TM

BY MONTE COOK, BRUCE R. CORDELL, AND SEAN K. REYNOLDS

 Ptolus: City of Adventure

CREDITS
THE DOCTRINE OF GHUL THE RUNEBLOOD BLESSING RETURN OF THE EBON HAND
Designer Designer Designers
Bruce R. Cordell Sean K. Reynolds Monte Cook and Sean K. Reynolds
Editor/Proofreader Additional Design Development
Ray Vallese Seamus Ly Bruce R. Cordell
Development Editor
Bruce R. Cordell Ray Vallese
Editor Proofreader
Ray Vallese John Joseph Adams
Proofreader
John Joseph Adams

Creative Director Monte Cook

Managing Editor Teri Litorco
Proofreader Tammie Webb Ryan
Art Director Bear Weiter
Layout Javier P. Beltrán
Cover Artist Federico Musetti and Todd Lockwood

Artists
Mauro Alocci, Helge C. Balzer, Javier P. Beltrán, Domenico Cava, Giuseppe De iure, Angelica Donarini,
The Forge Studios (Maciej Zagórski and Pawel Dobosz), Michael Komarck, Raph Herrera Lomotan,
Alyssa Menold, Federico Musetti, Scott Purdy, Maicho Quinto, Lee Smith

Cartographers
Ed Bourelle, Lee Smith, Hugo Solis

Playtesters for Return of the Ebon Hand

Jess Meier, Meric Moir, Ash D. Rauch

© 2022 Monte Cook. PTOLUS and its logo are trademarks of

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characters and character names, and the distinctive likenesses
thereof, are trademarks of Monte Cook. Produced under license
by Monte Cook Games, LLC.

CYPHER SYSTEM and its logo are trademarks of Monte Cook

Games, LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Monte Cook
Games characters and character names, and the distinctive
likenesses thereof, are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC.

Printed in Canada

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE DOCTRINE OF GHUL 5

THE RUNEBLOOD BLESSING 35

chapter 1: Magic for Everyone.............................................................................38

chapter 2: Crime Spree....................................................................................... 48

chapter 3: The Shadow of Ptolus.........................................................................56

RETURN OF THE EBON HAND 65

chapter 1: Old Crimes and Old Criminals.......................................................... 70

chapter 2: Lines on a Map...................................................................................74

chapter 3: The New Temple................................................................................ 84

3
 Ptolus: City of Adventure

INTRODUCTION: A CITY OF
ADVENTURE . . . AND THEN SOME

R
eading through the new version(s) of Ptolus, I’m so pleased that you will have the chance to
for me, is like returning to the streets I had experience further adventures within Ptolus’ walls (and
lived in for a big part of my life. Every NPC below its streets, high above them, and even into its
seems like an old friend, and every location a favored shadow). In The Doctrine of Ghul, Bruce introduces
old haunt. On some level, I have dined with the elves a manuscript that may have been penned by none
in Iridithil’s Home, shopped in Ebbert’s Outfitters, and other than the so-called Half-God himself, and all the
held audience with the Holy Emperor in the Grand fallout that arises from its discovery. In The Runeblood
Cathedral. Blessing, Sean (with help from Seamus Ly) takes two
I think one of the things I love most about Ptolus of my favorite concepts, the Rune children and the
is that you can really tell that actual players had Shadow of Ptolus, and runs with them. Return of the
adventures there, run by an actual GM. It’s robust Ebon Hand is a sort of “return to the beginning” for
and convoluted and full of more things to do than one me personally, because some of the very first Ptolus
could ever hope to accomplish, just like a campaign adventures I ever created and ran involved the Cult of
setting should be. When you pick up a setting book the Ebon Hand and the underground areas around the
that no one’s actually run full campaigns in, you can Prison (but back then, they were not so overtly linked!)
tell. Ptolus answers the questions you need answered These are fun adventures. Enjoy.
before you even ask them, and yet leaves the right kind
of questions unanswered to give you room to make
your own mark there.
I ran three full campaigns in Ptolus, and some other
adventures besides. And still I know there’s plenty
more to do there. It is, on a meta-level, a location
literally designed around the concept of fantasy
adventures, with practically every cobblestone on every
street designed to facilitate them. Monte Cook
The scenarios in this book are a testament to that.
Despite the big Ptolus book itself, The Night of
Dissolution, and The Banewarrens, when I turned This Ptolus adventure requires a copy of the
to my fellow design team members Bruce Cordell Ptolus rulebook. References to that rulebook,
and Sean Reynolds and said, “Can we make more indicated by a callout with this symbol,
adventures set in Ptolus?” the answer was a resounding provide additional information and context
yes. We had far more ideas than we could fit in here. for this adventure.
Bruce and Sean are both adventuring veterans who
have explored much of the city and its secrets as a
variety of characters. They created and adventured
as Canabulum, the wizard minotaur; Chanticleer, the
Cypher System stats for this adventure are
archer; Shurrin, the swashbuckling hero; and many
accompanied by this symbol.
others. They know this city well.

4
 Ptolus: City of Adventure
Ghul created Goth Gulgamel, the fortress halfway up the Spire, and claimed to be the offspring of Eslathagos Malkith—
who himself created the wicked citadel at the top of the Spire, one of the most innately evil sites in the world. Lately, talk of a
newly uncovered ancient manuscript scribed by the Half God himself swirls around Delver’s Square. Is there any truth to these
Doctrine of Ghul is an adventure
suitable for four or five characters
of tier 2. As usual, the difficulty of
the adventure can be increased or
decreased by changing the number
of foes in any given encounter.
6
DOCTRINE OF GHUL
rumors, and if so, what do they portend?
D
octrine of Ghul is an adventure
set in the city of Ptolus. The
encounters are suitable for four
or five 5th-level player characters. The
difficulty of the adventure can be increased
or decreased by adding or subtracting to
the number of foes in any given encounter.
It can be played independently of other
published Ptolus adventures.
This adventure is intended for game
masters (GMs) only. To avoid spoiling the
fun, players should not read it.
Ideally, the PCs hear rumors about the
Doctrine of Ghul for a few weeks or months
before the GM gives them the opportunity to
get directly involved by starting this adventure.
SYNOPSIS
The adventure is both location and time based.
Once the PCs become engaged, they only have
so much time to conclude the adventure—
which requires that they travel to three
locations—to avoid an unpleasant fate if they
or an ally started reading from the ancient
manuscript called the Doctrine of Ghul.
Investigating the Doctrine: Diverse groups
in Ptolus rush to discover whether there is
any truth to rumors about the appearance
of a manuscript penned by Ghul. Some wish
to find and use the doctrine to glorify Ghul,
and others want to find and destroy it. A few,
believing that the manuscript holds the key to
unlocking powerful magic, hope to find and
use it for themselves.
Whatever the PCs’ motivations, they can
obtain a copy of the manuscript by burgling
(or storming) the headquarters of a new cult
of chaos founded on their discovery of the
Doctrine of Ghul. Destroying the manuscript
is as easy as burning it; unfortunately, it’s
revealed to be just a copy, and other copies are
already in the wind and being read by others.
However, those copies are incomplete.
Perusing the manuscript reveals that three
important fragments of the doctrine are
inscribed at three ancient shrines beneath
Ptolus. To truly destroy the manuscript, the
PCs will have to visit at least one of those
locations and permanently destroy the
fragment of the doctrine encoded there.
But in yet another twist, simply reading
the opening stanzas of the manuscript—copy
or not—commits the reader to complete the
entire doctrine. Those who fail to accomplish
a full reading of the Doctrine of Ghul
(requiring a visit to three varied locations
 Doctrine of Ghul

DOCTRINE OF GHUL

W
hether scribed on a scroll or in a thin booklet (by
Pella or another cultist), each copy of the doctrine
is titled Doctrine of Ghul. If the PCs attempt to
discern whether magic suffuses the document, they don’t find
anything. Nothing prevents a character from simply burning
or otherwise destroying any given copy.
Each copy of the doctrine begins as follows.
READ ALOUD
He was Ghul, son of Eslathagos Malkith and a demon
goddess whose very name is a curse. He was the Half God
and the Skull-King. The Spire was his birthright. His rule was
unjustly cut short by the seven blasphemers, robbing us of his
splendiferous majesty.
All praise the Half God, wise beyond mortal understanding,
who saw ahead. Before his murder, he fashioned a contingent
ritual that would, if not return him fully to the world, at least
keep portions of his power alive among the faithful. If you
wish to partake in that power, gaining something of Ghul’s
legacy for your own, read on. Know, however, you are
committed. Finish before seven days elapse, or be cast into
Ghul’s Utterdark, lost forever.
what many today know to be lies about his birthright), the
doctrine is broken into three sections, with the subtitles
Frozen Crypt, Breeding Pits of the Formless Hunger, and
Galchutt Cyst, respectively. However, each of these sections
contains only a single line to the effect of “Go to the shrine
located here and read the inscription Ghul wrote there.”
The Map: The last section of each copy has a crude map.
The map is an overview of a route beneath the city of Ptolus,
passing from one known location (the Undercity Market) into
tunnels and warrens that most other explorers have never
found. The map specifies several landmarks that explorers can
use to stay on the correct route. Three locations noted on the
map correspond with the three previous sections: Frozen Crypt,
Breeding Pits of the Formless Hunger, and Galchutt Cyst.
Another location noted on the map is labeled Lair of the
Half God’s Get (which PCs should be able to determine is
Pella Surik’s house, assuming they’ve uncovered the secret
cellar underneath). In any event, characters can use the map to
navigate the passages beneath Ptolus and find each shrine noted.

Triggering the Curse: If a character finishes reading the

paragraph that begins with “All praise the Half God” (or
has it read aloud to them), they feel a subtle charge of energy
surge up from the page and pass into them. If they succeed
on a DC 20 Arcana check, they believe that some sort of
magical connection has been created between them and
several magical sources located elsewhere. The copy of the
doctrine doesn’t hold the magic; it just provides a path that
allows a remote linkage to be established.
Breaking the Curse: In effect, the character is cursed, and
standard methods of removing curses (such as remove curse
or dispel magic) are ineffective. In fact, such casters may risk
forming a link between themselves and the distant sources
of magic. Either way, casters who try and fail get the sense
that they are not targeting the source of the curse. The only
ways to remove the curse are to finish reading the manuscript
before seven days have passed, destroy each of the three
sources of the curse where the magic giving the doctrine its
teeth resides, or just wait seven full days without finishing
the doctrine and then succeed on a DC 25 Wisdom saving
throw. On a failed save, the character is teleported into the
Utterdark, which is effectively a death sentence.
Continue Reading: Following an elaboration on Ghul’s
history (all slanted to Ghul’s favor and not admitting to

Frozen Crypt, page 15

Breeding Pits of the Formless Hunger, page 22
Determining that a reader of the doctrine has forged a connection with one or
Galchutt Cyst, page 27 more distant magic sources requires a successful difficulty 6 magical lore task.

If a character fails to finish reading the doctrine within seven days after starting,
Utterdark (CS and 5e), page 453 they must make a successful difficulty 8 Intellect defense roll to resist the
Ghul’s history (CS and 5e), page 83 magical effect that will otherwise teleport them into the Utterdark.
Undercity Market (CS and 5e), page 21

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 Ptolus: City of Adventure

THE RUNEBLOOD BLESSING

A sorcerer has created a ritual to invest people with magic, manifested as a blood-red rune on their faces, and nobles,
city elites, and adventurers line up to gain this new power. Meanwhile, a wave of crimes hits the city, committed by runed
individuals, and the beginnings of a mysterious sickness stir in Ptolus.

The encounters are suitable for
four or five mid-tier Cypher System
characters.
T
he Runeblood Blessing is an
adventure set in the city of Ptolus.
The encounters are suitable for four
or five 6th-level player characters (PCs). The
difficulty of the adventure can be increased
or decreased by adding or subtracting to
the number of foes in any given encounter.
It can be played independently of other
published Ptolus adventures.
This adventure is intended for game
masters (GMs) only. To avoid spoiling the
fun, players should not read it.
SYNOPSIS
The adventure is both location- and time-based.
Once the player characters become aware
of the events, they have a limited amount of
time to get to the bottom of what’s going on.
Otherwise, the nonplayer characters (NPCs)
causing the problems in the city will achieve
their goals. The adventure consists of three
chapters.
In Chapter 1: The Runeblood Blessing,
a sorcerer named Vlenn is using a magical
ritual to invest people with magic, manifested
as a blood-red rune on their faces, and
nobles, city elites, and adventurers line up to
gain this new power. Unfortunately, some
people start experiencing harmful side effects,
which requires investigating the sorcerer and
the exact nature of her ritual.
In Chapter 2: Crime Spree, a wave of
crimes hits the city, and the major criminal
organizations don’t know who’s responsible.
Clues point to some of the criminals having
the blood-red runes from the new ritual,
suggesting that the mysterious mage Vlenn
is behind it all. The PCs need to deal with
the crimes before the criminal factions in
the city go to war (which would harm many
innocent people).
In Chapter 3: The Shadow of Ptolus,
having discovered the truth of the runeblood
blessing, the PCs travel to the Shadow of
Ptolus in search of the one who created the
ritual—a warlock named Gnaur, who has
been using it to draw magical energy to build
a fortress within the Shadow and expand the
demiplane’s power to manipulate real things.
This portion of the adventure is a dungeon
crawl in a strange half-real demiplane.
ADVENTURE HOOKS
The following are several ways the PCs
can become involved in the events of this
adventure.

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 The Runeblood Blessing

New Magic: This is the default hook—
the PCs hear about the runeblood blessing
by seeing its owners trying to sell it to a
crowd of people. Perhaps one or more of
the PCs decides to try this inexpensive new
magic. When they experience the harmful
side effects, they need to diagnose the
cause, confront Vlenn to find out why it’s
happening, and see if it can be reversed. If
none of the PCs have any interest in getting
a blessing, a few runed adversaries making
good use of this new magic (such as the
criminals in Chapter 2, or perhaps long-
standing rivals of the PCs) might give the
PCs an incentive to try it out and get them
involved in this part of the adventure.
Sickness Outbreak: People in the city start
getting sick. Although at first it seems to be a
coincidence that all of them happen to have a
runeblood blessing, eventually it becomes clear
that their magical rune is causing this affliction.
Afflicted Friend: A NPC comes to the PCs
with a strange illness and asks for help. This
hook works best if the person is someone
the PCs know and like—perhaps a fellow
adventurer like Brusselt Airmol, a shopkeeper Brusselt Airmol (CS and 5e), page 213
such as Ebbert, or someone like Phon who Ebbert Boltcrafter (CS and 5e),
they helped in the past. The NPC has a page 192
rune, but doesn’t realize there’s a connection Phon Quartermain (CS and 5e),
between it and how they’re feeling. If the page 557
NPC is particularly fragile, it adds more of a
sense of urgency to the matter.

LINKING THE CHAPTERS

This adventure consists of two parallel chains of events: the consequences of the runeblood
blessing (Chapter 1 and Chapter 3) and the crime spree (Chapter 2). Although the timing of
some events may make it seem like these two chains are connected, the PCs can figure out that
the crime spree is an independent threat unrelated to the problems of the runeblood blessing.
At various points in Chapter 1, there are notes for where to insert crime spree events from
Chapter 2. Sometimes these crossover events will heighten the apparent connection between
the two plots, and sometimes they’ll be a distraction. If the PCs take action to stop the crime
spree, they will probably conclude that plotline before the runeblood blessing events carry
them into Chapter 3.
It is possible for the GM to run these two plotlines as separate, sequential adventures. If so,
just ignore any crime spree references in Chapter 1.

37
 Ptolus: City of Adventure

RETURN OF THE EBON HAND

Of all the chaos cults, the Ebon Hand is one of the most insidious, because it proves the most resilient. Enemies of the
Cult of the Ebon Hand liken them to cockroaches, with the cultists scattered when found, always to return later. Now, despite
setbacks, the Ebon Hand has founded a new temple and once again is doing its horrible work . . .

R T
he Ebon Hand cult was one of the first
eturn of the Ebon Hand is an
foes I put before my Ptolus players,
adventure set in the city of Ptolus. The
and the information you’ll find in the
The encounters are suitable encounters are suitable for four or five
for four or five mid-tier Ptolus book—the plot hook, the map, the
6th-level player characters. The difficulty of
Cypher System characters. cultists—is exactly what I used in my own
the adventure can be increased or decreased
campaign. It’s also what I used at Gen Con,
by changing the number of foes in any given
many years later, when Ptolus launched as a
encounter. It can be played independently of
product for the first time.
other published Ptolus adventures.
But as it says in Ptolus, the thing about the
This adventure is intended for game
Cult of the Ebon Hand is that it’s very hard
masters (GMs) only. To avoid spoiling the
to root out completely. Like cockroaches, the
fun, players should not read it.
cultists disappear into the night down dark
holes, only to begin to plot their return.
SYNOPSIS
That’s precisely what Return of the Ebon
This adventure weaves together three
Hand is all about. This adventure assumes
different threads.
that your campaign has used the material
A Pit of Insanity, semi-dormant beneath the
in the book and “wiped out” the cult. But
Guildsman District, has become more active
now they’re back, causing new trouble and
in recent weeks. Its chaotic energies have
involving one of the scariest places in the
attracted the attention of the Cult of the Ebon
setting—the Prison.
Hand, an evil group that worships deformity
and mutation, and they have established a
chaos temple in the rooms around the pit
(which are part of Ghul’s Labyrinth).
By tapping into the magic of the pit, the
cult released echoes of transformative chaos in
the vicinity, which has resurrected some dead have been mutated, and their leader plans to
criminals buried in the nearby Prison. These strike back at their former jailers and renew
criminals, calling themselves the Reborn, old grudges against foes in the city above.

66

The PCs come into possession of a journal
written by a delver named Fulton. More than
fifty years ago (decades before exploring
the Dungeon beneath the city became
popular and noteworthy), Fulton and her
companions mapped a portion of Ghul’s
Labyrinth and made notes on the areas they
found, which happen to coincide with the
locations now inhabited by the Reborn and
the Cult of the Ebon Hand. Armed with
this journal, the PCs have an advantage in
exploring this area, whether or not they
do so as part of an investigation about the
Reborn or the Ebon Hand.
In Chapter 1: Old Crimes and Old
Criminals, the PCs deal with several strange
attacks in the city by criminals known to
have been imprisoned years ago. Their
investigations lead them to the Prison and its
nefarious warden, Odsen Rom.
In Chapter 2: Lines on a Map, the PCs
investigate a portion of Ghul’s Labyrinth
near the Prison, either directed there by the
warden because of odd events or following
the notes from Fulton’s journal. This puts
them in the vicinity of the Reborn and the
revived Cult of the Ebon Hand.
In Chapter 3: The New Temple, the PCs
can attack the new secret stronghold of the
Ebon Hand, either by discovering its surface
entrance or by sneaking in through Ghul’s
Labyrinth.
THE EBON HAND
AND YOUR CAMPAIGN
This adventure assumes that the PCs cleared
out the Temple of the Ebon Hand and put
an end to the cult’s kidnappings earlier in
the campaign. Likewise, it assumes that
either the PCs or the Order of the Dawn—
who would have come in later—killed high
priest Malleck Javimal and killed or
captured most of the other priests, the
guards, and the monsters (including the
“children of the hand”). It assumes that the
Ebon Hand guard captain Frein Avathon
survived; she has grown more powerful
in the intervening time and makes an
appearance in this adventure.
If the PCs never dealt with the Ebon
Hand in your campaign, assume that other
adventurers did, and the PCs heard about it
through the grapevine.
Return of the Ebon Hand
BACKGROUND
There are many forces at play in this
adventure.
THE END OF THE EBON HAND CULT
The Cult of the Ebon Hand was on the verge
of being banned in the city. Many people
suspected that its followers were guilty
of kidnapping, murder, and many other
crimes. Once a brave band of independent
adventurers managed to prove the suspicions
were true, rooting out the secret chambers
beneath the temple on Terrock Row in the Temple of the Ebon Hand
Temple District, the City Watch—backed up (CS and 5e), page 354
by the Order of the Dawn—finished the job Order of the Dawn (CS and 5e),
and cleared out the entire den of evil. The page 70
temple was sealed off and the Commissar,
Commissar Igor Urnst (CS and 5e),
prompted by a direct meeting with the page 140
Emperor of the Church, banned the religion
from the city. Holy Emperor Rehoboth Ylestos
(CS and 5E), page 269
Now even bearing a symbol of the Ebon
Hand is a crime. While other chaos cults still Ghul’s Labyrinth (CS and 5e),
cause trouble in Ptolus, the Cult of the Ebon page 390
Hand was done with for good.
Or so everyone assumed.
THE NEW HIGH PRIESTESS
AND HER FOLLOWERS
When the Ebon Hand temple fell, some of the
cultists escaped (or weren’t present). For a
while, these cultists hid from the eyes of the
authorities. One priest, Chelerana, literally
went underground, wandering the halls of
Ghul’s Labyrinth looking for something she
If Malleck got away in your campaign,
you could assume that he either fled the
city in disgrace or was dealt with by NPC
heroes (such as the Order of the Dawn).
Alternatively, you could place him in the
new temple, where he dwells in shame. The
new high priest, Chelerana, was his friend
and contemporary, but she wasn’t present
when the temple fell. Now, she has far Malleck Javimal (CS and 5e),
surpassed Malleck in power, and she keeps page 355
him around because of their old relationship Frein Avathon (CS and 5e),
and as a reminder of her own superiority. page 357
If you do place Malleck in the new temple,
he has not grown any stronger in the
intervening time and dwells among the other
priests there.
If Frein Avathon was slain in your
campaign, a different (new) NPC guard
captain named Yora Schenk serves in her
place, and uses the listed stats for Frein.
67