Lit by guttering candles, the timeworn saint’s shrine still reeks of burnt

offerings. Plaster dust floats in the still air as you smash away a mosaic
depicting a wondrous healer tending wounds with a honeyed touch – eyes
become bright and clear, limbs vital rather than withered, the dead rise from
their graves and dance about him. As the mural crumbles beneath your
determined blows, a blackened iron door is revealed, decorated with the
image of a bee. The air beyond is stale, yet tinged with the putrid smell of

crypt of the mellified mage

spoiled meat and something oddly floral….

This volume collects four adventure sites for the Forbidden Lands roleplaying game,
written by some of the best writers in the field today. Within these pages you will
visit a dungeon of dripping honey, explore a firing pit for magical pottery, stand in
awe of the temple of a monkey king, and go on a dizzying tour through the mind of
a mad mage. This book contains:
✥ Crypt of the Mellified Mage by Fiona Maeve Geist (Mothership)
✥ The Firing Pit of Llao-Yutuy by David McGrogan (Yoon-Suin)
✥ Temple of the Six-Limbed Lord by Zedeck Siew (A Thousand Thousand Islands)
✥ The Dream-Cloud of E’lok Thir by Adam Koebel (Dungeon World)

ISBN 978-91-88805-99-7
FLFFBL014

c ry p t of t h e
© 2020 Fria Ligan AB 9 789188 805997
m ellif ied m age
 FOR BIDDEN
TH E

Da
Far Vivend

L A N DS

nk
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k
oo ood
d Dankw

Maidenholm

Anger Bay

arda
Lake V Vivend

F
u

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le
nm
ar
k

Margelda
Moldena

Harmsmoor

Backwater Bay

st
o re
a F
Arin Ye n d r a

Shroud
The

ds
oo
W
a nd
Shadowgate Pass
v el
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Harga o

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ng
Fa
Belifar

Begrand
The Iron Lock
 WRITERS
Fiona Maeve Geist, David McGrogan, Zedeck Siew, Adam Koebel, Nils Karlén

EDITOR & GAME DIRECTOR

Tomas Härenstam

ILLUSTRATOR
Alvario Tapia

GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Christian Granath

MAP ARTIST
Niklas Brandt

PROOFREADER
Brandon Bowling

PRINT ISBN

Livonia Print, Latvia 2020 978-91-88805-99-7

© 2020 Fria Ligan AB.

 CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 3 TEMPLE OF THE
SIX-LIMBED LORD 37
CRYPT OF THE Background 37
MELLIFIED MAGE 4 Legend 38
Background 4 Getting Here 38
Getting Here 5 Monkeys 40
Legend 5 Locations 45
Locations 6 Events 56
Events 22
Aftermath 22 THE DREAM-CLOUD
OF E’LOK THIR 57
THE FIRING PIT Background 57
OF LLAO-YUTUY 23 Getting Here 58
Background 23 Legend 61
Legend 24 Locations 61
Locations 24 Events 73
Events 34 The End
Of The Dream 74

2
contents
 INTRODUCTION
As the mural crumbles beneath your determined blows, a
blackened iron door is revealed, decorated with the image of a
bee. The air beyond is stale, yet tinged with the putrid smell of
spoiled meat and something oddly floral….
F
orbidden Lands is a toolbox for your
imagination. A canvas upon which
thousands of players and Gamemasters
have told exciting adventures as diverse as the
people telling them. These tales of imagination
are what the game is about. It is about creating
your own stories and making your mark on the
world itself. But like the frenzied blinking of
fireflies, most of these adventures only exist for
a brief time before turning into memories and
legends of past adventures.
In this book, we have collected four adven-
ture sites written by some of the most intrigu-
ing writers in the hobby today. While Forbidden
Lands is built on a foundation of Sword & Sor-
cery, old school aesthetics and sandbox gaming,
the tales told with the game can go in very differ-
ent directions.
✥ In Crypt of the Mellified Mage, Fiona Maeve
Geist (writer for the space horror game Moth-
ership) invites you to a dungeon of dripping
honey, weird insectoids and the foul abomi-
nation that was once the sorcerer Pagoag.
3
introduction
✥ David McGrogan (author of the fabulous
Yoon-Suin) summons you to the magical
warmth of The Firing Pit of Llao-Yutuy,
where a master of his craft creates the
most beautiful pottery in the world – for
the right price.
✥ In Temple of the Six-Limbed Lord, Zedeck
Siew (creator of the brilliant A Thousand
Thousand Islands) leads you to the temple
of the Monkey King and drops you in the
midst of a struggle for control over the
titular six-limbed lord.
✥ Lastly, Adam Koebel (co-writer of Dungeon
World) takes you on a dizzying tour through
a mad mage’s mind. It is a dungeon filled
with memories, regrets and aching pain,
where the monsters are nightmares and
your own worst fears becomes real.
Four visions from the Forbidden Lands, told by
four masters of their craft. So strap on your
backpack, light your torch head into these
magical places and make them your own.
 CRY PT OF THE
IFIED M AGE
MELL
TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Dungeon
Lit by guttering candles, the timeworn saint’s
shrine still reeks of burnt offerings. Plaster dust
floats in the still air as you smash away a mosaic
depicting a wondrous healer tending wounds with a
honeyed touch – eyes become bright and clear, limbs
vital rather than withered, the dead rise from their
graves and dance about him. As the mural crumbles
beneath your determined blows, a blackened iron
door is revealed, decorated with the image of a bee.
The air beyond is stale, yet tinged with the putrid
smell of spoiled meat and something oddly floral….
BACKGROUND
The Honied Catacomb gestates beneath the
earth like a pustule waiting to burst. While
4
chapter
the catacomb itself was buried long ago, the
fragrant, windswept heath attracted those
looking to take advantage of the many subter-
ranean beehives in the area. The only sign of
prior habitation is a small temple to a forgot-
ten Saint (the entry to location #34 – no one
thought to shatter the mural seeking a hidden
catacomb). Some roughly hewn buildings have
sprung up, though the settlers (thirty odd
individuals in total) have a reputation for insu-
larity and weirdness.
Beneath their feet slumbers a mellified
man – one who willingly forgoes all sustenance
save honey in a fast to the death before being
entombed for at least forty years within a bath
of milk and honey – an invaluable panacea. The
ancient sorcerer Pagoag, vain in his pursuit
1
of mastering the healing arts, attempted to
transform himself into a lich concurrently.
The result of this crude fusion of vile necro-
mancy and the noble sacrifices of the healing
arts is the Abomination sealed in location
#22. Pagoag is nearly dormant, though aware
of the hive of Insectoids burrowing nearby.
However, he is powerful enough to provide the
inhabitants of the town with haunting dreams
of honey-dripping wealth hidden inside the
catacomb.
GETTING HERE
It is suggested that the PCs pass through the
small village at some point. The Insectoids
will eventually ravage the settlement providing
a macabre abattoir for their young (see Events),
but this should not happen until after the PCs’
arrival. Happenstance (or research) uncovers
the existence of Pagoag’s fabled healing powers
and alleged final transformation into a melli-
fied man – a treasure sought by any afflicted
with an incurable illness.
We leave the composition of the village and
the lives of its inhabitants to the GM (if you like,
use the tables in Chapter 12 of the Gamemaster’s
Guide). The three important details are that the
Insectoid cave (location #30) be located close by,
the one entrance be an offering place to the mys-
terious saint of honey and the healing arts (loca-
tion #34), and a second entrance (#1) be hidden
nearby (perhaps overgrown with brush, waiting
to be uncovered). Also, the town should be on an
elevated position as the catacombs were built and
then buried.
5
crypt of the mellified mage
The PCs can visit the village for a variety of
mundane concerns, or perhaps because they
have heard the place has exemplary effects on
the health of those who visit. For any number
of reasons, the party may uncover one of the
three entrances (see Background). The interior
of the honied crypt is composed of roughly hewn
stonework where the mortar is riddled with tiny
tunnels carved by industrious subterranean bees
seeking pollen – the occasional fall of a piece
of ceiling is the only sound that disturbs their
omnipresent humming. The air is always thick,
loamy, faintly spiced and tinged with sweetness.
The PCs can enter the Crypt in one of three ways:
✥ Breaking the mural in the rear of the town
altar (location #34).
✥ Venturing into the Insectoid cave and
exploring their tunnels (location #30).
✥ Uncovering the obscured entrance and
moving the stone door (location #1).
The act of entering the catacomb doesn’t trig-
ger anything major, but once the PCs start
looting treasure the dead awaken and Pagoag
sets certain plans in motion unless stopped (see
Aftermath).
LEGEND
The sorcerer Pagoag is a minor note in most his-
tories, as his vanity, excesses and medical prowess
brought plenty of commentary, but darker insinu-
ations become more and more explicit – that his
cult was insular, greedy, and lasciviously hedonis-
tic. The darkest allegation is that Pagoag began
experimenting with the creation of a mellified
man – the candied flesh of which can restore any
being to the apex of their vitality at the cost of a
prolonged and torturous end to an individual.
A single pound of mellified flesh can, by renew-
ing the life of an individual or resurrecting the
recently dead and restoring them to their physical
peak, create devastating impacts and destabi-
lize power relations. Anyone with even a decent
amount of wealth would have a burning desire
for it.
LOCATIONS
See the map overview on page 8.
1. ARCHED ENTRYWAY
Hidden behind scrub on the hillside and buried
just beneath the surface is a stylized circular stone
door depicting a gargantuan bee with a peculiar
skull pattern on its thorax.
Opening the door reveals a long, descending
staircase with sconces at each landing sculpted
into the wall – skulls merged with detailed
carvings of bees holding perfumed (and
extremely dry) torches.
2. GRAND ANTECHAMBER
A shadowed space dominated by a hexagonal font
dripping honey over the eyeless skulls ringing each
bowl.
The honey is hallucinogenic, but the effect is
not immediately apparent. Consuming a cup
of honey covers the daily need of FOOD, but any
PC who eats it must make an ENDUR ANCE roll
to avoid rolling on the chart below. The effect
lasts for D6 15-minute turns.

HALLUCINATORY EFFECTS
D6 EFFECT

1 EUPHORIA: ThePC heals all damage to Empathy, is immune to further damage

to Empathy, but cannot push any skill rolls.
2 LOSS OF PAIN PERCEPTION: The PC can make Strength rolls with the full attribute
score even after taking damage but cannot push any Strength-based skill rolls.
3 RACING THOUGHTS: The
PC gets to draw two initiative cards at the beginning of
combat and can act on both, but can only perform fast actions.
4 DIZZY: The PC cannot push skill rolls based on Strength or Agility.
5 POOR RISK ASSESSMENT: The PC must push all skill rolls (even when there is no
benefit) but gains no Willpower Points when doing so.
6 DECISION PARALYSIS: The PC draws two initiative cards at the start of combat and
must choose the higher number. Can only perform slow actions except for moving.

6
chapter 1
 3. RITUAL CHAMBER
A small idol of a bee made of expertly worked
topaz and onyx sits atop a massive, papery bee-
hive. There are several crude stone basins, along
with a mural on the back wall. Above it there
is an ivory statuette in an alcove that depicts a
monstrous hybrid of human and queen bee, a body
simultaneously insectile and angular and disturb-
ingly fleshy and bulbous. The room is redolent
with buzzing and a sickly-sweet scent.
The mural on the back wall depicts a social
hierarchy through the metaphor of a beehive.
Rotating the statuette above it 180 degrees
causes the hive mural to open a double door-
way into the Catafalque (location #5).
On the other wall is a life-sized depiction of
a healer whose hands drip honey. The eyes have
been defaced, scoured away and painted over
with crude bees. Tapping reveals it is hollow,
while cracking it open disgorges a Bee Swarm
and reveals a wax figure of a healer propped up
in a rosewood coffin, clutching a medical bag
of waxed black linen. Within the medical bag is
a set of gold-plated scalpels, saws, sutures, gold
wire and other medical tools with onyx han-
dles (Gear Bonus +2 to HEAL).
✥ CREATURES: The beehive is largely
dormant but if disturbed, the hive will dis-
gorge a large Bee Swarm. Any PC interact-
ing with or passing close to the hive must
make a STEALTH roll to avoid releasing a
Swarm.
✥ TREASURES: The stone basins have a
total of 3D6 silver coins within them. The
rosewood coffin is worth D6 gold to a
sufficiently morbid individual looking for
7
crypt of the mellified mage
an ostentatious funeral. The medical tools
are worth 4D6 silver.
BEE SWARM
A Bee Swarm is a swarm according to
the rules on page 127 of the Game-
master’s Guide. The Bee Swarms in the
crypt each have a Strength of D3+3
and skill level 4 in SCOUT. A Bee Swarm
attacks using its current strength,
Weapon Damage 1 (non-typical dam-
age). Any living target that suffers
damage is also exposed to a paralyz-
ing poison of Potency 5.
4. VENERATION CHAMBER
The walls of this barren room depict cycles of
sickness and healing – miasma coming from the
sky afflicts a town and their crops but a shining
figure in a glimmering white robe is their sal-
vation, feeding the ill with honey that revives
them.
Upon closer inspection, the figure’s face has
been scratched out throughout the mural and
replaced with a crudely stylized bee.
5. CATAFALQUE OF THE
REVERED DEAD
On evenly spaced elevated biers are four mum-
mified corpses. Even at a distance the overpow-
ering citrus scent of their preserving herbs and
the cloying reek of ambergris they exude is unde-
niable. They are dressed in conical caps with a
 32

34 31
30

33

35
28

29

30

THE CRY P T

8
chapter 1
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24

25
23
21

22
27

20

17
16
18
15

14
19
12
13 2

1
11 10
4
3
9
7
5
8
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9
crypt of the mellified mage
stylized bee pin complemented with plush flow-
ing robes styled in zigzagging black and yellow.
Blossoms of dream herb spill from their gaping
mouths.
Sitting comfortably on the throats of the
mummified corpses are bronze clasps shaped
like leathery toads with prominent quartz
warts. Putting one on causes a thin needle to
extend from its mouth, dosing the wearer with
a gargantuan infusion of frog toxin (Potency 9
hallucinogenic poison).
The back wall depicts the same mural as
in the Ritual Chamber (location #3) but the
priest caste in the second row have peridot
shavings for eyes.
✥ CREATURES: If they are disturbed,
the four Mummified Corpses issue a
sonorous moan and belch forth a cloud
of cloying Hazy Smoke (right). If the
Lich-Abomination (location #22) has
awakened, they rise and attack.
✥ TREASURES: The conical caps are worth
D6 silver each. The bronze toads are
worth 2D6 silver each. The peridot shav-
ings on the mural are worth a total of 2D6
silver if scratched out.
MUMMIFIED CORPSES
ATTRIBUTES:
STRENGTH 8, AGILITY 3
SKILLS: Melee 3, Scout 3
ARMOR RATING: 4
BONY: Arrows and POINTED weapons
can never cause more than one
point of damage. Other weapons
cause normal damage.
10
chapter
HAZY SMOKE: Breath attack against
all targets in NEAR range. Releases
a cloud of Potency 6 poison
(hallucinogenic).
RENDING CLAWS: Roll for the attack
using nine Base Dice and Weapon
Damage 1 (slash wound). If the attack
hits, the victim is also affected by a
disease with Virulence 6.
6. EMBALMING ROOM
A room for the preparation and mummifica-
tion of corpses. Several flat stone tables remain,
scattered with desiccants, bales of fragrant herbs
and ornate, rusted tools for the excision of organs.
There is a partially finished body on one of the
slabs, open chest cavity stuffed with herbs and
skin wrapped in perfumed linen bandages.
✥ CREATURES: The corpse on the slab is
harmless.
✥ TREASURES: The herbs include saffron,
salvia divinorum, calea ternifolia, hens-
bane, and ambergris. They add up to D6
units of HERBS. If the PCs fish around
inside the body, they find a topaz amidst
the herbs worth 4D6 silver.
7. PROCESSIONAL
A narrow hallway illustrated on both sides with
a mural wherein the humans age and eventually
die within a garden laden with bees and dotted
with ponds containing detailed toads with amber
eyes. At the end of their life journey, the humans’
bones are stacked becoming hives and bees flow
forth across Elysian fields.
1
 8. HIVE ROOM
A loud droning hum dominates this room of gooey FINDS IN THE HIVE ROOM
dripping hives leaking auburn honey into the mud D6 FIND
and skull plinths they are set atop. The tumorous 1. A cracked “egg” made of
masses of papery leaking hives spill beyond the delicate glass with rich gold
edges of their plinths in irregular masses oozing accents (D6 silver).
with honey and crawling with bees. The floor is 2. A crude bronze pin shaped
marshy as an untended pool beneath the hives has like a bee (2D6 copper).
leak through its retaining wall. Water still flows 3. A sticky and torn bee han-
into the pool in a gentle, gurgling trickle. Pale dler’s facemask (1 copper).
toads croak ominously but shun all light. 4. A copper burial mask with
emerald eyes (D6 silver)
The sheer volume of hives and bees makes 5. A silver framed frog preserved
movement difficult. The zone counts as ROUGH. in amber (3D6 silver)
6. A medical textbook hun-
✥ CREATURES: If the PCs move through the
dreds of years out of date,
with many of its pages stuck
room, they need to make a STEALTH roll to
together (D3 silver).
avoid releasing a Bee Swarm (see page 7).
✥ TREASURES: Each 15-minute turn of
careful investigation (each requiring
a STEALTH roll to not disturb the Bee and flesh flensed from the bones of the faith-
Swarm), results in a find. Roll a D6. ful. Poking around exposes a PC to a Virulence
4 disease and turns up D3 ornate glass knives
with bronze bee hilts.
9. PREPARATION CHAMBER
The rough stonework that composes this room ✥ TREASURES: The glass knives are extremely
highlights the simplicity and starkness of its con- sharp. Any wound on a living target will
tents. In the center there is an empty pool with inflict another point of damage at the start
braziers at its cardinal points. There are four of each round until a HEAL roll stops the
plinths, also at each cardinal point of the pool, each bleeding. The knives are very delicate and are
a rough, elevated stone platform. permanently destroyed if their Gear Bonus is
reduced. Each knife is worth D6 silver.
The braziers each contain a fragrant bundle of
incense that is quite dry and catches easily, illumi-
nating the room while also obscuring it with per- 10. MOURNING CHAMBER
fumed smoke (giving the zone the FOGGY feature). An octagonal dais dominates the scene, support-
There is a miasmic sludge in the pool, con- ing a central brass cupola decorated in gilt bee
sisting of decayed muscle tissue, organs, sinew imagery.

11
crypt of the mellified mage
Within the cupola is a hexagonal onyx altar
roughly one meter across, atop which are the
prepared bones and overflowing hive that was
planted within.
✥ CREATURES: When interacting with or
passing close to the hive, the PCs need to
make a STEALTH roll to avoid releasing a
Bee Swarm (see page 7).
11. MORTICIAN’S CHAMBER
A minimalist cell draped with stiff raw silk dyed
black and gold. There is a clothing chest on the floor.
✥ TREASURES: The raw silk counts as
2D6 units of CLOTH (silk) and is worth 1
gold per unit if sold to a dressmaker. The
clothing chest is full of ceremonial robes
(elaborate brocade, layered and impracti-
cal, worth 3D6 silver) and a more utilitar-
ian set of simple gray robes (D6 silver as it
is fairly comfortable).
12. MASS GRAVE OF
THE WORTHY DEAD
A room laden with disassembled bones and hives
piled to form a skeletal apiary. Something has
burrowed through one of the walls, possibly the
same thing responsible for many of the hives being
smashed, their bones strewn about while dis-
tressed swarms dance in the air.
✥ CREATURES: When interacting with
or passing close to the hive, the PCs
need to make a STEALTH roll to avoid
releasing a Bee Swarm (see page 7). If the
12
chapter
Abomination in location #22 has been
awakened, the bones animate creating D6
Bee-Laden Skeletons.
✥ TREASURES: Fishing through the room
turns up a paltry 4D6 copper worth of
grave goods – two coins inserted into the
ocular cavity of each skeleton. Looting
the body destroys the future skeletons.
BEE-LADEN SKELETON
These undead are Skeletons as per
the rules on page 122 of the Game-
master’s Guide, but as a slow action
they can also vomit forth an aggres-
sive Bee Swarm (see page 7).
13. MAIN HALL
High arched ceilings emphasize the total emptiness
of the space. The architecture is strikingly stark,
composed entirely of minimalist hexagonal brick.
The eye holes to location #18 are visible with
a careful search (looking in is not particularly
illuminating).
14. REFLECTING HALL
The stonework is chalked, displaying a pyramid
of bones topped with a skull spewing phosphores-
cent bees.
If the Hive panel is investigated closely, a
smoothness to the floor is uncovered as the
panel may be pivoted with a MIGHT roll. The
opening leads to location #18.
1
 15. RITUAL POOL
A reflecting pool, at the center of which is a
pagoda where the wax figure of a sorcerer sits
atop a gold plated, impressive throne. Around it
are several hives. The walls have been painted
to depict an audience scattered amid a garden.
There are broken mirrors under the shallow
water of the pool which act like caltrops – each
PC walking in the pool must make a MOVE roll
or suffer one point of damage. The wax figure is
a likeness of Pagoag, before his transformation.
✥ CREATURES: If the wall is tapped, there
is a hollow point behind a kneeling noble.
Breaking down the wall animates D6 Bee
Laden Skeletons in location #12.
✥ TREASURES: The wax effigy is of very
little value to anyone.
16. TREASURES OF
THE WORTHY DEAD
Many piles of coinage and grave goods sparkle atop
altars carved to look like hives. There is a throne
in the back of the room.
Sitting on the throne triggers a pressure plate
that causes the back to tilt, spilling the occu-
pant into a deeper chamber (location #17).
✥ TREASURES: Roll D6 on the table below
for each 15-minute turn spent searching
the room.

FINDS IN THE TREASURE ROOM

D6 FIND

1 Mummified toads, wrapped in stiff silk and stuffed with perfumed incense,
usable as very smoky TORCHES (2D6 units). They are of negligible value in trade
to anyone except curio dealers and antiquarians.
2 D666 copper in small denomination coins – stamped either with a stylized
bee and its skull-decorated thorax or a bloated toad.
3 Four jade, meter-tall frog statues (worth 4D6 silver each) with prominent
quartz warts melded into them.
4 A brass censer shaped like a bulbous toad on a chain which may be wielded as
a morningstar and works as a lantern if a light source is placed within it.
5 Two extremely rotten divans with very pleasant, filigreed woodwork which are
a rehabilitation job away from being quite valuable. Atop them both sprouts
an array of purple mushrooms (a unit of FOOD each but mildly euphoric – hal-
lucinogenic poison of Potency 3).
6 A tiara of golden bees each with a chrysoberyl thorax bearing vaguely skull-
like details (worth 3D6 silver).

13
crypt of the mellified mage
17. CRYPT OF THE WORTHY DEAD
The room is vacant, dark, cobwebbed and echoes
dramatically. It is pitch dark.
Hanging from the ceiling is a candelabra that
extinguishes all light sources that enter the
room, casting a shadowy light that teases of
danger lurking in the darkness. Light sources
can be re-lit once inside the room.
The back wall of the room, if illuminated,
is an alchemical diagram of the human form
with pressure points marked with bees and
toads. Someone familiar with ancient medi-
cine (a HEAL roll) will know that those cor-
respond to application points for sympathetic
medicine based on holistic correspondences.
If the pressure points are pressed (the bees are
buttons) in ascending order (lowest to high-
est) a rusty and extremely loud mechanism
engages, opening a hidden stone door that
leads to location #22.
On the left wall there are torch sconces
(stone carved bees with skull thoraxes) at reg-
ular intervals, two of which have torches in
them. The torches are made of dream herb,
exposing everyone in the room to Potency 3
hallucinogenic poison if lit. Pulling the one on
the left like a lever audibly loosens the panel
it flanks which can be slid open and leads to
location #27.
✥ CREATURES: Hidden in the darkness are
several bone hives which animate as D6
Bee-Laden Skeletons (see page 12).
✥ TREASURES: Among the bones are 2D6
copper worth of grave currency and a
miter made from waxed linen and deco-
rated with brass bees (3D6 copper).
14
chapter
18. HIDDEN SPYWAY
This hidden hallway is heavily cobwebbed and
laden with dust.
If an uncovered light source is brought far into
the space, it will ignite the cobwebs. This fire
quickly spreads to the oil jars hidden in the ceil-
ing, causing them to fall to the floor, engulf-
ing the room in flame. This counts as an attack
with six Base Dice (non-typical). Anyone who
suffers damage catches fire and suffers another
point of damage at the start of every round until
a MOVE roll is made to extinguish the flames.
Walking along the hall reveals occasional
spyholes for peering into location #13, while
a spot at the end looks into the False Tomb
of Pagoag (location #20). The wall can be
breached (the wall has Armor Rating 6 and
takes 30 points of damage before giving way).
If the cobwebs are cleared away, it reveals
that on the left-hand side of the passage there is
a mural of a human figure gradually fading and
becoming inhuman and skeletal before trans-
mogrifying into a swarm of phantasmal bees.
At the exact midpoint of the image, where the
two forms are most blended and chimeric, there
is a false wall. If the players investigate by tap-
ping the wall, they reveal a seam. The section of
wall is a sliding panel made of ingeniously dis-
guised plaster. Setting fire to the hallway reveals
the sliding door as the plaster burns away.
✥ TREASURES: The floor right before the
spyhole into location #20 is audibly glam-
oured (there is a 1-in-6 chance any awake
undead show up). If the PCs search it ade-
quately, they will realize that a single stone
panel carved to look like brickwork covers
1
 a square meter and can be lifted as it isn’t
mortared in place. Beneath it is a small
parchment detailing the many horrific
crimes and abominable practices of Pagoag
and his coterie. The parchment includes
D6 Healing spells and is quite valuable to
historians in Alderland (3D6 silver).
19. STATUE GARDEN
Macabre marble statues of the afflicted, twenty-four
in total, depict a variety of appalling transforma-
tions that bodies can experience from the ravages of
disease. They are all human-sized and masterfully
carved, but utterly repulsive, especially given the
addition of wax to simulate disturbing protuber-
ances and sloughing flesh. The statues are positioned
so that they appear to be worshiping a six-meter tall
construct of gold-plated wood with several hives
swelling and bursting forth from its ribs. Beneath
the statue’s feet are two enormous toads made from
onyx. The right-hand wall says, “May all diseases be
conquered by the power of the hive.”
If the players investigate the statues, they see that
one which is ravaged by some sort of flesh-eating
fungus is facing away from the construction and
towards the wall. It is bolted to a twistable plate
which clicks when the statue faces the construct.
This causes a series of pulleys in the floor and
wall to release, opening a small chamber that
houses a figure wrapped in black silk and wearing
a golden plague doctor’s mask.
The figure is stuffed with coriander and
its upper face has been replaced with a mum-
mified toad. The mask is cursed and when
worn triggers a fear attack with six Base Dice
against anyone who the wearer stares at (slow
15
crypt of the mellified mage
action). The wall behind the figure has a non-
load bearing column that is hollow and can be
smashed. Doing so reveals a tomb in which a
wax effigy of a toad sits atop four stone kings to
form an odd table. It’s valueless but waxed and
extremely flammable.
✥ TREASURES: The gold-plated wood is
worth D6 gold, but breaking it down
requires a MIGHT roll and it weighs the
equivalent of two heavy items in total.
The onyx toads are also heavy items,
worth D3 gold each.
20. FALSE TOMB OF PAGOAG
The room is positively draped in frayed and some-
what dusty curtains of black silk. A raised dais
in the center of the marble floor is topped with a
brass throne upon which a waxen likeness of the
sorcerer Pagoag sits placidly, gazing at the wall.
The wall the wax figurine stares at contains
a secret door to location #22. Careful inspec-
tion of the figurine turns up that it is nailed in
place with nails wrapped in soft lead inscribed
with binding rituals. Pulling them out causes
the Abomination in location #22 to stir.
The wall the throne faces bears a mosaic
depicting an abomination leading louche peas-
ants in death dances around bonfires. If the
mosaic is investigated, the PCs see that the
abomination is clearly made of layered plaster
embedded with tiles that can be smashed out
of the framing masonry. Doing this reveals a
door to location #22.
The right-hand portion of the wall is missing
most of the tiles and is cryptic as to its contents.
If the missing portion of the mosaic is investi-
gated, there is a section where the plaster chips
away to reveal an opening into location #21.
21. ANNEX
A shadowed, narrow room where, atop a stone
podium, a golden lantern sits. The room’s most
notable feature is a gold banded black door with
red text in a variety of languages scrawled upon
it. Nailed to the door are mummified toads
wrapped in black silk.
If the PCs make a LORE roll, they understand
the scrawled text warns that what lies beyond
cannot be banished, only contained, and that
breaching the door will unleash this pestilent
anathema upon the world. If the toads on the
door are crushed, they emit a powdery cloud,
exposing everyone within ARM’S LENGTH to a
sleeping potion of Potency 3.
catch which causes the hinged door to swing
open. If that door is opened, all the birds turn
gently as if there is a breeze, always pointing
their beaks towards whoever opened the door.
Breaching the white paint around the sar-
cophagus causes the birds to start fluttering
around in a storm of desiccated wings. This
counts as an attack with eight Base Dice and
Weapon Damage 1 (slash wound) against every-
one in NEAR range (in the room).
✥ CREATURES: The dark wax on the sar-
cophagus can be chipped or melted away.
Honey drips from the revealed seam and
the gold-plated lid depicts a screaming,
twisted body with soft fleshy skin clinging
like jelly to the bones and honeycomb
intermittently bursting from within.
When enough wax is cleared away, the
casket flies open and out sloughs the
Abomination Pagoag.

✥ TREASURES: The gold lantern can trigger

the BANISH UNDEAD spell once per day, at
Power Level 3. The user must spend their
own Willpower Points to use the lantern.

22. RESTING PLACE OF

THE ABOMINATION
An austere room of black stone with mummified
birds suspended on gold wire from the ceiling.
White wards are painted around an upright
standing sarcophagus, which seems to be dipped in
dark wax.

Hidden in the wall is a door to location #21.

Cleverly hidden in a finely mortared seam is a

16
chapter 1

PAGOAG
A twisted, gilded skeleton of fine
bone structure floating within a
gelatinous spill of honey. Pagoag
will demand immediate surrender
and unconditional worship and will
horribly batter foes until they com-
ply. Any active undead in the dun-
geon arrive at a rate of D3 per round.
STRENGTH 9, AGILITY 3, WITS 5, EMPATHY 2
MOVEMENT: 2
ARMOR RATING: 4

17
crypt of the mellified mage
IMMUNITY: Pagoag is immune to fire
and cold.
REGENERATIVE: Pagoag regains D3
points of lost Strength at the start
of each round.
TWO ATTACKS: Draw two initiative
cards for Pagoag at the start of
combat. He acts on both.
MELLIFIED FLESH: If Pagoag is
defeated, and the PCs aren’t
shy about engaging in macabre
activities, his flesh can be carved
up for 4D6 units of FOOD. Con-
suming the mellified flesh will
heal all damage (including critical
injuries and mental trauma) and
rejuvenate the imbiber so as to
technically reduce their age by
half (which can increase attri-
butes, see page 31 in the Player’s
Handbook).
MONSTER: The Abomination
counts as a monster in combat
(see page 73 in the Gamemaster’s
Guide). He performs monster
attacks.
MONSTER ATTACKS
D6 ATTACK
1 ROAR OF THWARTED AMBITION! A
fear attack with eight Base
Dice against everyone within
NEAR range.
2 ENGULFING HONEY! A melee
attack with seven Base Dice.
If hit, the target becomes
GRAPPLED and starts to drown
in honey (see page 113 in the
Player’s Handbook). At the
start of each round while GRAP-
PLED, the victim loses one WP.
18
chapter
3 CORPSE PUPPETEER! Pagoag raises
D3 corpses within NEAR range,
turning them into Ghouls or
Skeletons, depending on their
state. This can include slain
PCs.
4 DEMONIC CLAWS! A melee attack
with nine Base Dice, Weapon
Damage 2 (slash wound). If the
target suffers damage, it’s also
exposed to a disease of Viru-
lence 6.
5 SICKLY AROMA! Pagoag exudes
a horribly sweet and sickly
stench. Roll this as an attack
with five Base Dice against
all targets within ARM’S
LENGTH. Damage is inflicted
on Agility. Armor has no
effect.
6 SUMMON SWARM! Pagoag sum-
mons a Bee Swarm which
immediately attacks the PCs.
23. SHRINE TO HUBRIS
The walls to this antechamber depict the atroci-
ties of Pagoag – his delusions of mastery over life
and death, his cruel delight in prolonging diseases
to better comprehend them, his plans for dom-
ination and the villainy of his followers are all
depicted in a landscape of depravity, illness, ill-
rule, squandered wealth, waste and debauchery.
A single gold-plated door with mummified frogs
wrapped in black silk nailed to it has its seam
sealed with black wax. On it, a single word is
scrawled: Anathema.
Opening the door to location #22 awakens all
of the undead in the crypt.
1
 24-25. SEAL AGAINST ANATHEMA
In this room, four mummified figures in black
silk are posed in penitent positions between evenly
spaced columns. Each one wears a gold mask and
flanks a path to an archway. The masks depict
stern frogs standing over bowing and scraping
mummies wearing masks with horridly teary eyes
and wretched expressions. All the stonework is
alabaster and unmarred although finely layered
with dust. The air is still and smells overpow-
eringly of stale coriander and a hard to identify
citrus scent tinged with pepper and other herbs.
In the corner is an archway obscured by bur-
gundy cloth (location #25) leading to loca-
tion #26. Hidden behind the mummies (but
easily located with a cursory search) is a dark
alcove leading into location #27. Crossing the
threshold to this room extinguishes all light
sources.
✥ TREASURES: The masks are worth D6
gold each. Each mask is a light item.
26. ADDITIONAL FALSE
TOMB OF PAGOAG
The walls of this room are draped in burgundy
cloth. There is an enormous hive in the center of
the room, topped with a crowned skull. The per-
sistent buzzing of many bees fills the air.
The entrances to locations #24, #28 and #31
are hidden behind the curtains in this room.
The door to location #28 can be found by
following a faint buzzing sound. The door to
location #31 has no handle and is marked with
a black X.
19
crypt of the mellified mage
✥ CREATURES: Any attempt to snatch the
crown from the hive requires a hard (–2)
STEALTH roll. Failure will trigger a Bee
Swarm.
✥ TREASURES: The crown depicts a bee
astride a kingdom of vacantly staring
humans and is slightly unnerving but
could still fetch 3D6 silver if sold to the
right person.
27. INITIATES’ PASSAGEWAY
The walls to this space are reworked with plaster
to form odd geometric protrusions in sickly yellow
and purplish black. Spaced throughout are also
several mirrors.
If any PC is suffering from a hallucinogenic
poison here, they must make an INSIGHT roll
or immediately start attacking their friends.
A successful MANIPULATION can convince the
victim to stop fighting.
✥ CREATURES: Heading towards location
#28, hives hang from the ceiling, exposed
honeycomb dripping rich amber-colored
effluent. The PCs must make a STEALTH
roll here or trigger a Bee Swarm.
✥ TREASURES: The room becomes progres-
sively darker heading towards location
#25, with occasional skulls painted a deep
amethyst and detailed in gold (worth D6
silver as a novelty if pried out).
28. GARDEN OF HIVES
This large space contains a central fountain
surrounded by four hives, each set on a podium
standing in an overflowing flower garden. The
fountain is topped with a statue of an upwardly
flying swarm of bees transforming into a radiant
being detailed with bronze.
✥ CREATURES: One Bee Swarm in each
hive.
✥ TREASURES: The flowers are not particu-
larly valuable (the PCs could get D6 copper
for a bundle from a desperate suitor if they
were fresh) and taking them disturbs the
bees. The statue is very particular in terms
of imagery and is difficult to sell.
29. HIVES OF THE DEVOUT
The room is filled with hives made from care-
fully stacked skeletons with black skulls.
Towards the back, the hives have been ravaged.
The back wall contains a burrow opening.
✥ TREASURES: There are a total of 3D6
copper coins in the eye sockets of skulls set
into the intact hives and 3D6 more scat-
tered in the ruined hives.
30. INSECTOID CAVE
Inside the dim and low cave is a tight space reek-
ing of musk and decaying meat.
Towards the back, there is a branching burrow
which connects to locations #12, #29 and
#35, though getting to them requires crawling
through a particularly claustrophobic and mal-
odorous dark space. Passing through a tunnel
requires an ENDUR ANCE roll.
20
chapter
✥ CREATURES: One Insectoid queen and D6
drones (see page 109 in the Gamemaster’s
Guide) watch over 3D6 eggs, raiding the
tomb for honeycomb.
31. PROTECTOR’S CHAMBERS
A dusty and austere room with a dresser and an
uncomfortable bed. A worn tapestry depicts a
knight in plate armor being pressed by ghouls.
The tapestry covers a door without a handle,
the face of which has a golden bee with a skull
thorax painted on it. Smashing it down is not
particularly difficult and it leads through a
long hallway into a room of 30 mummified
corpses draped in black silk, dressed in breast-
plates and holding spears. Beyond them is the
door to location #26.
✥ TREASURES: The dresser is full of daily
clothes and a set of ranine plate. The
helmet is complete with bulging vocal
sack and distended belly and the armor has
the texture of a leathery toad’s skin. The
armor counts as normal plate but is magi-
cal and grants the wearer the ability to use
the ANIMAL SPEECH spell once per Quarter
Day (Power Level D3), on frogs and toads
only. Once per Quarter Day, the wearer
can also jump into combat as if they had
the MELEE CHARGE talent at rank 3.
32. ALTAR TO THE
GREAT SWEET DARK
The stone walls of this room are coated in
wax imitations of honeycombs. A hexagonal
1
protrusion in the center of the floor supports a
lifelike bee statue with articulated joints. A few
scattered coins glint around its base. Everything
is exceptionally dusty and the air is stiflingly
stale.

✥ CREATURES: Removing the bee statue

without placing an equal or greater weight
on the spot causes a pressure plate under
the bee to rise, uncorking a phantas-
mal hive hidden within the altar. This
releases an Undead Bee Swarm. Triggering
this trap wakes up all the undead in the
dungeon.
✥ TREASURES: The bee statue is worth
D6 gold, but it is heavy and fragile. 4D6
copper coins lie around its base.
stubs stand before a door which is barred by three
beams with wax seals on them.
UNDEAD BEE SWARM
An Undead Bee Swarm is a swarm Breaking all of the seals causes Pagoag to stir
according to the rules on page 127 of in his crypt and the undead in the dungeon to
the Gamemaster’s Guide. The Undead awaken, but also provides access to location #28.
Bee Swarm in the crypt has a Strength
of D6+3. It attacks using its current
Strength, Weapon Damage 1 (non-typ- 34. VENERATION CHAMBER
ical damage). Any living target that This octagonal room is walled with damask cur-
suffers damage is also exposed to a tains over stone around a central statue glimmer-
disease with Virulence 6. ing with gold.

Accessed by smashing the wall behind the town

33. SEALING ALTAR
A vacant room save for a central altar topped
with an array of items. There is a pewter doll
with several nails driven into it, along with an
offering of desiccated honeycombs and mummi-
fied toads wrapped in black silk. Several candle
shrine to a forgotten saint (see Getting Here),
claustrophobic stairs lead down into the dark-
ness and emerge here.
Behind the statue is an archway curtained
in black silk leading to location #32. Even a
cursory inspection turns up the archways to
locations #31, #33 and #35.

21
crypt of the mellified mage
✥ TREASURES: The statue, made of wood
plated with imitation gold, is of Pagoag.
The figure is subtly wrong with off-kilter
features and blank eyes with golden nails
(worth 5 copper each) driven into them.
The figure is seated on an ostentatiously
busy throne of hexagonal details.
35. PROTECTOR’S CHAMBERS
The room is dusty and minimalist with a canopy
bed as the only focal point besides the strange sword
sitting upright in a stand.
✥ TREASURES: The sword, Hive Bane, is a
longsword with a series of yellow hexagons
on the blackened steel blade giving it a
saw-like appearance. The sword is arrogant,
condescending, vain and demands adula-
tion from the wielder. If it feels neglected
(GM decides) it gives a –2 modification to
all melee attacks. If it is properly cared for
it gives a D8 Artifact Die against anyone
possessed, charmed, mind controlled or
encumbered, and adds a D10 Artifact Die to
all armor rolls against attacks from insects.
EVENTS
Beyond the rooms themselves, you can intro-
duce the following events while the PCs are
exploring the crypt.
✥ A hungry, newly hatched Insectoid slips
into the tomb and begins agitating the
hives. Soon others will follow.
✥ A single brick falls from the ceiling, the
22
chapter
impact echoing through the largely silent
cavern.
✥ The PCs hear the faint sounds of whisper-
ing, scuttling claws, and heavy breathing
in the nearest secret room.
✥ A yokel armed with a handaxe and dispro-
portionate self-esteem – and laden with
trade goods – ventures in after the PCs
looking to sell staple goods at an egregious
markup.
AFTERMATH
If Pagoag is freed, or the tomb is sufficiently
damaged that awakened undead may uncover
their master, he will rebuild his cult and estab-
lish a sanitarium that caters to the incurably
ill. Here he will administer his flesh as com-
munion in exchange for servitude and worship.
This plan is slow moving and it will take a while
for his presence and the nature of his cult to
become obvious. He will within a decade begin
spreading his cult to other populated hexes.
If the party doesn’t do anything about the
Insectoids (the locals are unaware that the crea-
tures will slaughter people to fill a larder for
their newly hatched young) quite a few locals will
be taken in the night and several more will die
crawling into the caves to retrieve kin. Killing
the creatures for bounty or recovering the bones
of someone’s deceased relative can be easy hooks
to get players into the crypt (location #30).
If the party kills Pagoag they are faced with
a vexing dilemma: his flesh (see page 18) is
quite valuable and many people for varied rea-
sons will want it.
1
 THE FIRING PIT
AO-Y UT U Y
OF LL
TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Dungeon
At first it is glimpsed as three thin lines of smoke,
rising up from the plains like snakes engaged in
a slow and sensual dance. Then, as the curious
traveler comes nearer, it is seen to be a mound - as
though a great hunk of soil and granite has forced
its way up from somewhere deep below the surface
of the earth. The crumpled hill stands alone, with
trees scattered around its skirts and some great
fire within, that sighs fumes into the sky above. It
is like a volcano where one has no right to be. But
this is no volcano. It does not destroy - it creates.
BACKGROUND
This is the place where Llao-Yutuy, a figure
known only to a select few, fires his magical
23
the firing pit of llao-yutuy
pottery. He comes from a distant and unknown
land and inhabits only whispered rumors. Of
those aware of his existence, few dare approach
him and fewer still could afford his services.
But there are those willing and wealthy enough
to employ him as a crafter of golems, statues,
figurines, magical pots and bottles, cups and
plates, vases and bowls. The purpose of these
objects varies from storing trapped souls to
the blood of sacrifices. Llao-Yutuy makes it all.
He is capricious, villainous and cruel, but he is
also brilliant. None can match his talent: for
those in need and with the means to give him
what he wants, there is only his name.
Within the mound is a great pit in which
his pottery is fired. Down there, apprentices
labor under their master’s supervision, and
servants work ceaselessly to fetch and carry
and to stoke the flames. Others range across
the landscape gathering wood to turn into
charcoal for the hungry fires or raiding for
captives to be brought within for “remaking”
– their bodies gradually broken and smashed
so that their lifeblood can be extracted and
imbued into the pots. And hidden some-
where deep inside the tunnels which riddle
the mound is a great treasure vault in which
Llao-Yutuy stores the payments he receives
for his work – kept only for avarice and greed,
and never spent.
LEGEND
Local herders and villagers speak of it in hushed
tones. Noticing the smoke on the horizon, they
mutter such things as “The fires are hot today”
or “It burns only faintly” as though discussing the
weather. But they avoid getting any closer. Those
that do are known never to return. Some say it is
home to demons, or a wizard. Others say it is the
entrance to the bowels of the earth, or to the place
where ghosts go during the daylight hours. All of
them know somebody who knew somebody else who
once saw figures on the mound, or heard the dis-
tant sound of wood being chopped, when studying
it from afar.
Other possibilities for the PCs discovering the
pit are:
✥ The PCs arrive at a village within the
vicinity and learn that somebody is miss-
ing. This person has been captured by
Llao-Yutuy’s servants.
24
chapter
✥ The PCs are targeted by Llao-Yutuy’s ser-
vants for capture while in the vicinity.
✥ The PCs simply come across the mound
while traveling.
LOCATIONS
Below are the main locations at the firing pit.
1. MAIN ENTRANCE
A well-trodden path leading to a tunnel entrance
big enough for a man to walk through, slightly
stooped. It leads to a dark tunnel just wide enough
for two men to walk abreast.
This is the entrance Llao-Yutuy’s servants use
to come and go.
2. SIDE ENTRANCE
A narrow and little-used trail leading to a tunnel
entrance big enough for a man to walk through,
slightly stooped. The tunnel it opens into is narrow
and must be traversed in single file.
This is a side entrance, rarely used by Llao-Yu-
tuy’s servants and left unguarded except for
the fungus further up the passage (location
#19).
3. NARROW ENTRANCE
A cave, little more than a crack, that is possi-
ble to crawl into on all fours. It is at the top of
a rock face about five meters up. Behind it is a
2
passageway only high enough for a man to crawl
into, and only wide enough to push forward in
single file.
Llao-Yutuy and his servants generally ignore
this entrance and leave it unguarded, because
of the existence of the pool (location #20).
4. HOLE ENTRANCE
A pit in the ground, about three meters deep.
At the bottom is a tunnel only high enough for a
man to crawl through, and only wide enough to
go single file.
Llao-Yutuy and his servants will use this
entrance as a bolt-hole if necessary. The
Watcher is known to occasionally leave via this
route to go hunting (see Events).
5. RUBBISH/SCREE
A large black hole in the side of the mound, below
which is a steep slope of scree. Strewn all over the
slope and in a huge pile at the bottom are shattered
fragments of pottery and clay dust.
This is where Llao-Yutuy’s servants dispose
of pottery cast-offs, of which there are a vast
amount. Picking through the rubbish for one
hour will unearth D3 pieces of unbroken pot-
tery. At the bottom of the slope is where bodies
are buried after their “remaking” – close inspec-
tion will reveal recent burials. The bodies will
all be stripped and have their throats slit.
✥ TREASURES: D3 pieces of pottery (see the
table on page 35).
25
the firing pit of llao-yutuy
6. LOOKOUT
An opening in the cave, just big enough to be called
a chamber. There is a stool to one side, with a
blanket next to it. The walls are covered with
obscene graffiti scratched into the surface.
A lazy servant is posted here at all times to
keep watch. Since nobody ever approaches the
mound, duties are treated laxly. There is a bell
hanging from a hook embedded in the wall
that the servant is supposed to ring if intrud-
ers are spotted, in which case Boulder and
four more servants come running. The look-
out has a 1 in 3 chance of being asleep, a 1 in 3
chance of being engaged in whittling or some
other time-killing activity (in which case he is
surprised on being encountered), and a 1 in 3
chance of being reasonably alert.
✥ CREATURES: One servant.
THE SERVANTS
A gaggle of twelve men and women
who do the fetching and carrying
and general dirty work in the firing
pits, gather wood for charcoal, and
hunt for captives for remaking. They
are like images of their master in
miniature – vindictive and mean, and
impossible to trust. They obey him
not because he gives them any-
thing in return, but because he is an
emblem of strength and single-mind-
edness that fills them with envy and
the false promise that one of them
might one day become as powerful
as he.
 When the PCs arrive, there is one ser-
vant at the lookout, one at the pot-
tery (location #11), D3 in the quarters
(location #14), and D3 in the guard
room (location #15). The rest are per-
forming duties in other chambers or
are out foraging or raiding and may
return at any time – see Events.

STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2

17
Might 2, Melee 3, Marks-
SKILLS:
manship 2 1
WEAPONS: Shortsword or club, small
shield, leather armor, one in two
have a short bow.
7
6

7. SIDE CRACK
8
A crack in the right-hand side of the wall, just 9
narrow enough for a child, dwarf, halfling, gob-
lin or other small humanoid to squeeze into. This
leads to a narrow crawlspace heading upward at
a steep angle.

The crawlspace is not difficult to climb for

somebody who is the right size – there are
plenty of handholds.

8. THE STEP
The corridor here suddenly opens into a high
chamber where a sheer rock face, four meters 2
high, cuts across the path. At the top of the rock
face, there is a ledge. A large wicker basket, big
enough to carry a man, sits at the bottom. A rope
attaches it to a pulley at the top of the ledge. A
small gong sits nearby.

26
chapter 2
 4
5

13
16

15

14
A
14
B 14
C

10

13

12
11

21

19 3

IR ING PIT
TH E F

27
the firing pit of llao-yutuy
Llao-Yutuy’s servants use the basket to lift
themselves and other heavy items up the rock
face to the ledge at the top. The gong alerts
those inside the mound to come and operate
the pulley – its use will call D3+1 servants,
arriving within D6 minutes. The rock face can
be climbed but requires a successful MOVE roll.
9. SECRET ROOMS
At the top of the crawlspace is a cavern with walls
that are covered in crude yet beautiful paintings.
There are two caverns, linked by a short tunnel
which can be crawled through. The walls are
covered with paintings – two in the first cham-
ber (on the W and E walls) and three in the
second (on the W, E and S walls). These were
painted in eons past by the primitive people
who lived in the region. They depict, respec-
tively: a hunter spearing an ox; wolves chasing
hares; a falcon with another bird in its claws;
a bear rearing on its hind legs; a man with the
head of a heron. Close inspection of the pic-
tures will reveal tiny remnants of dried blood.
If somebody smears their blood on one
of the paintings a blessing is bestowed upon
them – but this only works once; subsequent
attempts on other paintings will fail. The
painting of the hunter spearing the ox pro-
vides a +1 modification to MARKSMANSHIP
rolls; the wolves chasing hairs provides +1 to
ENDUR ANCE or MOVE rolls involving speed
or running; the falcon provides +1 to MELEE
rolls; the bear rearing up provides +1 to
MIGHT rolls; and the heron-headed man pro-
vides +1 to INSIGHT rolls. This effect lasts for
one month.
28
chapter
10. REMAKING CHAMBER
A big cavern with a high ceiling. It is lit by torches. All
over the floor and walls are blood stains. In the center
of the chamber is a round pit, about three meters in
diameter, and about the same depth, with smooth
tiled walls and wet clay collected at the bottom to
the depth of about half a meter. To one side stands a
motionless figure wearing a tall bronze crown.
This is where captives are “remade” in order to
separate their souls from their bodies for the pur-
pose of being imbued into Llao-Yutuy’s pottery.
Their bodies are smashed and broken and then
their throats are slit and they are hurled into the
pit. The blood and soul leak out of the victim and
into the clay while Jistana casts eldritch binding
spells, and this is what gives the pottery its magi-
cal potency. After a time, the bodies are removed,
and the clay is dug out to use for potting. The
room is guarded by the golem called the King.
THE KING
Four clay golems stand inside the
mound, each tasked with a specific
function. The first, the King, is a tall,
thin figure with a high crude crown
on his head, made of rough red clay.
Those he looks upon feel compelled to
obey his commands: he orders them
to attack one another, or to flee.
STRENGTH 12, AGILITY 2
SKILLS: Melee 4
MOVEMENT: 1
ARMOR RATING: 4
WEAPON: Longsword
2
 SPECIAL: The King can, as a slow
action, issue commands to either
flee, attack a comrade, or drop a
weapon. These commands must be
obeyed on a failed INSIGHT roll at a
demanding (–1) difficulty. The roll
does not count as an action.
11. POTTERY
This circular chamber with its low ceiling is
well-lit by torches and swelters with heat as a
result. Six round cushions are arranged in a circle
in the middle, around a large pile of wet clay.
This is where the potters do their shaping each
day. They do not have throwing wheels and do
everything painstakingly by hand. The potters
are always in here during the day, along with
one servant. Each will be working on a piece of
pottery at various stages of completion.
✥ CREATURES: One servant and six potters.
THE POTTERS
Six miserable wretches who have been
taken on by Llao-Yutuy as “appren-
tices.” Though each of them has been
in his employ for decades, none of
them has yet satisfied him enough to
be declared a journeyman, much less a
master. He has crippled each of them
by having their legs repeatedly broken,
on the basis that a potter needs only
his hands; they shuffle about by walk-
ing on their fists, dragging their useless
legs with them.
29
the firing pit of llao-yutuy
The Potters are non-combatants and
will offer no resistance if attacked. They
have a rating of 2 in all attributes and
skill level 3 in CRAFTING.
12. THE PIT
The chamber is mostly taken up by the pit,
although there is enough space to walk all the way
around it. The pit is about two meters deep and
filled with charcoal, wood, leaves and earth,
burning with a ferocious heat and sending smoke
billowing upwards where three holes lead all the
way up to the surface.
This is where the pottery is fired – there are six
random objects of pottery in there at any time,
buried within the midst of the flaming rubbish
(see the Pottery table below). Leaning against
the wall are a long iron pole with a hook on the
end and a spade with an elongated handle. These
are used for raking through the refuse to fish
out the pots when sufficiently fired. A low tun-
nel, which an adult human would have to stoop
to enter leads W to the Store (see below). It is
covered over by a slab of stone. This requires
a MIGHT roll of formidable (–3) difficulty to
move. Alternatively, one can simply tap it three
times with a fingertip and then use that finger-
tip to slide it effortlessly to one side. It is possi-
ble for an adult human to enter or exit through
the holes in the ceiling, but they are directly
above the fire itself – one would have to contrive
a method of getting up to them.
✥ TREASURES: Six items of pottery (see the
table on page 35).
 13. STORE
A chamber filled with wooden shelves, con-
taining pots, bowls, figurines and so on. This is
where pots are taken to be cooled. There are 3D6
here at any one time (see the Pottery table). It is
guarded by the golem called the Child, who waits
in the blackness with effortless patience to attack
intruders.
✥ TREASURES: 3D6 items of pottery (see the
table on page 35).
✥ CREATURES: The Child.
THE CHILD
The Child is made of delicate green-
white porcelain. She is a little over
one meter high, and carries two
copper blades, curved like sickles. She
hooks them inside flesh, so as to tear
and rip. And her teeth are filed and
sharp for biting.
STRENGTH 10, AGILITY 4
SKILLS: Melee 4
MOVEMENT: 3
ARMOR RATING: 3 15. GUARD ROOM
WEAPONS: Two blades (treat as
shortswords). When one blade
damages a target, it hooks into
the flesh and remains. At the
start of the next round, the child
tugs it free to inflict a greater
wound, doing one additional
point of damage automatically. If
both blades hit a target, she also
bites for one point of damage
(slash wound).
30
chapter
14. QUARTERS
Three chambers, each of which contains bedrolls
and other meager possessions belonging to the ser-
vants and potters.
Locations #14A and #14C are where the ser-
vants sleep. Each contains six bedrolls – blankets,
straw pillows, and the like – and mundane items
such as dice, animal bones, and carved wooden
figurines. Location #14C is where the potters
sleep. As well as their bedrolls there is a large pot
in one corner filled with a noxious balm which
the potters use to ease the pain they perpetually
feel in their legs. It can be used as a grease or as a
mild numbing agent. On the north wall there is
also a stone which can be removed carefully with
a knife or other thin object. Behind it there is a
small sack containing keepsakes – 3D6 copper
pieces, a flute, a tiny drum no bigger than a cup,
and a small bottle containing a hallucinogenic
liquid used by the servants to amuse themselves.
✥ TREASURES: 3D6 copper and some
keepsakes.
✥ CREATURES: D3 servants.
A wicker gate bars entry to this chamber at all
times. It is a simple flat screen which can be easily
pushed to one side – but it has a dozen small bells
attached to it, so that any movement will alert
the occupants of the room beyond. The chamber
is well-lit, and the torch light filters through the
wicker to the corridor outside.
This is the guard room and antechamber
for Llao-Yutuy’s inner sanctum. There are
2
typically D3 servants here at any one time,
lounging around on cushions and gambling on
scorpion fights. They have 2D6 copper pieces
between them. There are six scorpions kept in
a crude cage. Their stings have a paralyzing
poison of Potency 7. As soon as a fight com-
mences one of the servants will open the cage
and throw the scorpions in the general direc-
tion of the PCs.
✥ CREATURES: D3 servants.
16. LLAO-YUTUY’S CHAMBER
A red silk curtain functions as the doorway to a
comfortable room containing an oversized bed, a
work area with comfortable cushions and a large
lump of clay, a shelf with six clay bowls on it, each
of a different color, and a chest.
This is where Llao-Yutuy sleeps and works and
usually where he can be found during the day.
The bowls on the shelves can be stacked: they are
red, orange, yellow, blue, green and white respec-
tively. If they are stacked so that the blue one is
on the top, it instantly fills with water. If they
are stacked so that the red one is on the top, it
instantly fills with blood. If yellow, it fills with
3 gold coins which instantly disappear after one
hour. If orange, it causes a flame to appear inside
the bowl which lasts for a minute. If green, it
fills with a clear acid. If white, it fills with poison
(Potency 7). This only works once a day.
✥ CREATURES: Llao-Yutuy.
✥ TREASURES: The chest contains Llao-Yu-
tuy’s ledger (see page 35) and his fine robes
and hats, which are worth 2D6 silver
pieces and count as a heavy item when
taken all together due to their bulk.
LLAO-YUTUY
Llao-Yutuy is fat, pompous, and cruel, like
a mean-spirited, flabby young bully-boy
inflated into an adult. He is given to
wearing thick blue robes and a wide-
brimmed hat, even when underground;
his face is big and round, with tiny fea-
tures dotting the expanse of wobbling
flesh. But his hands and forearms are
muscular and hard from his work, and his
strength is terrifying. He hates everyone
and everything, except for works of clay;
when studying an item of particular
beauty that a servant has made, he often
takes to blubbery weeping.
STRENGTH 6, AGILITY 2, WITS 5, EMPATHY 6
Crafting 5, Melee 1, Move 1,
SKILLS:
Manipulation 4, Might 3, Insight 4
WEAPON: Iron club (treat as a mace)
32
chapter
17. JISTANA’S CHAMBER
A curtain of hanging bead strings functions as the
doorway to a room containing a hammock strung
from one side to another and a bedroll in one
corner. An ornate and very out-of-place-looking
wardrobe stands to one side.
This room is where Jistana and Boulder sleep,
with Jistana taking the hammock and Boulder
the bedroll. The wardrobe contains a Ghost
(see the Gamemaster’s Guide) which is trapped
inside. If the wardrobe is opened it will imme-
diately attack the nearest living thing and then
seek to leave the mound. The Ghost is protect-
ing Jistana’s possessions.
✥ CREATURES: Jistana, Boulder, and the
Ghost.
✥ TREASURES: The wardrobe protected by the
Ghost contains a spyglass, a set of 10 silver
rings each worth D6 silver, three random
items of pottery (see the Pottery table) and
her grimoire, containing all general spells
in Chapter 6 of the Player’s Handbook.
JISTANA, THE SORCERESS
Llao-Yutuy’s wife is like a grape which
has been shriveled into a raisin – tiny,
wizened, and creased. Long-suffer-
ing, she dotes on her husband, but
receives nothing but contempt in
return: Llao-Yutuy never refers to her
by name, but as “the crone,” “the husk,”
“the old fool” or words to that effect.
Yet she is a powerful sorceress who
could doubtless blast him into dust
if she chose. Rather than respond in
2
 kind to his cruelties, she instead visits
them in turn on her personal servant,
the one called Boulder, and especially
on any captives before they are even-
tually shattered and remade.
STRENGTH 1, AGILITY 2, WITS 5, EMPATHY 4
Melee 1, Move 2, Insight 5,
SKILLS:
Healing 4, Lore 4
Healing 1, Shape-
MAGIC DISCIPLINES:
shifting 1, Awareness 2, Symbolism
2, Blood Magic 3, Death Magic 3
WEAPON: Staff
BOULDER
A tall, broad-shouldered monster of
a man, Boulder serves Jistana more
obediently even than a dog. She amuses
herself by occasionally slicing off a body
part of his; she castrated him long ago
and has also cut off his nose and ears.
She delights in threatening to cut off his
tongue the next time. He will protect
her with his life, without question, and is
also usually the one who breaks cap-
tives for the process of remaking.
STRENGTH 7, AGILITY 4, WITS 2, EMPATHY 1
SKILLS:Might 4, Endurance 4, Melee
3, Stealth 2, Marksmanship 2
WEAPON: Two-handed sword
18. TREASURE TROVE
A dark chamber containing nine earthenware
pots arranged carefully in rows of three. To either
side stand crude, man-sized figures.
33
the firing pit of llao-yutuy
The pots contain Llao-Yutuy’s accumulated
wealth. In each, there are 3D6 silver coins.
Each pot is covered with a cloth lid, soaked
with a lethal poison of Potency 7, which works
on contact with skin. The chamber is guarded
by the golems called the Dancers. As soon as
anybody other than Llao-Yutuy enters the
room, they attack.
✥ CREATURES: The Dancers.
✥ TREASURES: 3D6 silver in each pot.
THE DANCERS
The Dancers are formless, feature-
less humanoids, of the most basic
mud-brown clay. Both dance. When
doing so, one of them hums, so
loud that intruders cannot hear or
concentrate on anything but the
appalling noise; the other glows so
bright that they cannot see any-
thing but the unrelenting white
glare.
STRENGTH 12, AGILITY 3
MOVEMENT: 2
ARMOR RATING: 3
WEAPON: Fists (monster attacks as a
Troll, see the Gamemaster’s Guide)
SPECIAL: One Dancer hums contin-
ually during combat, drowning out
all communication and prevent-
ing spellcasting; the other glows
brightly, giving a –2 modification
to all close combat and ranged
attacks against it.
 19. FUNGUS
A long, narrow chamber filled with pale
toadstools.
Each mushroom emits sleeping spores as soon
as anything bigger than a mouse approaches.
Anyone seeking to cross the room must make
an ENDUR ANCE roll each round or pass out for
D6 minutes, unless fully covering or closing
his or her mouth and nose – simply holding
one’s breath is not sufficient to prevent the
spores entering.
20. THE POOL
The passage here opens into a long, narrow cham-
ber with a low ceiling. It is filled with frigid
water full of slithering shapes.
The lake is only ankle deep along its shore, but
rapidly gets deeper – in its central section it
is two meters deep, before it quickly becomes
shallower again. The water throngs with pallid
salamanders which are weakly electric and stun
swimmers. When trying to cross, a character
must make a successful ENDUR ANCE roll. Fail-
ure results in being stunned for D6 rounds.
21. THE FISSURE
A crack in the ceiling, wide enough for an adult
human to enter, leads to a shaft that stretches
upwards for four meters. At the top is an open
space with a ledge on which a person can stand. A
skeleton is curled up in the fetal position on the ledge.
The skeleton clutches a small leather
pouch, very old, containing a piece of folded
34
chapter
parchment with a message written on it: “To
the one that finds this message – tell my
Father I failed to locate her. I hail from […]
and my Father is […].” Insert a location and a
name as desired.
22. THE PRISON
Six wooden cages, big enough to house a crouching
adult human, sit in this chamber.
This is where captives are housed before
“remaking.” There are D3–1 in here at any
one time, of random ages and sexes. They are
kept naked – piled up in a corner are their
clothes.
✥ CREATURES: D3 captives. They have a
rating of 1 in all attributes.
EVENTS
Use the events below as appropriate during the
PCs’ visit to the firing pit.
✥ The PCs run into a single servant, per-
forming some random chores.
✥ A group of D6 servants arrives at the
main entrance, returning after foraging
or raiding. If they spot trouble, they will
sound the alarm and chase the PCs.
✥ The PCs run into Llao-Yutuy, Jistina
or Boulder. Unless the alarm has been
sounded, this event should only occur in
the Pottery or the Pit.
✥ The monster called the Watcher, moving
around the tunnels at random, suddenly
comes upon the PCs.
2
 STRENGTH 14, AGILITY 6

MOVEMENT: 2
THE WATCHER ARMOR RATING: 3
A giant millipede, six meters long, which SKILLS:Melee 4, Move 3, Endurance
patrols the tunnels within the mound 3, Scout 4
with quiet, deliberate movements. It WEAPON: Bite (attack with eight
seems to be possessed of some strange Base Dice, Weapon Damage 1, slash
intelligence and is often found simply wound)
observing Llao-Yutuy’s servants as they SPECIAL: The Watcher counts as a
go about their business, as though monster in combat (see the Game-
master’s Guide), although it has no
monitoring their every movement. They
monster attacks.
suspect that somehow Llao-Yutuy is
able to see through its eyes.

POTTERY TABLE
Each item of pottery discovered (normal
item in terms of encumbrance) has a 1 in
6 chance of being magical. Otherwise it is
simply an item of primitive beauty worth
2D6 silver. To activate any magical piece of
pottery, the correct spoken command is
needed. Commands for all items are kept
in Llao-Yutuy’s ledger (see Location #16).

D6 POTTERY TYPE IF MAGICAL, ROLL AN APPROPRIATE DIE.

1 Pot 1: POT OF STORING. Stores up to four light items without counting

toward encumbrance.
2-3: POT OF UNBREAKING. Never cracks.
4-5: POT OF PURIFYING. Any liquid poured inside becomes fresh
drinkable WATER.
6: POT OF SCORPIONS. A scorpion lives inside, with a poison of ran-
dom type and Potency D3+3. If it is removed, the next day a
new one appears.
2 Bowl 1-2: BOWL OF WATER ELEMENTALS. When the bowl is filled with water and
certain words are spoken, a Power Level 3 water elemental (see
page 26 of The Bitter Reach) is created and will obey the bearer.
3-4: BOWL OF DROWNING. If a person drinks from it they instantly
shrink to the size of an ant before being plunged into the
middle of the bowl where they start to drown (see page 113
of the Player’s Handbook). The bowl does not smash but falls
to rest either on the table or floor.
5-6: BOWL OF BLOOD BLESSING. Blood poured into the bowl becomes
sanctified, and can be used as an equivalent to holy water – but
the bowl must be full each time.

35
the firing pit of llao-yutuy
D6 POTTERY TYPE IF MAGICAL, ROLL AN APPROPRIATE DIE.

3 Figurine 1-2: MAN.

3-4: WOMAN.
5: CHILD.
6: ANIMAL.

On a spoken phrase, the figurine comes to life for one Quarter

Day and obeys commands, akin to a small golem. It then reverts
to its inert state.
4 Vase or Jug 1-2: ALCHEMY JUG. Pours up to eight units of WATER, four units of
beer, one unit of wine or one unit of oil per Quarter Day.
3-4: EVERSMOKING BOTTLE. When unstoppered it emits thick
billowing smoke continuously, totally obscuring vision in
one zone until stoppered again).
5-6: FLASK OF SPIRITS. On a spoken command, will force any
Ghost or other insubstantial entity to be sucked inside
if within NEAR range – it is then contained indefinitely as
long as the flask is stoppered.
5 Plate 1-2: PLATE OF SHIELDING.On a spoken command the plate trans-
forms into an unbreakable large shield with Artifact Die
D8; this lasts for D6 turns and can only be used once per
day.
3-4: PLATE OF ASSISTANCE. On a spoken command the plate begins
to levitate in position and will follow the person who
spoke the command for the remainder of the day. It can
carry up to two normal items.
5-6: PLATE OF KILLING. On a spoken command, the plate develops
a razor-sharp edge, and it can then be thrown, Gear Bonus
+2, Artifact Die D8 and Weapon Damage 2. This can only be
done once per day.
6 Cup 1-2: SACRIFICIAL CUP. If a
person or animal’s blood is collected in the
cup and drunk, the drinker obtains all the memories of the
victim.
3-4: SCRYING CUP. When the cup is filled with water and the com-
mand word is spoken, it allows the viewing of distant loca-
tions akin to a FARSIGHT spell of Power Level 3, lasting for one
turn. This can be done once per day.
5-6: CUP OF POISON. When the cup is filled with any liquid and the
command word is spoken, the liquid transforms into a poi-
son of Potency D6+3 of a random type.

36
chapter 2
 TEMPLE OF THE
LIMBED LOR D
SIX-
TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Village
Six towers, behind walls of white and red:
One crackles, limned with storm-cloud electricity;
Two gleam in precious metals – bronze,
silver, gold;
Two are tile and teak, their roofs hung
with lanterns;
The last is merely stone – thin, faceless and dark.
The gate is open. You glimpse gardens, billets,
bustle. There is a gruff bellow, some laughing chatter,
and the rhythmic crash of mail. A patrol marches out
to receive you. The soldiers look nearly human.
BACKGROUND
There are as many denominations of the
Monkey King’s worship as there are worlds.
37
the six-limbed lord
The Temple of the Six-Limbed Lord, based
in Eternal Yimming, emphasizes the simian
god’s ambition.
At the beginning of this cycle the Tem-
ple’s leaders decided they would bore upwards
through reality, to invade heaven itself.
Instead, they found themselves upon the
sphere where Ravenland sits. Realizing their
error, they have decided to make the best of
things.
As antagonists, the monkeys are best pit-
ted against seasoned adventurers. Have them
occupy familiar towns, capture friendly NPCs,
menace player strongholds – make your cam-
paign’s safe spaces perilous again.
Alternatively: working with the Temple
can be lucrative. Its priests always want more
– more treasure, more tribute, more territory;
more power. They are willing to hire native
freelancers.
The Six-Limbed Lord is always under
the control of the Sixth Priest of the Tem-
ple. At present, this is Krakura. Krakura
wants peace, and to him, peace may only be
achieved when no god but his is worshipped,
anywhere in all realities. To be considered a
Priest, a creature must have the appropriate
seal on its person.
Nyanyetnya, Seventh Priest of The Six-
Limbed Lord, was expelled from the temple
and now walks the land alone. She wants to
return the Temple to Yimming and knows that
removing Krakura’s control of the Six-Limbed
Lord is key. This can be done by stealing the
seal from Krakura.
If the statue is returned to the Temple
Hexagon (location #7), the entire complex
sinks into the ground, with all its inhabitants,
retreating from this reality. That effect is
also achieved if the statue is defeated, though
Nyanyetnya weeps at such sacrilege.
LEGEND
Demons are an evil come to us through a crack in
the world. One of their forms is called monkey – per-
son-shaped and person-faced, but subtly perverse.
They have pale fur, thumbs on both hands and feet,
a cat-like tail, and are long as they are tall. Armed
and armored, they come bearing flags and scripture.
But their insignias are meaningless heraldry, their
shields filigreed in alien styles. Their hymns praise
false divinities – what fearful evil! While some
demons worm through our lowest urges, the monkey
instead mocks our art, our faith, our civilization.
Our virtues!
GETTING HERE
The longer the Temple remains in this reality,
the more its presence is felt. Before the PCs visit
the Temple, introduce the monkeys step-by-step.
Each day, in order, replace an entry in the ran-
dom encounter table with one from the list below:

MONKEY ENCOUNTERS
1. Giggling. Something hits a PC’s head. What at first appears to be a stone,
ridged like a brain, instead turns out to be a plum pit. The Monkey Scout
tracking the PCs has a bag of magic plums. Eating one grants invisibility for a
Quarter Day.The scout is an utter coward and, if captured, is willing to guide
the PCs to the Temple in exchange for his life.
2. The incomprehensible commands of military drill. A troop of twenty-four
Monkey Soldiers, including a bannerman and bellowing sergeant. Marching to
a nearby settlement, the sergeant will demand half of the settlement’s food
stores, and all of its wine.

38
chapter 3
3. Slurred singing. 2D6 sergeant-less Monkey Soldiers, drunk on pilfered wine.
They want music, company and more food, going so far as to fish rations out
of the PCs’ packs without permission.
The monkeys will continue their impromptu pub crawl until Temple
authorities collect them.
4. A whip-crack. 2D6 Monkey Soldiers with a chain gang of D6 prisoners – each
of a different kin, kidnapped from nearby communities. The monkeys are
collecting specimens.
5. Rolling thunder. It doesn’t seem to end. D6 Cloud-Riders run down a caravan.
Their Cloud Steeds skitter on insect-leg-like arcs of lightning, quicker than
horses.
If dismounted, these monkeys expect capture and ransom, as befits
nobles of their status.
6. From a nearby hill, a plume goes up shrieking. Color bursts in the sky. Keng-
kada (see page 54) and D6 Monkey Sages conduct rocketry tests against the
high vault of this new world.
Kengkada will pay for cosmological information about Ravenland.
7. A man-sized bell jar atop a valved copper bowl. Full of red mist. A Bloodling
thumps against the glass. D3 Monkey Sages watch with quill and scroll, jot-
ting down their observations.
Demon-glass is impervious to otherworldly creatures. To mortals it is just
glass.
8. “Hail Meemerak, Herald of the Six-Limbed Lord!” a hundred voices say, in
unison. “Hallowed Be, Hallowed Be!” A Macaque Swarm appears, bearing the
Priest’s gilded throne on its shoulders.
Meemerak (see page 47) tours the country, presenting treaties with comi-
cally punitive fine print.
9. The Six-Limbed Lord, smiling, has just stomped a local shrine into rubble. Its
priest kneels, slack-jawed. The Six-Limbed Lord pats him on the head with one
golden palm.
Retracing the god’s path of destruction can lead the PCs back to the
Temple.
10. A lone figure with yellow eyes and yellow teeth reclines by the fire, waiting
for her skewered fish to cook. She grins when the PCs draw near and rattles a
kettle with her tail. “Tea?”
This is Nyanyetnya, Seventh Priest of the Six-Limbed Lord. Cannot be sur-
prised. She explains her situation to the PCs and asks them to steal Krakura’s
seal to help her return the Temple to Yimming (see Background).

39
the six-limbed lord
 MONKEY SOLDIER
MONKEYS STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 2
The monkeys appear in idealized form: as tall Endurance 3, Melee 3,
SKILLS:
as a human; quicker, stronger, more magi- Crafting 1, Move 3
cal; straight-backed – though bow-legged and GEAR: Studded leather, studded
waddling. leather cap, large shield, trident or
A monkey knows it is better than an ape. sling, bottle of water (or plum wine)
In its eyes, all the kin of Ravenland are apes.
Prone to distraction, especially if there MONKEY SERGEANT
aren’t authority figures around. All mon- STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
keys are aligned to one of the priests. Roll Endurance 3, Melee 3,
SKILLS:
D6: Manipulation 1
TALENTS: Path of the Enemy 3
GEAR: Chainmail, open helmet, small
D6 PRIEST shield, monkey staff (as halberd),
1 Meemerak orders bearing the seal of a priest

2 Ngarunching MONKEY SAGE

3–4 Ngajaputri
Sages all serve Kengkada.
5 Sasingha STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 5, EMPATHY 3
6 Kengkada SKILLS: Crafting 3, Lore 3, Healing 1
TALENTS: Path of Many Things 2
GEAR: Firework bomb (SHORT range;
if hit, everyone in the target zone
All monkeys are able to use their tails as suffers an attack with six Base Dice,
full limbs – they are able to use two-handed Weapon Damage 1, slash wound),
weapons with shields, or another one-handed assorted tools, writing supplies
weapon.
MONKEY NOBLES
Nobles tend to rally behind Sasingha.
MONKEY SCOUT They belong to various houses iden-
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 5, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3 tified by their animal sigil. Roll D10 on
Stealth 3, Marksmanship 2,
SKILLS: the table to the right.
Scout 3, Survival 2 Nobles are ultimately loyal to
GEAR: Throwing knives, map, trail those of their house; blood is blood.
snacks, bag of magic plums (eaten, And the priests of the Six-Limbed
a plum grants invisibility for a Lord are also members of the nobility;
Quarter Day)
they belong to the house they most

40
chapter 3
resemble – Sasingha is of the Lion, MACAQUE SWARM
Ngajaputri is of the Elephant, etc. Macaques are monkeys the size of
big house cats. A swarm of them
involves hundreds of macaques.
D10 ANIMAL SIGIL Mystically bonded, they cling body
1 Lion to body to body, like maggots in a
2 Tiger burst belly, assembling themselves
3 Elephant into the shape of a single entity.
Typically they form a hulking
4 Rhinoceros
monkey, tall as a giant. But they can
5 Cat
assume other forms, as their collec-
6 Crane tive whim or the situation demands.
7 Peacock Meemerak knows the secret
8 Eagle to their creation; most Macaque
9 Mantis Swarms are in his service.
In combat, a Macaque Swarm
10 Crocodile
counts as a monster.

STRENGTH 18, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 2

SKILLS: Scout 2
CLOUD-RIDER
MOVEMENT: 1
STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 4
ARMOR RATING: 6
Melee 4, Scout 2, Animal
SKILLS:
Handling 3
MONSTER ATTACKS
TALENTS: Path of the Knight 2
D6 ATTACK
GEAR:Plate armor, closed helmet,
small shield, glaive (as halberd), one 1 MANY GUISES TO TAKE! The
VALUABLE FIND, cloud steed Macaque Swarm re-configures
itself. Roll D6:
CLOUD STEED 1: A rearing cobra (physical
attacks do lethal poison,
STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 6
Potency 6)
SKILLS: Move 3, Melee 2 2: A tight sphere (Armor
MOVEMENT: 2 Rating 8)
3: A winged garuda (flight)
WEAPON: Lightning Feet (Attack 4: An amorphous blob (counts
with six Base Dice, Weapon Dam- as being within ARM’S LENGTH
age 2, SHORT range, damages Agility of all targets in zone)
instead of Strength, armor has no
effect)

41
the six-limbed lord
 5: An antlered stag (Move 3)
6: A giant monkey (being the
most perfect of forms)
This clambering and writh-
ing is gross to watch. All foes
within sight take a fear attack
with five Base Dice.
2
MANY THROATS TO SPEAK! The
swarm’s macaques chatter
all at once. This racket is
discordant and disorienting.
All targets within NEAR range
suffer a fear attack with seven
Base Dice.
3 MANY HANDS TO GRASP! The swarm
reaches out to grab a foe
within NEAR range. Attack with
eight Base Dice and Weapon
Damage 1 (slash wounds). If
successful, the target is GRAP-
PLED and hit with the same
attack every turn, until they
break free.
4 MANY MOUTHS TO BITE! The swarm
snaps at a foe. Attack with
eight Base Dice and Weapon
Damage 2 (slash wounds).
5 MANY ARMS TO PUNCH! The swarm
hits a target within NEAR range
with a massive appendage.
Attack with ten Base Dice
and Weapon Damage 1 (blunt
force). If successful, the victim
is thrown to SHORT range and
lands prone.
6 MANY GUTS TO EXPEL GAS!The
swarm farts in unison. Each
target within NEAR range
takes an attack with seven
Base Dice. If an attack suc-
ceeds, the victim suffers from
sleeping poison, Potency 6.
42
chapter
THE SIX-LIMBED LORD
Ever the overachiever, the Six-Limbed
Lord has four arms. With two legs and
a tail? That’s seven limbs. But one of his
right arms ends in a stump. Hence six.
He is a colossal golden statue,
animate as mercury, moving with
the grace of a dancer and the weight
of a city. His divine footsteps burn
the clay of this material world; their
scorch-marks never fade. Not even
from waves. Yes, he walks on water. The
Six-Limbed Lord is both idol and god.
He always seeks to destroy the sym-
bols and sites of other faiths. wearing a
smile upon his face as he does so.
The Six-Limbed Lord is always
under the control of the Sixth Priest of
the Temple. At present, this is Krakura
(see page 46). To be considered a Priest,
a creature must have the appropriate
seal on its person.
If the Six-Limbed Lord returns to
the Temple Hexagon (location #7), the
entire complex sinks into the ground,
with all its inhabitants, retreating from
this reality. The same thing happens if
the statue is defeated.
In combat, the Six-Limbed Lord
counts as a monster.
STRENGTH 24, AGILITY 5
MOVEMENT: 1
ARMOR RATING: 8
TWO ATTACKS: Draw two initiative
cards for the Six-Limbed Lord at
the start of combat. He acts on
both.
3
 43
the six-limbed lord
 MONSTER ATTACKS
D6 ATTACK
1 A SIGN OF COMMAND! With one
of his hands, the Six-Limbed
Lord makes a sacred gesture.
A target within sight must
make a formidable (–3) INSIGHT
roll (not an action). On failure,
the victim goes wherever the
Lord’s hand points. The victim
can attempt to break free
once every round.
2 A MOTION OF CONTEMPT! With
one of his hands, the Six-
Limbed Lord makes a sacred
gesture. All foes within NEAR
range suffer an attack with
eight Base Dice and Weapon
Damage 2 (blunt force). A
target who suffers damage
is thrown to SHORT range and
lands prone.
3 A BREATH TO EXTINGUISH FLAME!
The Six-Limbed Lord blows
a gale-force wind from his
lips. A target within SHORT
range and everyone within
NEAR range of said foe suf-
fers an attack with ten Base
Dice and Weapon Damage 2
(blunt force). If hit, a target is
turned COLD.
4 A VISION OF GRACE! The Six-
Limbed Lord glows like a sun.
All foes within SHORT range
must make a hard (–2) INSIGHT
roll. On failure, the victim is
struck blind and acts as if
in total darkness. A blinded
victim may roll ENDURANCE at
the start of each round (not
an action) to blink their sight
back.
44
chapter
5 A CALL TO THE FAITHFUL! The Six-
Limbed Lord speaks. “Come,”
he says. A random monkey of
the Temple is teleported to
him. Roll D6:
1: A Monkey Soldier
2: A Monkey Scout
3: A Monkey Sage
4: A Monkey Sergeant
5: A Cloud-Rider, without
mount
6: A Monkey Priest
The monkey is momentarily
disoriented, but acts normally
next round, and always in the
Six-Limbed Lord’s defense.
6 A STRIKE OF MERCY! The Six-Limbed
Lord steps on a foe. Attack with
twelve Base Dice and Weapon
Damage 2 (blunt force). If Bro-
ken, the victim can only be
saved by magical healing. Even
so, the burns always remain
ugly and weeping – the victim
permanently suffers a –2 modi-
fication to MANIPULATION rolls.
NYANYETNYA, SEVENTH PRIEST
OF THE SIX-LIMBED LORD
When she was part of the Temple, her
god was the Seven-Limbed Lord.
She was expelled by her col-
leagues. Perhaps she counseled
restraint. Perhaps she was just not
noble-born. Stripped of all status, she
still bears her seal.
Nyanyetnya acts as a beg-
ging mendicant, mischievous and
self-deprecating. But she is serious
about repairing the carnage her Tem-
ple wreaks in the world.
3
 Nyanyetnya seeks to return the belly of the earth. The towers are arranged in
Temple to Yimming and wants the a circle, and can be placed in a number of dif-
PCs to help make this happen. See ferent places. Choose or roll on the table below.
Background and Getting Here.

STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 5, WITS 5, EMPATHY 5 1. THE MEDITATION HALL

SKILLS: Move 3, Healing 3 Easternmost of the Temple’s structures is a massive

TALENTS: Brawler 3, Path of Signs 3
GEAR:Mendicant robes, one
PRECIOUS FIND, teapot, seal of the
Seventh Priest
TWO ATTACKS:Draw two initiative
cards for Nyanyetnya at the start
of combat. She acts on both.
LOCATIONS
The Temple of the Six-Limbed Lord and its
six spires emerged like giant drill bits from the
stupa – its dome silver and its ribbed spire gold. Oth-
erwise it is unadorned. A moat surrounds it, too
wide to jump and filled with lily pads.
Neither bridge nor steppingstone path leads
to the stupa’s entrance. The PCs have to wade.
The water is full of dire goldfish with razor
teeth. Harming them is taboo.
Inside, the PCs can hear their own heart-
beat. Every word said aloud echoes like a gong
in this silence.
A monkey is seated in the stupa’s center,
cross-legged – face glowing, eyes shut, smile

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE

D6 LOCATION

1 In the middle of a river, as six islands. Effluvia from the Temple pollutes the
water, poisoning everything downstream.
2 On a steep incline. Now some towers are taller than others. The rivalry
between the priests has erupted into open war.
3 On an important road. The monkeys have taken control – charging a toll, con-
fiscating trade goods, and detaining traffic.
4 Surrounded by smoke and fire. The monkeys are clearing the forest, opening
land for pig pens and plum orchards.
5 Surrounded by rubble. The Temple sits among the ruins of a town. Shell-
shocked former inhabitants serve the Temple as collared, whipped labor.
6 In a bubble at the bottom of the ocean. Krakura maintains this bubble. An
umbilical of air connects it to the shore.

45
the six-limbed lord
serene. This is Krakura, Sixth Priest of the
Six-Limbed Lord. The PCs might catch him
peeking, if he thinks they aren’t looking.
✥ CREATURES: Krakura, Sixth Priest of The
Six-Limbed Lord.
KRAKURA
He sits with tortoise-like posture,
wearing emerald robes and a stylized
shell on his back decorated with crys-
tal scutes. His head and face are bald.
To anything the PCs say, Krakura
responds with a brand of wisdom.
Choose or roll D10 on the table
below:
D10 WORD OF WISDOM
1 “Peace is an end to suffering.”
2 “The wrong words will be right.”
3 “Old notions are new
tomorrow.”
4 “Not choosing is a road to joy.”
5 “Reserve judgment of your
peers.”
6 “The penniless have plenty.”
7 “Anything luminous is an
illusion.”
8 “Praise is like rain falling
upwards.”
9 “To rule is to throw a huge
feast.”
10 “Death is immortality of a kind.”
Such snippets are infuriating in
their vagueness, of course. But
Krakura’s head glows. None within
46
chapter
sight of this glow can cause him
harm. He typically meditates for a
Quarter Day each day.
Krakura wants peace. To him,
peace may only be achieved when
no god but his is worshipped, any-
where in all realities.
The Sixth Priest of the Temple,
seated in this Meditation Hall, has
total command of the Six-Limbed
Lord. At present, this is Krakura.
To be considered a Sixth Priest of
the Temple, a creature must have
the seal of the Sixth Priest on its
person.
If the PCs attack Krakura, 2D6
Monkey Soldiers and a Macaque
Swarm come to his aid.
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 5, WITS 5, EMPATHY 5
Move 3, Manipulation 3,
SKILLS:
Healing 3
TALENTS: Brawler 3
GEAR: Shell with crystal scutes (as
plate armor), one PRECIOUS FIND, seal
of the Sixth Priest
TWO ATTACKS: Draw two initiative
cards for Krakura at the start of
combat. He acts on both.
MEDITATION: When Krakura medi-
tates, no one within sight of him
can attack anyone.
2. THE LACQUER PALACE
This tower is made of luxurious, shiny black
wood, inlaid everywhere with mother-of-pearl.
3
The scent of burning sandalwood hangs heavy,
masking the smell of wine on the tapestries.
The folding screens and curtains-of-state are
exquisitely painted, displaying scenes of idyllic
landscapes, sinuous dragons, and sexual aban-
don. The doors and window slats are heavy,
and lock from the outside.
This room holds a recent acquisition – choose
or roll on the table below.
Any disorder is quickly cleared up by Macaque
Swarms, who live in fear of their master’s
displeasure.
Escapees may not be pursued; unless essential
to his schemes, Meemerak tends not to bother.
✥ CREATURES: Meemerak, Fifth Priest of
The Six-Limbed Lord. A Macaque Swarm.
MEEMERAK
His head is crested by a cerulean
mohawk. He wears an iridescent green
robe with glowing nail guards, and his
tail is laden with peacock feathers.
Meemerak is as proud as a dowager.
He believes that his Lord’s inter-
ests are best advanced by clever,
concerted diplomacy. Violence is so
crass. But he isn’t half as clever as he
thinks he is.
Meemerak wants royal wives –
marriage is the foundation of any
lasting alliance. The larger the dowry,
the better. As suitor he will not take no
for an answer. Prepared to kidnap or
ensorcel prospective brides.

ACQUISITIONS IN THE LACQUER PALACE

D10 ACQUISITION

1 An orc Viraga, posing as a human. The monkeys can’t quite tell the difference.
2 A halfling peddler, desperate to seem cooperative. Alerts guards to intruders.
3 Three Harpies, frozen mid-scream by Meemerak, hung from wire like exhibits.
4 A pair of tongs, sacred to the god Huge. Any dwarf would know their
significance.
5 A half-elf sorcerer. Sees opportunity in this; much can be learned from
demons.
6 A local mayor’s infant daughter. The macaques don’t know how to care for her.
7 A cushioned jewelry box full of elven rubies, seized from a merchant caravan.
8 Three Iron Guards, stripped of armor, clamped in irons. Oh what dishonor!
9 A vat of mog in the center of a magic circle. Spawns a demon every D6 days.
10 A Raven Sister, imprisoned for helping a village rebuff Meemerak’s advances.

47
the six-limbed lord
 Of his colleagues he loathes Ngajaputri.
He should lead the Temple instead!

STRENGTH 4 AGILITY 5 WITS 4 EMPATHY 5

SKILLS: Move 3 Manipulation 3 Per-

formance 3
TALENTS: Path of Blood 3
GEAR: Glowing nail guards (Gear
Bonus +2, Weapon Damage 2,
Artifact Die D8), assorted blood
contracts, two PRECIOUS FINDS, seal
of the Fifth Priest
TWO ATTACKS:Draw two initiative
cards for Meemerak at the start of
combat. He acts on both.

3. THE FEAST HALL

This area is dominated by rows of fruit trees, the 13
heat of ovens and the bleat of goats. A chill wind
rises from the meat cellars.

Roll D6 on the table on page 50 to determine

what food the kitchen is currently preparing.
The feast hall is a three-tiered platform, with
a peaked roof and teak legs, overlooking a demon-
glass aquarium large as a small lake. Stocked with
pygmy whale, abyssal octopi, and demon lobster.
Monkeys eat school-canteen-style on the
lowest tier; Cloud-Rider nobles are placed on
the middle tier, with honored guests; above
all, at a round banquet table, sup the priests.
It is dinnertime entertainment to watch
Ngarunching’s servants wrestle and prepare
seafood.

✥ CREATURES: Ngarunching, Fourth

48
chapter 3
 6

7
1

3
2

THE TEMPLE

49
the six-limbed lord
 FOOD BEING PREPARED
D6 DISH

1 Cocktails of fruit and plum wine. Served alongside white wafers, specially for-
mulated to stave off inebriation. The monkeys do not hold liquor well.
2 A full halfling, spitted from rear end to sternum, turned over a fire pit. Served
with spicy mint sauce. The monkeys are keen to try this new dish.
3 Hundred-meat pie. Made from eighty-four different meats – so the name is a
lie. Ngarunching will be indebted to those who make the name true.
4 Assorted mushrooms, deep-fried. Diverse random effects. Many give pro-
phetic visions; a few cause instant death. Some are crunchy and delicious.
5 Phoenix soup, on the boil for three decades. Knocking can be heard from
underneath the lid. The naked, scalded phoenix begs the PCs to finally end its
torture.
6 Peach compote. Specially reserved for the priests. Made from longevity fruit
stolen from heaven; a spoonful adds D12 years to a PC’s lifespan.

Priest of The Six-Limbed Lord. Two shockingly wasteful; if a week goes by

dozen monkey chefs (attributes like Mon-
key Soldiers, but unarmed). A Macaque
Swarm.
NGARUNCHING
She walks with the languorous step
of a cat, her voice squeaking out past
long, stiff whiskers as she expounds
with the haha-oh-you cloy of a prac-
ticed socialite.
She delights in being cruel to her
staff – a Macaque Swarm, two dozen
monkey chefs, and whatever slaves
the Temple captures.
Ngarunching wants more bodies
to work her kitchens, more vassals
to fill her stores. As a steward she is
without resupply, the Temple begins
to starve.
Of her colleagues Ngarunching
despises Kengkada; they never eat
together. She and Ngajaputri are lovers.
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 5, WITS 5, EMPATHY 4
Stealth 3, Sleight of Hand 3,
SKILLS:
Performance 3
TALENTS: Fast Footwork 3
GEAR: Poisoned whip (Gear Bonus
+1, Weapon Damage 1, NEAR range,
paralyzing poison with Potency 9),
five PRECIOUS FINDS, seal of the Fourth
Priest
TWO ATTACKS:Draw two initiative
cards for Ngarunching at the start
of combat. She acts on both.

50
chapter 3
 4. THE BRONZE PALACE
This tower is composed of four concentric hexa-
gons, crenellated. Everything is stone – but clad
in bronze armor. Verdigris stains the building,
which is covered in upturned spikes.
The barracks rings with shouted roll calls and
the clanking of scale mail. Clerks waddle the
corridors, tails picking up scrolls fallen from
their full arms. The palace is abuzz. Troops
make ready; their sergeants tasked with exe-
cuting Ngajaputri’s newest stratagem. Roll a
D6 on the table below.
Inside, Ngajaputri paces her throne room.
She leans over her war table. Its mahogany
cracks and warps and stains – a diorama of the
world, updated in real time, as scouts in the
field annotate their maps.
When under attack, fires within heat the metal
walls of the palace, searing would-be invaders.
✥ CREATURES: Ngajaputri, Third Priest of
The Six-Limbed Lord. Monkey Soldiers
and Monkey Sergeants.
NGAJAPUTRI
Plate armor. Her breastplate is a styl-
ized elephant’s head; her codpiece
an upturned trunk, with two rubies in
place of nostrils.
The invasion was her idea. Now
the Temple is stranded here. Ngaja-
putri still believes that right actions
are decisive ones – she bellows
commands to her sergeants. She also
constantly stress-eats.
Ngajaputri wants to rule. If you
cannot contribute to the expansion
of monkeydom on this plane, what
use are you?

NGAJAPUTRI’S STRATAGEMS
D6 STRATAGEM

1 A siege of the closest heathen fort. The sergeants prefer to starve defenders,
preserving fortifications for their own use.
2 A dam on the nearest river. Summer bungalows built along the new lake will
keep Sasingha and his Cloud-Riders satisfied.
3 A raid on a nearby settlement. Anything and anyone Ngarunching can use will
be taken; whatever is left will be torched.
4 A dig at a nearby ruin. The monkeys want building materials – stone for new
walls, in particular. If they find treasure, that is a nice bonus.
5 A string of watchtowers. Wood platforms with signal flags. The monkeys con-
sider all land within sight of these their own.
6 A mapping expedition. Scouts with bags of magic plums mark places of infidel
worship on their maps, in scarlet ink.

51
the six-limbed lord
As first among equals she feels
duty-bound to keep her col-
leagues happy – a losing propo-
sition. She and Ngarunching are
lovers.
5. THE HALL OF
EXALTED HEIGHTS
A stupa, fully brass from foundation to spindly
tip. Wreathed in mist and covered with Cloud-
Steeds, like a crawling hive of electric bees.

STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 5, WITS 4, EMPATHY 4 The stupa draws lightning; it builds up enough
Melee 3, Endurance 3, Marks-
SKILLS: charge to birth a new Cloud-Steed every
manship 3 thunderstorm.
TALENTS: Path of the Shield 3 Surrounded by pavilions of gold and silk,

GEAR: Plate armor, great helm,
large shield, extendable magic flail
(Gear Bonus +2, Weapon Damage
3, SHORT range, Artifact Die D8),
two PRECIOUS FINDS, snacks, seal of
the Third Priest
TWO ATTACKS:Draw two initiative
cards for Ngajaputri at the start of
combat. She acts on both.
marked with animal sigils to denote the var-
ious noble houses. These scions are bored
and entitled. Roll a D6 on the table below to
determine how they amuse themselves.
The stupa doubles as Sasingha’s chateau.
The dome level is a private stable for the
priest’s personal charger, Grim Graha. The
place is full of knee-deep water, because Grim
Graha is as big as an elephant, angry-dark, and
always raining.

AMUSEMENTS OF THE MONKEY NOBLES

D6 AMUSEMENT

1 Taming new Cloud-Steeds. They are a danger to potential riders and onlookers
alike; the beasts throw electric zaps indiscriminately, as they buck.
2 Forcing human slaves into a macaque-style swarm. “If those animals can do it,
so can you! Stick together! Layabouts!”
3 Challenging their rival to a duel. This is a matter of saving face. It is tradition to
cheat. Getting caught means losing face.
4 Slipping an aphrodisiac into the goblet of another. The victim goes into a
frenzy and only calms down after copulating with a living thing.
5 Preparing for a hunt. The nobles are willing to hire local trackers. The quarry is
an elf they let go with a flask of water and two strips of jerky.
6 Hopping onto your back. “Giddy-up!” they say, driving spurs into your sides.
Throwing them off is an insult to monkeydom.

52
chapter 3
✥ CREATURES: Sasingha, Second Priest of
The Six-Limbed Lord. Monkey Nobles
and Cloud-Steeds.
SASINGHA
An imperious mane frames his face,
brown as a lion’s. He wears fur-lined
cavalry plate, along with gauntlets
and sabatons that end in talons.
Sasingha is quick to feel joy,
and quicker still to anger. He always
smells faintly of puke. A simple crea-
ture, the other nobles smirk at his
loutishness. But never naysay him. He
is of the purest bloodline, and has the
strongest arm.
Sasingha wants to reave. It gets
him wine, women, and violence – in
no particular order.
Of his colleagues Meemerak
offends him the most. He resents
how Ngarunching rebuffs his
advances. The cat belongs to the lion,
surely?
STRENGTH 6 AGILITY 5 WITS 3 EMPATHY 4
Might 3 Melee 3 Animal
SKILLS:
Handling 3
TALENTS: Path of the Blade 3
GEAR: Plate armor, great helm, hiss-
ing halberd (D10 Artifact Die), three
PRECIOUS FINDS, seal of the Second
Priest, Grim Graha
TWO ATTACKS: Draw two initiative
cards for Sasingha at the start of
combat. He acts on both.
53
the six-limbed lord
GRIM GRAHA
Sasingha’s steed.
STRENGTH 12 AGILITY 4
SKILLS: Move 2, Melee 3
MOVEMENT: 2
WEAPON: Lightning (Attack with
eight Base Dice, Weapon Damage
2, SHORT range, damages Agility
instead of Strength, armor has no
effect)
6. THE STONE PALACE
A multi-storied pagoda, somewhat plainly-built,
with sealed, darkened windows. There is nothing
sinister about this; light just isn’t necessary.
The tower is a library. But while Kengkada
never turns down a new book – she doesn’t
read. She cheats. Knowledge in any text that
enters the Stone Palace is instantly known
to the First Priest.
The place is less a library and more a
storehouse, full of unsorted stacks from
floor to ceiling. Roll on the tables on the
next page to determine the title and content
of the books the PCs find in any given stack.
Access to the pagoda is restricted to
sages, who replace bins of rock salt daily.
Kengkada prefers their outdoor work-
shop, full of half-spun spells and bubbling
alchemy-ware.
✥ CREATURES: Kengkada, First Priest of
The Six-Limbed Lord. Monkey Sages.
 BOOK TITLE
D10 D10

1 The Night Life Of … 1 The Monkey King

2 Lilies And …
3 A Banquet For …
4 The Pillow Book Of …
5 The Gospel According To …
6 Secrets Of The Successful:
7 In The Realm Of …
8 Dance With …
9 Master Dweng’s Definitive
Guides: …
10 Lies Told Of …
2 Greater Angels
3 Lesser Demons
4 Noble Enchantments
5 Sacred Geometry
6 Luminescent Fungi
7 Most Religions
8 The Last Courtesan
9 The Frozen North
10 The Magician’s Art

BOOK CONTENT
D10 D10

1 Conservative 1 History
2 Confused 2 Fiction
3 Radical 3 Verse
4 Remedial 4 Song
5 Tragic 5 Recipes
6 Erotic 6 Spells
7 Fake 7 Illustrations
8 Facetious 8 Techniques
9 Obscure 9 Notes
10 Outrageous 10 Epistolary

the impression that she is more

KENGKADA mantis than monkey. Her voice is
Her compound-eyed helmet, scratchy and frequently cracks.
hunched posture and habit of The chitin-suit she wears is
rubbing her hands together give sealed and tinted. You cannot see

54
chapter 3
 the mummified remains within.
Kengkada died, but knew the
secrets of unlife, so just kept
going. Her colleagues are as yet
unaware.
Kengkada wants spells to
squirrel away and living specimens
to vivisect. She’s your typical
amoral wizard.
Ultimately she wants to leave.
Heaven is the prize, not this back-
water! No wonder that boor Sas-
ingha likes it so much.
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 4, WITS 5, EMPATHY 5
SKILLS: Crafting 3, Lore 3
TALENTS: Path of Death 3, Path of
Signs 3
GEAR: Sealed chitin-suit (as chain-
mail and closed helmet, light item),
assorted tools, assorted animal
parts, two PRECIOUS FINDS, seal of the
First Priest.
TWO ATTACKS:Draw two initiative
cards for Kengkada at the start of
combat. She acts on both.
7. THE HEXAGON
An open square. Six broad-crowned sacred figs
surround a golden plinth, where the Six-Limbed
Lord once stood. Now he’s wandered off. Footsteps
scorched into the earth mark his passage.
If the golden statue returns here, the entire
Temple sinks into the ground, with all its
inhabitants, retreating from this reality.
55
the six-limbed lord
Every full moon, the priests summon reinforce-
ments from Yimming. Four priests are required
for the ritual. At the height of frenzied chanting,
D12 monkeys fall out of the fig trees, blinking.
✥ CREATURES: When there is not a ritual,
off-duty monkeys use this space to laze.
Many perch in the branches. There is
always something happening here. Roll a
D10 on the table on the next page.
EVENTS
These may occur while the PCs are within the
Temple’s walls.
PEACH THIEF
Whiskers flying, an elderly Monkey Sage trips
over a flagstone. His scroll-case is knocked
open and three peaches fall out. His eyes are
wide with terror. Stealing longevity fruit is a
fatal sin.
The sage will do anything for the PCs, if
they pledge not to expose his theft. He has
access to the Stone Palace.
MACAQUE REBELLION
Maybe a Macaque Swarm’s magic falters and
its hive-mind fails. Individuals escape. There
are enough freethinking macaques to form a
resistance, now. They steal food, unlock doors,
and free more of their fellows.
“Psst!” A thin arm beckons from a shad-
owed corner. The macaques want the PCs to
help them murder Meemerak.
 EVENTS IN THE HEXAGON
D10 EVENT

1 A twig bounces off a PC’s head, followed by rustling and sniggering from a tree.
2 A monkey supremacist spits at a PC. “Get lost, damn dirty ape!”
3 A sergeant leads his troop in meditation. They cannot keep still.
4 Soldiers playing with firecrackers. These explode like grenades.
5 Sages with scary syringes run about, drawing blood from all and sundry.
6 Two work-gangs, in service to rival priests, are drunk and brawling.
7 A sacred fig loses its leaves. Sages are blamed for this sacrilege.
8 An escaped orc captive, armed with a spear. The monkeys taunt her.
9 Cloud-Riders promenade. If the PCs don’t bow, it is considered an offense.
10 A priest, lost in thought and schemes, walks into a tree.

RELIGIOUS SCHISM The soldiers grumble at having their samizdat

Sticky picture-books circulate among the rank-
and-file, containing graphic depictions of the
Six-Limbed Lord ravishing a mermaid.
The priestly leadership thinks these espe-
cially heretical: the god in those drawings has
all four of his hands intact.
confiscated. At night they wait on the wall for
a leaping figure to appear, bearing more hand-
drawn smut. It is Nyanyetnya. They speak
highly of her.

56
chapter 3
 HE DREAM-CLOUD
T
OF E’LOK THIR
TYPE OF ADVENTURE SITE: Dungeon
As the ritual’s last requirement is met, the world
around you begins to shift and change. An atmo-
sphere of terrible profundity suffuses the scene as,
before you, the Dream-Cloud of E’lok Thir begins
to take shape. Nothing so simple as a door to open
or threshold to cross, the Dream-Cloud appears
all around you, and all at once. Wherever you
were in the waking world fades, and you step into
the first chamber of the fragmented dream world
beyond. What knowledge and what perils dwell
within? Only the dreamer can know for certain...
BACKGROUND
To understand the Dream-Cloud of E’lok Thir,
one must understand the wizard. Roll D66 on
57
the dream-cloud of e’lok thir
the table on page 59 to generate one result from
each column. Then, decide the appearance, gen-
der, and details of E’lok Thir according to your
own ideas about wizards. The life of E’lok Thir
should inform the Dream-Cloud in ways both
vague and specific.
The Dream-Cloud is the expression of a self-
aware being. Wandering its chambers means
encountering doubt, elation, fear, and joy. E’lok
Thir is not necessarily an antagonist. The wiz-
ard’s thoughts are fragmented but not inherently
hostile to visitors. He, she or it cannot tell the
difference between apparitions conjured from
memory and externally “real” people.
Adventurers will likely anticipate rewards
of glory, gold and secrets when they hear of
the Dream-Cloud but to focus exclusively on

A DIFFERENT KIND OF SITE
This adventure site differs from
the others found in this book,
and from others published
previously. This adventure site
is located inside the dreams
and desires of a powerful sor-
cerer. There is no map, no room
descriptions and no paths to
follow. That means there is more
work for you as Gamemaster to
prepare running this adventure
site, but if you do, the experience
will be quite intriguing indeed!
that purpose is to deny a greater depth. Think
about the kinds of things the characters might
dream about. Let their desires and emotions
influence your descriptions. One cannot visit
without becoming part of the dream.
GETTING HERE
There are two ways to enter the Dream-Cloud.
The first is intentional and involves a ritual.
The second is accidental. For the latter, the
Dream-Cloud is an opportunity to have charac-
ters “ambushed” by the Dream-Cloud. It can be
a spontaneous event that waylays characters in a
hurry to somewhere else, or a way to break up an
otherwise monotonous expedition.
58
chapter
Characters may learn about the Dream-Cloud in
any number of ways. Whatever they learn, that
knowledge should be accompanied by this fact:
there are two necessary rituals to be performed
to visit the Dream-Cloud and return safely. They
are the Ritual of Entry and the Ritual of Egress.
THE RITUAL OF ENTRY
The Ritual of Entry is designed to be tailored
and adjusted in accordance with your campaign.
Consider a few items from this list, and develop
the details from there. The only thing that must
be true is that the ritual only functions at night.
✥ It must be performed in a place of signifi-
cance to dreams, dreamers or E’lok Thir.
✥ It requires the sacrifice of something mate-
rial and significant.
✥ It requires the sacrifice of something imma-
terial (a memory, a dream, an emotion).
✥ It is dangerous, and may inflict physical or
mental harm on those who undertake it.
✥ It requires the cooperation of a particular
sort of person.
✥ It must be performed within a specific
window of time.
If you are interested in making the ritual
itself into a sort of quest, do so. If your game
demands the ritual be more immediate, choose
options that make it dangerous! The ritual
itself shouldn’t have a chance to fail outright
but should impart the challenge of reaching
the Dream-Cloud and the surreal rules of that
realm. Make it personal and tie it directly to
the characters.
For more about the Ritual of Egress, see
page 74.
4
 THE LIFE OF E’LOK THIR
ROLL EARLY LIFE MIDDLE LIFE LATE LIFE LAST REGRET DEEPEST
DESIRE

11–12 A rural youth Years of toil in Discovered but A falling-out Riches

with loving a non-magical never shared with a once-
parents. field. some new magical close friend
discovery.
13–14 Born in a mon- Years of toil Spent time in A life bereft Power
astery, cared for as a wizard’s prison after of proper
by monks. apprentice. being wrongfully recognition
accused of com-
mitting a crime.
15–16 Noble-born and Solitude and Spent time in Betrayal Family
pampered. reflection in prison after being by an
hermitage. caught red- apprentice
handed commit-
ting a crime.
21–22 Born in the Ran with a Formed a small Never Romance
city to well-off criminal gang. cult of personality. gaining the
merchants. respect of
a specific
person or
group
23–24 Born in the city Studied Was wed and had A cruelty left Love
into servitude. religion as a children. to fester
monk.
25–26 A simple, if Raised live- Was wed but had A broken Respect
difficult, village stock on a no children. heart, hid-
youth. rural farm. den from the
world
31–32 Orphaned from Suffered Lauded for a magi- An unspoken Sex
birth, raised by through cal discovery. sadness
family. drought on a
failing farm.
33–34 Orphaned from Survived a Loathed for a A grave Recogni-
birth, raised by terrible trag- magical discovery. sin, never tion
nuns. edy that killed admitted
many.
35–36 Orphaned from Traveled Wounded badly by A spell, part- Academic
birth, raised by the world a mishap. way scribed Progress
wolves, mon- to study its then lost
sters, etc. mysteries.

59
the dream-cloud of e’lok thir
ROLL EARLY LIFE MIDDLE LIFE LATE LIFE LAST REGRET DEEPEST
DESIRE

41–42 Born the Traveled the Wounded badly by A slight to Discovery

chosen one world to sam- someone’s mali- their honor,
of a collapsed ple its delights. cious actions. unsatisfied
religion.
43–44 Given to a Spent time as Ended life heart- An apol- Safety
witch as part a mercenary broken and alone. ogy, never
of an ancient adventurer. received
pact.
45–46 Born into a Joined a for- Mastered the An apol- Utter
huge family, bidden cult. inner eye, spent ogy, never Oblitera-
lost among much time delivered tion
siblings. meditating.
51–52 The beloved Dabbled in Betrayed by an A long-dead Snakes
child of a pow- alchemy, but apprentice. family mem-
erful wizard. abandoned ber that
the practice. could not be
saved
53–54 Raised among Fell in love and Trained an A child, Magical
a different tribe, was consumed apprentice but abandoned Mastery
culture or race. by it. intentionally
withheld the most
important secrets.
55–56 Born under a Studied in a Built an extremely An Legacy
bad sign, given prestigious impressive tower, only-bare-
away to the university. whose location ly-unfinished
circus. and contents are magical
now lost. experiment
61–62 Born sick, raised Studied in Had an on-and-off Romantic Fame
in seclusion. a garbage relationship with a mishap
university. rival wizard, which
was very spicy.
63–64 Born on a ship, Attended Built a home on a A bad Truth
to a stowaway the fetes of mound of bones business
mother. the rich and taken from former decision
beautiful. enemies.
65–66 No youth to Disappeared Died and was “Perhaps Solitude
speak of, some- from this real- revived several becoming a
how entered ity for a while. times, through wizard was
the world as an Continuity of the use of magical my most
adult. that time is contingencies. meaningful
unclear. mistake”

60
chapter 4

LEGEND
Master magus E’lok Thir died not at the hands
of zealous bandits, or from the spells of a rival
wizard, but while asleep, dreaming peacefully.
As with many things to do with magic, death is
more complicated than it might be for anyone else.
While its body became limp and lifeless, E’lok
Thir’s spirit was too potent for old age to claim it.
Spinning a web of safety out of dream-stuff,
E’lok Thir’s spirit made itself a place to hide
and to recover from the trauma of dying. The
process confused and fragmented E’lok Thir’s
mind, splitting it into pieces that now wander the
Dream-Cloud as it forms, collapses and reforms.
The Dream-Cloud, too, wanders, sometimes real
enough that the rain of its melancholy spills on the
stones of the waking world.
It is said, among those who know of such
things, that the Dream-Cloud might be lured
closer to the world of the waking mind. With the
right ritual or the right sort of bait, enterprising
individuals could pull the Dream-Cloud close
and step between the worlds. Once there, the
riches of the mind of a great magician would be
free for the taking.
LOCATIONS
Locations within the Dream-Cloud are unfet-
tered by the rules of causality. A door between
the Trophy Hall and the Hidden Self may only
operate in one direction and attempting to
return might deposit characters in the Reflec-
tarium. The Foyer is always the first chamber
that visitors see, but otherwise, the map may
61
the dream-cloud of e’lok thir
be pre-prepared or generated randomly as the
Dream-Cloud is explored.
Play with time, space, and volume when
you describe these locations. Present some
chambers literally but make others more meta-
phorical. What constitutes a “chamber” in the
Dream-Cloud is up to you. The descriptions
provided detail the ambient emotional sensa-
tion of each chamber.
1. THE FOYER
Nervous tension fills this chamber, the first of
what promises to be a labyrinth of strange loca-
tions. As a sense of palpable anticipation seizes
your heart you realize that the emotions you feel
are not your own. They are emanating from this
place, a part of its atmosphere.
The entrance hall of the Dream-Cloud frequently
takes the shape of the entrance to a home or insti-
tution. It might take on the qualities of anything
just beginning - the foundations of a home, the
empty stage just before a play begins, the first day
of school.
This is a sort of staging ground and exists only
for visitors, newly arrived. Make it as off-putting,
as welcoming, as soft or strange as you like. Let it
foreshadow the rest of this strange place.
✥ CREATURES & TREASURES: The Foyer
is always empty, save for the characters
themselves.
2. THE TROPHY HALL
A sense of reverence fills this chamber, and
surrounds you like a bank of fog. Sound is
dampened here somehow, which gives the cham-
ber an authoritative silence, as one might find in
a library.
E’lok Thir was an accomplished student of the
magical arts who uncovered mysteries, bent
reality and endured the very special sort of
hubris only sorcerers can suffer. The Trophy
Hall is a reflection of accomplishments real
and imagined.
Consider placing the Trophy Hall after a
battle with a manifestation or other denizen.
✥ CREATURES: Both the Child and the Lost
and Sorrowful Soul can be found here,
alone or together.
✥ TREASURES: Trophies representing the
achievements of E’lok Thir, along with
knowledge relevant to the life of the wiz-
ard, can be found here. It might be possi-
ble to abscond with some of the trophies.
PRANKSTER: The Child enjoys playing
pranks and has a unique sense of
humor. It will hide items, lock peo-
ple in rooms or closets, hurl taunts,
make biting comments about
a character’s prowess (or lack
thereof), or anything else the GM
might find appropriate. The pranks
are generally not physically harm-
ful, but the Child rarely considers
the consequences of its actions
and is likely to engage in mischief
at very inopportune moments. For
instance, locking a character in a
room might not be harmful in and
of itself, but locking a character in
a room with a monster could very
well have dire consequences. If
confronted about its behavior, the
Child is as likely to giggle as cry,
run off or scream in anger, jump up
and down or smile impishly.

THE CHILD
The Child represents naivete and
potential. It can be found nearly
anywhere, often in the company of
another manifestation. It is helpful
one moment and intemperate the
next. Dangerously unpredictable, it
might be bribed, tricked or convinced
to ally with visitors.

STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 5, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3

SKILLS: Stealth 3, Sleight of Hand 3

GEAR: An object representing E’lok
Thir’s favorite childhood toy

62
chapter 4
 THE LOST AND SORROWFUL SOUL then, it haunts the Dream-Cloud, lash-
Some part of E’lok Thir understands ing out at those it sees as interlopers.
this place. This shade wanders the
halls of its own mind, semi-aware that STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
it is trapped in unreality. It spreads a SKILLS: Manipulation 4
thick rime of regret on the walls as it GEAR: An object representing E’lok
passes. The Lost and Sorrowful Soul Thir’s greatest loss or regret
is slow to anger, but is an implacable
force of nihilism. Someday the dream
will end, and the Lost and Sorrowful
Soul will breathe a sigh of relief. Until

63
the dream-cloud of e’lok thir
 CHILLING PRESENCE: Anyone spending
time near the Lost and Sorrow-
ful Soul is soon overcome with
feelings of gloom and depression.
These dire thoughts leave any
creature in the same location bit-
terly COLD, as if its heart was being
squeezed by icy fingers. This condi-
tion lasts until the creature leaves
the location.
3. REGRET MADE MANIFEST
Pain, deeper than that caused by any cut or burn,
suffuses this chamber. You feel it, immediately, like a
sickness in your body, the heavy weight of a whole life’s
failures suddenly pressing down on you all at once.
Guilt regret, sorrow and loss are all manifested
here. This chamber is especially useful for a
clear and aggressive manifestation of the entry
you rolled or chose as “Last Regret.” Bring it
to the fore when the characters first enter.
When the characters spend time in this
chamber, choose one and ask “what is some-
thing you regret?” then weave the answer into
your description of the room. The Dream-
Cloud reacts strongly to this feeling and will
plague that character with visions, sounds and
other manifestations (as directly or indirectly
as you like, according to your whims).
✥ CREATURES: Any Manifestation or
Creature from any other chamber might
be found here. Regret has a gravity all its
own. The Mind and the Heart are espe-
cially likely visitors.
✥ TREASURES: Any treasure found here is
64
chapter
tainted with sadness, but a weapon used
to harm a loved one or a spell crafted for
a selfish purpose are both appropriately
poetic choices.
THE HEART
Feeling, emotion and desire rule this
manifestation. It is driven by the
results of the Deepest Desire roll and
will seek out characters connected to
it, even loosely. It is obsessive, des-
perate, and prone to swings of mood
and energy. An ally one moment, the
Heart can betray the next for seem-
ingly no reason. The Heart does not
think or know. It wants and feels.
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 2, EMPATHY 5
SKILLS: Manipulation 4
GEAR: An object representing E’lok
Thir’s deepest desire
UNHEALTHY FIXATION: Each time the
Heart is encountered, choose
one random character to be its
obsession. The Heart will seek to
help the object of its obsession
however it can, even if the help
isn’t needed (or wanted). However,
if the object of its obsession does
not show proper gratitude for
its efforts, the Heart will become
vengeful and then seek to hinder
its obsession in any way possible,
up to and including attacking it in
a violent fit of rage.
THE MIND
The Heart’s foil, the Mind is curi-
ous and intentional. It is without
4
 empathy, but brilliant. This is what
made E’lok Thir a master magus and
what doomed the wizard to this
place. It can be reasoned with, but
must be handled carefully. The Mind
is cruel and brooks no indecision or
hesitation.
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 5, EMPATHY 2
SKILLS: Insight 4, Lore 4
GEAR: An object representing E’lok
Thir’s greatest accomplishment
– something achieved through
intelligence or great mental effort
PREOCCUPIED: When encountered,
the Mind will be in the midst of
solving some puzzle or quandary.
Its end goal and methods might
be seen as good, evil or morally
ambiguous. Perhaps it seeks to
find a cure for some virulent dis-
ease by infecting the characters
and observing the results. Or
maybe it wants to find a way to
live forever, and experiments on
the characters by aging them or
making them younger. Whatever
the case, expect no sympathy from
the Mind – it is only interested in
results, though clever characters
might be able to escape becoming
unwilling test subjects by convinc-
ing it that they are willing to help
4. THE HIDDEN SELF
Calm, at last, but a fragile sort of calm. The kind
shattered by a single misspoken word or misplaced
glance. This place feels delicate and temporary.
Best to hurry, then.
65
the dream-cloud of e’lok thir
Whatever deep treasure or terrible pain E’lok
Thir might bear is kept here. This is a place of
power and of suffering, of pleasure and all the
weight and accumulated emotional barnacles
of a life. It may take on the form of a vault,
a fortress or some other secure location but
could also be more metaphorical and related
to the life of the wizard. Let the table results
guide you – this chamber is a perfect place to
learn about E’lok Thir the person.
The Architects spend much of their time
here, pruning and adjusting the Hidden Self to
better reflect some new insight they’ve discov-
ered. They’ll attempt to drive off anyone who
attempts to alter it.
✥ CREATURES: No Manifestation can
survive this place but characters are likely
to encounter an Architect here.
✥ TREASURES: If you’ve been saving a
chamber for your very best treasure, this
is it. This is where E’lok Thir’s most
precious possession (or memory) is kept,
whatever that might be.
THE ARCHITECTS
The entities that built this place
remain to tailor it. Their nature is
unclear (you may find a place to fit
them into the canon of your cam-
paign). Because of the influence of
both their tenant and visitors to
the Dream-Cloud, they may take
on a more “real” form, appearing as
something familiar from the mind of
a visitor. They can be ominous and
threatening, or proud and helpful.
 These creatures do not respond to
being directly addressed, though
some characters may seek out a
rudimentary or particularly creative
method of communication.
DOPPELGANGER: Each Architect is
unique, and when encountered
will possess a form that is specific
to its current task, unknowable as
that may be. They may appear as
a monster, a previously met NPC,
a total stranger, a deceased family
member or friend, someone from a
character’s memory (or that of E’lok
Thir), or even as a duplicate of one
of the PCs – basically, whatever you
as GM think will be most interest-
ing at that particular moment. The
Architect will have the same stats
and abilities as the creature copied.
Architects can be used to create
all kinds of eccentric situations
and interactions. Just remember
that they are strange, supernatural
beings who are likely to think and
behave in ways completely alien to
normal folk. If the Architect assumes
a form familiar to the players, have
it act in a way that is bizarre or even
frightening. Conversely, one might
act exactly like someone the player
characters know, but take on the
form of a different person or kin, or
appear as a monster. Use encoun-
ters with Architects to unsettle the
players, and to keep them guessing.
5. THE REFLECTARIUM
Gentle waves of doubt and certainty wash over
you in rhythm. You become aware of your own
66
chapter
heartbeat, slow and steady in your chest. What
secrets will this chamber hold?
This chamber is one of relative peace and calm.
Since revelation is only possible with reflec-
tion and with revelation comes turbulence,
the ripples of new ideas will spread out from
this place and violently reshape nearby cham-
bers. This chamber is the home of the Mind
(see page 64), which does not realize it is in a
dream, though enterprising and foolish char-
acters may attempt to convince it. This could
lead to a total and catastrophic collapse of the
Dream-Cloud or could somehow coerce it into
a state of lucidity, forming a kind of intention-
ally-crafted Dream-Cloud. If this is possible
in your version of the location, consider what
that might look like and how it would change
the Ritual of Egress, etc. This may be a way to
“save” E’lok Thir if the characters are inter-
ested in that.
✥ CREATURES: This place is the home of
the Mind but is likely to contain a Causal
Snare.
✥ TREASURES: This chamber is where all
that E’lok Thir knew in life is stored. It is
a vast wellspring of intellectual treasures.
Secrets, knowledge, scrolls and books are
all appropriate.
CAUSAL SNARES
Taking the form of various distrac-
tions, Causal Snares are the hiccups
in dream-narrative. They are hall-
ways that go on forever or archways
that can never quite be reached.
4
 They are doors without handles and
switchbacks. They manifest as deja
vu when attempting to be subtle and
as indirect attacks when they are
not. A Causal Snare can be escaped,
but usually requires a sort of strange
dream logic to do so.
FORMLESS: Causal Snares do not
have a physical manifestation.
While they can and frequently do
alter the physical properties of the
Dream-Cloud, the Causal Snares
themselves are entirely formless
and cannot be detected in any
way. The only evidence of their
existence comes in the form of the
effect they have on their sur-
roundings. It is up to you as GM
to decide what impact a Causal
Snare will have and, more impor-
tantly, how the PCs can overcome
one’s meddling. INSIGHT can be
used to see through its decep-
tion, or a clever character might
use MANIPULATION to somehow
trick the Causal Snare. Also, bear
in mind that Causal Snares are
particularly susceptible to dream
logic. The only way to defeat one
or escape from it after it has
taken notice of the characters
is often to behave in a way that
is impractical, illogical or, under
normal circumstances, outright
impossible.
6. THE SNARL OF DOUBT
Sudden and overwhelming uncertainty,
here. Left or right, up or down, light or dark,
67
the dream-cloud of e’lok thir
distinctions between one thing and the next
become unclear. Which way did you come
from? Which way was forward?
A confusing maze, where time stretches out
until it seems like forever. The Snarl of Doubt
is a chamber-between-chambers. It represents a
moment where all possible futures might come
true. This place reflects nostalgia felt for the
past and tells lies about the wizard as often as
the other chambers show truth.
The Snarl will often contain the Appren-
tice and the Child locked in debate about what
road to take. Characters might assist them in
their decision-making to earn a boon.
✥ CREATURES: The Child (see page 62)
and the Apprentice are commonly found
here, locked in argument, trapped by
their own inexperience. If not, an Archi-
tect (see page 65), Causal Snare (see page
66) or an Unwelcome Nightmare might
make for a suitable encounter.
✥ TREASURES: This chamber is oracular
in its anxious way, and characters might
learn secrets about their future. A reward
in the form of food, drink or garb might
be appropriate to those who escape.
THE APPRENTICE
Full of hope, the Apprentice rep-
resents E’lok Thir at a turning point,
and is a manifestation of crossroads,
metaphorical or otherwise. It is at
once foolhardy and uncertain, and
tends to understand better what
could be rather than what is. The
Apprentice has many magical powers,
but they are unpredictable and often
don’t operate precisely as intended.
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
SKILLS: Whenever the Apprentice
uses a skill, randomly generate the
skill level by rolling a D3 (it is still
learning, after all)
GEAR: An object that represents
learning, uncertainty, or both, such
as a book about a difficult subject,
hastily scribbled notes or a par-
tially labeled diagram
MOOD SHIFT: Each time the Appren-
tice is encountered (or, alter-
natively, if The Apprentice is
traveling with the PCs, each time
a new area of the Dream-Cloud
is entered) roll a D6 and consult
the chart below to determine its
state of mind:
1–2 SELF-CONSCIOUS: The Apprentice
is overwrought with self-
doubt. Any time it attempts
a task, it receives a –2
modification.
3–4 RELAXED: The Apprentice
presents itself as calm and
thoughtful. Tasks receive no
modification.
5–6 CONFIDENT: The Apprentice is
overcome with eagerness and
feels particularly self-assured.
Any time it attempts a task, it
receives a +2 modification.
If there is a task the PCs are
having difficulty with, it might
be worth their while to try and
convince the Apprentice to help,
when it is feeling confident, of
course.
68
chapter
UNWELCOME NIGHTMARES
Sometimes the mind dwells in dark-
ness, ruminating on failure. This
attracts the Unwelcome Nightmare.
These creatures dwell in the Dream-
Cloud waiting for an opportunity to
torment those who visit, and goad
E’lok Thir’s self-loathing. As the
Dream-Cloud destabilizes, the Unwel-
come Nightmares will become famil-
iar with the visiting characters and
torment them in more specific and
personal ways.
YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE: Unwelcome
Nightmares can appear in almost
any form. When one is encountered,
you should pick a PC and have the
Unwelcome Nightmare manifest as
something that PC fears. Alterna-
tively, the Unwelcome Nightmare
could take on a form that is an
amalgamation of fears from each
of the PCs, or it could change form
at random or at predetermined
intervals. Its attributes, movement,
armor rating and any special abilities
should be consistent with the thing
that the PC (or PCs) dread most,
though fear is an irrational thing and
often exaggerated, so likewise, the
stats of the Unwelcome Nightmare
may be similarly exaggerated.
MONSTER ATTACKS
D6 ATTACK
1 CRIPPLING FEAR! All adven-
turers within NEAR range
suffers a fear attack using
six Base Dice.
4
2 HEART PALPITATIONS! The
sheer horror of the situ-
ation is enough to cause
chest pain, as if a heavy
fist was punching its
way into the adventur-
er’s heart. An adventurer
within NEAR range suffers
an attack with seven Base
Dice and Weapon Damage
2 (blunt force).
3 TERRIFYING MANIFESTATION!
One adventurer within
NEAR range sees something
so terrible it will haunt
them for as long as they
live. The target suffers a
fear attack using eight
Base Dice. An adventurer
hit by the attack must
spend their next action
fleeing from the Unwel-
come Nightmare.
4 PHYSICAL ASSAULT!The
Unwelcome Nightmare uses
whatever form it has taken
to launch a devastating
attack against an adven-
turer within NEAR range.
The target suffers at attack
using eight Base Dice with
Weapon Damage 1.
5 characters are aware of the answers, transmit-
NOT AS THEY APPEAR! Two
adventurers abruptly
perceive each other as
personifications of their
greatest fears. They must
each roll for INSIGHT to
avoid having to spend
their next action attack-
ing the other in a fit of
paranoia.
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the dream-cloud of e’lok thir
6 FEAR MADE MANIFEST! Everyone
within NEAR range of the
Unwelcome Nightmare is
immediately exposed to
their greatest fear. For the
victims, the experience feels
entirely real. Each victim
suffers a fear attacks using
ten Base Dice.
7. ROOMS OF RECONCILIATION
A breath. A moment to pause and the sense that
this place might be safe to rest in. Or is it another
illusion? Can this peace be trusted?
The Rooms of Reconciliation manifest most
often as locales of quiet sadness – hospital
rooms, ancient graveyards overrun with grass,
places of confession. If the characters have
offended or harmed E’lok’s manifestations
this is an appropriate place to make amends.
When the characters enter this chamber,
ask one character if anyone else in the group
has harmed them in some way or if they carry
a grudge. Ask them what the character who
wronged them could do to make amends. Both
ted to them by whatever means are appropriate
for the paradigm of the chamber.
✥ CREATURES: Sometimes, the Lost and
Sorrowful Soul (see page 63) can be found
here, forlornly wandering, looking for
restitution for some ancient wrong, real or
imagined. It may be bargained with, here,
where it is at its most vulnerable.
✥ TREASURES: The foremost treasure here
is the chance to rest, safe for a moment
from the nightmares found elsewhere.
8. CHAPEL OF
TOMORROW’S PRICE
There is something lurking here, ominous as the
ticking of a clock. You feel as though you stand
on the edge of a precipice and at any moment
might plummet or soar from its edge. How
uncomfortable!
Whether this place is a terrifying hell or a
pastoral heaven is entirely up to two things
- what E’lok Thir believes in and what E’lok
Thir believes he, she or it deserves. This
chamber seeks an answer to “what now?” and
manifestations present here are at their clos-
est to understanding the truth. If the char-
acters are interested in saving E’lok Thir
they may be able to do so by luring all the
manifestations here together and performing
some final task. This place is fearsome in the
way that owning up to one’s flaws and taking
responsibility can steal away one’s courage.
This chamber will be especially gruel-
ing or poignant for characters who have had
their own brush with death. Ensure they
understand that special connection while
they are here.
✥ CREATURES: Mostly, this place holds
Unwelcome Nightmares (see page 68), but
one may also find A Granter of Wishes.
✥ TREASURES: Treasure that is a meta-
phor for some future goal fits best here.
Magical seeds, trappings of a journey or
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anything brand new, for example.
GRANTERS OF WISHES
Spirits of eagerness and hedonism,
these creatures seek to under-
stand and fulfill the desires of
those they come in contact with.
The Dream-Cloud is a twisted
sleepscape and the attentions of
a Granter are not always welcome.
Use a Granter of Wishes to give the
characters who visit the Dream-
Cloud exactly what they most
desire. If you do it right, they’ll
regret ever wanting it.
AS YOU WISH: A Granter of Wishes
will generally appear as some-
thing or someone who is equal
parts non-threatening and
alluring. Its form may origi-
nate from the memory or inner
desire of one of the characters,
or from that of E’lok Thir. They
make no attempt to influence
the world around them directly,
unless doing so in response to
a wish. They cannot be harmed
in any way, but if attacked a
Granter will defend itself. Oddly
enough, the easiest way to be
rid of one is to simply wish it
away, though this only works if
everyone in the vicinity (within
NEAR range) truly wants it gone.
If even a single adventurer is
thinking of taking advantage of
the Granter, it will stay in order
to grant, and probably twist,
that person’s wish.
4
 MONSTER ATTACKS
D6 ATTACK
1 TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING! A
random character is given a
glimpse of their greatest desire
and becomes overwhelmed
by the experience unless they
make an INSIGHT roll to pull
themselves together. Failure
means the character spends
a 15-minute turn completely
lost in their own fantasy world.
While in this state, the charac-
ter does not react to external
stimuli and acts as if they were
in a coma.
2 BETTER YOU THAN ME! The adven-
turer is spontaneously cured
of an ailment, deformity or
permanent critical injury.
However, that same ail-
ment immediately appears
on another random PC.
Alternately, someone the
PC knows could be cured
instead, with the PC gaining
their ailment.
3 MEMORY PURGE! The Granter
reaches into the adven-
turer’s mind and pulls out
what it perceives to be an
unwanted or traumatic
memory. The victim loses
all recollection of a specific
event, person, place or item.
You decide what memory
is lost, and whether or not
the effect is permanent or
only temporary. Perhaps the
memory will return as soon
as the PC leaves the Dream-
Cloud, or it might be gone
forever.
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the dream-cloud of e’lok thir
4 FALSE IMPRESSION! The Granter
of Wishes misinterprets the
person’s desires and instead
causes them extreme mental
anguish. The victim suffers a
fear attack with eight Base
Dice. If hit, the victim must
spend the next round weeping
in self-pity, screaming in rage,
silently staring off into space
or otherwise expressing their
discontent over the unfairness
of it all.
5 VENDETTA! The targeted adven-
turers is holding a grudge
against someone, or so the
Granter believes. In a sudden
flurry, it lashes out, acting on
the impulse (real or not) of the
character who was wronged.
Roll for the attack using nine
Base Dice and Weapon Damage
2 (blunt force).
6 HEART’S DESIRE! Somehow, the
person actually gets what
they want, at least to an
extent. Work with the player
to decide what benefit the
Granter provides. Perhaps
a damaged item is repaired,
a wound is healed, a small
amount of gold coins appears
or the adventurer gains some
scrap of knowledge that they
were seeking.
9. GAUNTLET OF APPROVAL
Entering this chamber, you are certain you are
being observed. The ominous eye of some alien
watcher is upon you, and your skin crawls with
the sensation.
In every life there is judgment. Every action one
takes is observed and measured. In the Gaunt-
let of Approval, E’lok Thir re-experiences every
moment of judgment faced during the course of
an entire lifetime. This chamber may manifest
as a literal gauntlet of shouting faces and point-
ing fingers or might be more subtle. The deeper
into the Dream-Cloud that visitors are, the more
this chamber reflects their own experiences.
Here, the Apprentice can often be found,
and might be eager to assist or bitter and angry,
depending on your whim and what sort of stu-
dent E’lok Thir was.
✥ CREATURES: The Apprentice (see page 67)
✥ TREASURES: Treasures granting resilience
or resistance to harm might be secreted
away in this place.
10. FORBIDDEN DEPTHS
A childish feeling of shame tightens your stomach,
welling up through your body as you enter this
chamber. Each step feels like a transgression.
Every human mind has fantasies about burning
down the house and fleeing naked into the woods.
This chamber holds those kinds of secrets. All
the forbidden and unacceptable desires of life are
trapped in this place. It houses some meaning-
ful treasure or tidbit of knowledge among the
morass of shame. This chamber might manifest
as a pleasure-house, a private study, or some-
thing repurposed from an innocent origin.
Remember your players’ sensitivities when
describing this location. What might seem a
fun level of nightmarish or taboo to you might
be upsetting or harmful to a fellow player.
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chapter
✥ CREATURES: The Heart is found here,
now and then, wanting what it wants. If
the Mind finds it here, they immediately
become aggressive towards one another.
✥ TREASURES: E’lok Thir’s most shameful
secrets are hidden away here – anything
forbidden could be discovered in the
Depths.
11. GROTTO OF PEACE
Clarity and a sense of alertness sharpen the
features of this chamber. Your mind feels like a
window opening to the spring air after a long,
dark winter.
Peace is the rarest commodity. This chamber
embodies moments of beauty where all is calm.
Here, puzzles become clear and riddles untan-
gle. Here, realization is easy and self-awareness
possible, if only for a moment. The Grotto of
peace manifests as places of fragility and insta-
bility. This is not a peace that can last.
✥ CREATURES: The Child (see page 62) or
an Architect (see page 65) are most likely
encountered here.
✥ TREASURES: Treasures found here will
shy away from violent expression, but
otherwise any magical treasure could be
appropriate.
12. THE HELL WE MAKE
If this maze has a center, this may well be it. No
treasure awaits here, but instead a terrible pur-
pose - torment and torture, the kind we turn upon
ourselves - is made manifest.
4
A special manifestation of E’lok Thir is being
kept here. The others come and go from this
place to check on the fragmented and impris-
oned Essence. Without intervention by visi-
tors, the Essence cannot escape. The Essence
cannot think or feel, and is as much a concept
as it is an entity. The other manifestations
keep the Essence here and punish it in what-
ever method fits your understanding of the
self-loathing of a wizard.
If the Essence were freed from this place it
might be brought to the Rooms of Reconcili-
ation to be reunited with the other manifesta-
tions. Even attempting such a thing draws in
both the creatures that made this place and the
other manifestations.
✥ CREATURES: This is the prison of the
Essence and might be guarded by any of
the other manifestations or creatures of
the Dream-Cloud. This is the place for a
final showdown or to highlight anything
your players have missed so far.
✥ TREASURES: The artifact the Essence is
found here.
THE ESSENCE OF E’LOK THIR
Formless and inchoate, the Essence
of E’lok Thir represents that final
spark that separates the animate
from the inanimate. It is the soul of
a powerful wizard and is dangerous,
wondrous and unpredictable.
The one who possesses the
Essence of E’lok Thir can exert a
greater degree of control over the
Dream-Cloud than would otherwise
73
the dream-cloud of e’lok thir
be possible. On a successful INSIGHT
roll, the character can hold and
concentrate on the Essence in order
to alter a location by adding or
removing details, cause objects to
appear or disappear, rearrange rooms
or physical features of the space,
increase or decrease the area’s size,
etc. Failing the INSIGHT roll causes
the Essence to reject the character’s
interference – from now on, any time
the character touches the Essence
its psychic backlash causes that
person to suffer a fear attack using
twelve Base Dice.
EVENTS
The rules of the Dream-Cloud shift and change
as characters move from one location to
another and their own mental and emotional
state will affect the landscape. Ask a few of the
following questions, in no particular order,
here and there as the characters progress. The
answers should inform how the Dream-Cloud
might react or shift accordingly.
✥ What emotion are you most strongly feel-
ing, right now?
✥ How did [event that just occurred] make
you feel?
✥ What does this moment remind you of?
✥ What is a song you remember well from
the past? Why did you think of it, just now?
✥ When was the last time you spoke to your
parents?
✥ What is something you’re secretly proud of?
✥ What is a shameful memory you carry
 around? What about this place reminds
you of it?
✥ What was the last beautiful thing you saw?
How did it make you feel?
✥ Have you ever had a moment in which
you were afraid to die? What made that
moment different from any other time
you were in danger?
✥ What do you suspect [other character]
thinks of you? [to that character:] What
do you really think?
It can be a meaningful signal to a player if
you ask about their guilt after they’ve done
something you think they might feel badly
about. Asking questions seemingly out-of-
context can create a sense of paranoia or
confusion.
As the characters explore the Dream-Cloud
their presence inexorably disturbs its stability.
An invisible timer is ticking down. Each time
the players overcome a significant challenge
(like defeating a major denizen, or interacting
with a manifestation for the first time) or rest
for more than a moment, tick off one item
from the list in order. When the final item is
ticked, consult The End of The Dream (to the
right) for information about how to end this
long night.
✥ E’lok Thir’s fragmented manifestations
begin to notice the characters, acknowl-
edging and remembering them from
fragment-to-fragment.
✥ The Dream-Cloud itself notices the char-
acters’ presence, drawing on their subcon-
scious desires and creating images from
their emotional state.
✥ The Dream-Cloud begins to more
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chapter
aggressively tailor the landscape to the
intruders, advancing from vague images
to concrete representations.
✥ E’lok Thir’s fragments realize the Dream-
Cloud is being intruded upon and become
hostile, in their way.
✥ The Dream-Cloud begins conjuring
wholly-real objects and places tailored to
the characters, especially impossible or
incongruous ones.
✥ E’lok Thir’s fragments start to merge,
cohesion coming as a reaction to the
threat of the characters, who are pursued,
harried and harassed by the various frag-
ments in their idiom.
✥ The Dream-Cloud unravels, real-world
logic losing all hold on its landscape.
Absurdity and chaos reign.
✥ The Dream-Cloud begins to collapse,
withdrawing from the waking world. Con-
sult The End of The Dream.
THE END
OF THE DREAM
When your timer of events runs out and you
reach the final entry the Dream-Cloud wanes
and moves away from the waking world, threat-
ening to take those still inside with it. A second
ritual must be performed to escape. Without the
Ritual of Egress, anyone caught in the Dream-
Cloud is trapped there, incorporated into the
dream or absorbed wholesale and lost forever.
Ensure your players have a chance to learn the
way out at some point during their visit.
4
 CRYPT OF THE
MELLIFIED MAGE
The sorcerer Pagoag is a minor note in most histories, as
his vanity, excesses and medical prowess brought plenty
of commentary, but darker insinuations become more
and more explicit – that his cult was insular, greedy, and
lasciviously hedonistic. The darkest allegation is that Pa-
goag began experimenting with the creation of a mellified
man – the candied flesh of which can restore any being
to the apex of their vitality at the cost of a prolonged and
torturous end to an individual. A single pound of mel-
lified flesh can, by renewing the life of an individual or
resurrecting the recently dead and restoring them to their
physical peak, create devastating impacts and destabilize
power relations. Anyone with even a decent amount of
wealth would have a burning desire for it.

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legends
 THE FIRING PIT
OF LLAO-YUTUY
Local herders and villagers speak of it in hushed tones. No-
ticing the smoke on the horizon, they mutter such things as
“The fires are hot today” or “It burns only faintly” as though
discussing the weather. But they avoid getting any closer.
Those that do are known never to return. Some say it is
home to demons, or a wizard. Others say it is the entrance
to the bowels of the earth, or to the place where ghosts go
during the daylight hours. All of them know somebody who
knew somebody else who once saw figures on the mound,
or heard the distant sound of wood being chopped, when
studying it from afar.

76
legends
 TEMPLE OF THE
SIX-LIMBED LORD
Demons are an evil come to us through a crack in the world.
One of their forms is called monkey – person-shaped and
person-faced, but subtly perverse. They have pale fur,
thumbs on both hands and feet, a cat-like tail, and are long as
they are tall. Armed and armored, they come bearing flags
and scripture. But their insignias are meaningless heraldry,
their shields filigreed in alien styles. Their hymns praise false
divinities – what fearful evil! While some demons worm
through our lowest urges, the monkey instead mocks our art,
our faith, our civilization. Our virtues!

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legends
 THE DREAM-CLOUD
OF E’LOK THIR
Master magus E’lok Thir died not at the hands of zealous
bandits, or from the spells of a rival wizard, but while
asleep, dreaming peacefully. As with many things to do
with magic, death is more complicated than it might be for
anyone else. While its body became limp and lifeless, E’lok
Thir’s spirit was too potent for old age to claim it.
Spinning a web of safety out of dream-stuff, E’lok Thir’s
spirit made itself a place to hide and to recover from the
trauma of dying. The process confused and fragmented
E’lok Thir’s mind, splitting it into pieces that now wander
the Dream-Cloud as it forms, collapses and reforms. The
Dream-Cloud, too, wanders, sometimes real enough that the
rain of its melancholy spills on the stones of the waking world.
It is said, among those who know of such things, that the
Dream-Cloud might be lured closer to the world of the
waking mind. With the right ritual or the right sort of bait,
enterprising individuals could pull the Dream-Cloud close
and step between the worlds. Once there, the riches of the
mind of a great magician would be free for the taking.

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legends