am NArtDirector: Author: Mike Mears Rich Thomas Developer: Layout and Typesetting: Anthony Pryor Mike Chaney Additional Development: Cover Artist: Scott Holden-Jones Glen Fabry Editor: Interior Artists: Scott Holden-Jones David Day, James Stowe, and Melissa Uran_ Managing Editor: Front & Back Cover Design: Andrew Bates Mike Chaney a "@eRCERY : Check out upcoming Sword and Sorcery Seudio products online at: http:/www.swordsorcery.com Diseibuted for Sword and Sorcery Studio by White Wolf Publishing, nc ‘Thisprinting of Blood Bayou s published in aecondance with the Open Game License, Se the Open Game License Appendix of this book for more information. Blood Bayou, Scarred Lands, the Scarred Lands logo, Sword and Sorcery, Sword and Sorcery Studio, the 2 Sword and Sorcery ogo, Creature Collection, Creature Collection 2: Dark Menagerie, Relies & Rituals and Relics & Rituals 2: Lost Lore are trademarks of White Wol Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved “The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pagesis not a challenge tothe trademark ‘or copyright concemed. Syster” logo are Trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast and are used accordingto the terms ofthe d20 System License version 1.0. A copy of this License can be found at wwwsrzarcs.com, Dungeons & Dragons® and Wizard ofthe Const® are Registered Trademarks of Wizard ofthe Const, and are used with Permission. PRINTEDIN CANADA.Blood Bayou. The name alone is enough to cast a dead silence overatavern. Aninscrutable,hostlerealm ‘of foul beasts, disease and the menacing Carnival ‘of Shadows, few sane or healthy travelers venture into the bayou... and even fewer return to tell the tale Before the Titanswar, the region was known, foritssingular lack of usable resources, its strategic worthlessness, and its vast expanses of fallow land. Now, in the aftermath of that conflict, Blood Bayou is renowned as one of the most dangerous places in the world. Even considering the state of ‘Scam in modern times, such a statement is by no ‘means hyperbole. Though the pitiabe lepers, beg- gars, madmen and other wretches who heed the call of the Camival of Shadows somehow find relative safety therein, most expeditions to the swamp are simply swallowed by the mire. Clearly, one would be mad in the firs place to enterthe swamp. Yet adventurers are drawn to this place. Its air of mystery calls to the curious and to. | those sages who cannot resist the lure of such an ‘enigma. Explorers with more practical desires seek. rumored treasures — after all, many cities, towns and keeps were lost in slime and mud in the wake of the tidal wave that created the bayou. ‘Though not a single expedition has reported success — indeed, few enough have ever returned —adventurersremain undaunted. Each new party _{ sweats that it shall be clever and powerful enough. to wrest secrets from the swamp. ‘Those secretsare laid bare in thisbook. Within Blood Bayou you shall find details on history, geography, notable personages, new wonders of ‘magic, new and dangerous monsters — and, of course, revelations of that greatest of mysteries, the Camival Krewe and its enigmatic leader, Jack of Tears Venture into Blood Bayou and discover the mysteries, wonders and horrors that lay shrouded in fog and darkness. Anthony Pryor, Developer Sword & Sorcery StudiosIntroduction Chapter One: History of the Bayou History Chapter Two: The Geography of Blood Bayou Chapter Three: The Camival of Shadows Chapter Four: The Court of Chaos Chapter Five: Gamemasteringthe Bayou Appendix: Horrors of the BayouChapter One History of The history of Blood Bayou is obscured by the fog of mystery Little is known, beyond the bare facts ofits past immediately before the Titanswar and the events surrounding its creation This chapter is presented in two distinct sections: Apocrypha presents the original texts of several prophecies, reports, and scholarly works. This is what the people ofthe Scarred Lands know — or think that they know — about Blood Bayou. Each manuscript includes a brief history of its creation, an excerptor excerpts, and aset of game rule information detailinghow and what charactersean learn about the bayou from the book. Irall works to establish the swamp asa dark, mysterious realm where the truth is as murky as the bayou water. The True History of Blood Bayou gives a complete overview of the truth bchind the bayou, how it was formed, and is true purpose. This material focuses on the bayou itself Information on the Carnival of Shadows is found in Chapter Three.a Ne 9 aE ——____—Apocrypha Blood Bayou has captured the imagination of Scam’s thinkers, scholars, and mages in a way unti- valedby the world’sotherstrange, mysteriousrealms. The following tomes of lore dwell upon particular aspects ofthe bayou. The excerpts also include page references to particular locations, monsters, and spells that are detailed elsewhere in this book. Across the Bayou My Travels in the Carnival of Shadows This diary describes an alleged expedition to Blood Bayou by an anonymous bard who, if the account is to be believed, survived the experience. ‘Scholars debate both the age and origin ofthis work, but most agree that it is the best available source of information concerning Blood Bayou. cerry Cnntey tap Blox pero GS Sv ap \ DE Ds Tita ral frou, es oral iy srong-on tf a3 es a de dfn et oa ne God, a ih aaa its gait, Ws fin J a obit hat mo Caled if thew War I daser 5B dia ses tar rastyg ie oe BT J fie de or Iam nas wet Dlg iepe elas he Bie ‘orb ven saaaairie os afd his swamp 1s driving ws seoemmens Coty i wadaten Fal drow igte Laat | momoxt ungilS rane as oe: SL ii ok ay ar par Sh mls slp laps ta dapar SB2, El Lys y whos nh thes th confor ile ton cna to swt ee, CHAPTER ONE: HISTORY OF THE BAYOU ore a first nervous of lying var cowrs, mast 2, as ous share the a0 Gebh ie ie ae inark | wa aty ya) fe mors than vgit rate ‘ori tts ecdllctand styloazont northeastern arsiaf tha contort, tei oe ta ‘it as antire se ol the rad, Mors stray fate gs te Mes owes td tt ie pe Ls fa ht am asa i ead a thar Segh, Oe & “Nagy i Game Rules ‘Any character who reads Acrass the Bayou there- aftergainsa +1 bonusonall Knowledge checksrelating directly to Blood Bayou. The book contains many similar entries regarding the swamp’s inhabitants and settlements that players and GMs can generate as appropriate to their campaign. The Altamore Fragments Discovered in a crate of pottery delivered to a Mithril antiquities dealer, this set of writings consists offoursimple parchmentscraps. Thescrapsare obviously parcof singe, Targerwork, as each has tom edgesand writing thatabruptly ‘begins and ends at the top and bottom of each pieve. The ‘text is written in Termanan in a scratchy, crowded script. Altamore Tellfarus, the man who discovered it, ‘commissioned a translation that was subsequently lost... along with Altamore himself, According the merchant's associates, he had made plans to travel to Termana with a small force of mercenaries, trackers and guides. The ship he had commissioned for his ‘voyage, a free merchant named the Starfish, left port with Altamore, his hirelings and a large store of ‘supplies. The Starfish was never seen again. Alltamore’s associates assumed he was taken in by con. porate fs cerehrond gry em original Fragments were reputedly lost in a fire that subse- «quently consumed Altamore'sshop. iil, umorhasiethat they are actually in the possession of a Bridged City sage named Rosenfels. Regardless, several copies made by the scribesresponsible forthe translationnoweirculate hrough northeastern GhelspdBLOOD BAYOU and otha wht llth thee 9 rnb ods _ Tharrak of the Silver Kote, Skychaser Mongar, and the ele nee cali aah. Tard Ba oe continns our marsh tor the wizards fer. | geome trom ki pale tse an aking ee hath ei th ihe his aster rather thar his cu, Th Fale Orci a caper ab svar fukin Sadia tm Bea an ththar solder, he may have fk ar, uz? Uewcke bese das fo the sound of bad ices, Beaker spoken! the tower. He pointed the wath while the rackar Lonoapes scanned tha havizon, He had soon @ lat riht | ahah end roe parted hath ean eth, Ths ay lar andthe and tthe horn anethng atria hare, hah Lorapeevonlthar erect ater, | etter Beater contorred wth the wizard in hi tert, ht arnancad that we ha 0 hay Seve we bat th tne. past that porkape an ronda Ceol arson wth ak = lain, Parhape e lcatch night toa Ws maan to mak od peed ney. bok nf Tend ante Fretmarondiagpaad aright Bath thee skewer gre, Sme othe man ae ket la tha i> ast, Te Fase Ov thar samct oth cree _—_ lets th tha mersonarceaeietanse Ether ma, | nil av | alg far ras te bel halt rearing rab, (has taken acon, ad ths rank othe merc eFaseloe et mays, othe sold il mrs Game Rules The Altamore Fragments are broken into four sections of soiled, ragged parchment. The original fragments bear a special curse: anyone reading them in the original must make a Will save (DC 12) or be overcome with a desire to journey to Blood Bayou in search of the tower. In game terms, a char- acter must make plans to visit Blood Bayou within two weeks after failing his save or suffer a =I penalty to all attacks and skill checks as his mind becomes distracted from the tasks at hand. Several original versions ried thei ki gees ae ke raibed copies, are not cursed. d in the fragments > ambling Tower (a necro: described in Chapter Two). ter the Tower are consumed by it, their bodies and souls cannibalized and added to its structure. It uses these ary manuscripts to lure victims to A character who reads the fragments may make a Knowledge (arcana) check (DC 20) to determine that the last portion may refer to the necromantic practice of using bodies and souls to imbue items with spe- cific, magical characteristics. For example, a necromancer may sacrifice a skilled war- rior while forging an enchanted blade to bind the fighter’s soul to the weapon and fuel its magic Carnival of Blood Written, produced and directed by the playwright Mar er who takes the guise of the grin- arlet Jester. hi aused a tremendous contro- en it was first performed g night, the town guard nd women brutally the playhousepmesh yitsiasi ims in the play. All of the se the play that night, and oeningder em eeBLOOD BAYOU a RR Sm the Dreamlands. Regardless, a being of pure dream- stuff made himself known a short time after word of the Dreamlands spread. This being, called Psyclus, dwelt ostensibly amidst the imaginings of sleeping mortals. Few mortals even knew ofhis existence, and those who did were divided over his true nature. Was he a titan? He certainly had powers like a titan, but the other titans never accepted him as one of their own. Andhedid not seem toshare the titans’ connec tionto the land. A god!? Possibly, butno titan claimed hhim as offspring. He apparently came into being spontaneously, rather than from the mating of titans. ‘Could a god even be created in such a way, from the dreams of mortals? It is possible — and those few beings who recall Peyclus’ existence have so theorized — that he was neither god nor titan, but a powerful extension of mortal dreamers collective unconsciousness. He was neither good nor evil, lawful nor chaotic, but a strangely amoral and unfixed combination of all of these thing, just as dreamers represented many dif- ferent views and personalities. Is also possible that Psyclus was not created by the Dreamlands at all. Rather, he may have always existed (possibly associ- ated with the Slarecians, who themselvesmaypre-date the titans), and he may thus be the conduit through. which the Dreamlands were created. Sill, one important fact lends credence to the theory that Payclus was indeed of the gods: he was inextricably bound to mortals by their dreams, and his very existence depended upon mortals. As more ‘mortal creaturesswarmed across Scarn, he grew stton- ger. In those ancient days, in the dim and forgotten eons before the Titanswar, Psyclus came to hold a power that rivaled that of the titans. Farther, being so attuned to mortals, Payclus understood them like no other immortal, whether god or titan. He pitied these leser creations; he wept for their shortcomings, mourned their losses and raged over the titans’ excesses. In secret, he planned to cast down the titans and install himself as a compassionate ruler over the mortals of Scarn. The titans soon learned of Psyclus’ dream, however, and they captured and bound him. ‘So great was Psyclus’ power that it took many mortal years for several young gods and demigods, led by fierce Vangal, to finally destroy him. Psyclus was not the first nor the last of such beings that Vangal ‘lew, back inthis distant time when the gods still did the titans’ bidding. Yet Psyclus could not be de- stroyed utrerly. Rather, his body was stretched sothin that he was rendered transparent and cast upon the wind. In time, the remaining wisps of his soul settled upon what would be known as the Sleeping Plain. There, Psyclus lapsed into a deep hibernation. The titan Mesos suspected that something re- mained of Payclus. He sired Erias asa new demigod of a lm SS a dreams from the tattered remains of Psyclus’ dream. energy, in the hope that the young deity’s control over the Dreamlands would be the final blow neces- sary todestroy Psyclus. Instead, Eras’ creation caused 1 subtle fluctuation in the fabric of dreams. This shunted Psyclus into a semi-physical, but exentially dormant, manifestation inhabiting a stretch of low- landsin northern Termana. Though Erias'sexistence sundered much of Psyclus’ power, he ended up strengthening the erstwhile dream lord’stiesto Scarn. Much of Psyclus’ remaining power was safe- ‘guarded due tobeingchanneled into the subconscious minds of mortal dreamers. When a mortal slept, she gained a tiny portion of Psyclus’ power and used it to craft the lands and creatures she encountered in her dreams. With Peyclus forced into a state of dormancy in thephysical realm, this process wasaltered. Rather than enter the Dreamlands and create worlds, a