but evil-affecting spells.
Revenant: AC-3, HD 18****, hp 81, MV 120’ (40’), AT# 2 claws/1 bite, Dmg 2d4/2d4/1d4+2, Save F18, ML10; AL C. Special Attacks: 50% surprise odds, all attacks bear lethal poison, withers consumables, paralyzes plants and insects, 60’ leap + automatic hits on first three attacks. Special Defense: +2 or better weapon to hit, immune to spells 1st-3rd level, may save against a “D” result when turned; comes back 1d4 Turns later if turned. Spells: darkness, silence 15’ radius, cause disease, animate dead, finger of death cast as a C16. Can summon 1d4 specters each night.
Continued from the previous article. Click HERE to go back.
This religious center sits on the banks of the Llyn River, just a few miles upstream from Citadel, the capital city of Bettellyn. Its purpose is to display and protect ancient relics of Bettellyn faith. The reliquary marks the center of a gated community of mystics and clerics whose role is to pray to and meditate about The Seven. Chapels, cloisters, steeples, offices, dormitories, kitchens, refectories, workshops, barns, wells, gardens, statues of archons on pedestals, walled orchards and vegetable patches surround the reliquary. Every hour, bells, gongs, and chimes ring, marking the passage of time. Peaceful chanting echoes from the chapels.
Entrance to the estate is free between dawn and sunset. Daytime passage to chapels, offices, and the reliquary itself is unrestricted. A road leads directly from the main gate to the reliquary. Along the way, faithfuls slowly make their way to the ancient structure, taking three or seven steps, kneeling, and touching the cobblestones with their foreheads before standing up and taking a few more steps. Carved stone bins protected under tiled roofs lie at regular intervals along the road and near chapels, enabling faithfuls to light incense sticks. A thin haze, heavy with the scent of camphor and dragon’s blood, floats in the streets at peak time. Faithfuls may take several hours before reaching the reliquary, all under the watchful gaze of mystics assigned to the compound’s security. Visitors bearing bulky bags, backpacks, weapons, and armor will be asked to check them at the entrance before proceeding. Any combat equipment must be concealed from sight to get past mystics guarding the entrance.
Mystics: My3, AC7, hp 11, MV 140’, AT#1 (open hand, baton, or bolas), Dmg d6 or by weapon, ML8; AL L. Adepts of Samarion. St14, In10, Wi13, Dx13, Co12, Ch9.
Six mystic watch the main gate. Twenty more watch the road to the reliquary. Another 74 are spread out in the compound along with a score of clerics of various levels, tending to daily duties. Two out of six mystics carry bolas. The remainder wield white batons equivalent to blackjacks. For every ten mystics involved in a security action, a master will show up. If more than 20 are involved, a cleric will also be present.
Master Mystic: My8, AC2, hp 28, MV 190’, AT#2 (open hand), Dmg d12+1, ML9; AL L. Witness of Samarion. St15, In12, Wi16, Dx14, Co13, Ch11.
Cleric Overseer: C10, AC5, hp 45, MV 120’, AT#1 mace +1, Dmg d6+1, ML8; AL L. Messenger of Samarion. St12, In13, Wi17, Dx10, Co11, Ch12. Roll 1d6: Potion of ESP (1-2), Potion of Healing (3-4), Potion of Waterbreathing (5-6).
Seen from the outside, the site features a thirty-foot-tall, gate-less, circular wall and seven, evenly-spaced towers topped with a glass-like structure. During daytime, simply touching the wall will teleport Lawful visitors inside, at the center point between the towers (and vice versa when coming out). Those who aren’t of the proper ethos will be teleported outside the compound instead, about 3d10 feet above the nearby river. This magical effect is limited after sunset to bearers of a medallion of Samarion. Lower level mystics or clerics only have a 10% chance of wearing one. All upper ranks do bear medallions.
The open courtyard within the wall is covered with glazed tiles laid out in concentric patterns of heptagons and hexagons. Smooth and featureless white marble coats the towers. Large stained glass windows appear at each angle, marking the locations of three intermediary floors. A bronze-plated door adorned with archon carvings allows access to each tower’s ground floor. At night, the carved archons seem to be holding fast the doors' edges—these portals are wizard-locked until sunrise. Although relatively crowded with wide-eyed visitors marveling at the relics inside the towers, the site remains deserted after sunset. Mystics will check the towers at sunset to verify everyone left, before locking the doors with a simple command word. A Messenger of Samarion will thereafter disable the wall’s daytime teleport feature and head to a chapel for the vespers.
Scale: 1 square = 10 ft. These towers are identical: one ground floor with a magical bronze door (Area 1), three intermediary upper floors (Areas 2-4) and one top level enclosed within walls of force shaped to resemble an Eiffel-like, glass-and-metal structure (Area 5). Each stairs segment, 30' long by 20' wide, rises about ten feet above the previous, giving the stairs a gentle angle. Area 5 therefore lies about 160 feet above ground. Stone pillars stand at the stairs’ four corners. Stained-glass, ogive-shaped windows measure 10’ wide by 20’ high. The first row sits about 45’ above ground, 85’ for the next row, and 125’ for the last. They are illusions designed to look like windows on both sides, reacting in accord with sunlight or moonlight. As a convention for this adventure, arrows on the map point toward the tops of the stairs. Doors are about three feet wide by six feet tall.
Tower A: Elarion; B: Ardonyl; C: Astafiel; D: Horana; E: Sabbaiah; F: Eyoth; G: Samarion.
Area 1. Archon’s Landing
The bronze door displays a representation of the corresponding archon, as described in the original Bettellyn article. Companions of the Faith should be able to identify immortal archons. Trying to bash down the door incurs 30% chance per round of alerting mystics outside the structure; a Turn later they will mount a concerted action against the transgressors (30 mystics, 3 masters, and a Messenger of Samarion, in addition to all those waiting outside).
At the center of the ground floor stands a bronze statue of the appropriate archon, 16’ tall and on top a 6’ high plinth. It is a bronze golem which activates when someone breaks through the door or when the tingle of small bells echoes inside the tower (see Areas 2-4). The bronze golem attacks anyone moving. The stone plinth may levitate, enabling the golem to quietly reach as far up as Area 4. It may then step off the levitating plinth and pursue transgressors upstairs to the top level (Area 5). It ignores foes who drop to the ground and remain motionless. If all targets are prone, the bronze golem keeps watching until relieved by a Messenger of Samarion (2d4 rounds after the golem begins its vigil or after its destruction).
Bronze Golem: AC0, HD 20***, hp 90, MV 240’ (80’), AT#1 fist, Dmg 3d10 first + 1d10 heat, Save F10, ML12; AL N. Special Defense: fiery blood—save vs. death ray or take 2d6 points of damage when scoring a hit with an edged weapon; immune to fire-based attacks. Unless disintegrated or wished away, the golem regenerates an hour later. If alone at the time, it returns to Area 1 and resumes its watch.
The ground floor features mosaics on the walls and floors representing scenes from the appropriate archon’s lore. It is otherwise empty, including its four corner areas.
Click HERE to continue.
Continues from Part IV. Click HERE for the previous article.
From the words of Al-Zuhbaab-the-Keen:
Players' Background: It isn’t known who or what created this object, or when. No one has actually identified all of its powers and penalties. The orb was already found once on Mystara, in the early days of Alphatian Landfall. Its last owner discovered that it could grant a lore ability strong enough unveil legends about immortals. Alas, a safeguard on the artifact caused a gate to open, enabling horrifying beings to enter. Al-Zuhbaab's servant was able to escape and tell the story. When local authorities rushed to the site, they failed to locate the artifact amid the dwelling’s rubble. Neither was Al-Zuhbaab’s body ever recovered. What lore he’d unearthed was forever lost. Subsequent research yielded limited information. Investigators concluded that, because of the orb’s design, either lawful creatures or chaotic ones could come in, possibly to retrieve the object and destroy its user. It isn't known if any stayed behind.
The DM's Point of View: The Orb of Eternity is a Greater Artifact with 455 Power Points, using mechanics described in Wrath of the Immortals. It has an obliterate power (Attack, 90 PP), an immortal lore power (Information, 100 PP), a travel power (Movement, 80 PP), a timestop power (Transformation, 100 PP), and an inertial control power (Defense, 85 PP). It recharges at 120 TP per hour.
The true danger with this artifact lies in its handicap and penalties. As a handicap, each time the artifact’s powers are triggered, the owner loses a point of both Strength and Constitution. The loss is negated 120 days later if the artifact has been discarded or abandoned. Penalties involve three different effects. If the orb is damaged 50% or more, it teleports itself to safety, including inside solid material since it cannot be damaged in this manner. Any power other than immortal lore has a cumulative 10% chance of provoking amnesia to its user (no save) when it is used. It wipes out all memories from the moment the user acquired the orb. Once amnesia is triggered, memory loss keeps occurring every following sunrise. This amnesia cannot be cured unless the owner loses/discards the artifact. The third and last penalty may occur when the immortal lore power is invoked. A gate may open near the user (30% chance +10 per subsequent use) which can only be shut if the artifact is taken through it. If the user is Lawful, one or more black hags enter through the gate or greet the user on the other side. If the user is Neutral or Chaotic, archons appear instead. HD of either creature types should at least match those of the user and anyone else attending. These creatures’ mission is to kill the user and retrieve the artifact, after which they return whence they came and hide the orb in some obscure outer plane, preferably one very unfriendly to the user. Having succeeded their mission, the affected creatures lose all memory of it and the event (no save). If the gate remains open for whatever other reason (the artifact and its owner escaped), beasts keep entering now and then.
Using a lore spell on this artifact or any other divination magic cast by a mortal will fail, unless the spell is cast during a timestop. Unveiling any clues about the orb otherwise requires epic quests. The first few clues, unearthed by mystics at the service of the Archbishop of Quanfax, seem to connect with the Hebdomadea. The only way to permanently destroy the artifact is to bring it back to its maker.
To be continued? Why, of course! Click HERE to continue.
Continued from Part III. Click Here for the previous article.
Before entering into any detail about NPCs, one should know about laws of succession in Bettellyn. As far as property is concerned, there is no difference between genders. It is common practice in Alphatia for spouses to retain ownership of their titles and lands regardless of marriage. In a society where high-level wizards and sorceresses form the backbone of land-owning aristocracy, it could hardly be otherwise.
A wife’s lands and titles do not generally transfer to a husband, and this is unavoidable in Bettellyn because aristocracy also holds ecclesiastic charges. As a result, spouses from different realms travel often, either together or separately, in order to tend to their separate businesses. Teleport spells and airships are the norm for the upper class. Spouses may inherit from each other only with liege approval and if there are no sons or daughters. Swearing loyalty to the former spouse’s liege may be possible, but remains subject to approval by the claimant’s own liege. If a disagreement occurs, the claimant must relinquish the litigious part of the inheritance in favor of in-laws, cousins, or other kin. These issues concern specifically titled nobility and the allegiance of lands to their original monarchies.
Progeny must inherit either from the father or the mother—not both to avoid conflicts, especially in the case of Bettellyn where land is inalienable from the realm. For example, the daughter of a prelate and of a Vertilian princess eventually would have to choose between heading the father’s prelacy or abandoning any role in Bettellyn’s clergy in order to claim the mother’s titles in Vertiloch. Generally, the timing of a parent’s death determines the oldest beneficiary’s inheritance, in which case primogeniture applies. In the example given above, if the prelate dies first, the oldest child inherits the prelacy, the next in line inheriting Vertilian titles. Anyone else in line would have to receive their apanage through an earlier arrangement such as a legal will. If there is only one child, conflicting inheritance usually goes to the closest cousin or related kin. Bettellyners cannot accumulate ecclesiastic charges. If two are inherited, the heir picks one and lets the other go along with associated territories. Common real-estate, commercial assets, and overseas possessions are treated separately and may remain property of a single heir.
Her Royal Holiness, The Most Devout Queen Llynara: Although listed in the Poor Wizard’s Almanac as Neutral, she started out with a Lawful alignment. Her change of heart occurred when she survived Alphatia’s destruction. She lost her faith in the immortals, concluding they instigated the catastrophe, and thus became Neutral. In AC1010, this detail escaped everyone’s observation, fortunately, or she would be forced to abdicate. In-pre cataclysmic Alphatia (AC1000), she most-definitely is Lawful, fitter, more assertive, and a widow. She also belongs to the Order of the True Blood. She recently negotiated with King Qissling the marriage of her daughter to a certain wizard-prince, an obscure but dashing Admiral of Ar in the service of Empress Eriadna. Surely, this man of impeccable Alphatian pedigree would prove a valuable source of information and influence among imperial circles. Alas, the beneficiary has been away for a long time, and remains uninformed of the matrimonial arrangement. M25, AC9, hp 33, ML7; AL L. Witness of Samarion. St9, In16, Wi18, Dx10, Co11, Ch13. Magical Items: ring of human control, staff of commanding.
Continued from Part II. Click Here for the previous article.
Bettellyn went from being an enclave of pariahs to a feared realm. Its people’s mood often swings from siege-mentality to obnoxious chest-thumping, world-defying arrogance. For centuries, while it grew as a kingdom, local powers allied against Bettellyn and its strange cults. Eventually, they lost that fight and were wholly absorbed by the expanding theocracy. Conquests stopped at the present borders when Bettellyn, economically and demographically drained, accepted to pay homage to the Imperial Throne.
Bettellyn’s main strategy today is to spread the faith abroad as a way to maintain peace. Of course, this does not sit well with immediate neighbors who see it as a grass-roots effort to evict local aristocracy and extend the theocracy’s boundaries. Randel is the most hostile on many levels, and simply slammed their northern border shut. Vertiloch watches its borders with an arcane vigilance, so far thwarting unwanted missionary efforts. Mountains separating Bettellyn from Theranderol eased the latter’s task of keeping the problem under control. Bettellyn remains a staunch supporter of the Imperial House and, to avoid jeopardizing this relationship, focused its efforts on Foresthome. Frictions between the two realms have been growing steadily ever since.
Both Eriadna and the Great Council see Bettellyn as a major military asset and one that is more disciplined and controllable than Randel’s. As embarrassing as the missionary effort may be, Vertiloch’s role is to prevent conflict among client realms. Open war between its vassals bears the risk of the conflict widening. Neither Randel nor Bettellyn have true allies, but their opponents could experience trouble with rivals trying to take advantage of a major clash. Revolts are another peril. Lack of stability, loss of income, and forced intervention of imperial troops at home are signals inviting more trouble offshore. Thyatis and Glantri would, without a doubt, rejoice and stir the pot as much as possible. A breakaway of Bellissarian realms would be catastrophic. As a result, the empire will try to prevent wars at all costs.
Since Theranderol relates directly to the House of Thera, it remains wholly aligned with Empress Eriadna. On the other hand, in the face of Randel’s ominous presence, sympathies also lie with neighboring Arogansa and mysterious Eadrin as regards a defensive league. Although Eadrin has largely managed to avoid Bettellyn’s influence, Arogansa is a different story. Its population of serfs has proven unusually partial to the appeal of The Seven, earning them even more oppression from their overseers. So far, this policy hasn’t helped much and proselytism persists amid carnival overtones. People in Haven found the idea of archons as immortal patrons to have a certain charm, but in the end, really don’t care. Archons don’t seem to produce much of beauty, other than their followers' cathedrals and basilicas, but then again, so does Haven. Life goes on.
Bettellyn's diplomatic trump card is, of course, its military. From a strategic standpoint, when fully manned, its defensive layout includes 5,000 (troops or HD-worth of troops) in Uffacos in the northeast, and about as much in each of Leweo, Isoin, and Helms-Hold in the south. Forts and castles at best house about a thousand troops each. Minor defenses hold the peaceful southwest. Aside from small garrisons in each town and village for civil order and law enforcement, most of the land forces otherwise remain quartered in and around Citadel. Their duties are to head off monster raids from the western ranges, drill, kill whatever crawls out of the depths beneath Citadel, drill, participate in royal pageantry, drill, enforce the Queen’s Law, pray, and drill some more. Half of that force moves to the Prelacy of Llyn in the winter to bivouac outside the town of Dheys.
The navy, despite its 126 vessels, is generally scattered about the realm. One half is often at sea, on missions for the empire, typically including all sailing ships and 22 skyships. To be accurate 31 of the small sailing ships are in fact skyships; 19 of the small galleys are submersibles.
Leweo and Brocto are the two main naval bases, with Weitara standing as a lesser third. Their responsibility is the integrity of marine coasts and surveying ships sailing to and from Randel in particular. Large galleys and submersibles handle the bulk of this work. Small galleys typically patrol rivers and operate from inland towns. A larger flotilla under the monarchy’s direct control patrols the Llyn River from Dheys to Llyn Lake. The two war galleys and some of the subs from Corona Castle and Devouts’ Gate patrol Llyn Lake. Galleys hailing from Uffacos keep watch over the East Llyn River.
Finally, nine remaining skyships patrol the western border with virgin Imperial Territories, and the edges of the Grey Mountains and Hammer Hills. The latter are rigged to fight dragons, relying on ballistae fitted with grappling hooks and harpoons to tangle and tear through their wings. Combat bays are located throughout these ships, including their undersides. Masts are collapsed and long spikes cranked outward during battle to dissuade dragons from grabbing on. Spellcasters are always at hand, ready to suppress fire damage.
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!
Continued from Part One. Click HERE for the previous article.
Proceeding westward, the next two dominions are the Prelacies of Temporia and Celesta. The people in these two provinces mostly follow the philosophies of Horana. Their culture centers around the cult of ancestors and their spirits. Of particular interest are the Burial Hallows, a stretch of windswept desert that serves as a gigantic cemetery. It is thought that over the centuries, more than a million graves were dug there. Legends say that the land weeps with sorrow following the deaths of lesser archons in a mighty battle with dragons, explaining why nothing ever grows there. It is believed that the souls of fallen archons protect the remains of faithfuls, leading all who can afford it to entomb their deceased kin there. The most affluent families of Bettellyn build great mausoleums in the Burial Hallows. These sinister mortuary structures stand eerily amid sprawling mazes of family tombs, patches of rocky desert, and looming boulders. Petrified skeletons of dragons lie here and there, along the eighty miles of the desiccated bulge. These sites are considered cursed and forbidden to all. Companions of Horana often patrol the Burial Hallows, looking for tomb robbers, vilest of criminals.
Farther north lies the Prelacy of Llyn, which belongs to the Royal House. Traditionally, this apanage is given to the monarch's first sibling, if any. As such, it isn’t a hereditary possession. Currently, Queen Llynara’s younger brother, Llyndor, stands as the Pious Prelate of Llyn. When the queen passes away, her son Llynroth is expected to succeed her, and thus his sister, Llyndara, will take over the prelacy from her uncle. The House of Llyn bears one of the most ancient Alphatian bloodlines, and a notable influence among imperial circles and the Great Council in Vertiloch. It relates to many other Alphatian Houses whose names include Llyn as a suffix or a prefix, such as Llyndemar, Scarabellyn, and Feltellyn (a bitterly hated Randelese offshoot) among others. The town of Dheys grew from a royal village to a town with nearly seven thousand people year round. Its center is entirely reserved for affluent families connected with the monarchy or with one of the ten vassal houses. Dheys looks like a pricey resort town with wealthy abodes, monuments, and sumptuous gardens, and is in fact the House of Llyn’s winter palace. Queen Llynara prefers Dheys to Citadel’s immense, drafty halls and the constant threat of monsters crawling from its depths. Every season, the royal retinue, a large portion of Citadel’s military garrison, and anyone who’s anybody at the capital all suddenly flock to Dheys, more than doubling the population of the otherwise quiet, provincial town and transforming it into a kingly madhouse. In order to ease transportation and sanitation, a great canal connects the town’s center to the Llyn River. The Royal Barge sails through this canal in great fanfare, with a cohort of smaller vessels, escorting galleys, and airships flying overhead. The remainder travel by road.
The Prelacy of Hebdomadea lies awkwardly between Citadel and Llyn. It has always been seen as an inconvenient neighbor from the monarchy’s point of view. Its prelates earned the land in most lawful ways and never incurred any risk of losing it as the result of royal disfavor. Hebdomadea’s concern lies more with its long western border with virgin Imperial Territories and monster raids originating from the Firewall Range. By imperial law, punitive expeditions into the region are unthinkable, forcing Hebdomadean troops to adopt defensive tactics that do not solve the problem. A Monastery of Sabbaiah established itself near the foothills. Its companions get plenty of opportunities to earn experience and knowledge about portents of chaos.
