This module can be played by itself or as the last part of the DESERT OF DESOLATION series.
AN ADVENTURE FOR CHARACTERS LEVELS 7-9

Choose your path. The Iron Phoenix guards the way to Martek's Sphere of Power. But know that you must pass the tests of distance, time and magic before claiming the treasures of Martek's Citadel.

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ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS¨
ADVENTURE MODULE

Lost tomb of Martek

Introduction

A war rages across the desert! Many weeks ago, an evil Efreeti was accidentally freed from his ancient desert tomb. His horrible power had been held back for the last 3,000 years. Once he was free, he plundered and terrorized all of the desert people. When he escaped from the bottle that held him, he swore vengeance upon all the desert people. Flying like a fiery cloud across the desert, the Efreeti overpowered all of the brave and skillful warriors who tried to stop him.

Everything that the Efreeti did, even his escape, had been foretold by Martek, greatest of the mages. Martek's word was power. Old stories tell that Martek used his Sphere of Power to first trap the Efreeti. Yet Martek knew that long after he died, the Efreeti would escape and terrorize the desert people again. So, Martek gave the desert folk a way to summon a powerful Djinni who would defeat the Efreeti.

The same adventurers who accidentally freed the Efreeti risked their lives to summon a Djinni Vizier. Aeroldoth, the Djinni they called, rose up to do battle with the evil Efreeti.  Aeroldoth appeared to save the desert people, just as Martek foretold. Magnificent in his power and strong of arm and mind, the great Djinni flew across the desert sands and joined battle with the Efreeti

But the Efreeti was ready and waiting for Aeroldoth. Instead of the great Djinni conquering the Efreeti prince, the two locked their might in a titanic struggle against one another. The Efreeti called forth mighty firewinds to smite the Djinni, who called down hails of ice to torment the Efreeti.

Neither of them suffered greatly, but the poor desert people that lived below them were blasted by firewinds and pummeled by terrible stones of ice. Rather than curing their wrong of releasing the Efreeti, the adventurers did, in honest faith, add greatly to the problems and suffering of all the desert people.

But the legend of Martek speaks further. It tells of the three Star Gems and Martek's hidden tomb. With the Star Gems, Martek's Sphere of Power can be released from his tomb. The Sphere is the only way known to save the desert people from total destruction.

You and your comrades have fought your way across the burning desert sands. Your adventures in the vast reaches of  the desert have netted you many prizes, among them the three Star Gems. It seems that you are fated to save the desert people and fulfill Martek's ancient legend. By itself, the marvelous Sphere of Power is tempting, and it could be the key to getting you out of this desert wasteland. The sheiks of the desert have promised you safe passage and great wealth if you defeat the Efreeti and make the desert safe once more.

You will become a hero to all the desert people and gain wondrous riches if you succeed in finding Martek's tomb and using his Sphere to drive out the Efreeti. Death and worse await you if you fail. This is the final challenge, to find and survive the lost tomb of Martek.

STOP! If you plan to play in this module, do not read any further The information in the rest of this module is for the Dungeon Master to use in guiding the adventure.

notes to the Dungeon master

This is the third and final module in the Desert of Desolation series. This module can be played either with or without the other modules in the series. Players who enjoy this module can also adventure in the other Desert of Desolation modules, PHARAOH and OASIS OF THE WHITE PALM.

This module is designed for a party of 6 to 8 Player Characters (PCs)of the 7th to 9th levels of experience. A balance of character classes will be helpful since the party will face a wide variety of problems. Each character class will certainly have its moment to shine.

The Lost Tomb of Martek lies in the vast Desert of Desolation. The majority of the adventure takes place within Martek's huge tomb itself.

This module is divided into seven major sections of play. Each section begins with a SECTION PROLOGUE. The prologue outlines the section and how the section works. Random Encounter tables and other information for each section are found in the prologue. Under ENCOUNTERS, each section is divided into areas that are numbered and keyed to the maps for easy reference. The details concerning each numbered room or area are then listed under the following subheadings:

Description: This is a general description of the area as the Player Characters (PCs) first see it. Any readily noticeable features of the area are described here so the Dungeon Master (DM) can read the text directly to the players. These descriptions are boxed-in so they stand out for the DM. The indoor and nighttime descriptions were written with the assumption that the PCs are using a torch to see by. A torch normally lights a 30-foot radius area.

Play: This outlines the general sequence of events that might take place in the room. For example: "If the characters say the magic word "kotalaki" before entering the room, the Monster will not attack. The Treasure is buried under the statue." Play explains the general order in which the subheadings should be used. If additional size and dimension information about the area is needed, it is also included here.

Monster: All important creatures that are encountered in the module, regardless of whether they are people or beasts, good or bad, plant or animal, intelligent or not, are described here. Each person/creature noted in Monster is described by a listing of its characteristics as shown below. For the convenience of the DM, whenever monsters or Non-Player Characters (NPCs) are described in the text, their game statistics will be listed in parentheses in the following order:

Monster Name (Armor Class; Movement; Hit Dice; hit points; number of Attacks per round; Damage; Alignment; and Special abilities of the character).

ABBREVIATIONS USED IN MONSTER STATISTICS

AC=Armor Class
MV=Movement
HD=Hit Dice
hp=hit points
#AT=Attacks/round
Dmg=Damage
SA=Special Attack
SD=Special Defense
MR=Magic Resistance
A=Assassin

F=Fighter
MU=Magic User
T=Thief
S=Strength
I=Intelligence
W=Wisdom
D=Dexterity
Con=Constitution
Ch=Charisma

AL=Alignment
LG=Lawful Good
NG=Neutral Good
CG=Chaotic Good
CN=Chaotic Neutral
LN=Lawful Neutral
N=True Neutral
CE=Chaotic Evil
NE=Neutral Evil
LE=Lawful Evil

Character: When necessary, extra details about creatures and NPCs are listed here. For example, these details might tell how a monster will react or what an important NPC's attitude is. Any knowledge that monsters and NPCs have that might be of use to the Player Characters (PCs) is also listed here. The personalities of the monsters and NPCs are left up to you, the Dungeon Master  so ham it up!

Treasure: All the treasure that can be found in the room or area is detailed here.

Trap/Trick: Traps, such as pit-falls, trip-wires, false doors, illusions, etc., are explained here.

Lore: This catch-all contains points of interest about the room or area, its purpose, its history, etc. These details will help you to make your game more interesting. Characters will have opportunities to read from runes (verses written in an ancient alphabet), scrolls, tablets, etc., that they find while adventuring. The percent chance of their reading the writing correctly is given in Lore. If the characters fail their chance of reading the writing correctly, the DM should tell them, for example, "You cannot read or understand the writing." Thieves add their "read languages" score to the base % chance to read things in Lore.

New monsters found in this module are described in the MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN section on page 28. This section also includes information about important NPCs. Information about important treasures and other objects can be found on page 31 in TREASURES AND TOMES.

Sometimes, characters are asked to make dexterity or constitution checks. This means that the character must roll his dexterity/constitution or less on 1d20. The effects of the roll are explained in each case.

A "cumulative chance" means that each time a roll is made, the chance becomes greater. For example: Every hour that a character travels in the desert sun, there is a 10% cumulative chance that he will become sunburned. This means that in the first hour there is a 10% chance of becoming sunburned. In the second hour there is a 20% chance, and after 10 hours there is a 100% chance of becoming sunburned.

Some sections of the tomb are fixed with complicated magical spells and traps. The DM should pay special attention to these areas before playing this module, to make the game flow more smoothly.

Some areas and rooms in this module are exactly like other areas or rooms. Areas and rooms that are exactly alike have the same area number on the map. There is only one text description given for each of these areas.

The Efreeti and the Djinni will be fighting each other all the time while the PCs are in this module. The Djinni and the Efreeti have been preparing for this fight for a long time, and neither one can win. Sometimes the PCs will see the two creatures fighting (see the DESERT OF DESOLATION SPECIAL ENCOUNTER TABLE on p. 5 ). The PCs should not attack either the Efreeti or the Djinni. If they do, the PCs cannot hurt the Djinni or the Efreeti. The Efreeti will flamestrike whoever attacks him for 6-48(6d8) points of damage. If attacked by a PC, the Djinni will purposely miss the attacker with a lightning bolt, the first time. If he is attacked again, the Djinni will call a lightning bolt down on his attacker for 24-144(1d6x24) points of damage.

Players begin their adventure in SECTION I, area A on the DESERT WILDERNESS MAP.

section i: Desert wilderness

DESERT PROLOGUE

Any time the Player Characters are not at any other numbered map location, they are considered to be in the desert, where the following description may be used. Additional details about the desert should be avoided since they do not directly affect the outcome of this adventure and tend to slow the game down. To keep the game moving, in the desert, the DM might say, "you have journeyed for two days without incident and see an oasis in the distance." Run random encounters as explained below in RANDOM ENCOUNTERS.

>>Stretching to the limits of your sight, the gray mounds of the desert roll with ashen stillness into the distance, baked by the blazing sun. Not a single stone shows through the powdery plane nor a single insect scurries across its surface. All about you, the burning silence of the sand-sea is oppressive and forbidding. No landmark steers your way, except the sun, its track seeming to sink ever closer and hotter towards your own path. The ash-dust billows under your feet and chokes your parched throats.

WATER: The Player Characters have enough water for their party, including their pack animals, to travel in the desert for seven days. If they ration their water and travel only at night, their water will last for 10 days. Player Characters will lose two strength points for every day they are in the desert without water. They will regain three strength points every day they drink their normal amounts of water.

MOVEMENT: Movement in the desert is very slow because of the soft sands and extreme temperatures. It takes a human, moving at a scale speed of 12", two hours to cross any hex on the DESERT WILDERNESS MAP. All other movements should be adjusted to that scale. For example, a dwarf who moves at a movement rate of 6" would take four hours to cross a hex. A wild horse that moves at a rate of 24" would take only one hour. Ten hours is certainly a full day's trek. Movement is also affected by terrain. Movement through hilly regions is 1/2 normal for all characters except dwarves.

The pack animals available are camels and horses (see below). Heavy loads affect movement, so each character must list what his pack animal is carrying, including the character's own weight if he is also riding. If an animal disappears into a sinkhole, the list will also be helpful in determining what has been lost.

Camel: (AC 7; MV 21"; HD 3; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; AL N; SA Spits) The weight camels carry affects their movement. They move at a maximum of 9" if carrying between 500 and 600 lbs. (5,000-6,000 gp weight) or at 15" when carrying between 400 and 499.9 lbs. (4,000-4,999 gp weight). Camels attack by biting and spitting. There is a 50% chance that they will spit at anyone trying to ride them. If a camel spits, there is a 25% chance of blinding that rider for 1-3 rounds. Camels are ill-tempered and refuse to rise for travel 40% of the time. Check again after two turns of coaxing. Once they have risen, however, they will travel without much further difficulty. If the camels remain in one place without moving for one hour, there is a 20% chance they will lie down.

Draft Horse: (AC 7; MV 18"; HD 2+2; #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/1-3; AL N). A medium horse can carry up to 650 lbs. (6,500 gp weight) but its movement is slowed to 9" with any weight in excess of 400 lbs. (4,000 gp weight). Horses are panicked by raging fire, sudden movement, loud noises or strange smells 90% of the time.

SIGHTING DISTANCE: Sighting distance is also affected by terrain. While in the desert, all above-ground objects that are numbered on the DESERT WILDERNESS MAP can be seen from a distance of 2 hexes (4 miles).

Distances in the desert are difficult for any character to figure out. There is a 90% chance that the distance guessed by just looking will always appear to be 1/4 to 1/2 mile away, regardless of how far away it really is. Pillars of smoke that are many miles away will seem to be right over the next dune.

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS: While in the desert, check for random encounters once every four hours. If you roll a 1 on 1d10, then the characters encounter something. When an encounter takes place, roll 1d12 and use the encounter with that number from the RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLE below. See MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN for new monster descriptions.

DESERT OF DESOLATION RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLE

1. 5 Dustdiggers (AC 4; MV 3"; HD 4; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8+ AC of victim; AL N; SA Enfolded victims cannot attack, illusion; SD Burrows in sand as camouflage).
2. 1 Sandman (AC 3; MV 9"; HD 4; #AT nil; Dmg nil; AL NE; SA Sleep; SD Protection from normal missiles; MR 20%). Roll 1d6. If the result is a 1, then roll again on this table for an additional encounter after the sandman attacks. Do not use any other sandman encounters now.
3. 40 Thunderherders (AC 10; MV 20"; HD 2; #AT nil; Dmg nil; AL N; SA Trumpeting and earthquake) Their trumpeting as they stampede can be heard up to 4 miles away.
4. 1 Dustdigger (AC 4; MV 3"; HD 4; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8+ AC of victim; AL N; SA Enfolded victims cannot attack, illusion; SD Burrows in sand as camouflage).
5. 6 Sandmen (AC 3; MV 9"; HD 4; #AT nil; Dmg nil; AL NE; SA Sleep; SD Protection from normal missiles; MR 20%). Roll 1d6. If the result is a 1, then roll again on this table for another encounter after the sandmen attack. Do not use any other sandman encounters now.
6. Dust Storm A dust storm rises on the wind. There is an 80% chance the party will become lost unless they stop all movement. Parties that are lost change the direction of their travel randomly and then move in that direction for the distance their movement rate indicates. Movement during a dust storm is at 1/2 the normal rate. The storm will last 3-22 (1d20+ 2) turns.
7. Acid Rain Black clouds start to build on the horizon. Within 1d10 + 20 rounds, the clouds will close overhead and an acid rain will fall, doing 1-4 points of damage per round to any exposed living flesh. Cloth and other coverings shed the rain without damage. Animals must be sheltered or take the damage. The rain will last for 1-10 rounds.
8. 120 Thunderherders (AC 10; MV 20"; HD 2; #AT nil; Dmg nil; AL N; SA Trumpeting and earthquake) will stampede by in relative silence.
9. 3 Dustdiggers (AC 4; MV 3"; HD 4; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8+ AC of victim; AL N; SA Enfolded victims cannot attack, illusion; SD Burrows in sand as camouflage).
10. 5 Giant Tarantulas (AC 6; MV 18"; HD 2+2; #AT1; Dmg 1-4 + paralysis poison; AL N) Victims must save vs. Poison or be paralyzed for 1-6 turns.
11. Special Encounter Use the DESERT OF DESOLATION
SPECIAL ENCOUNTER TABLE below.
12. Special Encounter Use the DESERT OF DESOLATION
SPECIAL ENCOUNTER TABLE below.

DESERT OF DESOLATION SPECIAL ENCOUNTER TABLE

Roll 1d4 and use the encounter with that number below.

1. 1 Purple Worm The ground beneath the party begins to shake when suddenly, from beneath the sand, rises the worm (AC 6; MV 9"; HD 15; #AT 2; Dmg 2-24(2d12)/1-4+ poison; AL N; SA Swallows victim).
2. Mirage An oasis is seen in a random direction 2 hexes in the distance. It is really a mirage that will disappear when the party gets within 100 yards of where it appears to be. Characters may attempt to save vs. Spells at -2 per day without water to disbelieve the mirage.
3. Read the following text to the players. Remember that the PCs should not directly attack the Efreeti or the Djinni (see the note on page 3). You hear a strange noise from far away to the west. It sounds like hissing steam. The noise seems to be moving to the north as it gets closer. There is something in the sky, like a red light, flying so fast you can hardly see it. Suddenly, from the west, a gust of wind whips past you, several hundred yards away. Sand flies up and fills your mouth and nose and stings your eyes. Pieces of ice and cold water blast down as you turn to watch the winds fly past. Just for a second, you saw what looked like a giant man flying ahead of the wind storm. As the ashen sands start to settle, you hear an angry roar from behind you in the sky. From the west, a huge red fiery creature, shooting out long flames, chases after the wind storm. As this fire storm passes overhead, a wave of searing heat covers you. The cold water and ice melts and starts to steam. Fire falls out of the sky, singeing your hair and landing on your skin like hundreds of red-hot needles. As soon as it started, the whole thing is over. Both creatures disappear out of your sight.
4. Read the following text to the players. Remember that the PCs should not directly attack the Efreeti or the Djinni (see the note on page 3). In a flash of bright orange flame, an Efreeti appears on the ground a few hundred yards away. A huge Djinni appears in front of the flaming Efreeti. The Djinni's arms are crossed over his chest, his head thrown back. The Efreeti screams out and a huge fireball flies from his hands at the Djinni. The burning ball of flame hits the Djinni and goes past him, blasting a huge hole in the ground. The Djinni roars with thunderous laughter, pointing his right hand at the Efreeti. A black cloud appears in the sky over the Efreeti, who looks up in surprise. In a flash of white light, a lightning bolt streaks down from the clouds toward the Efreeti. Just before it hits him, the Efreeti disappears in smoke. The lightning crashes into the ground, sending debri flying in all directions. With another roar of laughter, the Djinni and the black cloud also vanish.

DESERT ENCOUNTERS
Use the DESERT WILDERNESS MAP.

A. Start of the Adventure
Play: Read the INTRODUCTION, found at the beginning of the module, to the players. The party members begin their adventure in the hex marked on the DESERT WILDERNESS MAP. The PCs have the items listed in Treasure. Give each PC a rumor from the TABLE OF RANDOM RUMORS below. The PCs have somehow gotten the three Star Gems. They are the Star of Mo-pelar (found in the pyramid tomb in PHARAOH), the Star of Shah-pelar (found in the evil tomb of Badr Al-Mosak in OASIS OF THE WHITE PALM) and the Star of Khan-pelar (also found in OASIS OF THE WHITE PALM in the ancient ruins under the oasis). See TREASURES AND TOMES for a description of each of these gems.
Enough water for the entire party to travel in the desert for seven days (10,000 gp weight).
Three large tents with poles, 10 feet x 20 feet in size, weighing 4,000 gp each. They require four turns (40 minutes) to set up or take down.
One Writ of Authority granting permission to be in the Desert of Desolation. It weighs 1 gp.
Ten bundles of firewood weighing 20 lbs. (200 gp weight) each. One bundle provides one night's fire.

EACH CHARACTER IS GRANTED:

2,000 sp for expenses.
Two bags containing food. One bag contains one week's standard ration weighing 20 lbs. (200 gp weight), while the other contains two weeks' iron rations weighing 15 lbs. (150 gp weight).
A camel or a draft horse (PC's choice). See DESERT PROLOGUE under MOVEMENT for a description of these animals.

TABLE OF RANDOM RUMORS

These are rumors that the PCs may have overheard while at the Oasis of the White Palm or traveling in the desert. The true (T) and false (F) notes are for the DM only.

Roll 1d10 for each PC. Give the rumor with that number below to the PC secretly. The PCs may keep their rumors secret or tell the rest of their party.

1. (T)Martek was the greatest mage of his time. No one's knowledge of architecture and magical devices was greater than his while he lived, and many say even until now. He built his own tomb in the desert west of the White Palm. Legends tell of it being 3 leagues wide and in clear sight of those who know where to look. No one has ever lived to tell of finding it.
2. (T)An epic poem about Martek's tomb was written by a poor wandering nomad ages ago. The poem was not very good and no one can remember all of it. The poem told of Martek's Sphere of Power and how it would be used in a distant time to stop the destruction of the desert people.
3. (T)There are obelisks (tall pillars of stone) in the desert west of here that speak of Martek, but they are evil places where death awaits. None who have gone forth to study those ancient stones have ever returned.
4. (T) Part of the epic poem of Martek tells:

When the Evil walks our land again,
Will Nomadic princes come to Set His power into his first bride's hand,
That good and evil then are met.

Then will needs be
The Star Gems three
To my tomb be borne hither
And a hope shall not wither
Open the gates to my Sphere of Power
And put off evil in its appointed hour.

5. (T) Beyond the hills the world ends in a bottomless sky. There death stalks in ships that sail the clouds and attempt to bring the souls that they capture to the ancient City of Damnation.
6. (T)Part of the epic poem is:

In future times it is foretold
A voice for Martek ancient old
Tells of a time when mortal men
Shall seek the aid of long dead kin At Martek's tomb shall make a sound
To call the doors of a lost tomb found.

7. (F) It was Martek who first managed to contain the terrible Efreeti that now storms in combat over the desert. It is said that Martek used his Sphere of Power to do the deed. The Sphere must be a marvelous object, for it could do many wonderful and terrible things  even rewrite the history of events that had already happened.
8. (T)Ancient writings tell of six tests in Martek's tomb that guard the gate of Martek's rest  tests of Time, Fear, Death, Oblivion, Division and Compassion.
9. 'T) The tales of Martek's greatness were surpassed only by the tales of his wealth. Many great and wondrous items of antiquity vanished from the knowledge of men to within his tomb. Surely untold wealth can still be found there.
10. For this rumor, tell the most outrageous lie about Martek's tomb you can think of.

B. Sinkholes
Play: These areas seem different than normal desert only 10% of the time. Sinkholes are places where the sand moves and shifts easily under weight. Each character moving over such an area must make a dexterity check or start to sink into the ashen sands. Camels will sink on a roll of 1 thrown on 1d10. All other animals sink on a roll of 1 thrown on 1d6. Wagons sink on a roll of 1-2 on 1d6. This check is made once per hour if the party is moving or once per turn if they are not. Every round a character is sinking, he must make a dexterity check at -5 to pull himself out. Complete submersion takes 1-6 minutes (rounds). After going completely under, characters take 1-4 points of damage per round. Completely submerged characters will suffocate in 8 rounds. Also, completely submerged characters must make their dexterity checks at-10 each round to pull themselves out. Saving anything before it disappears beneath the sands forever requires finding a way to stop further sinking, like throwing a rope to a person, or around a camel. Then, 20 strength points are needed to pull out small creatures (half lings, dwarves, small animals), 30 strength points for medium (human-sized) creatures, and 80 strength points for large creatures. The strength of characters (but not pack animals) who are sinking may be included in the total strength used to free them. It will take 11-20 (1d10+10) minutes to pull anything or anyone out. Note that any characters and animals helping to save something will not be traveling and must therefore check every turn to see if they sink as well. Objects will sink to a depth of 11-20 (1d10+10) feet below the surface, with sand filling up the hole. Digging to any depth in such sand is impossible because the sides of the hole collapse and fill it in.

C. Hills
>>Craggy, low hills of broken and baked stone jut upwards at weird angles, casting shadows across themselves.

Play: Movement rate is 1/2 normal in the hills for all characters except dwarves. There is a 60% chance per hour spent searching of finding a cave shelter large enough for the whole party.

D. Skysea
Note! Use the first boxed description when the PCs are within 2 hexes of the Skysea. Use the second boxed description when the PCs are at the shores of the Skysea.

>>In the distance to the west, as far as you can see, there is a strange shimmer in the air. The sand dunes become flat and look almost blue. Stranger still, you cannot see the horizon. The sky seems to wrap around to become part of the desert ground. As you get closer, the desert sands seem to drop off into sky. There are clouds floating deep within this strange sky, just as they float above you. At dawn, the entire sky is gray and dim. At dusk, you can see two suns in the purple and orange sky, one above the hot desert, the other below the dunes. As night falls, the two suns move closer and closer to each other. They become one and grow smaller and smaller, disappearing into the night.
>>Before you, the ground seems to drop away into a deep sky. As far as you can see to the north and south, this shoreline of sand dunes and sky continues. Clouds float below you just as they do over you. This sky continues to the west until it blends with the sky above you. There is the shimmering haze of great heat in this strange sky. As you get closer to the shoreline, the air becomes very dry and so hot that it is painful to breathe. At a great distance to the west there is an island, seeming to float in the sky, its features rising and hanging into the sky.

Play: This is a sea of glass. Its surface is almost perfectly smooth, worn down by the winds and sand. The glass averages 10 feet deep and is very hard. It will not crack, but small random pieces can be chipped from its surface. Fire heats the glass but does not damage it. The bottom surface of the glass is very reflective. The sky above the glass can be seen reflected in the glass. The air above the Skysea is heated by the reflected desert sun. Any character looking down into the glass will see himself in it.
All movement on the Skysea is at half the normal rate. During the daytime, characters on the glass will take 1 point of damage per round from the scorching heat and light for every 10 feet they are from the shore. For example, a character walking 30 feet from the shore will take 3 points of damage every round. There is a maximum of 10 points of this damage per round. Characters do not start taking damage until 1/2 hour after sunrise. There is a 10% chance per round of finding the Trap/Trick. The Trap/Trick is not found after sunset. While on the Skysea, use the SKYSEA RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLE below.
Trap/Trick: On the Skysea, there is a 10% chance per round of stepping into a hot spot. Hot spots move randomly as the sun moves across the sky. Hot spots stay in the same place for only three turns. There is a 10% chance per turn that a hot spot will move onto any character that is not moving. Characters in a hot spot will take 2-40 (2d20) extra points of damage per round they remain in the hot spot. Characters may save vs. Breath Weapons for 1/2 damage.
Lore: The Skysea is the result of a great magical fire that burned out of control many centuries ago. The fire melted and fused the desert sands into this hard, mirror-like glass. Cloudskates were developed to travel on the Skysea during the day. See area F on page 8 for information about cloudskates.

SKYSEA RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLE
Check for random encounters once every six turns. A roll of 1 on 1d6 means that the characters encounter something. Roll 1d6 and use the encounter with that number below.

1. 1 Purple Worm (AC 6; MV 9"; HD 15; #AT 1 and 1; Dmg 2-24 (2d12)/2-8 (2d4); AL N; poison stinger in tail) Feeling the characters or the ship overhead, the worm will crash through the crust of the sea of glass and attack. The worm will appear right in the middle of the characters or next to their ship. Because the glass here is now broken up, the heat damage described in area D will change. The hole is like another shoreline where there is no heat damage.
Characters will take 1 point of damage per round for every 10 feet away they are from the hole.
2. 1-10 Skittercrabs (AC 3; MV 4"/(18)"; HD 4; #AT 2; Dmg 1-6/1-6; AL N) These creatures skim the surface in their hard shells in search of soft food. (Skittercrabs do not exist anywhere except on the Skysea.)
3. 2-20(2d10) Spectral Minions (AC 2; MV 9"; HD 3; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; AL NG) These appear as wanderers walking across the glass sea. They are long-dead Thune Dervishes who were caught half-way across the glass sea when dawn came. They are on the Skysea to search for a new god to worship and are cursed to stay here by the god they worshipped before. They will attack only if the party attempts to stop their trek.
4 3-18(3d6) Glass Pirates (AC 2; MV 12"; HD 5; #AT1; Dmg 1-8; AL CE; hypnotic stare) A dark cloudskate with a ragged sail will appear on the horizon. This pirate ship will quickly catch up with the PCs. The pirates will leap from their ship to attack. The tremendous heat of the Skysea does not bother the pirates. Nonmagical fire-based attacks do not damage the pirates. They appear as robed skeletons and will attempt to capture the party. They will take any captives to the cursed city of stone (area G). Even though they communicate telepathically, they do not reason. The only choice they will give the party is to surrender or to fight. The pirates will fight to the death.
5. Special Encounter Use the SKYSEA SPECIAL ENCOUNTER TABLE below.
6. Special Encounter Use the SKYSEA SPECIAL ENCOUNTER TABLE below.

SKYSEA SPECIAL ENCOUNTER TABLE
Roll 1d4 and use the encounter with that number below.

1. 1 Wanderer (AC 0; MV 12"/12+"; HD 10; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10; AL CE; SA magical attacks) The form of a beautiful woman in white flowing robes appears on the sea of glass. She will treat the PCs kindly unless they attack her. If she is attacked, she will cause a flamestrike to hit the attacker, and then she will leave. If she is treated kindly, she will point the way to Martek's tomb and tell the PCs that unless they carry the famed Star Gems there is no hope for them once they have entered Martek's tomb. With this she will leave.
2. 1 Spectral Minion (AC 2; MV 9"; HD 3; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; AL LE) This form has wandered the desert for centuries. Its mind has long since departed. It will attack the party without any concern for its own safety.
3. Dead Party of Adventurers Lying face down on the surface of the glass sea, five sets of scorched clothes and bones give silent testimony to the fate of those caught in the reflection of day. One of these poor souls fell face forward and, by so doing, protected his pack with his body. An ancient, scorched, but readable, map of the sea of glass can be found in the pack. The map should mark the location of Martek's tomb.
4. Ghostship (AC 5; MV 0"/24+"; HD 10; hp 60; #AT 4; Dmg 1-6; AL CE) A huge, ancient cloudskate of intricate design can be seen on the horizon. If the PCs approach the ship, they will find it motionless upon the glass. If they board it, the ship itself will attack them, using its own beams, ropes and davits. It will chase the PCs, even if they flee in their own ship. The ship's spirit can be exorcised or destroyed by taking a total of 60 hit points. The ship will not burn because it was made to travel in the heat of the Skysea. It is up to the DM to make the ship's attacks interesting and believable.

E. Oracle Shrine of Martek
>>A pillar of ancient stone stands silently over the desert sands. Ancient markings are worn nearly smooth by the blasts of wind and weather, so it is hard to read the writings. There is a hollow space under the writings.

Play: The stone might respond to the party as in Trap/Trick. The writing is in Lore.
Trap/Trick: This is an Oracle Stone. When one of the Star Gems is placed in the hollow place under the writing, the stone will speak out loud to the characters, saying:

"Martek and his Sphere of Power to retrieve this is your quest and destiny's decree an ancient prophesy of doom and death that men of courage should face without regret to his mighty temple tomb against the shores of the sky.
That mighty monument of his life and passing you must now find and enter gain the gem before you takes the power to glow whence pointed toward martek's towers where if survives those here assembled it shall be your finest hour."

The Star Gem that was placed in the hollow will suddenly flare with brilliant light, then fall to the sand below. From now on, that gem will glow with soft white light. When it is pointed in the direction of Martek's tomb (any area H) it will flare up with a brilliant white light.
Lore: There is a base 30% chance for the characters to correctly read the writing as:

"In its appointed time shall man arise from his ignorance  and, reaching for the stars, offer them in wisdom."

F. Grounded Cloudskates
>>A strange metallic platform juts skyward, half-buried in the sands of the shoreline. A few feet away, a tall metal pole also pokes out of the sand. There is a crosspiece wrapped with bundles of woven bronze on the pole. The slanting platform has a large gleaming blade mounted under it. There is a long thin blade hanging in the air on the side of the platform.

Play: The buried object is a cloudskate. It will have to be dug out before it can be used. It will take 3-18 (3d6) turns to dig it out. The PCs will have to identify it as some form of ship before they can use it.
Treasure: A Cloudskate, also known anciently as a Skyship. These craft can be used to cross the sea of glass at a rate of 1 hex every 2 hours during the night or 2 hexes every hour during the day. The base absorbs the heat from the mirrored glass and converts its energy to a magical glowing force between the runners. This lifts the ship 3 inches off the glass. The rudder is studded with diamonds on its edge to cut into the glass to steer the ship. The sail also converts the Skysea heat into movement. Anyone riding in a cloudskate during the day will feel very hot, almost scorching, but will not take any damage so long as he stays in the ship.

G. Cursed City of Stone
>>Hidden among the jutting rocks, an ancient stone city lies abandoned by mankind. Most of the buildings have crumbled and fallen in, but some still look usable. There is an obelisk in the middle of the city square.

Play: The obelisk in the city square is the same as the one in area E. If the glass pirates (see SKYSEA RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLE on page 7 ) bring the PCs here, the pirates will not go into the city. The pirates believe that powerful beings live in the obelisk in the city square. The pirates will tie their PC captives to stakes outside the city. The pirates will leave the PCs there as sacrifices to the beings they think are in the city. Then the pirates will leave. If the PCs are still tied to the stakes' when the pirates return the next day, the pirates will take the PCs out in their cloudskate and make them walk the plank.

NOTE! The DM can expand this adventure by designing this city and letting the PCs explore it. For the players' sake, it should not detract too much from the play of this adventure. Remember not to do anything that will make it more difficult for the PCs to finish this adventure.

H. Pillar of Martek
Note! See the Pillar of Martek illustration and use the UNDER THE PILLAR OF MARTEK MAP for areas H - H3.

>>A lone monument of three crystal spires rises straight and true from the desert sands. These 30-foot tall crystals show no marks from time and weather. Strange ancient runes cover the spires. The carved crystals tower above you at three corners of a large black hexagonal base. Two forked prongs spread from the top of each crystal like the wings of a mighty Phoenix bird. In the center of the platform, there is a circle of inlaid gray marble. Monuments like this can be seen at various points about three miles in the distance.

Play: The Trap/Trick will activate whenever one of the crystal carvings is struck by any character's full force with any object. There is a secret door in the back of the northern crystal spire which leads to area H1. The writings are in Lore.
Trap/Trick: Whenever one of the crystal spires is struck by any character's full force with any item, the crystal will sound a vibrating tone, like a tuning fork. The sound will seem to die out for a moment, then start to build again, only louder and from all three crystals. Read the following boxed description to the players when this happens.

NOTE! Read this boxed description to the players only after they activate the Trap/Trick.

>>As the ringing tone of the crystals gets louder and louder, the air starts to shimmer all around you. Suddenly, overhead, the sky ripples in waves of clear light. The sky seems to open up, revealing one of the largest structures you've ever seen. It is all made of crystal. Its size is astounding. It looks like it is 6 miles wide at the base and floating 500 feet above you. There are six elegant minaret towers on this building. The legendary tomb of Martek was here, in the open, all these centuries. A pillar of light suddenly comes down from the building and covers the gray marble part of the platform.

Play: The large crystal building that appears is Martek's tomb. Characters who are standing under, or enter into the pillar of light will rise into it. They will be blinded for a moment as they are teleported to area I4 in the GARDEN OF THE CURSED. Martek's tomb will remain visible and the pillar of light active for 1 turn. After that, the light will rise back into the tomb and the tomb will disappear. Because the tomb is usually in an alternate plane, it will remain hidden until it is brought down by the crystals. Martek's tomb will only appear once per day. The crystal spires on the platform cannot be damaged by anything except the most drastic magical means (such as wish or alter reality). The crystals will ring with a light tone if they are hit lightly.
Lore: There is a base 30% chance for characters to correctly read the writings on each spire. The writings are:

On the north crystal spire.
"my name is Martek and rising here before you is the tomb of my body. from here shall my sphere of power be called forth in the appointed day from beyond death and bring salvation to the desert peoples."

On the east crystal spire.
"the mighty crystal spires rise around the entrance to my tomb. the bearers of the gems of stars must carry them to me and thereby gain their prize."

On the west cyrstal spire.
"only once each day, when the crystals sound, the way will be made clear. you have but to knock to enter."

H1. Entry Below
>>A dry, dusty staircase takes you down to an archway about 20 feet below the platform. There is a 30-foot wide by 40 foot long room on the other side of the archway. Three ancient statues line both side walls. In the center of the far wall, a golden door stands shut. There is an altar 10 feet in front of that door. A golden disk is inlaid in the top of the altar.

Play: There are secret doors at the north ends of both the east and west side walls. Pressing the disk in the altar starts the Trap/Trick.
Trap/Trick: When the disk is pressed, the golden door will start to rise and a large stone door will start to lower over the archway exit to the stairs. As soon as the golden south door has lifted 6 inches, a wall of lightning from floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall will appear in front of the south wall. The lightning will move north, through the room. The wall of lightning does 12-72 (12d6) points of damage. Save vs. Spells for half damage. The opening of the golden door, the closing of the stone door, and the wall of lightning moving across the whole room will take one round. The wall of lightning looks like a crackling electrical storm. The lightning will stop when it gets to the north wall. After one turn, the archway will open and the south door will shut. The same thing will happen every time the disk is pressed.

H2. Tomb Room
>>This room is roughly 30 feet square. There is a sarcophagus, an ornate stone coffin, in the center of the room. Everything is covered with cobwebs and a thick layer of dust.

Play: There are two secret doors, one on the north end of each side wall. The sarcophagus is empty and there is nothing else in the room.

H3. Corridor
>>This is a 50-foot long corridor with an arched ceiling 10 feet overhead. It doesn't look as though anyone has been here for centuries.

Play: There is a secret door at each end of the inner wall. There is a secret door in the middle of the outer wall that sets off the Trap/Trick.
Trap/Trick: Opening the secret door in the middle of the outer wall releases a spear. The spear flies straight across the hall and does 1-6 points of damage. Characters in front of the door who make a dexterity check only take half damage.

section ii: Garden of the cursed

GARDEN PROLOGUE

The garden is just over 1 mile wide. The walls and ceiling of the garden absorb all magic that is used against them. Also, they cannot be damaged by normal attacks. A floor of this same material is 40 feet under the ground.

The PCs' teleport spells cannot take anyone or anything out of the garden. Teleport spells work normally within the garden.

The dome over the garden glows and darkens like daylight and nighttime.

All over the garden, there are bushes with small red berries on them. If these berries are eaten, they will heal 1-6 points once each day. The berries go bad three days after they are picked. The berries have no powers and their bushes will not grow outside of Martek's tomb.

Through the centuries after Martek built this tomb, many people managed to get this far into the tomb. Without the Star Gems, they were trapped here in the garden. Most of the people living here have been in the garden all their lives and do not really believe that an outside world exists. These NPCs are very important in this module. Although they do not know everything, they do know a lot about Martek's tomb. Their information could be useful to the PCs. The people here have their own reasons for wanting to escape from the garden, and will try to steal the Star Gems from the PCs to do that.

There are two groups of people in the garden, the guilders and the maddogs. Be sure to read the information in MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN on page 28 under guilders, maddogs, Trifakas, Pawnis, Sardok, Villagemaster Bandik and Percivlis.

RUNNING the NPCs in the GARDEN:
The maddogs and the guilders do not trust each other. If the PCs are friendly, they will be treated kindly by both groups, but not trusted. As soon as Trifakas learns that the PCs have arrived he will try to meet them. He will be hospitable and will try to make the PCs think that he is not very interested in them, or in leaving the garden. 'Trifakas really wants very much to leave the garden and to get the Sphere of Power for his own use. He will try to find out if the PCs have the Star Gems with them. He will get Pawnis and Sardok to help him do this, and will order the Villagemaster Bandik to the steal the Gems. Bandik will do whatever he has to get the Gems. If he gets the Star Gems, Bandik will give them to Trifakas. If Trifakas gets the gems, he will use them to open the doors at area I6. He will go down the hall with Pawnis and Sardok. As soon as they find out that the doors are open, all of the guilders and mad-dogs will also go down the hall, believing that "Grandal" has been opened for them. When the guilders and maddogs get to the Phoenix (area J2), they will flee in terror back to the garden. Much excitement can be added for the players if the PCs have to chase Trifakas through the rest of Martek's tomb.

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS: While in the garden, check for random encounters once every 3 turns. Roll 1d6. If you roll a 1, the PCs encounter something. Roll 1d12. Use the encounter with that number below.

GARDEN OF THE CURSED RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLE

1. 2-8(2d4) Maddogs (AC 8; MV 15"; HD 4; #AT 2; Dmg 1-8; AL LG with Chaotic tendencies) See MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN for details.
2. 1-6 Guilders (AC 7; MV 9"; HD 3; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; AL CE) See MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN for details.
3. 1-8 Giant Tarantulas (AC 6; MV 18"; HD 2+2; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4+ paralysis poison; AL N)
4. 1-4 Giant Scorpions (AC 3; MV 15"; HD 5+5; #AT 3; Dmg 1-10/1-10/1-4+ poison; AL N; SA poison stinger)
5. 1-4 Grenade Palms (AC 10; MV 0"; HD 10; #AT 1-8; Dmg 1-8; AL N) These are trees that have fruit that look like pineapples. These trees are usually about 33 feet tall. If anyone walks within 5 feet of the trunk of a grenade palm, there is a 20% chance that the vibrations of his movements will make a fruit fall from the tree. There is a 95% chance that the grenade fruit will explode when it hits the ground, doing 2-16(2d8) points of damage to anyone within 10 feet of the explosion. If the fruit is caught, the chance of explosion is only 40%. The grenade fruit may be picked and carried, to be used later, but there is always a 10% chance that the fruit will explode whenever the character carrying them falls or otherwise bumps the fruit accidentally. The fruit has evolved exploding as a way of scattering its own seeds far enough away from itself to insure enough distance between the trees. Grenade palms do not work or grow outside of Martek's tomb, except in the Dome of Flight in Pharaoh Amun-re's tomb (the Dome of Flight is in module I3, PHARAOH, and does not affect the play of this module).
6. 1-4 Grenade Palms See encounter #5 above for details.
7. 2-12(2d6) Guilders (AC 7; MV 9"; HD 3; #AT 3; Dmg 1-4; AL CE) See MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN for details.
8. 1-8 Maddogs (AC 8; MV 15"; HD 4; #AT 2; Dmg 1-8; AL LG with chaotic tendencies.) See MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN for details.
9. 1-8 Giant Tarantulas (AC 6; MV 18"; HD 2+2; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; AL N) Save vs. Poison or be paralyzed for 1-6 turns.
10. 1-6 Guilders (AC 7; MV 9"; HD 4; #AT 3; Dmg 1-4; AL CE) See MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN for details.
11. Special Encounter Use the GARDEN SPECIAL ENCOUNTER TABLE below.
12. Special Encounter Use the GARDEN SPECIAL ENCOUNTER TABLE below.

GARDEN SPECIAL ENCOUNTER TABLE

Roll 1d6. Use the encounter with that number below. See MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN for details about these NPCs. If the play of the module at this point makes it illogical for the PCs to encounter one of these NPCs, or if one of these NPCs has left the GARDEN or is dead, roll again on this table.

1. Trifakas, human wizard (AC 4; MV 12"; HD 12; hp 30; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; AL LE; SA and SD spells) See MONSTER, CREATURES, AND MEN for details.
2. Pawnis, drow elf thief (AC 2; MV 12"; HD 10; hp 42; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; AL CE; thief abilities) See MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN for details.
3. Sardok, human thief (AC 4; MV 12"; HD 10; hp 38; #AT 1; Dmg 3-8(1d6+2); AL CE; thief abilities) See MONSTERS,
CREATURES, AND MEN for details.
4. Villagemaster Bandik, Guilder Thief (AC6; MV12"; HD17; hp 34; #AT 3; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-4; AL CE with N tendencies; thief abilities). See MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN for details.
5. Percivlis, human paladin (AC 4; MV 12"; HD 6; hp 23; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; AL LG) See MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN for details.
6. Roll again on this table.

GARDEN ENCOUNTERS
Use the GARDEN MAP.

I1. Garden
>>There is lush green growth all around you. You are in a clearing of soft ferns and small trees. Cool breezes blow the grasses about. All about the trails, there are bushes of ruby-red berries and trees of sweet ripe fruit. The sky is covered by a gigantic dome of glowing light. This area ends in thick jungle.

Play: This is the clear area on the GARDEN MAP. There is no movement restriction here.

I2. Jungle
 ..Thick, wet jungle blocks your way. Vines and thorny plant stems snag your clothing and head. Spongy mosses cover the ground. Huge tall trees with large roots darken the area and provide cover.

Play: All movement is at 1/4 normal for everyone except elves. Maximum sighting distance in this area is 20 feet.

I3. Waters of the Garden
NOTE! The DM should tell the players if this is a river or a lake

>>The water is cool and refreshing. It is very clear and clean. Small fish can be seen swimming in it. The bottom is sandy in some places and rocky in others. Various plants grow on the bottom.

Play: The water is not harmful. The fish are good to eat and
large ones can be caught in the lakes. The plants are not harmful, but they taste horrible.

I4. Dais of Reception
>>You are on a vast platform nearly 600 feet wide. Six white marble pillars rise high overhead towards a vast opalescent dome. Hanging from the pillars in the air above your heads, a gigantic gong gives forth a loud BONG, echoing across this entire area. You are at the back of what seems to be a large room. Jungle growth blocks your sight, but the domed ceiling continues as far as you can see. Two hundred feet of stairs lead up to this platform from the ground. There is a wall in back of you that rises to the domed ceiling. A river empties into the wall on either side of the platform stairs.

Play: The gong will only sound when someone is teleported up into the tomb. Within 1-6 rounds after the PCs appear, 20 guilders will arrive. One to six rounds after that, Pawnis will arrive. When he does, the guilder villagers will bow down before him. Pawnis will welcome the PCs with open arms. See MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN for details about these NPCs. Anything that goes into the water openings on either side of the platform will be teleported to the top of the waterfall at area I6.
Monster: 20 Guilder Villagers (AC 7; MV 9"; HD 3; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; AL CE(N); thief abilities) will arrive cheering. The villagers honor and bow down before the guildcleric Pawnis (AC 2; MV 12"; HD 10; hp 42; #AT1; Dmg 1-6; AL CE; thief abilities) when he arrives. Pawnis will welcome the PCs with open arms. He appears to be more robust and healthy than the villagers. In a most friendly way, he will want to know all about the party and their quest. He will direct the villagers to take the PCs to a great feast and rest.

I5. Village of the Guilders
>>The guilder village lies quietly near a calm lake. The lake is about 200 feet wide and 500 feet long. The village is made up of wooden huts with woven mat roofs. The villagers go quietly about their business. On the north side of the lake, there are 15 heavy bamboo cages. The cages are empty.

Play: There are a total of 88 guilders in the GARDEN. At least 20 of them will be in the village all the time. The cages are used to put prisoners in and carry them to the Mound of the Lawgivers at area I10. The guilders will give a feast of tarantula meat and squashes for the PCs if the PCs are kind to them. After 1-10 rounds the Villagemaster Bandik will arrive. He has been instructed by Trifakas to find out if the PCs have the Star Gems. If they do, Bandik will try to steal the gems. Remember that if the gems were used in the obelisk at area E, then they will be glowing, and hard to hide. If a guilder is caught trying to steal the gems, Pawnis will explain the guilder religion to the PCs. If the guilders get into a fight with the PCs, or have to capture them to steal the gems, they will put the PCs in the cages (see Trap/Trick).
Monster: 20-88 guilders (AC 7; MV 9"; HD 3; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; AL CE(N)). Also the Villagemaster Bandik (AC 6; MV 12"; HD 17; hp 34; #AT 3; Dmg 1-4(x3); AL CE(N))
Trap/Trick: There are 15 heavy bamboo cages. These cages are used to hold prisoners and carry them to the Mound of the Lawgivers (area 110) where the prisoners are stoned to death. These cages can be broken with a successful Bend Bars/Lift Gates at +20%.

I6. Grandal
>>Majestic twin doors of shining silver tower before you. These doors are each 30 feet wide and rise almost 100 feet to an arched top. There are no markings, handles or hinges that you can see on the doors. A waterfall cascades down from a 10-foot wide opening 75 feet up on either side of the doors. The falling water splashes into pools that each feed a river. There is a platform made of a strange polished blue-gray stone in front of the doors. There is a small altar on the platform, 50 feet in front of the doors. The altar has strange writings carved into its surface surrounding oddly shaped holes.

Play: See Trap/Trick for the doors and altar. The waterfalls are fed by water teleported from area I4. These doors will be open with the Star Gems in the holes in the altar if Trifakas has already stolen the gems from the PCs and passed by here.
Trap/Trick: If the PCs put the Star Gems in the holes on the altar and speak the words Mo-pelar, Shah-Pelar, Khan-pelar, Re loudly (see area I9 under Lore), the 1,001 doors of the Grand Hall beyond will all open by themselves. If the words are spoken out of order while the gems are in place, a flamestrike will smash down from above onto the speaker.

I7. Trifakas's Camp
>>In a small clearing in the trees, there is a small, but well built, log hut.

Play: This hut belongs to Trifakas. He and Sardok live here.
Monster: Trifakas (AC 4; MV12"; HD12; hp 30; #AT1; Dmg 1-4; AL LE; SA and SD spell abilities) and Sardok (AC 4; MV 12"; HD 10; hp 38; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6+2; AL CE)
Character: Trifakas will be gracious and priestly while Sardok, although in clerical robes, will be rude to the PCs. Trifakas will want to know what gems the players brought. He will tell the PCs that gems might be useful in activating the teleport plat form where they came in (area I4). He will also say that he thinks that is the only way out of the garden. Trifakas really knows that the platform teleport is one-way only, but he does not want the PCs experimenting at the Grand Hall doors.

I8. Camp of the Maddogs
>>Near the center of a large clearing stands a small fort. Its log walls are 10 feet tall and sharpened on the top. The fort is roughly 50 feet square. There is only one door. Smoke can be seen rising out of the compound inside the walls. The underbrush has all been carefully cleared away outside the walls for about 50 feet.

Play: This is the camp of the maddogs. There are a total of 52 maddogs in the garden. There will always be at least 20 of them in this fort. They always have a lookout posted on each corner of the walls. When the lookouts see the PCs, they will call out to them to halt and identify themselves. When the maddogs realize that the PCs aren't guilders, Percivlis and two maddogs will come out to meet the PCs. Then the PCs will be allowed to go into the fort. When the PCs go into the fort, read them the following boxed description.

>>The ground inside the fort is hard-packed dirt. There are several wooden huts with woven-mat roofs in the compound. There is a thin ledge that runs around the inside of the wall with ladders in each corner.

Monster: 20-52 Maddogs (AC 8; MV 15"; HD 4; #AT 2; Dmg 1-6; AL LG(C).See MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN for more details. Percivlis (AC 4; MV 12"; HD 6; hp 23; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; AL LG), is a maddog leader.

I9. Obelisk of the Ancients
>>Buried under tall grasses and brush, an ancient obelisk is hidden. The writings on its sides are worn down by time.

Lore: There is a base 30% chance for the PCs to correctly read the writing as:

"the day shall come when men of valour enter this garden and bring with them the great star stones. this has been foretold by Martek in the times of light. they will place the stones in the altar and recite their names, from opal to red and then clear. by finally uttering "re" shall the 1,001 doors be opened before them. then will the test of their courage begin."

I10. Mound of the Lawgivers
>>A hill, completely covered with small stones, rises from the grasses. There are crushed bones mixed in with the stones in the center of the hill.

Play: This is a stoning hill where both the maddogs and guilders stone their prisoners and enemies. Each stone strikes for 0-3
(1d4-1) points of damage. There is an endless supply of stones.

I11. Grand Hall
>>You are in a hall made of glass steel. All around the hall, a blue fire burns fiercely. The hall is 30 feet wide and 100 feet tall. Every fifteen feet, a glassteel wall blocks the hall. There is an open door in the center of each wall.

Play: There are 1,001 doors in this hallway. Each door will be shut and wizard locked at 15th level unless the Trap/Trick in area I6 has been properly activated. When it is, all of the doors open by themselves. This hall is 3 miles long. There are no exits except straight north and straight south. The glassteel cannot be damaged by magical or normal attacks.

section iii: crystal prism

CRYSTAL PRISM PROLOGUE

The PCs' teleport spells cannot take anyone or anything out of the Crystal Prism. Teleport spells work normally within the Crystal Prism.

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS: There are no random encounters in this area. The DM must determine if and when the PCs meet Trifakas, Pawnis and Sardok in this area. This means that if those NPCs are still alive, the DM must keep careful track of where they are.

CRYSTAL PRISM ENCOUNTERS
Use the CRYSTAL PRISM MAP 1.

J1. Final Doors
>>The hallway ends at closed golden double doors 30 feet wide by 100 feet tall. Ten-foot wide arched corridors lead off to the east and west. The gold doors have ornately carved glowing runes cut into them.

Play: If the villagers got here before the PCs, there several of them will be lying here dead. Their bodies are smoldering and badly burned. The glowing runes are in Lore. The doors open easily into area J2. Both side corridors also lead to area J2, but not to The Path of Passage (see Trap/Trick in area J2 below).
Lore: The runes magically change to the easiest language for each reader. The runes can be clearly read by anybody as:

"my monument to phoenix"
"good friend and true"
"stands watch over the way"
"to the gate of my tomb."

"walk that path straight and narrow"
"do not waiver or falter"
"and your chance will be given"
"to come to my altar."

J2. Phoenix
>>Light and flame fill your senses. Before you is a 110-foot square room filled with fire. Polished black glassteel reflects the flames into a seeming eternity. Jets of fire soar 100 feet above you into the domed ceiling from four deep pits. There is a set of golden doors in the center of each wall. There is another door in each wall on each side of the double doors. There is a platform in front of each set of doors. A glassteel pathway goes all the way around the room, connecting the platforms. Two 10-foot wide pathways cross the room and meet in the center of the flames at a round platform. This middle platform is 30 feet wide, with a smaller ring in the middle of it. Hanging from the ceiling is a black frame that sits like a tent over the central platform. An Iron Phoenix sits stately on the frame.

Play: The Iron Phoenix will activate as soon as the PCs are 10 feet into the room. The Iron Phoenix cannot harm the characters while they are on the Path of Passage as in Trap/Trick #1. Only the southern doors are real; all of the others are fake. See Trap/Trick #2 for the flames and the pits. The small disk in the middle of the central platform is Trap/Trick #3.
Monster: An Iron Phoenix (AC 3; MV 12"/24"; HD 10; hp 80; #AT 3; Dmg 2d6 / 2d6/ 1-12; AL N) lords over the area. The creature can make a screeching sound three times per day that does 2-40 (2d20) points of damage to all creatures within 60 feet due to sonic vibration. PCs may save vs. Spells for half damage. The Iron Phoenix regenerates 5 hp per melee round.
If the Phoenix is defeated, it falls into one of the flaming pits where it reconstructs itself within 24 hours. The Iron Phoenix can also flamestrike three times per day, in addition to its normal attacks. The Iron Phoenix will ALWAYS MISS any character that is on the Path of Passage (See Trap/Trick #1 below).
Trap/Trick #1: The Path of Passage is a 10-foot wide path that runs from the southern doors straight to the central platform. The Path of Passage includes the small disk, but not the whole central platform. The Iron Phoenix will always miss, with both physical and magical attacks, any character on the Path of Passage. Characters on the Path of Passage cannot accidentally fall into the flaming pits.
Trap/Trick #2: Characters who fall into the pits will take 2-20 (2d10) points of burn damage every round they are in the pit. The pits are 100 feet deep. Remember that ropes will burn through in fires.
Trap/Trick #3: There is a round blue crystal disk, 10 feet in diameter, set into the floor of the central platform. Any weight over 40 lbs. (400 gp.) that is on it will cause the disk to lower slowly down a shaft into the floor. It will go down 100 feet of a dark, smooth shaft 10 feet in diameter. It will come out in area J3. When there is less than 40 lbs. (400gp.) on the disk, it will slowly rise back up the shaft.

J3. Cathedral
Use the CRYSTAL PRISM MAP 2.

>>The walls of the shaft through which you have been lowering suddenly open up! Your disk has dropped through the ceiling of an amazingly large room. This is a cathedral of crystal, brilliantly lit from within. The room is hexagonally shaped and is 420 feet across from side to side. You go down slowly from the dizzy height of 1,200 feet, finally coming to rest gently on the floor. You are about 90 feet from the southern corner of the room. In the center of the room, there is a platform of white stone. Stairs lead up to it from all sides. There are crystals on top of the platform, but they are too far away to see clearly. An arched hall, 60 feet wide and 200 feet tall is directly behind you. There are five other hallways, each at one of the other corners of this hexagonal room. Three of the halls are brightly lit and the other three are dark.

Play: The crystals on the platform are described in Trap/Trick. There is writing on the platform which is explained in Lore.
The DM will have to keep careful attention if any of the NPCs get to this area. Whichever NPCs there are will split up and go to get as many of the missing crystal minarets as possible (see Trap/Trick) below. The PCs can go through any of the three working teleports (see area J5a  J5f below). The only way out of this area is to get all three of the minarets and be teleported to SECTION VII (see Trap/Trick below). The NPCs should not get to SECTION VII: CITADEL OF MARTEK' very far ahead of the PCs.
Trap/Trick: A crystal miniature of the tomb of Martek sits on top of the platform. It looks just like what the PCs saw in area H in SECTION I, except for one thing. There are only 3 minaret towers instead of six. There are only holes where you would expect the other three minaret towers to be. Three towers are missing from the model. The towers that are in place cannot be removed. The six corners of the model face the six hallways in the cathedral. The missing minarets are from the corners that face the lit hallways. When one of the missing minarets is put into place, the hallway that it faces will become dark. When all of the crystal minarets are in place, everyone in this room (area J3) will be lifted off the floor and will get smaller and smaller and be pulled into the model which will teleport them to area N1 in SECTION VII: CITADEL OF MARTEK.
Lore: There is a base 30% chance for any character to correctly read the writing on the platform as:

"six paths to glory"
"six paths to doom"
"six paths to minarets"
"the keys to my toms."

"replace the six minarets"
"from the places now hidden"
"and you may then enter/"
"to my tomb you are bidden."

"be valiant and faithful"
"there is always a way"
"and if you survive it"
"you'll have glory this day."

J4a - J4f. Crystal Balls
>>In the center of this area, a crystal ball sits on a dais of white polished stone.

Play: Each crystal ball shows where one of the crystal minarets is. J4c, J4e and J4f are all dark. The crystal balls cannot be removed. Listed below is what can be seen in the other crystal balls.

J4a. There is a crystal minaret resting on a crystal island with red clouds forming a spinning storm around it.

J4b. A crystal minaret rests on a red satin pillow.

J4d. A crystal minaret is lying with other treasures at the knees of a beautiful, tearful woman. The woman is absolutely motionless.

J5a - J5f. Exit to Other Worlds
>>This room is 180 feet across. There is a 30-foot circular disk in the center of the room. The disk is raised 2 feet off the floor.

Play: These are teleports to the places where the minarets are. Areas J5c, J5e and J5f are dark and do not work because their minarets are in place in the model. Areas J5a, J5b and J5d are lit and will teleport anyone stepping onto them to the following places:

J5a. The characters will be teleported to area K1a in SECTION IV: BLACK ABYSS (See page 16).

J5b. The characters will be teleported to area L1a in SECTION V: MOBIUS TOWER (See page 20).

J5d. The characters will be teleported to area M1 in SECTION
VI: CRYPT OF AL-ALISK (See page 24).

J6a - J6f. Return From Other Worlds
>>This room is 180 feet across. There is a 30-foot circular disk in the center of the room. The disk is raised 2 feet off the floor.

Play: This is the receiving end of a teleport to bring the characters and the crystal minaret back. Areas J6c, J6e and J6f are dark because their crystals are already in place in the model in area J3. Areas J6a, J6b and J6d will become dark when the characters return with their minarets.

section IV: Black Abyss

SLACK ABYSS PROLOGUE

BACKGROUND: The Black Abyss lies just beyond the Guardians of Time and Space (see area K2). The Black Abyss is a gash that bridges the prime material plane and the 666 layers of the Abyss. In the Black Abyss, the prime material plane breaks down until it spirals into total confusion. In each new area, a basic law of the universe changes. The PCs will experience more changes as they go further into the Black Abyss. Each new change is added to the changes that came before it. First, distance changes, then time, then magic and finally there is a total breakdown. Each change is explained in the area where it first takes place. As the characters go through the Black Abyss, the distances between them will change; time will move them faster and slower and magic will go haywire. Even simple movement and combat will be very difficult.

The PCs' teleport spells cannot take anyone or anything out of the Black Abyss. Teleport spells work normally within the Abyss, except in area K5 and beyond (see area K5 for details).

Much of the adventure in the Black Abyss may center around the PCs chasing an NPC (Trifakas, Sardok or Pawnis) as they all race for the crystal minaret. The DM should keep track of which NPC, if any, is in this area while the PCs are here.

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS: Check for random encounters once every three turns. A roll of 1 on 1d6 means that the PCs encounter something. When an encounter takes place, roll 1d12 and use the encounter with that number from the RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLE below.

NOTE! These wandering monsters should appear or first be seen 10-60 (1d6 x 10) feet from the nearest PC to the monster. Measure the 10-60 feet using the distance scale being used when the monsters appear. All monsters are affected by the same changes in the Black Abyss that the characters are.

BLACK ABYSS RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLE

1. 1 Xorn (AC -2; MV 9"; HD 7+7; #AT 4; Dmg 1-3(x3)/6d4; AL N; SA surprise on a 1-5)
2. 1-3 Umber Hulks (AC 2; MV 6"; HD 8+8; #AT 3; Dmg 3d4/ 3d4 / 1d6+1d4; AL CE)
3. 1-5 Troglodytes (AC 5; MV 12"; HD 2; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; AL CE; SA revulsion odor)
4. 1-6 Spectral Minions(AC2; MV30"; HD3;#AT1; Dmg 1-6; AL CE)
5. 1-3 Otyughs (AC 3; MV 6"; HD 7; #AT 3; Dmg 1-8 / 1-8 / 1d4+1; AL N; SA disease)
6. 1 Neo-Otyugh (AC 0; MV 6"; HD 11; #AT 3; Dmg 2d6/2d6/ 1-3; AL N; SA disease; SD never surprised)
7. 1-3 Dopplegangers (AC 5; MV 9"; HD 4; #AT 1; Dmg 1-12; AL N; SA surprise on 1-4, shape change)
8. 1-3 Xorn (AC -2; MV 9"; HD 7+7; #AT 4; Dmg 1-3(x3)/6d4; AL N; SA surprise on 1-5)
9. 1-3 Otyugh (AC 3; MV 6"; HD 7; #AT 3; Dmg 1-8 / 1-8 / 1d4+1; AL N; SA disease)
10. 1-6 Spectral Minions(AC2; MV30"; HD3;#AT1; Dmg1-6; AL CE)
11. Special Encounter. Use the BLACK ABYSS SPECIAL ENCOUNTER TABLE below.
12. Special Encounter. Use the BLACK ABYSS SPECIAL ENCOUNTER TABLE below.

BLACK ABYSS SPECIAL ENCOUNTER TABLE

Roll 1d4 and use the encounter with that number from the table below.

1. 1-3 Adventurers (AC 3; MV 12"; HD 7; #AT 1; Dmg 3- 10(ld8+2); AL NG)
2. 1 Djinni (AC 4; MV 9"/24"; HD 7+3; #AT 1; Dmg 2-16(2d8); AL CG)
3. 1 Efreeti (AC 2; MV 9"/24"; HD 10; #AT 1; Dmg 3-24(3d8); AL N with NE tendencies; SA and SD spell abilities)
4. 1 Hero (AC 0; MV 12"; HD 10; #AT 2; Dmg 3-10 (1d8+2); AL LG)

BLACK ABYSS ENCOUNTERS
Use the BLACK ABYSS MAP.

K1a. South Wall
>>You appear at the back of a huge cavern built of polished white stone. The top of the cavern is at a fantastic height. The walls, stretching into the distance, are lined with spots of brilliant white light. Trees and shrubbery grow in this green, garden-like area. Well-trimmed bushes line several neat paths down the hall. Behind you, two large carved stone figures stand at the back wall of the hall. One of them is labelled time and the other is labelled space. Between them, there is a large obelisk with writings carved into it. Up ahead, the ceiling ends and you can see glowing red light through it.

Play: The writing on the obelisk is found in Lore. As the PCs move down the hall, they should notice that the glowing lights on the walls are getting dimmer. The lush trees and shrubbery will start to appear withered.
Lore: There is a base 60% chance for any character to read the writing correctly as:

"beyond the knowledge of mortal man"
"the guardians of the worlds stand guard"
"they look toward the crystal minaret"
"and watch that path so hard."

"beyond the end of space and time"
"beyond all magic sphere "
"where all the world breaks down"
"and chaos does appear."

"tis there the crystal minaret"
"awaits that valiant day  "
"when men shall walk paths of oblivion"
"and take that key so far away."

K1b. Midhall
>>The vast ceiling, high overhead, suddenly ends in a jagged edge of broken stone. Thousands of red clouds roll rapidly through the sky, bathing the entire area in flickering ruby-colored light. The trees are limp and the shrubbery is a sickly yellow color. Jagged rocks litter the path ahead. You can barely see the dim glow of the wall lights.

K1c. Farhall
>>The walls of the cavern suddenly end in jagged raw edges. Before you is a vast expanse of rock. The red clouds swirl around overhead, as though forming a tunnel over the cavern. The trees stand stark and dead, stripped of their leaves. The bushes seem to reach out with their bare branches. More jagged-edged rocks block the path ahead.

K2. Land End
>>The trees and bushes end here. Nothing grows as far as you can see in the distance. In places, the ground suddenly ends in a cliff that drops straight down into more swirling clouds. You cannot see to the bottom of these drop-offs. Further ahead, the winds carry the red clouds into a glowing storm of spinning clouds and rain, thunder and lighting. A single wide path of rock winds between the cliffs and clouds. This path of rock winds around the whirlpool cloud storm out of sight.

Play: In this area, the winds blow at a movement rate of 9". Characters who fall from the solid rock into the swirling clouds will be swept toward area K8 at a movement rate of 30".

K3. Distance
>>You are standing on a large area of stone that drops off in the distance into the whirling clouds. The entire area is surrounded by a spinning tunnel of red clouds.

Play: Winds here in the Abyss blow at a movement rate of 18". The laws of distance are changed from this point on. At the beginning of every turn, use the DISTANCE DISTORTION TABLE below to find the distance change to use for that turn. The DM must keep careful track of the number of rounds that have been played to be able to roll at the beginning of each turn (every 10 rounds). Use the same distance changes for all characters and monsters. The relative positions of all characters and monsters do not change. Only distances between things change. Monsters, characters and items do not change size.

DISTANCE DISTORTION TABLE

Roll 1d8. Use the distance change with that number below. Each new change is made to the distances of the turn before. Just before the PCs enter this area, the hex size is 120 feet across. After rolling, the DM should first calculate the new hex size (the map scale). If the hex size is larger than 1,200 feet across or smaller than 12 feet, do not use that change. Roll again. Then tell the players what the change is. In most cases it will not be necessary to calculate the exact distances between PCs, NPCs and monsters.

DISTANCE DISTORTION TABLE
Die
Roll Distance change    Hex size (map scale)

1.  Everything is 10 times closer.  New hex = old hex /10
2. Everything is 4 times closer.  New hex = old hex/4
3.  Everything is 2 times closer.  New hex = old hex / 2
4.  No change.   No change.
5.  No change.   No change.
6.  Everything is 2 times farther.  New hex = old hex x 2
7.  Everything is 4 times farther.  New hex = old hex x 4
8. Everything is 10 times farther.  New hex = old hex x 10
 

The new distance is the real distance for this whole area and beyond in the Black Abyss, until the next turn.
For example, Saya, a magic-user and Kamu, a fighter, enter this area for the first time. At first, each hex is 120 feet across.
Saya and Kamu are standing 4" apart. At the beginning of the next turn, the DM rolls a 7 on the DISTANCE DISTORTION TABLE above. The DM first figures out the new hex size (new hex size = old hex size x 4 = 120" x 4 = 480"). Because this new hex size is less than 1,200 feet and greater than  12 feet, it is okay to use this change. Kamu and Saya suddenly become 16" apart (4 times farther apart than they were). Kamu and Saya walk a little towards each other during that turn so that they are 10" apart. At the beginning of the next turn, the DM rolls a 3 on the table above. This means Saya and Kamu become 2 times closer. So they become only 5" apart.
If characters rope themselves together, each character must make a dexterity check at the beginning of each turn or fall down. Even if they fall down, characters that are tied together will not become further apart than the rope's length, but they can be moved closer together than the rope's length.
Characters and monsters that are grappling when a distance change takes places must make a dexterity check or fall down and be moved 1-10 feet apart.
Characters and monsters that collide with each other because of distance changes must make a dexterity check or fall down.
Characters that have fallen down cannot attack during the next round.

K4. Time-frame Distortion
>>As the swirling clouds move closer and farther away with the distance changes, you sense another, even stranger change. At first you think that the roaring winds and the strange lights from the clouds might be confusing you. But as things around you and time itself speed up and slow down, you know that the change is real.

Play: From this point on in the Abyss, the laws of time also change. Keep running the distance changes as explained in area K3 above. Also, at the beginning of every turn, use the TIME DISTORTION TABLE below to find the time changes to use for that turn. Every character and monster must roll separately at the beginning of every turn to find his own time change and modifiers. Remember that distance changes are rolled once each turn for the whole area.

TIME DISTORTION TABLE

Each character should roll 1d6 and use the time speed with that number below. Each character and monster must use his time speed for that whole turn, no matter what his time speed was before that. Each character and monster must use the "to hit," "number of attacks" and "movement" modifiers for his time speed during that turn.

TIME DISTORTION TABLE
Die Time  To Hit # of Attacks Movement
Roll speed  Modifier Modifier  Modifier
1 very slow  -2 /4  /4
2 slow  -1 /2  /2
3 normal  normal normal  normal
4 normal  normal normal  normal
5 fast  +1 x2  x2
6 very fast  +2 x4  x4

Characters and monsters with fast time speeds can move faster than those with slower time speeds. Each character will always think that he is moving normally and that the people around him are changing speed. When a character is in a slow time speed, the people around him will seem to be moving unbelievably fast. When a character is in a fast time speed, everyone around him will seem to be moving in slow motion.
Each character and monster's ability to move and fight will be changed by the modifiers for his roll on the table above. For example, a fighter in a "fast" time speed has a "to hit" modifier of+2 because he moves so fast. If a magic-user rolls a 1, he has a "to hit" modifier of-2 because it takes him so long to cast his spells.

NOTE! After the PCs have their first new time speeds, read this boxed description to the slower PCs.

>>Everything around you is moving unbelievably fast. The wind shrieks past you. The clouds are swirling in a blur. Other members of your party are moving so quickly that you can't keep up with them. Their voices sound high-pitched. They talk so fast that you can barely understand them.

NOTE! After the PCs have their first new time speeds, read this boxed description to the faster PCs.

>>Suddenly some of the characters in this area begin to move in slow motion. You can move much faster than they can. You can barely understand them because they speak so slowly and their voices are a low rumble. The wind dies down and even the whirling clouds of the Abyss seem slower.

All characters moving out of this area towards the entrance (into area K3) will go back to a normal time speed no matter what their time speed was before leaving this area.

K5. Magical Distortion
>>Suddenly there is a tingling feeling in the air. You can feel the hairs on the back of your neck rising. You shiver, even though you don't feel cold. The clouds glow brighter overhead, still casting their ruby-colored lights around you. It is hard to tell with the roaring winds, but now the air itself seems to have a slight shimmer. More and more the winds pull towards the cliffs.

Play: The wind still blows at a movement rate of 18". From this point on in the Abyss, the laws of magic also change. Run distance and time changes as explained in areas K3 and K4 above. Every time any spell is cast by any PC, NPC or monster, use the MAGIC DISTORTION TABLE below. Magical items do not always work here either. There is a 50% chance that a magical item with only one ability will work. Roll randomly to find the power that is really used by items with more than one ability.

MAGIC DISTORTION TABLE

Every time a spell is cast, roll 1d8. Use the magic change with that number below. When a PC tries to cast a spell and a different spell goes off instead, do not tell the player which spell was really cast. Just describe the spell's effects.

1. Clerics and Druids roll 1d8 (roll again if the result is 8). Magic-users roll 1d10 (roll again if the result is 10). The number that is rolled is the level of the spell that is really cast. Because of the magic distortion, the spells may be of a higher level than the caster could normally use. Roll randomly on the spell list, in the Players Handbook, for that level to find the spell that is really cast.
2. Find the list of spells under the level that the spell-caster wants the spell to be cast at. Roll randomly on that list, in the Players Handbook, to find the spell that is really cast.
3. The spell that is really cast is the spell listed in the Players Handbook just above the spell that the character tried to cast.
4. The spell that is really cast is the spell listed in the Players Handbook just below the spell that the character tried to cast.
5. The spell does not work at all.
6. The spell is cast normally.
7. The spell is cast normally.
8. The spell turns on the spell caster. Roll again on this table, but do not use this result again for this spell. The spell that is really cast will happen to whoever cast the spell.

K6. Breakdown
>>Before you, the solid ground gives way. Huge chunks of rock break away from the edge and float off towards the center of the swirling storm. But the area is not losing its ground, because as soon as the rocks fall, new rocks form to take their place. There is a feeling of decay and rebirth at the same time here. You can barely hear over the howling wind and thunder of the storm. The glowing clouds become a huge whirlpool of red lightning and winds that spins down into blackness. Far in the distance, there is an island floating in the middle of the storm. It does not seem to be affected at all by the storm.

Play: Keep running the distance, time and magic changes as explained in areas K3, K4 and K5 above. There are no new changes here. If the PCs watch the rocks that break away and fly into the storm, they will notice that all of the large pieces bump against the island before hurtling down into the whirlpool of the Black Abyss. Each large rock can safely carry one person to the island. Find the distance to the island using the current hex size.

K7. Island of Crystal
>>This is a platform of giant crystals, floating in the center of the storm. All around the island the whirlpool spins faster and faster before racing down into the chaos of the Black Abyss, but the air here on the island is calm. This whole island and the air above it glows with a soft white light. In the center of the island, a single crystal minaret stands on top of a crystal base.

Play: The moment each character steps onto the crystal island, the effects of the distance, time and magic changes stop for that character. The island will break apart when the crystal minaret is removed. As soon as the island shatters, all of the distance, time and magic changes will start again for everyone. When the island breaks apart, it, and everyone on it, will fall into the whirlpool storm. After the minaret is removed, the island's crystals will turn the storm into a teleport back to area J6a in SECTION III: CRYSTAL PRISM, on page 15. Anyone jumping or falling into the whirlpool storm from here or area K6 will be teleported back to the area J6a. The teleport will only last for one turn. Read the following boxed description when a character removes the crystal minaret.

>>As you pull the crystal minaret from its base, a horrible, loud rumbling sound shakes the area. Putting the crystal back in its base does no good. The sound gets louder. The soft white light of the island starts to pulse and turn red. The winds of the storm move in to cover the island. The spinning clouds make it almost impossible to see. The crystals sizzle as red lightning strikes them. Suddenly, the entire crystal island that you're standing on explodes! There is a flash of light and flying crystals. You fall with them into the storm of the Abyss.

K8. Chaos
>>You are falling at a terrifying speed. The wind blasts you in gusts. The glowing clouds all around feel damp and clammy. Ruby-colored lightning streaks past, barely missing you. You're being tumbled head-over-heels into the center of the storm, still falling. The whirling clouds spin into a single hole of nothingness. There is no light, no dark, no time or space. The spiral storm spins towards the planes of the Abyss ahead. You feel yourself being pulled further into the Abyss, to be trapped forever.

Play: If any character in the storm has the crystal minaret from area K7 (the crystal island), everyone in the storm will be teleported back to are J6a in SECTION III: THE CRYSTAL PRISM, on page 15. The teleport will only work for one turn after the island breaks apart. Anyone falling into this storm before the minaret is removed or more than one turn after it is removed will be cast into the 666 planes of the Abyss.

section v: mobius tower

MOBIUS TOWER PROLOGUE

BACKGROUND: There are four levels in this tower. These levels are connected together in a magical loop. There is no upper level or lower level. All of the levels are connected by stairways. Characters can climb up forever and never reach the top. They can also go down forever and never reach the bottom; they will just keep going past the same four levels.

The Mobius Tower exists on its own, unknown, closed plane. The PCs' teleport spells cannot take anyone or anything out of the tower. Teleport spells work normally inside the tower, and can move things that are "time-trapped" (see SPECIAL NOTE below).

The PCs may try to blast their way through an outer wall to escape. The outer walls are 10-foot thick solid stone. If the PCs punch through, a hole will appear in the outer wall on the opposite side of that level. For example, a character using a passwall spell on the west wall in room L1i will burrow a tunnel in through the east wall of room L1e.  PCs who burrow through the southeast wall of room L4a will have the unique pleasure of seeing a hole suddenly appear behind them in the northwest wall of L4a. These lucky folks will then be looking at their own backs.

The only way the characters can get out of the mobius tower is through the Trap/Trick #2 in room L4a.

The DM should keep track of Trifakas, Pawnis or Sardok if one of them is in this area while the PCs are here.

SPECIAL NOTE: The Mobius Tower is time-trapped. Most of the people and things in the Mobius Tower are in a different time-frame than the PCs. This does not affect the PCs in any way. Everything in the Mobius Tower (except the listed monsters) is moving VERY SLOWLY. A thousand years could pass before the PCs could see any of the people or things in the Tower move. These objects will seem to the PCs to be "frozen" in both time and space. Time-trapped people and things cannot be moved or damaged unless their time-frame is changed to the PCs' time-frame. There are only two ways of doing that:

1. Teleport the object into room L4a.
2. Change the object's time-frame with the Medallion of
Time found in room L3f.

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS: There are no random encounters in the Mobius Tower. There are planned encounters in many areas, though.

MOBIUS TOWER ENCOUNTERS
Use the MOBIUS TOWER MAP.

L1a. Arrival
>>You find yourself standing in a 40-foot square room. The room is dimly lit by torches on the walls. There is a stillness in the room. There is no sound or motion here. With a start you notice that the dim flames in the torches do not flicker. You are standing on a raised circular platform 20 feet across. To the south, a glittering object sits motionless on a pillow. Four doorways lead out of the room. The doors are near each corner of the room. The northeast door is open 2 feet. The southwest door is wide open and the other two doors are closed.

Play: None of the doors will move at all since they are time-trapped. The doors cannot be damaged. The torch flames are hard and cold.
Treasure: The glittering object is the crystal minaret that the PCs need. Finding it was easy. The crystal minaret, however, will not move one inch from the pillow. The pillow, too, is time-trapped and cannot be moved.

L1b. Apartment of the Firstwife
>>A large oval bed strewn with pillows is in the center of this 30-foot square room. The figure of a woman dressed in royal robes sits on the edge of the bed, unmoving. She is inspecting a curved dagger blade. An open ornate door is in the center of the west wall. A curtain of beads blocks an archway in the east wall. Behind the curtain there are many fine clothes.

Play: The bead curtain cannot be moved. See Lore for more about the woman. The Monster will appear 1-6 rounds after the party enters this room and will speak (see Character below) before attacking. The west door leads to a spiral staircase going up to room L2j.
Monster: The woman's spirit has become a Groaning Spirit (AC 0; MV 15"; HD 7; hp 22; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8; AL CE; SA keening attack) that lives in this room. She will speak before attacking (see Character below). Her wail, or keening, will cause all within the room to save vs. Death Magic or die immediately. She will use her keening attack 2-8 (2d4) rounds after the start of melee.
Character: The spirit will appear and then speak in a moaning voice: "For uncounted time have I sorrowed in these halls and now you, the living, come to torment me! Why do you curse me for my very thoughts?"
Lore: The woman looks elven, but evil and cunning, judging by the expression on her face. There is some sort of liquid frozen onto the blade of the dagger. This woman was part of a plot against her husband, the sheik of this tower. She was imprisoned in this room for her plotting.

L1c. Closet
>>This is a 10-foot square closet filled with clothes. Everything here is time-trapped and will not move.

L1d. Guardian
>>This small 20-foot square room has two arched doorways, one in the south wall and one in the east wall. Four large, muscular figures wrapped in guard's robes stand at attention along the west wall. They have large scimitars at their sides. Their faces are masked by their turbans.

Play: The eastern doorway leads to a spiral staircase that goes down. It comes out in the east wall of room L4a.

L1e. Apartment of the Sheik
>>A heavily hooded figure, with a bow, stands in the partly opened south door of this room. In the room before him, rich drapes hang like iron over a comfortable looking, but rock-hard bed. Lying peacefully asleep on the bed is the handsome Sheik. Suspended in the air just a few inches from the sleeping figure, an arrow is time-trapped in its flight straight toward the sheik's heart.

Play: Everything in this room is time-trapped. There is just enough space between the assassin and the doorway for the PCs to squeeze through.

L1f. Cloak Room
>>The walls of this 20-foot square room are lined with pegs. Handsome robes hang on the pegs. The tall figure of a man in rich white robes stands with his back to the eastern wall. He is facing the doorway in the west wall. An arched doorway leads out to the south. Curtains in the archway to the west are pulled open and tied back.

Play: If a party member enters the room, the Monster will attack. The south archway leads to area L1g.
Monster: The figure is a Cryptknight (AC 0; MV 12"; HD 9; hp 50; #AT1; Dmg 1-6; AL LE) who was helping to assassinate the sheik when this area became time-trapped.

L1g. Longstair
>>You are in an ornate spiral staircase. You cannot see up or down more than a few feet because of the curve of the walls.

Play: This staircase connects all of the levels of the Mobius Tower. It is in a magic loop, going up and down past the same levels forever.

L1h. Feasthall
>>A long, low table fills the center of the room. Pillows are strewn all about, most of them at the western end of the table. A servant stoops over the table pouring a red liquid into a goblet on the table. The liquid is frozen in mid-air, half-way to the goblet. There is a doorway with its curtains pulled back in the east wall. A partly open door leads out through the north wall. You can see a hall going north through an open archway in the west wall.

L1i. Buffet
>>Tables line the east and west walls of this 20-foot by 30-foot wide room. Open archways lead from the centers of the north and south walls. The figure of a servant girl stands in an eternal blush. Her hand is trapped in a motionless slap across the face of a surprised fat man dressed in rich robes and a turban.

L1j. Kitchen
>>This is a kitchen. Lush and wonderful foods of every kind you can imagine lay on the counters. But all the food is rock-hard, tasteless and odorless. Archways lead from the north and south walls. There is a closed door in the east wall.

L1k. Pantry
>>Rough shelves line the west wall of this 20-foot square room. Meat hooks with quartered beast hang from the ceiling. The meat looks appetizing, but it is stone-hard. The figures of two cooks kneel with their ears pressed against a closed door on the east wall. They seem to be trying to hear some sound through the door. There is an open archway in the south wall.

Play: There is a 1-inch open space under the door in the east wall. This door leads to room L1l.

L1l. Bottleroom
>>This 10-foot wide room is 20 feet long. It appears to be empty except for one thing. A small glittering bottle on the floor rocks back and forth rhythmically.

Play: The Monster is inside the bottle and will not be encountered until the bottle's stopper is pulled.
Monster: A Djinni (AC 4; MV 9"/24", HD 7+3; hp 22; #AT 1; Dmg 2d8; AL CG; SA and SD magical abilities) is in the bottle.
Character: He was imprisoned in this bottle ages ago and brought here by some hapless adventurer. The adventurer is long gone but the Djinni is still trapped here.

L2a. Procession
>>This is a very ornate room with many carved pillars of beautiful design and workmanship lining the walls. The room is roughly 40 feet square. It is dimly lit by unmoving torch flames on the walls. A grand staircase, 20 feet wide, leads up to a platform on the east wall. Archways lead from the north and south walls. A curtain covers a 20-foot wide opening in the west wall. Several turbaned men stand motionless on the stairs as though they were laughing.

L2b. Skeleton
>>Several dark-faced men and oval-eyed women wearing gay and bright clothing stand in this room. They look as though they are laughing, but there is no sound or movement. A small figure in drab clothing squats in the northwest corner of the room.

Play: The small figure in the corner is a skeleton in ancient and rotted clothing. The skeleton is armored and has a backpack under his rotting robes. The Treasure is in the backpack.
Treasure: In the backpack, there are 400 pp and 3 gems. Each gem is worth 500 gp.

L2c. Room of State
>>This dark room is octagonal in shape and 30 feet across. Doors lead from the east and west walls. An open sarcophagus lies in the center of the room.

Play: The Monster is inside the sarcophagus. The Monster cannot be seen from the west door.
Monster: A Mummy (AC 3; MV 6"; HD 6+3; hp 23; #AT 1; Dmg 1-12; AL LE; SA fear attacks) leaps from the sarcophagus.

L2d. Lost Hall
Play: Using the map, describe this hall to the players. The Monster will attack at his first chance. He guards the Treasure.
Monster: An Efreeti (AC 2; MV 9"/24"; HD 10; hp 32; #AT 1; Dmg 3d8; AL N(LE); SA magical attacks) stands proudly in the hall.
Treasure: A Staff of Teleportation rests in the Efreeti's hands. The staff has five charges and will only teleport single items of less than 200 gp weight. It is used for moving small items conveniently. The staff's user must picture in his mind where he wants the object to go and then touch the tip of the staff to the object. Remember that nothing can be teleported out of the Mobius Tower except through the Trap/Trick #2 in room L4a.

L2e. Harem
>>This 30-foot diameter room is dimly lit by motionless flames from torches on the walls. Unmoveable curtains hang from the ceiling. There are pillows and couches strewn about the room. Beautiful women lie still as stone in poses of relaxed laughter. An arched exit to the north is open with tied-back curtains. A doorway to the west is closed.

L2f. Harem Guard
>>Two huge figures stand in this 20-foot square room. Their faces are wrapped in cloth, their eyes almost hidden in the shadows beneath their helmets and turbans. They stand ready, swords in their gloved hands. Archways are open in the north and south walls. A wooden door in the west wall is partly open. A door in the east wall is closed.

L2g. Guardroom
>>This is a 30-foot long hallway that is 10 feet wide. Three 10-foot wide cells open from each side of the hallway. Six huge figures, their faces shrouded by robes, stand at attention on each side of the hallway. Their eyes are hidden in the shadows beneath their helmets. The figure of another huge man lies on the floor, his robes draped loosely over his body. An open door hangs motionless in the east wall. An open archway leads from the west end of the hall.

Play: Characters that touch the clothing of the man on the floor will notice that it is moveable. Soon after entering this room, the PCs should notice a great stench. The figure beneath the robes is only the skeletal remains of the long-dead captain of the guard. Moving his robes will call the Monster.
Monster: A Ghost (AC 0/8; MV 9"; HD 10; hp 30; #AT 1; Dmg 1d4+ 10 years aging; AL LE; save vs. Spells else damage and flee in panic) rises up out of the skeletal body. The ghost will only attack if the party attacks it.
Character: The ghost will speak, one round after appearing, explaining that he was Al-Dolak, the once great captain of the guard. He was involved in the assassination plot against the sheik, but had only a coward's role to play. He assembled the guards for inspection just as the assassins were attacking the sheik. Now he must stay here forever, looking upon the noble faces of the once-honored guard.

L2h. Treasury
>>This room is 30 feet wide and 40 feet long. There are open archways in the center of the north and south walls. A curtain blocks a 20-foot wide hole in the east wall. There is a 10-foot wide iron door in the center of the west wall. Three guards, with their swords drawn, stand on each side of the room. Two other guards are frozen in mid-stride as they race for the north doorway. Three strange figures stand with swords drawn to block the running guards' way.

Play: The three strange figures are the Monsters and will attack the party after they enter the room. The iron door is open '/s of an inch. Through that crack a 20-foot wide by 10-foot deep empty room can be seen.
Monster: Three Cryptknights (AC 2; MV 12"; HD 8; hp 31, 29, 26; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; AL LE; SA emanate continual fear) will come to life as the party approaches. See MONSTERS, CREATURES, AND MEN on page 28 for more information about Cryptknights.

L3a. Orchestra
>>As you enter this room through an open archway, you see another open archway straight across the room, 20 feet away. The room is 50 feet wide. To the east, there are several figures sitting motionless, time-trapped while they played their ancient instruments. Stairs, the width of the room, go up to the west wall, like bleachers.

Play: The north archway leads to room L3b. The south door leads to room L3c.

L3b. Northern Mall
>>This grand hall is stopped in timeless grandeur. The figures of men dressed in bright robes of various colors sit about the room on pillows. They look like they are talking and laughing, but there is no noise or movement. In the center of the room, 20 dancing girls clothed in bright robes with veils over their faces, hang in timeless spins.

L3c. Southern Mall
>>This grand hall is 50 feet long east to west and 30 feet wide. Its arched ceiling is ornately carved. Many richly dressed men and women stand around the room. They are frozen in motionless poses. Twenty dancing girls, dressed in flowing clothes are stopped in their spins and dances. The unmoving figure of a man dances with one of the girls.

Play: The dancing figure is an adventurer who died here long ago. If touched, his robes will fall away, his skeleton crumbling slowly with it. The Treasure is hidden in the folds of his robes.
Treasure: A map that leads to the pillar in room L4a is in the folds of the dead adventurer's robes. On the map is a note saying "the way back."

L3d. Preparation
>>This 20-foot square room is brightly lit by torches on the wall that flicker and flail in the air. A pair of bronze doors stands closed before you.

Play: These doors will swing open if the characters push them. The doors lead to room L3e. The torches, too, are not time-trapped.

L3e. Audience
>>This ancient throne room is lit by the flickering light of fiercely burning torches stuck into the walls. Thick pillars support the roof of the hall. A lone figure shifts its weight upon the throne at the far side of the hall, 50 feet away.

Play: The figure is the Monster who will speak to the party. The Monster is wearing the Treasure and will not give it up without a fight.
Monster: One of the Guardians of Time (AC -2; MV 12"; HD 12; hp 66; #AT 1; Dmg 1-12; AL LN) sits within this room wearing a large medallion of intricate design.
Character: This guardian is living here in the Mobius Tower for a short while as an amusement. (Who knows what a "short while" might be for a guardian of time.) He will give this clue for getting out of the Tower to the PCs:

"up continues ever up"
"and down continues down"
"the tower built by mobius"
"is one eternal round."

"but if you wish to leave this place"
"of endless cheer and woe"
"think of the times before you came"
"and thither you must go."

Treasure: The Medallion of Time-frame (See TREASURES AND TOMES for details of this medallion.

L4a. Tower of Time
>>This is a vast room lit by globes of bright light that hang from the 100-foot high arched ceiling. This room is 80 feet across. In the center of the room, a pillar of crystal rises to the ceiling from a large and ornate 15-foot tall base. Glittering light flashes up and down the crystal pillar. There is an archway blocked by a shimmering curtain on the north side of the base. Another archway and curtain are on the south wall of the base. Archways lead out of this room to the north, south, east and west. A tapestry hangs on the northeast wall. It is a picture of the central chamber in the crystal prism, complete with the model of the Tomb of Martek.

Play: If the PCs go through the curtain in the north wall of the base, see Trap/Trick #1. If they go through the south curtain, see Trap/Trick #2. The north exit leads to a circular stairway dropping down 30 feet to room L3b. The east exit leads to circular stairs that rise 120 feet to room L1d. The south exit leads to the circular stairwell that goes past all of the levels (area L1g). The west exit leads to room L4c. Nothing in this room is time-trapped. Anything that was time-trapped anywhere in the tower will shift into the PCs' time-frame if they bring it into this room. It will remain in the PCs' time-frame from then on. The PCs will have to discover a way to move time-trapped things to this room.
Trap/Trick #1: There is a 5-foot square alcove behind the shimmering curtain in the north archway in the base. There is a small, 3-inch wide hole in the roof of this alcove. Glittering light streams down from this hole into another hole in the floor. The light looks like a liquid, though. It will spray about and splash if it is touched or disturbed, but it cannot be felt. If the hole in the roof is completely plugged, and no light is leaking out, everyone and everything in the Mobius Tower will suddenly come to life! The tower will stay in the PCs' time-frame for as long as the hole is plugged. Pressure will build up behind the plugged hole, however. This pressure will force out any kind of plug within 2-12 (2d6) rounds. The moment the light starts to flow again, the tower will become time-trapped again. The hole in the floor also cannot be plugged for more than 2-12(2d6) rounds. The DM must remember to take into account that all of the time-trapped people will have moved if the light is blocked for a while.
Trap/Trick #2: Anyone can pass through the shimmering curtain in the archway on the south side of the base. There is a small 5-foot square alcove there. A 2-foot square hole is in the back wall of this alcove. There is an hourglass on a frame in this hole. The hourglass can be turned over, but it cannot be taken out of the hole. When the hourglass is turned over, time will start going backwards for everyone except the time-trapped people. Once this process starts, it cannot be stopped. The PCs will suddenly feel swept off their feet. In a matter of minutes, they will see everything that happened to them while they were in the Tower happening again, except backwards. Comrades that died in the Tower will spring back to life and join the party. This will continue until they see the moment they first arrived in the Mobius Tower. Then they will be teleported back to area J6b in SECTION III: CRYSTAL PRISM, on page 15. Everything that is in room L4a when the hourglass is flipped over will also be teleported to area J6b. Nothing that is time-trapped will be teleported out. Characters that are brought back to life will have the same hit points and powers that they had just before they were killed.

L4b. Blank
>>This room is 20 feet square. There is a door in the north wall. The room is covered with dust and appears empty.

Play: This room is empty. The door leads to room L4c.

L4c. Tomes of Time
>>This 20-foot square room is empty except for a wooden stand in the middle of the room. A large book lies on the stand.

Treasure: The book is the Tome of Time. See TREASURES AND TOMES on page 31 for details of this tome.

section VI : crypt of al-alisk

CRYPT OF AL-ALISK PROLOGUE

BACKGROUND: This is a wilderness area that exists in an unknown subdimensional bubble. The Crypt of Al-Alisk is in this wilderness, known as the Desert of Al-Alisk.

The only way the PCs can get here is to be teleported here from area J5d on page 15. The only way for them to get back is through the Trap/Trick in area M1. The PCs' teleport spells cannot take anyone or anything out of this desert. Teleport spells work normally within the desert and the crypt of Al-Alisk.

The DM should keep track of which NPCs, if any, are in this area while the PCs are here.

Use the following boxed description whenever the PCs are not at a numbered map location.

>>As far as you can see you are surrounded by desert. The air is very dry and the sand feels rough under you. There is no wind. A few hardy grasses manage to grow here and there.

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS: While in the Desert of Al-Alisk, use the DESERT OF DESOLATION RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLE on page 4 . Do not use the SPECIAL ENCOUNTER TABLE. While in the Crypt itself (areas M5a - M5q) use the table below. In the Crypt, check for random encounters once every three turns. A roll of 1 on 1d6 means that the PCs encounter something. Roll 1d4 and use the encounter with that number below.

CRYPT OF AL-ALISK RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLE

1. 5-8 (1d4+4) Spectral Minions (AC 2; MV 30"; HD 3; #AT 1; Dmg 0; AL NE) There is an 80% chance that they have weapons. Dmg 1-8 in this case.
2. 3-8(1d6+2) Wights(AC5; MV12"; HD4+3;#AT1; Dmg 1-4 + energy drain; AL LE) Their hit drains 1 life level. They can only be hit by magical weapons.
3. 2-8 (2d4) Wraiths (AC 4; MV 12"/24"; HD 5+3; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6+ energy drain; AL LE) Their hit drains 1 life level. They can only be hit by magical weapons.
4. 1-10 Spectral Minions (AC 2; MV 30"; HD 3; #AT 1; Dmg 0; AL NE) There is an 80% chance that they have weapons. Dmg 1-6 in this case.

CRYPT OF AL-ALISK ENCOUNTERS
Use the AL-ALISK DESERT MAP.

M1. Crystal Obelisk
>>Suddenly you find yourselves standing beside a tall crystal obelisk. The obelisk stands about 10 feet tall. There are runes on its sides. Rough desert sands surround you for as far as you can see. There is a stillness in the air here, unusual even for the desert. Not even a puff of wind stirs the air.

Play: If the characters return to this location and touch this crystal obelisk with the miniature crystal minaret from area M5m, they will be teleported back to area J6d in SECTION III: CRYSTAL PRISM, on page 15. The runes are in Lore.
Lore: The runes can be easily read as:

"touch me to the crystal minaret, and i will bear you home."

M2. Edge of the World
>>As far as you can see you are surrounded by desert. The air is very dry and the sand feels rough under you. There is no wind. A few hardy grasses manage to grow here and there.

Play: Characters do not notice anything unusual about this area. As soon as anyone moves off the DESERT OF AL-ALISK MAP into this area, they will be instantly teleported back to area M1.

M3. Lancers of Death
Play: This area looks like normal desert. Use the boxed description in the CRYPT PROLOGUE. The Monster can be seen every night from midnight to 3 a.m. until the princess is freed from area M5m. Only on the first night the PCs are in this area, one of them will see and hear a spirit. Randomly select a character that is awake just before midnight. That character will encounter a spirit. If that character is of good or neutral alignment, use the first boxed description below. If that character is of evil alignment, use the second boxed description below.

Vision for good or neutral PC:
>>The clear night sky seems to change the starlight into a beautiful oval face with large, soulful eyes. A voice sings in the wind, calling your name and pleading for help. She says: "I am Sithal al-Husn, a daughter of the Pazar Dynasty. I beg you to listen to the pleading of my case. My father, the Sultan, did marry me to the man of my love, Athas al-Din. I was to be presented to him one great and beautiful night. On my wedding night, from the shadows of the street, I was stolen. I was taken by a man whose heart had been smitten by my looks. I had no feelings of warmth for him. He carried me away into the desert. I now await the coming of my father's lancers with my love, Athis al-Din, at their head. But my captor is strong. Please free me of my imprisonment." Her face dissolves back into the stars.

Vision for evil aligned PC:
>>In the clear night sky, the starlight begins to fade into darkness. A man's red and terrible face appears, saying: "I warn thee and all with thee. Get thee hence from this land! The battle to come is between me and Athis al-Din and none of thy concern. If thou values thy life, get thee hence!" The face disappears into the night sky and the starlight returns.

Monster: The Lancers of Death are thousands of Spectral Minions (AC 2; MV 16; HD 6; hp 6d6; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8; AL NG) that appear at midnight. They will ride in an unending stream towards area M5 for 3 hours at 500 feet above the ground. Their hoof beats sound like the roll of distant thunder through the night. They can be easily followed. They will not attack the party.

M4. Death Watch
>>As you approach this area you get an uneasy feeling. From the top of a dune, you see a slight movement ahead, like something blowing in the wind. But the air is still. Looking carefully, you see the movement again. The robes of a line of almost invisible creatures rustle in a wind you don't feel. The line of guards stretches over the sands for as far as you can see. There must be thousands of them.

Play: The lined up forces are the Monsters. They are the guards of the Crypt of Al-Alisk (area M5). The PCs must destroy at least 20 of these Spectral Minions to break through their lines. Between midnight and 3 a.m., all of the Monsters will fly up into the air and battle the Lancers of Death (see area M3 above). At that time, the PCs can pass through this area unnoticed.
Monster: The Death Watch of Spectral Minions (AC 2; MV 16"; HD 6; hp 6d6; #AT 1; D 1-8; AL NE) All of these Spectral Minions are armed with swords.

M5. The Crypt of Al-Alisk
>>This is a hilly area. Low-lying rock outcroppings soon begin to show distinguishing features. Many of the stones were carved and shaped centuries ago. The carvings have been almost worn away by the sand and winds of the past. A flight of stairs, cut from the standing rock, runs up into a large cave. You see carved pillars standing inside the cave.

Lore: This is the tomb of the Al-Alisk clan, from the days of the pharaohs. The princess, stolen from the City of Akhir, was brought here on that fateful wedding night. To keep her beauty forever, her captor, Habrauk al-Nirin, froze her in a magical crystal box in the most secret place within this crypt. Her spirit remains trapped there, even though she died thousands of years ago.
NOTE! Use the CRYPT OF AL-ALISK MAP for areas M5a -M5q.

M5a. Entry Cave
>>A vast cavern opens before you. Fitted carved stone pillars extend to the ceiling of the cave. The back of the cave is walled off with fitted masonry stone, and double doors of stained metal open into its center.

Play: When the doors are opened, the skeleton of a long-dead adventurer will fall out as if it had been leaning against the door from the inside. There are marks on the inside of the door from his attempts to claw his way out.

M5b. Catacombs
>>There is a musty smell in this area. A 10-foot wide hallway runs between large catacomb vaults that rise 30 feet to a flat ceiling. There is an uneasy feeling about this chamber. There are four 10-foot square vaults on each side of the hallway. There are 10-foot wide spaces between the vaults.

Play: As the characters enter the chamber, there is a 10% cumulative chance per round that a character will hear a low, almost silent moaning, like the wind crying. The moaning comes from Monster #1. When the party reaches the middle of the hallway, Monster #2 will enter from the far end.
Monster #1: 5 Spectral Minions (AC 2; MV 30; HD 3; hp 14, 12, 11, 11, 10; #AT 0; Dmg 0; AL NE; SA save vs. Spells or flee in fear) live here. These Spectral Minions have no weapons and cannot do any physical damage. But their moaning has an unnerving effect, it will cause fear unless a save vs. Spells is successful. Characters that fail their throw must run in panicked fear out from the crypt for three rounds. If they return, they must make their saving throws against this fear at -4. These Spectral Minions appear as vague, wistful spirits, flying about and between characters, and soaring about the room moaning.
Monster #2: A Spectre (AC 2; MV 15"/30"; HD 7+3; hp 21; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8; AL LE; SA drains 2 levels per hit) will appear. The Spectre appears in ancient robes of royal design, speaking with a hollow but thunderous voice, "Get thee hence from mine own dominion. None shall look upon her grace and beauty save me alone!" Then he attacks.

M5c. Hall of Mourning
>>You enter a 30-foot square room with bronze double doors facing each other from opposite walls. In the center of the room, there is an altar with a black cloth over its top.

M5d. Entry Room
>>Two bronze doors lead out of this 20-foot square room. Cobwebs hang from the corners near the ceilings.

M5e - M5l. Revolving Tomb
>>Through a 20-foot long section of corridor you see a brilliantly lit room with crystal columns in the center of it. The columns block your view of the center of the room.

Play: The PCs must pass through invisible teleports before they can enter room M5m. The characters can see through these teleports, but cannot hear through them. These teleports are marked on the map. This system of teleports was built to confuse tomb-raiders. When the characters enter room M5m, they will think that they walked straight in through a normal corridor. Look on the chart below to find where the teleports will send the characters.

REVOLVING TOMB TELEPORT CHART

ENTER LEAVE  ENTER LEAVE
Me Mk  Mi Me
Mg Mi  Mk Mg
Mh Mj  Ml Mh
Mf Ml  Mi Mf

M5m. Crystal Tomb
>>Four arched corridors lead out of this 30-foot diameter room. In the center of the room, rising to the domed ceiling 20 feet overhead, four crystal pillars stand around a crystal cylinder 10 feet in diameter. A young woman kneels inside the crystal cylinder, her face turned upward, a tear half-way down her cheek. Her lovely oval face has large dark eyes. Long silken hair sweeps down to the waist of her wedding veils. She seems to have been frozen with a pleading expression upon her face. At her knee sits a brass ball of curious and intricate workmanship. About her long and slender neck is strung a delicate necklace of gems. A small crystal minaret sits at her knees.

Play: Each crystal pillar will take 1-20 points of damage before breaking. If all four surrounding pillars break, the middle cylinder will shatter by itself. This is the only way to break the cylinder with the princess in it. If it is broken, read the following boxed description to the players. Also see Treasure.

>>As the crystal shards cascade to the floor, the figure of the princess inside crumbles suddenly to dust with a sighing sound. A heartbeat passes. Overhead, the air glows blue and the soft lines of a beautiful face with dark, almond eyes forms above you. It is the princess. Her mouth does not move, but her voice, like the rustle of an evening breeze comes to you: "Thou hast freed me! Now I shall rise to meet my beloved and we shall live in the worlds to come with love and peace. Take what thou wouldst. All my worldly goods do I offer to thee!" Her form then fades as she leaves you.

NOTE! The Lancers of Death (see area M3) will not appear again after the princess is freed.
Treasure: The brass ball is a Liahona, an intelligent compass that will react for Lawfully good aligned characters only. It uses limited telepathic abilities to give the direction of north to its user. It also works as a locate object spell once per day. It will answer one yes or no question for its user per week. It is worth 10,000 gp. The necklace is worth 3,000 gp. The crystal minaret is from the model in the Crystal Prism.
Lore: Should the princess be freed, she will join her true husband, Athas al-Din, in Heaven Westward.

M5n. False Mourning
>>You enter a 30-foot square room with bronze double doors facing each other from opposite walls. In the center of the room, there is an altar with a black cloth over its top. The bones of a Minotaur and those of a human in chain mail lie in the center of the room.

M5o. False Entry
>>Two bronze doors lead out of this 20-foot square room. Cobwebs hang from the corners near the ceilings. Stone figures of humans stand in this room.

M5p. Cockpit
>>You enter a 30-foot square room with bronze double doors facing each other from opposite walls. In the center of the room, there is an altar with a black cloth over its top. Five small bird figures strut about the room.

Play: The far double doors are false. The Monsters attack from the center of the room as soon as anyone enters the room.
Monster: 5 Cockatrice (AC 6; MV 6"/18"; HD 5; hp 23, 21, 19, 19, 17; #AT 1; D1-3; AL N; SA petrifaction) will attack anyone opening the door, although they start this encounter in the center of the room. Anyone who fails a saving throw vs. Petrifaction will turn to stone if touched by a cockatrice.

M5q. Spirits Room
>>You enter a 30-foot square room with bronze double doors facing each other from opposite walls. In the center of the room, there is an altar with a black cloth over its top.
Play: PCs that enter this room will encounter the Monster. The far doors are false.

Monster: A Groaning Spirit (AC 0; MV 15"; HD 7; hp 27; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8; AL CE; SA wail causes death unless save vs. Death Magic) is in this room.

M6. Ruins
>>The desert sands stand still over the broken remains of a once great city of the desert. Most of the buildings are buried or have crumbled away.

NOTE! The DM can expand this adventure by designing this city and letting the PCs explore it. For the players' sake, it should not detract too much from the play of this adventure. Remember not to do anything that will make it more difficult for the PCs to finish this adventure.
 
section vii : citadel of martek

CITADEL OF MARTEK PROLOGUE

This citadel was Martek's stronghold. Now it is his final resting place. This entire area is in a subspace bubble on an unknown, closed plane.

The PCs' teleport spells cannot take anyone or anything out of this citadel. Teleport spells work normally inside the citadel. The only way out of the citadel, and all of Martek's tomb, is through the Trap/Trick in either of the two room N5s.

The outer walls of this citadel cannot be damaged by any physical or magical means that the PCs have.

Everything in the citadel, including all treasure, cannot be taken out of the citadel without Martek's permission. All of Martek's treasure has been magically enchanted so that it cannot be removed from this citadel. Only Martek can remove that enchantment, so unless he says it can go, it stays.

The PCs have heard a lot about, and are looking for, Martek's "Sphere of Power." The fact is, that artifact never existed. Originally, "Martek's Sphere of Power" meant the wisdom, learning and magical knowledge that Martek had. Over the centuries, since Martek's death, people mistakenly believed that the "sphere" was an object. The sphere that the PCs are looking for is Martek himself. The PCs must figure out how to bring Martek back to life.

The DM should keep track of any NPCs that are in this area while the PCs are here.

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS: Martek's citadel tomb is watched over by the Guardians of Nephthys. They are an army of protectors set here for this purpose only. Check for random encounters once every three turns. Roll 1d6. If the result is a 1 or a 2, then the PCs encounter some of the Guardians of Nephthys. When there is an encounter, roll 1d10 and use the encounter with that number below.

NOTE! If the PCs are openly displaying any of the Star Gems, none of the monsters will attack. The monsters will watch the PCs suspiciously, but will not attack. The monsters will fight if the PCs attack them, though.

CITADEL OF MARTEK RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLE

1. 2-16(2d8) Spectral Minions (AC 2; MV 30"; HD 3; #AT 1; Dmg 2-20(2d10); AL LN)
2. 1-6 Cryptknights (AC 0; MV 12"; HD 9; #AT 1; Dmg 1-12; AL LE; +1 to hit, continuous fear spells)
3. 1-3 Sphinx (AC -2; MV 18"/30"; HD 12; #AT 2; Dmg 2d6/ 2d6; AL CG; SA 3 roar attacks per day, first as fear spell, second deafens, and third drains strength)
4. 2-24(2d12) Poisonous Snakes (AC 5; MV 15"; HD 4+2; #AT 1; Dmg 1-3; AL N; save vs. poison or die)
5. 2-16(2d8) Giant Tarantulas (AC 6; MV 18"; HD 2+2; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; AL N; save vs. poison or be paralysed)
6. 2-12(2d6) Giant Scorpions (AC 3; MV 15"; HD 5+5; #AT 3; Dmg 1-10/1-10/1-4; AL N; save vs. poison else die)
7. 3-18(3d6) Mummies (AC 3; MV 6"; HD 6+3; #AT 1; Dmg 1-12; AL LE; SA touch causes disease, save vs. spell else fear)
8. 1-6 Necrophidius (AC 2; MV 9"; HD 2; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8; AL CE; save vs. spell else hypnotized paralysis)
9. 1-4 Cockatrice (AC 6; MV 6"/18"; HD 5; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; AL N; SA touch turns victim to stone)
10. 1-S Ghosts(AC O/8; MV9"; HD10;#AT1; Dmg ages 10-40 years; AL LE; SA ethereal, magical attacks)

CITADEL OF MARTEK ENCOUNTERS
Use the CITADEL OF MARTEK MAP.

N1. Entry Hall
>>Before you rises a great and majestic hall. Three flights of broad steps rise up and up to a pair of huge golden doors carved with beautiful and delicate care. Clear water dances from a fountain on the first landing. The cool, clear waters give a freshness to the air. One of the golden doors hangs slightly open. Open corridors lead off to either side of the doors.

Play: The fountain is described in Trap/Trick. The doors lead to room N2.
Trap/Trick: The fountain waters contain a potion of extra healing. This potion heals 6-27 (3d8+3) hit points to any character who drinks it. This potion will only work once for each character each day.

N2. Tomb of Martek
>>In the middle of a vast dark area, a single pillar of light shines down from an immense dome overhead. The shaft of light strikes the top of a round platform, 20 feet above the floor. Stairs rise up the sides of the platform. The crumbled bones of a man lie on top of the platform, bathed in the brilliant light. A metal headpiece on the skull of the bones reflects the light into three beams. Each beam strikes a great statue in this room. As your eyes adjust to the darkness, you see that this is a tremendous circular room, 160 feet across. It is 100 feet to the top of the domed ceiling. There is a hushed silence. Four sets of golden doors lead from the room to the four points of the compass. A small, dark figure is hunched against the north set of doors.

Play: The monsters guard the room. If the PCs are openly displaying any of the Star Gems, the monsters will not attack. If Trifakas, Sardok or Pawnis got here before the PCs, then those NPCs will be hunched against the north doors. Otherwise, that figure is an ancient slave. In either case, the figure is a dead person. He was not killed by some horrible monster behind those doors, he died of a heart attack after a glimpse of the treasure in room N6. All of the doors are unlocked and open easily. See Trap/Trick for details about the statues. The bones are those of the wizard Martek.
Monster: 4 Cryptknights (AC 0; MV 12"; HD 9; hp 50, 24, 39, 38; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; AL LE; +1 to hit, continuous fear) and 10 Spectral Minions (AC 2; MV 30"; HD 3; hp 9, 16, 11, 5, 9, 18, 12, 12, 17, 6; #AT 1; Dmg 0; AL N) guard the ancient bones of Martek.
Trap/Trick: Each of the statues stands 30 feet high and appears to be of a giant Djinni wearing a high turban and holding a giant scimitar before him. There is a hole in the front of each Turban, with the names of the three Star Gems carved under each hole. Careful inspection will reveal that the carved holes are the same size as the Star Gems. If one of the Star Gems is placed into each hole, then Martek will be brought back to life. If this happens, read the following boxed description to the players.

>>As the last stone is placed, a dull throbbing starts to build. Suddenly, with the sizzling sound of lightning, the pillar of light splits into three beams from the ceiling. Each beam shines on one of the gems set in the statues. The gems reflect the beams from one gem to another, forming a huge triangle of light around the platform. Moaning sounds of wind stir the bones on the platform. With a flash of light, the ancient bones of Martek rise up and spin into a blur. When the spinning stops, a live man stands upon the platform. Martek himself has risen from the dead back to life.

Martek will thank the PCs, wondering what took them so long. He will allow each PC to take a total of three items from rooms N3, N4, N5 and N6 as payment for their valor. Martek will show the PCs the rooms of his citadel while they choose their items. Then he will take them to either of the room N5s and activate the Trap/Trick for them. Martek will tell the PCs that he must leave to recapture the Efreeti. Martek will not leave until after the PCs have left.
Before Martek leaves his tomb, he will reset all of the traps and close all of the doors that the PCs opened.

N3. Tomes of Martek
>>This is an open area, 30 feet by 60 feet in size. The walls are lined with shelves covered with books and tomes and ledgers. On a table in the center of this area, a book lies open.

Play: The valuable books are listed in Treasure. The open book on the table is described in Lore.
Treasure: The PCs may search the shelves for books that interest them. For every turn they search, roll 1d10. If the roll is a 10, they found a magical book. Use the MAGICAL BOOK TABLE below to know which book they found. On all rolls except a 10, they only find books from the NONMAGICAL BOOKS TABLE below.

NONMAGICAL BOOKS TABLE
Roll 1d10. The PCs found the book below with that number.
1. orc stew and its uses in Lubrication.
2. gone with the air elemental
3. paradise displaced
4. a thousand nights and a night
5. 201. a sea odyssey
6. farewell to limbs, a pictorial vorpal glossary
7. moby dragon
8. better caves and dungeons cook book
9. snow dwarf and the seven wights
10. humantales for young fairies

MAGICAL BOOKS TABLE
1. book of infinite spells See the Dungeon Masters Guide for details.
2. Libram of gainfull conjuration See the Dungeon Masters Guide for details.
3. tome of clear thought See the Dungeon Masters Guide for details.
4. tome of understanding See the Dungeon Masters Guide for details.

Lore: The open book on the table is titled:
martek. by martek

There is a 30% base chance for the characters to correctly read the writing on the open page as:
"All my life have I spent in the acquisition of knowledge and the refinement of my wisdom. This wisdom and intelligence is not all-powerful, nor does it extend to the ends of the universe  it is but a sampling of all that is to be had. Such is the realm of my wisdom, the sphere of my power. Those that follow must recall me to fulfill their quest. To this end were the Star Gems hidden."

N4. Scroll
>>This vast room contains racks that are filled with thousands and thousands of scrolls.

Treasure: The PCs may search the racks for scrolls that interest them. For every turn they search, roll 1d10. If the roll is a 10, they found a magical scroll. Use the MAGICAL SCROLLS TABLE below to know which scroll they found. Any other roll means that they found a scroll from the NONMAGICAL SCROLLS TABLE below.

NONMAGICAL SCROLLS TABLE
Roll 1d6. Give the PCs the scroll with that number below.
1. List of birthdays
2. A poster: visit beautiful Barovia
3. A shopping list: 1 Loaf of bread, 2 jars honey,...
4. A declaration: wizard of the year
5. A painting of a dancing girl
6. A poster: martek for shah

MAGICAL SCROLLS TABLE

Roll 1d6 and give the PCs the scroll with that number below.
1. Scroll of polymorph
2. Scroll of 7 spells
3. Scroll of protection from undead
4. Scroll of protection from petrifaction
5. Scroll of four spells
6. Scroll of three spells

N5. Transdimensional Door
>>Strange writings cover all but two of the walls in this octagonal room. Of the two walls without carvings, one is an arched exit and the other is very smooth and white.

Play: The runes on the walls are in Lore. The smooth white wall is the Trap/Trick. You may want to use the OPTIONAL ENDING on page 32 now.
Trap/Trick: The smooth white wall is an interdimensional teleport. It will not work until the first four words of the runes are spoken (see Lore below). When these words are spoken, the smooth wall will show a picture of whatever place the person standing in front of it is thinking of. Each time the four words are spoken, the wall will reset to a new place, if the person standing in front of it is thinking of a different place. If anyone steps into the picture on the wall, he will suddenly appear there. Note that this could have unpleasant effects if the picture was of the inside of a metal vase. This teleport is one-way only. Martek used this teleport centuries ago to first imprison the evil Efreeti.
Lore: There is a base 30% chance for the characters to correctly read the runes on each wall. The runes are:

"turin-minlink-giraf-jek, words of power here we speak."
"you are not lost with the gems of stars / bid his return from very far."
"replace the gems that once were hid / and light shall form life's pyramid."

N6. Treasury
>>The doors open into a magnificent treasure room filled with wondrous things. The back wall, 50 feet away, is draped with fine cloth and an intricate family emblem. This room is 40 feet wide, the arched ceiling 60 feet above. Treasures and coins spill from fine wooden chests and delicate pottery.

Play: The valuable treasure is listed in Treasure.
Treasure: The following items are neatly stacked in this room: 9,300 cp; 6,400 ep; 17,100 sp; 12,400 gp; 2,250 pp; 20 100-gp gems; a wand of fireballs; a potion of clairaudience; a+2 sword of nine lives stealing; a crystal ball; a+5 shield; a suit of+1 scale mail; a +1 morning star; a sword of dancing and a ring of protection.

monsters, creatures, and men

cryptknights

FREQUENCY: Very Rare
NUMBER APPEARING: 1-10
ARMOR CLASS: 0
MOVE: 12"
HIT DICE: 9
% IN LAIR: 100%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NUMBER OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: continual fear
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Semi
ALIGNMENT: LE
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Cryptknights are only known to exist in the wizard Martek's tomb. Cryptknights are creatures that were time-trapped (see the SPECIAL NOTE in the MOBIUS TOWER PROLOGUE on page 20) just as they died. Thus, they became trapped in their deaths. Because of their frightening deaths, 70% of all Cryptknights emanate continuous fear (as the fourth level magic users' spell fear). Over the centuries, some cryptknights escaped from the Mobius tower to other parts of Martek's tomb. Cryptknights look like skeletal forms of the people they were before they were time-trapped.

spectral minions

FREQUENCY: Very rare
NUMBER APPEARING: 1-40+
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVE: 30" (Restricted; See below)
HIT DICE: 3 (Also see below)
% IN LAIR: 100%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NUMBER OF ATTACKS: 0 or 1(See below)
DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon (See below)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +1 or better weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 20%
INTELLIGENCE: Standard
ALIGNMENT: Variable
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Spectral minions are the spirits of humans or demihumans who died before they could fulfill powerful vows or quests that had been placed on them. Similar to ghosts, spectral minions do not fully exist on the Prime Material plane. Even in death, spectral minions are bound to the vows or quests placed upon them when they were alive. Every day, they must relive the events leading to their deaths, trying to fulfill their vows and quests. Outdoors, spectral minions must stay within 1,000 yards of where they died. Otherwise, they must stay in the corridor or room where they were at death. Spectral minions have a+1 on initiative rolls, due to their speed.
Spectral minions can only do damage if they died holding a weapon. Such a weapon becomes a part of them. Unless otherwise noted, only 50% of all spectral minions have weapons. Those that do have weapons have swords, unless otherwise noted. A remove curse will get rid of them permanently. If their vow or quest is fulfilled for them, they will disappear forever.
When very powerful people, such as high level paladins, become spectral minions, their hit points will be the same as before they died.
Spectral minions are barely visible because light passes through them. They look like the people they were before they died, but they have no color and are mostly transparent.

dustdiggers

FREQUENCY: Uncommon
NUMBER APPEARING: 1-20
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVE: 3"
HIT DICE: 4
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NUMBER OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8+ AC of victim
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Illusion/Mirage (see below)
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Semi
ALIGNMENT: N
SIZE: L
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Dustdiggers inhabit arid areas that have loosely packed, sandy conditions, such as desert dunes. A dustdigger typically digs a hole, covers itself with a layer of sand, and then inflates itself to fill up the hole. This leaves the ground above the dustdigger level with the surrounding area. When an animal walks on top of it, the dustdigger deflates, acting very much like a sinkhole. The shifting sands slow the escape of its prey. After it has fully deflated, the dustdigger folds its arms up around its victim and attempts to kill it before digesting it. A dustdigger's back is AC 4, but its front side is AC 7. Once it has folded up, its prey is caught and cannot attack. So, the best strategy is to recognize a dustdigger before it folds.
Dustdiggers look like giant starfish with five arms around a central maw. They travel above ground only at night and never for longer than a few minutes at a time. They often travel in groups.
Twenty percent of Dustdiggers have a born talent for illusion. They usually project a pool of bubbling water in the desert sands when animals and people come within striking range.

thunderherders

FREQUENCY: Rare
NUMBER APPEARING: 10-100+
ARMOR CLASS: 3
MOVE: 20"
HIT DICE: 7
% IN LAIR: 5%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NUMBER OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Nil
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Earthquake
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Semi
ALIGNMENT: N
SIZE: L
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Thunderherders are distant cousins to the Purple Worm, but are not aggressive. Thunderherders travel in vast herds just a few feet under the ground. They are inoffensive creatures ranging from 3-5 feet wide and 5-10 feet long.
The main dangers from thunderherders are the incidental earthquakes and the terrible trumpeting noise that they create as they stampede underground. They do no real damage, but do generate a great deal of confusion, knock over tents, and panic all pack animals.

non-player characters
 
GUILDERS

FREQUENCY: Rare
NUMBER APPEARING: 1-88
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 9"
HIT DICE: 3d6
% IN LAIR: 100%
TREASURE TYPE: M, Q
NUMBER OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Stealth
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT: CE(N)
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Guilders are the descendants of thieves who entered Martek's tomb over the centuries and became trapped in the GARDEN OF THE CURSED. There are not many guilders, so inbreeding has made them of low intelligence. Because they are all thieves and have always been thieves, the average guilder has the thieving abilities of a 12th level thief. Over the centuries, theft has evolved into a religion for the guilders. Now they worship the "Masterguilder" who they believe lives just past the doors at area 16.
This is the guilders' version of their history. If the PCs become friends with any guilder and ask about their history, they will be told this history:
"At the beginning of time, there were two peoples, the guilders and the maddogs. The maddogs were terrible and powerful in battle, slaying the holy guilders and preventing them from performing their sacred stealies. One day, the Masterguilder told his people that they must travel to the world of Mar-tik and work to be worthy of entering the Grandal. So now, we live in the world of Mar-tik at the very gates of Grandal. When the time comes, the gates shall be opened and we will fulfill our destiny. The greatest Stealie of all eternity shall be completed and all the guilders will be admitted into the grace of the Master-guilder."

THESE ARE WORDS THAT THE GUILDERS USE:

GUILDER: A member of the guilder tribe of thieves that lives in the GARDEN OF THE CURSED. This word came from "thieves guild."
MADDOG: A member of the maddog tribe (see below) of paladins that lives in the garden and any one of the fighter class. Guilders consider all maddogs as their enemies.
MASTERGUILDER: The god of the Guilders. This word came from "guildmaster."
GRANDAL: This is the guilders' heaven. They think that it is just beyond the doors at the north edge of the garden (area 16). This word came from "grand hall."
STEALIE: This is considered a sacred act which will impress the Masterguilder and insure a place in the Grandal. A stealie is the theft of something from another person. The more valuable the stolen item, the greater the glory in the sight of the Master-guilder. Oddly, guilders are not troubled when anything is stolen from them because they believe that they will stealie it back anyway.
MAR-TIK: This means "world" to the guilders. They believe that the world is no larger than the garden they are in. Guilders do not believe that an outside world exists. They are confused and upset by talk of an outside world.

MADDOGS

FREQUENCY: Rare
NUMBER APPEARING: 1-52
ARMOR CLASS: 8
MOVE: 15"
HIT DICE: 4
% IN LAIR: 100%
TREASURE TYPE: M, Q
NUMBER OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8/1-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT: LG (C)
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Maddogs are the descendants of Paladins and good warriors that came to Martek's tomb and also became trapped in the GARDEN OF THE CURSED. Most of the original Paladins came to Martek's tomb hoping to bring about the fulfillment of Martek's prophesies before their time. By doing so, those paladins hoped to save many people. Inbreeding has given the maddogs low intelligence. They move with deer-like speed and grace, and fight as 10th level fighters. Maddogs call themselves "palan-teen."
This is the maddogs' version of their history. If the PCs become friends with the maddogs and ask about their history, they will be told the following story. Note that the maddogs also use many of the guilders' words (see above).
"When evil was brought into Mar-tik, the great Palan-teen Sedarik brought the people of palan-teen into the world above. The guilders' evil stealies of the glories of Grandal were then stopped by the Palan-teen. We must always watch the guilders, to stop their stealies. Someday the doors of Grandal will open and the guilders will flee from the glory of Grandal. The good will be released from Grandal and pour forth across the vast universe."

TRIFAKAS
Human Wizard (AC 4; MV 12"; HD 12d4; Hp 30; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; AL LE; SA and SD spell abilities; S 7; l 18; W 9; D 17; Con 12; CH 15)

Trifakas can cast the following spells once per day: charm person; comprehend languages; jump; write; darknees 15-foot radius; forget; web; wizard lock; fireball; haste; lightning bolt; slow; fumble; polymorph other; polymorph self; feeblemind; magic jar; passwall; teleport; and legend lore.
Trifakas was the leader of a small band of thieves that he assembled to break into the fabled Tomb of Martek. After getting to the garden, he discovered that without the Star Gems, he was trapped. Trifakas desperately wants the fabled Sphere of Power and knows that he must get out of the garden to get it. He quickly learned of the guilders' strange religion and found them easily amazed with his magic tricks. He declared himself an emissary from Grandal, sent by the Mas-terguilders to prepare the guilders to enter Grandal. The guilders believed him and now serve Trifakas with great devotion.
Trifakas knows that the names of the "Stones of Stars" (the Star Gems) must be used with the stones to open the doors to the Grand Hall. He has tried the words without the stones and nothing happened.
Trifakas also knows that the names of the stones are sacred to the guilders, who will attack anyone speaking those words. Trifakas will not tell the names of the stones to anyone because that is his only way out of this garden.
He will tell the PCs that the names of the gems that open the doors are "Pelar, Sellar, Kellar" and must be spoken in that order. This is a lie, of course, to make sure the party doesn't get through the Grand Hall doors before Trifakas does. Trifakas will get the guilders to steal the Star Gems from the PCs if they can.

PAWNIS
Drow Elf Thief (AC 2; MV 12"; HD 10d6; Hp 42; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; AL CE; S 12; I 13; W 10; D 16; Con 10; CH 13)

Pawnis is a thief who entered this tomb with Trifakas. The guilders believe that Pawnis was also sent from Grandal as a cleric assistant to Trifakas.
Pawnis believes (incorrectly) that the key to the great doors has something to do with the mound of the Lawgivers as well as the three great stars of the guilder legends. He knows that the Mound of the Lawgivers is a place of death and few people tread its slopes.
Pawnis believes that Trifakas is holding something back from both him and Sardok, but he doesn't know what it is. Pawnis will not show Trifakas that he is suspicious of him.

SARDOK
Human Thief (AC 4; MV 12"; HD 10d6; HP 38; #AT 1; Dmg 3-8(1d6+2); AL CE; S 14; l 16; W 10; D 10; Con 17; CH 12)

Sardok is the other thief that entered this tomb with Trifakas. Sardok gets along with Trifakas better than Pawnis does. Sar-dok is cunning, cruel and usually rude. He believes that the only way he can survive is to continue the trick he and Trifakas and Pawnis have been playing on the guilders.
Sardok knows that there is no way of escaping the garden other than going down the Grand Hall. He has been hoping that the prophesies of old Martek would be fulfilled and he could get back to civilization bathed in power and riches as soon as possible. The Sphere of Power certainly would do that for him.

VILLAGEMASTER BANDIK
Guilder Thief (AC 6; MV 12"; HD 4d6; Hp 20; #AT 3; Dmg 1-4/ 1-4/1-4; AL CE(N); S 13; I 4; W 5; D 18; Con 8; CH 12) with 12th level thief abilities.

Bandik was the master of the guilders before Trifakas, Pawnis and Sardok arrived. Bandik is loyal to Trifakas and will obey him without question until such time as he believes that Trifa-kas has gone against the guilders' sacred laws.

MADDOG PERCIVLIS
Human Paladin (AC 4; MV 12"; HD 6d10; hp 23; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; AL LG; S 17; l 16; W 13; D 15 Con 12; CH 18)

Maddog Percivlis (Percivlis the Pure) is still on a holy quest to save the desert from the terrible evil Efreet, even though it was never his destiny to do so. He entered the tomb three weeks ago and discovered that he was trapped in the garden. Being lawfully good, he joined the maddogs. Percivlis will join the PCs gladly if it will help him in his quest.
Percivlis knows the basic history of the guilders and the mad-dogs (see GUILDERS and MADDOGS above) and how they came to be in the garden.
He also knows that Trifakas, the so called "Masterguilder," and his assistants are recent arrivals and nothing more than two thieves and a greedy wizard in search of power, fortune and fame.

treasures and tomes

MEDALLION OF TIME
This medallion works in a power field that is generated by the pillar of light in room L4a in the Mobius Tower. This medallion has no magical value outside of the Mobius Tower. Inside the tower, however, this medallion gives the person who wears it the power to change the time-frame of anything within the tower to his own time-frame. This means that the person wearing this medallion can release anything that is time-trapped, even people. The Medallion can only release one thing at a time and will only work three times each week. Everything that is released by the medallion will stay released forever. Outside the Tower this medallion is worth 5,000 gp. To those inside the Tower, it can be priceless.

TOME OF TIME
This book, bound between platinum plates, contains the following spells:

Haste; Slow; Dimention Door; Distance Distortion; Passwall; Teleport; Disintegrate; Limited Wish; Permanency; Temporal Stasis; and Time Stop.

This work may be handled by any player. It is worth 20,000 gp.

STAR GEMS

These three gems were given by Martek to the Pharaohs and sheiks of the Desert of Desolation in the time of the ancients. They are all the same size, about 5 inches in diameter, and have names. Martek left them to help fulfill his prophesies.
The Star of Mo-pelar was given to the Pharaoh of Bakar, Amun-re. It was buried with him in his cursed theft-proof tomb. (See module I3, PHARAOH) This gem is an opal gem of true seeing.
The Star of Shah-pelar was a red star gem that was stolen by Badr Al-Mosak. It was rumored to be somewhere in his tomb. This gem has the power to cure serious wounds three times per day. (See module 14, OASIS OF THE WHITE PALM)
The Star of Khan-pelar is a clear crystal gem that has the unique quality of magical invigoration. Any magic-user who meditates with it will be able to rememorize one level of spell per turn of meditation up to five spell levels per day. The magic-user must be motionless while meditating. This gem was rumored to be somewhere near the Oasis of the White Palm. (See module I4, OASIS OF THE WHITE PALM)
 
 

optional ending

If the PCs brought Martek back to life, this ending may be used to conclude the module and the DESERT OF DESOLATION Series. When the PCs step into the teleport in room N5, read them the following text:

A brilliant flash surrounds you as you step into the wall. Blindingly white light softens to a blue color. You are inside a bubble of soft glass, turning slowly. Nearby, you see the other members of your party, in their own bubbles, also floating through a blue mist. Martek's strong and powerful voice speaks into your mind: "Behold the prophecy fulfilled. Look upon the fruit of your courage and determination!"

The blue mists start to change into sky. The vast Desert of Desolation stretches out, 1,000 feet below you! Your sphere flies quickly toward huge billowing clouds on the horizon. After only a breath, you are in those clouds, safe within your floating sphere.

The clouds suddenly part. You are floating above the center of a raging battle storm. Aeraldoth, the Djinni Visier, stands like a giant on the desert sands. His upstretched arms command a gale of wind and ice. Not far from the Djinni, the evil Efreeti calls down wave after wave of flame and lightning.

A small, lonely figure suddenly appears between the Efreeti and Djinni. It is Martek. Robes flowing in the wind, Martek taps his staff upon the ground three times. Three thunderclaps, like voices of doom, ring across the desert. The wind and flames stop. The Efreeti looks down at Martek in surprise and fear.

Martek speaks, "Khalitharius! I call thee by the power in thy name! This day of thy doom was prophesied. So shall it be!"

The voice of the Efreeti rumbles like distant thunder. "Martek! Are you here now or is this but another of my fears come to me in a dream? Leave me to my vengeance!"

Martek answers calmly, "Nay, Efreeti, no mere bottle for thee this time. Thou hast wasted thy powers upon the desert and this good Djinn. Thou hast nothing left to fight my command!"

The Efreeti raises his arms in anger and fear. His horrible screech pierces the clouds. Martek, too, raises his arms. As Martek speaks again, the fiery Efreeti bursts into a million streaks of flame darting madly through the wind. A horrendous crash of wind and thunder throws desert sands about your bubble, blocking your vision. Your bubble is moving again, and the desert sky is changing into the soft blue mists once more. Martek's voice comes to you again. "The desert is returned to its people; the Efreeti is no more. One final gift I give to you. Those people that cast you into this desert land will no longer remember you. You are once again free to travel the face of this world as you want. All to whom you tell this tale will believe it to be but a fable. Only you shall know the truth of what you have seen. There are yet other prophesies to be fulfilled! Farewell, my friends."

The blue mists suddenly flash into white. For a moment, you are blinded. Then the sphere of glass is gone. You have arrived in the place pictured on the wall in Martek's citadel.

CREDITS

DESIGN: Tracy Raye Hickman EDITING: Curtis Smith

Special thanks to Bob Reid