Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

Black Flames
A DARK SUN™ Campaign Adventure

DM's Book
Credits
Design: Sam Witt
Editing: Elizabeth Anne Tornabene
Roject Coordination: D.J. Watry
Cover Art: Brom
Interior Art: David 0 . Miller
Cartography: Diesel
Typography: Angelika Lokotz
Graphic Design: Dee Barnett & Sarah Feggestad

This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any
unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is expressly prohibited without the
written consent of TSR, Inc. Copyright © 1993 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
Random House and its affiliate companies have worldwide distribution rights in the book trade for
English-language products of TSR, Inc. Distributed to the book and hobby trade in the United
Kingdom by TSR Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors.
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and AD&D are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.
DARK SUN, MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM, DUNGEON MASTER, DM and the TSR logo are
trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.
All TSR characters and the distinctive ilkenesses thereof are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.

TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd.

POB 756 120 Church End
Lake Geneva Cherry Hinton
WI53147 Cambridge CBl 3LB
U.SA. United Kingdom

2417XXX0502 1-56076-580-1
Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)
 Black Flames is designed for four to six player characters of levels 3 through 6. The player
characters begin the adventure on the road from Urik to Raam, attempting to complete
any of a number of assignments.
Farcluun, a 22nd-level dragon, lies in wait along the characters' path. He desperately
needs adventurers to help him explore the ruins of "Yaramuke. After disrupting the char-
acters' travels with a magically created windstorm, he springs his trap. Zombies and skele-
tons, disguised as peaceful desert nomads by Farcluun's illusions, "stumble" across the
buffeted characters, offering them food and water. Once the characters have drunk, Far-
cluun drops his illusion to reveal the nomads' true nature. He tells the characters that
they have drunk of the dreaded Black Waters and will surely die within a few days.
But Farcluun knows of a cure in the ruined city of Yaramuke. If the characters help him
recover certain artifacts (the Eye and the Orb) from that ruined city, he will be more than
happy to help them overcome the poison of the Black Waters. What neither Farcluun nor
the characters know is that Abalach-Re, the Grand Vizier of Raam, isn't going to let them
get away so easily with the prize she also desires

Materials Needed to Play. In addition to this module, you must also have the AD&D®
2nd Edition rule books, the DARK SUN™ boxed set, The Complete Psionics Hand-
book, and the DARK SUN Monstrous Compendium™ (MC).
"You may also wish to familiarize yourself with Dune Trader, Dragon Kings, and Tome
of Magic before play begins. Dune Trader offers you detailed information about the way
traders travel and do business, allowing you to elaborate on the merchant encounters in
this adventure as much asyou would like. Dragon Kings contains invaluable information
on dragons and their magic, which gives a wider perspective on dragons—thus helping
you to role-play them more effectively. Tome of Magic has many new spells as well as the
details on wild magic. Some pockets of wild magic dot the ruins of "Yaramuke, so you can
certainly benefit from reading Tome.

Preparing for Play. As always, the DM must read the adventure and be thoroughly famil-
iar with it prior to the start of play. Time spent reading this book will speed play and make
the game more enjoyable for you and your players. Also before beginning play, you may
wish to reread the description of the Black Waters Oasis on page 77 of The Wanderer's
Journal, found in the boxed set.
Regenerated characters are included on pages 19 to 30 in the Player's Book should
the players wish to use them. If you use these pregenerated characters, spend a few min-
utes before play answering any questions the players may have about their characters.
Make sure the players understand their characters' special abilities, such as spells and
psionics.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 How to Use This Book

If you have played many AD&D* adventures before, you will notice that this one is
quite different. There are three books in the box: the DUNGEON MASTER™ Book
(which you are holding), the Player's Book, and a Story Book. The adventure itself is
also structured differently. The storyline is similar to a straightforward quest, but in
many cases characters will be dealing with several different situations at once. Also, not
all the information in the books is necessary to the game. Depending on what the players
choose to do, you may wind up skipping some encounters.
This adds a new dimension to the game, increasing the adventure's complexity and
flexibility. No longer will your task as DM end at merely describing what lies behind the
next door. K>U will now be refereeing the plots of several NPCs and multilevel stories.
But don't panic! While this may sound daunting, Black Flames is designed to make
your job easier. Each section is clearly labeled and cross-references other adventure sec-
tions. Once you have read through the adventure and familiarized yourself with the vari-
ous NPCs and their motives, running the adventure will be a cinch.
Another difference between this adventure and most others is that the characters can
make a lasting impact on the world they live in. If successful, the characters will have
defeated a dragon, removed an ancient curse, and explored one of the Tyr region's most
famous ruins. While the tale of their accomplishments will surely spread, so will the
jealousy of their enemies. The PCs may perform great deeds and gain a powerful ally
(Phabum, Druid of Black Waters), but they will also gain the enmity of Abalach-Re,
Grand Vizier of Raam, and of S'kin'di, a vengeful t'chowb.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Black Flames is based around encounters. These are discrete sections of the advennture I
comprising a single situation or meeting with NPCs or monsters. Most encounters move I
the adventure forward, but some (such as those on the journey from Urik to Raam) merelylerely I
add flavor and will not help the characters finish the adventure. Use these encounters ntare *

whenever you like, but don't let them overshadow the adventure.
Each encounter is a single page long, and each has several different sections. Not all
encounters contain every one of the nine sections described below, but all feature at least
a few of them.
Setup briefly describes the encounter, lists materials you may need, and also tells you
when to use them. Start sets the scene for the encounter, most frequently with a short pas-
sage you can read to your players. Encounter is the heart of the event, describing the gen-
eral course of the action. Role-playing provides notes on the behavior, attitudes, and
reactions of the principal NPCs for that encounter. Snatches of sample Dialogue that
can serve as starting points for role-playing encounters are frequently included in this sec-
tion. Statistics lists any information on NPCs or monsters for that encounter or tells you
where to find these numbers. Outcome presents the likely results of an encounter. (Of
course, not every possibility can be accounted for—only the most likely or logical results.
"You must be ready to improvise, should the characters attempt something completely
unexpected.) Next tells you where to look in the booklet to continue play. There is often a
number of choices, so you can tailor the adventure to your needs.
Black Flames does not use random encounter tables or wandering monsters. Instead,
scenes at the beginning of most adventure sections describe an incident involving an
N P C , creature, or problem appropriate to the section. In Part One, many scenes involve
monsters the characters may meet on the road to Raam. Once the characters are search-
ing the Ruins of Tfaramuke, encounters involve important objects and some strategically-
placed monsters. Some encounters may be used in more than one location. Use these
scenes whenever you need to increase tension or move the story along; these are optional
tools, not mandatory encounters. When the characters are at the oasis, encounters
involve undead, druids, and dragons.
Finally, background material is included for each of the three sections of the
adventure. The background material outlines the different encounters to be used in that
section and may describe places or people available in many encounters and scenes.
This information helps you create descriptions and handle unforeseen events.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Part One of Black Flames gets the player characters on the road from Urik to Raam. This
adventure offers four methods to accomplish this: Caravan Duty, Guards, Scouts, and
Ambush. Feel free to choose whichever route best suits your group's overall style. None of
the methods affects play; they simply provide you with variety and choices.
Because Black Flames doesn't begin until the characters are on the road from Urik to
Raam, the encounters in Part One are only lightly touched upon. *¥ou can elaborate on
these encounters to any degree you wish, but take care not to make them overly danger-
ous. If you do, the PCs may be too weak to finish the adventure. The hints for role-playing
and setup in Part One are intentionally vague. "Vou should flesh these encounters out
according to your players' interests and their characters' abilities.

Setup. All the introductory encounters work the same way: someone hires the player char-
acters. It is assumed that these encounters take place in Urik, so you must change the
details if you wish to start elsewhere. It is vital, however, that the PCs pass between Urik
and Raam at some point, as the adventure begins on that road.
Caravan Duty: The characters are approached in Urik by a recruiting agent from
House Stel. The House is in dire need of guards for their next caravan, and they are will-
ing to pay well for the characters' services. The agent (you may wish to use Terric Avan if
you have Dune Trader) worries that there are traitors in his House. He wishes to hire out-
side help to ferret them out. He begins negotiations at 2 sp per character for the journey;
he will go no higher than 5 sp per character. Wages are slightly higher than normal
because the trader needs guards now and because they must defend the caravan against
the treachery of their traveling companions.
Guarc/s: The characters are hired by Templar Shaziva of Raam to escort her from Urik
(where she contacts the characters) to Raam. Her funds are limited, and she can offer the
PCs a mere silver piece for this task. However, she has her own mekillot and enclosed
wagon, and she will buy food and water for the characters. If the characters are clever
enough to ask, Shaziva will also promise favors when they arrive in Raam (it is doubtful
that she can keep any promises, as Raam is in the grip of civil unrest, but don't tell the
PCs this)—anything from free passage back to Urik to a villa on the outskirts of Raam.
She secretly plans to have the characters put to death if they make any trouble once
they're in Raam.
Scouts: A small armored contingent from House Stel is making plans to chase down
bandits along the road between Urik and Raam. They need scouts who can travel ahead
of them and locate the bandit tribes. The characters are offered 10 bits a day for their ser-
vices, as well as crodlu mounts and whatever rations they need. This will be dangerous
but exciting work; you should play up the attractive aspects of such duty. The agent from
House Stel may hint at a future, permanent position with the House—a perfect spring-
board for further adventures.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Ambush: House Mke knows that House Stel will be transporting a package from
Templar Sebik in Urik to his lover in Raam. Mke wants to force Stel out of favor with the
templars by disrupting the caravan and stealing the package. The characters are offered
10 bits a day to take on this mission and to keep it secret. Clever negotiations on the part
of the PCs can raise the base salary as high as 13 bits a day.

Role-playing. Remember, these encounters are not the meat of this adventure. You
should role-play these as completely as necessary, but don't shortchange the rest of the
adventure. Make the NPCs who contact the player characters devious and hard bargain-
ers; let them try to cheat and trick the PCs. Let the players think that their characters' mis-
sion is the main event. In other words, keep these introductory encounters fairly quick
and get on with the adventure.

Next The rest of the encounters in Part One are designed merely to add excitement to
the journey from Urik to Raam and to lull the players into thinking that this journey is the
heart of the adventure. The encounters in Part One can be played in any order. Use as
many or as few Part One encounters asyou like, but don't overdo it. These encounters are
only spice, and too much spice can ruin the meal. Some encounters work differently
depending on which of the methods you used to get the player characters on the road.
Such differences will be noted in the Setup or Encounter sections of each encounter.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Part One:
A Watering Hole

Setup. In this encounter, the PCs try to drink from a watering hole—only to find that it is
the home of a bog wader. This encounter is most appropriate if the characters were hired
to do Caravan Duty or if they are low on water. (If they are caravan guards, it is their duty
to check all watering holes.) Players should turn to the Player's Book, page 6—Watering
Hole.

Start The encounter begins when the PCs discover a watering hole. Read the following to
the players:
"Tfour journey has been much longer and harder than you expected. lou knew the
desert was a dismal place, but never has it seemed so desolate. The hard-baked surface of
the road reflects the sun's heat in your faces, and bitter winds line your throats with dust.
As you begin to despair of ever finding relief from the desert's torture, you see the flat,
reflective surface of a deep pool of water, not a hundred paces from your path."
If the PCs investigate the water, continue with this encounter. If they ignore the water,
play up the effects of the unrelenting heat and windblown dust for the rest of their journey,
and then go on to the next encounter.

Encounter. Observant players may notice small, bumpy protrusions on the far side of the
water in the illustration in the Player's BooL The watering hole has begun to dry out, and
this bog wader's camouflage has suffered for it.
If a character drinks from the watering hole, he or she falls prey to the bog wader. Also,
if a character suspects there's something wrong and attacks the watering hole with any
melee weapons, the PC automatically falls prey to the bog wader; such characters are
always surprised. Using area affect spells such asfireballon the pool will damage it, reduc-
ing the amount of available water from Id6to Id3 gallons.
Characters who attack the hidden bog wader with missile weapons have a —4 penalty,
and damage rolls are —1 due to the earth covering the bog wader. The bog wader bursts
from its hiding place after taking one hit and charges the characters.

Statistics. Bog WaJen AL CE; AC 4; MV 3; H D 4+ 3; hp 25; THACO 15; #AT 5;

Dmg l - 3 / l - 3 / l - 3 / l - 3 / l - 4 + i m p a l i n g ; SZ M; ML 11; see DARK SUN™ MCfor
more information.

Outcome. The PCs should defeat the bog wader with little difficulty. This encounter
should merely remind the characters of the hazards of carelessness. The characters may
fill their waterskins after the fight.

Next Proceed to another encounter, or go to 1E—Sandstorm!

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. This encounter with a group of kenku traders occurs
sometime shortly before dusk on the road from Urik to Raam.
Feel free to set this encounter whenever you wish, as it does not
affect the rest of the adventure. Have the players turn to the
Player's Book, page 4—Traders.

Start This encounter may occur at any time during the charac-
ters' journey from Urik to Raam. Read or paraphrase the following:
"At first you thought it was a mirage. But now you can see three shrouded figures
approaching you. As they near, they raise their hands and wave great hide bags before
them. Amazingly enough, they appear to be traders, and they are coming to your camp.
A diversion from the boredom of the road!"

Encounter. The individuals that have entered the PCs' camp are kenku "traders." The
kenku are in disguise, appearing as large-nosed, mute humans. They seem to have at
least one of everything in their packs. If the players ask about an item, the kenku have
one somewhere on their persons. They have any normal, portable item, although they
have no magical items. They also have food and water, but in lim-
ited quantities.
The kenku will offer the characters amazing deals during the
trading session. They'll take almost any offer, selling items at one-
half or even one-quarter their normal price. Once the PCs have
spent all they want to, the disguised kenku go into the night, never
to be seen again. Characters who buy large quantities of kenku
wares will realize their folly after the kenku depart. Kenku have
the power to make trade items from dust, to which the items return 1 d8 hours after pur-
chase.

Role-playing. The kenku cannot speak, but they appear very respectful, always bowing
and averting their eyes. They are actually trying to keep the characters from realizing
what they are. Should a character become aware that he or she is dealing with kenku, the
kenku will become very fearful, attempting to look as pitiable as possible. Try to make the
kenku appear as misunderstood traders trying to communicate as best they can.

Outcome. At the end of this encounter, characters are likely to be poorer and players
wiser. It is possible for the PCs to attack the kenku (statistics are
in the Monstrous Compendium, Volume Two), but not likely.
Should this happen, the kenku flee and may return to harass the
characters at a later, more inconvenient time.

Next From here, choose another encounter in this section, or go

to IE—Sandstorm!

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. This encounter takes place at night during the characters' journey from lirik to
Raam. In order for this encounter to work, one PC must be standing guard alone. After
reading the Start text aloud, have the sentry player turn to the Player's Book, page 3—
Cool Summons.

Start Roll the belgoi's con tact attempt. If the roll fails, the belgoi's bell awakens the rest of
the party and the belgoi flees into the night. If the belgoi succeeds, read the following to
the PC standing guard:
"Just outside camp, you hear a lovely tinkling, as of crystal goblets clinking together."
At this point the belgoi tries attraction to lure the character out of camp. If this suc-
ceeds, read the following aloud:
"The sound is too beautiful to ignore. It reminds you of cool, cool water, of blowing
breezes and silky shadows. K>u must find its source.
At this point, the character must walk out to the belgoi, who is 50 feet from camp. If the
attraction fails, the belgoi attempts to dominate the character. Should this fail, it will try
attraction once again and, if unable to succeed, will wait for the next watch and try again.

Encounter. The belgoi is a devious opponent and not to be underestimated. Characters

who become the belgoi's target could very well be slain. Attractea characters will not
immediately see the belgoi as a threat and will be easy prey for its first Constitution drain.
After that, the character can act as normal, but the belgoi will try to dominate the charac-
ter and force him or her into submission.
Once a character begins to fight the belgoi, there is a chance that other PCs or NPCs
will take notice. Sleeping characters or NPCs will hear the fight if they make a successful
Intelligence check at —3. Characters who are awake automatically notice the fight.
The belgoi will flee if anyone comes to the aid of the targeted character. If the party
does not hunt the belgoi down and stop it from going for reinforcements, there will be seri-
ous repercussions over the next few days (see Outcome).

Statistics. Belgoi: AL LE; AC 7; MV 12; H D 5; hp 32; THACO 15, #AT 2, Dmg

1 d4+2; Constitution drain; SZ M; ML 9; Psionics—Sciences: domination; Devotions:
attraction, contact, ego whip, mind blank, psionic blast; Defenses: EW, P B / M - ; PSPs
35; see I he Wanderer's Journal for more information on belgoi.

Outcome. If the character is slain or the belgoi is not killed, a number of belgoi equal to
twice the number of surviving PCs will arrive outside camp the next night and try to lure
other PCs to their deaths.

Next Continue with other encounters in this section or go to 1E—Sandstorm!

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. This encounter brings the characters face to face with the reality of the curse of the
Black Waters. Have the players turn to the Player's Book, page 44—Walking Dead.

Start As the characters travel the road from Urik to Raam, they notice a knot of figures
walking slowly ahead of them. Before long they overtake the group and realize what a piti-
ful sight they really are. Read or paraphrase the following:
"Never have you seen such a dismal lot of humanity. They moan and beg as you
approach, their diseased limbs reaching for you. Truly, these are the walking damned.

Encounter. If the characters stop and try to aid these poor wretches, the leader (Sil Dresh,
who looks no better than the others) will warn them away. "We are too far gone," he says.
His people lament, "In our foolishness, we ignored the curse of the Black Waters. Do not
make the same mistake as we, lest you too walk the roads of the dead."
If the characters use healing magic or magical items on Dresh's people, they will
achieve only minimal results and, in some cases (at your discretion), may actually make
the people worse. These people are on their last legs, soon to be dead. There is nothing
that the characters can do.
The people still have the will to live, though. They will eagerly gulp any water or food
offered to them. Yet within seconds whatever they ingest comes back up mixed with saliva
and blood. This illness manifests in boils and suppurating abscesses on the skin.

Role-playing. This should be a distressing encounter for the players. Their characters will
probably want to help these people, but everything they do is inadequate. Dresh is fatalis-
tic and seems resigned to his fate. He speaks little, watching sadly as the characters try to
help his people. He says nothing about where he is from or where he was going, fearful that
the characters may attempt to trace his path and thus fall prey to the Black Waters.
The rest of his people are not reasonable. They are frantic with the fear of death and
the hope of help that the characters represent. They beg for food and water despite their
inability to keep it down; they are aggressive in their demands.
Dialogue:
"Please, sir, help my little girl!"
"Food! I starve!"
"A drop of water, I beg of you!"

Outcome. Regardless of what the characters do, Dresh eventually leads his people away.
Later, when the characters themselves are afflicted with the curse of the Black Waters, the
memory of this encounter will drive home the severity of their situation.

Next Proceed with the other encounters in this section, or go to 1E—Sandstorm!

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Part One:
E—Sandstorm!
Setup. This is the only encounter in Part One that is not optional.
It is the encounter that moves the characters into Part Two and
occurs midway between Urik and Raam. Have the players turn to
the Player's Book, page 1 5—Sandstorm! after reading the Start
text.

Start Begin this encounter when the players least expect it. It can
occur when the characters are preparing to bed down for the night, during a trading ses-
sion with the kenku, or as the belgoi attacks. Make sure that this encounter carries the
dramatic weight of Part One and brings the characters smoothly into Part Two. When
you are ready to begin the encounter, read the following aloud:
"The roaring is so sudden, so powerful, it is as if the world has exploded. Powerful
winds suddenly buffet your body, hurling stinging sand into your face. lour mounts
scream and bellow in panic, and fear blossoms in your chest. As the roaring of the wind
increases and more and more sand flies into your face, you realize that you have encoun-
tered Athas's most terrifying beast: a sandstorm."

Encounter. The sandstorm is Farcluun's doing. It is the result of a spell that combines
teleport and control weather. Farcluun stumbled across the spell while searching for infor-
mation about "Yaramuke, and it fit his plans perfectly. The storm lasts 5 rounds, then ends
as abruptly as it started. Characters with an Intelligence greater than 17 will realize that
the storm is not of natural origin, but that is all. No spells or psionic disciplines may be
used during the storm, as concentration is impossible.

Outcome. The storm does not damage the characters, but when it blows itself out, the
characters find that the people who hired them are nowhere in sight, and their small
group is all alone. The PCs will also quickly realize that they are no longer on the hard-
packed road, but are now lost somewhere in the middle of the trackless desert wastes of
Athas.
PCs still have their equipment, but their mounts are lost The characters feel as if they
haven't eaten or drunk for days, but if they check their packs, they will find that the driving
sand has gotten into their supplies and spoiled them all.

Next Go to 1F—Helping Hands and continue with the adventure.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. This encounter begins as soon as the sandstorm from IE—Sandstorm! ends.
Once Farcluun reveals himself, have the players turn to Player's Book, page 42—Helping
Hands, and ask a player to read Farcluun's speech aloud.

Start As the sandstorm dies down, read the following aloud to the players:
"The wind ceases and an abrupt silence follows. Dust fills the crevices in your armor
and the folds of your clothes. While you still have your weapons, armor, and other equip-
ment, you realize that your mounts are gone. An incredible thirst gnaws at you, but you
discoveryour water has leaked out of its container. The desert is cruel indeed."

Encounter. Let the players sweat out their characters' situation for a few moments, empha-
sizing the heat and their characters' thirst. Suddenly, the characters see a small band of
nomads coming across the desert. The nomads approach the PCs and are very friendly,
even offering food and water. The nomads are actually zombies and skeletons disguised
by Farcluun with a spectral force spell. Characters may attempt to penetrate this illusion,
but make sure that the spell is not prematurely dispelled. If it is, the characters are liable to
become suspicious and not accept the cursed water on which the adventure depends.
Of course, some characters may be too suspicious to drink the cursed waters. As long as
some party members drink, don't worry. If the characters are a cooperative parry, any unaf-
flicted characters will try to help their friends search for a cure. If some suspicious players
won't let any of the parry drink, Farcluun uses all his powers to persuade the party that the
food and water are wholesome and fresh. Since the water's curse is magical, purify food &
drink will have no effect upon it.
The characters may eat and drink as much as they wish. Once they have drunk the zom-
bies' water, Farcluun drops his illusion from the undead, although he remains in disguise.
As he approaches, ask a player to read aloud Farcluun's speech on page 42.

Role-playing. Farcluun is a very old and powerful dragon, though his disguise makes him
look like a strongyoung man. He is very patient and almost seems bored with the proceed-
ings. In fact, he is quite anxious to get on with things. He knows that even as he speaks to
the characters, his enemy Abalach-Re is also searching for a way into Karamuke. Farcluun
has the advantage for the time being, but he must hurry to keep it. Though he will not
harm the characters, he constantly reminds them of the curse of the Black Waters, the
effects of which they will begin to feel in a few hours. Farcluun seems to be their only hope.
The undead will not attack unless the characters attack them first. The undead will
defend themselves, but Farcluun will not allow them to kill the characters.

Outcome. The characters really have only three choices: 1) help Farcluun, 2) fight him
and be subdued, or 3) run and die a slow death from the curse.

Next If the characters try to battle the dragon and his undead or try to escape, go on to
1G—Hopeless Battle. If they agree to work with Farcluun, proceed to 1H—Outfitting.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. Use this encounter if the characters refuse to aid Farcluun, or if they attempt to
escape from the dragon and its undead. Have the players turn to the Player's Book, page
11 —Hopeless Battle.

Start When the PCs refuse to join Farcluun or if they try to run, read or paraphrase the
following:
"The man smiles at you, smoky yellow eyes glimmering in the sun.K>U accepted my
aid, my hospitality,' he says. To refuse to repay such kindness would be most rude.' He
licks his lips and cracks his knuckles, then smiles menacingly and adds, And most
unwise.' Then he makes an almost imperceptible movement with the fingers of one hand.
The undead begin to close in."

Encounter. Farcluun knows that he is running out of time. Abalach-Re will soon try to
claim the secrets of ^aramuke (and the Black Waters) for herself. He also knows that he
will probably not find another group as powerful as the PCs in time to complete his
quest. He cannot allow the characters to escape, and he uses his undead to stop them.
While the PCs must not escape, Farcluun needs them alive. He commands his
undead to use overbearing attacks (Players Handbook, page 97) on the characters. The
undead attack in groups of five until the PCs are knocked to the ground. Once a charac-
ter has been brought down, any number of skeletons or zombies may help keep the PC
pinned.
If it appears that the player characters may actually escape from the undead, Farcluun
steps into the fray. He uses psionics and magic to subdue the characters, wishing to dam-
age them as little as possible. However, he will attempt to maintain his disguise if possible.
Should the dragon and his minions fail to bring the characters under control, he will
attempt to beat them into submission. Once they surrender or have been knocked
unconscious he will allow them to use his healing fruits. Subtract fruits used in this
encounter from those in Encounter 1H—Outfitting.
Some characters may still not want to submit to Farcluun's wishes. If this is the case, the
dragon will continue to beat them until they agree to aid him. Reminders of the curse may
also trigger a stubborn character's preservation instinct. In any event, Farcluun will do
everything in his power to make sure that all the characters join him.

Statistics. Skeletons (20) (as per Monster Table, with the following exceptions): hp 1 (x3),
2 (x2), 4 (X6), 5,6 (x2), 7 (x3), 8 (x3); Dmg overbearing.
Zombies (l 0) (as per master Monster Table, with the following exceptions): hp 4 (x3), 5,
6, 9 (x2), 11, 14, 15; Dmg overbearing.

Outcome. The characters must join Farcluun or die. They have no other choices.

Next Bury any unfortunate PCs or continue with encounter 1H—Outfitting.

•

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. This encounter allows the PCs to equip themselves before starting their trek to
^faramuke.

Start. Once the characters agree to accompany Earcluun to the ruined city of "Varamuke,
read or paraphrase the following:
"Farcluun smiles, his lips parting to reveal jagged teeth and a flickering tongue. 'Very
good,' he snarls, then whistles tunelessly A quartet of zombies stumbles forward carrying
a huge chest, which they drop at your feet. A choking cloud of sand rises and Farcluun
chuckles to himself. 'Open the chest and take what you need, but only as much as you
can carry,' he says."

Encounter. This huge chest contains a small portion of Farcluun's vast treasure. The
characters are allowed to take anything they want, though Farcluun will only allow them
to keep what they can carry in relative comfort (no more than Heavy encumbrance). If any
of the characters ask if the items are theirs to keep, Farcluun laughs and nods his head.
He plans to kill the characters anyway, so such promises are meaningless. The chest con-
tains the items listed below. (See page 72 of the DARK SUN™ boxed set Rules Book for
information on arm pieces and leggings.)
Armor leather (x4), leather +1, half-giant leather, padded (x2), hide (x5), halfling-
sized hide, ring mail, scale (x2), bronze breast plate, banded mail arm pieces (x3), chain
mail leggings.
Shields:bucklers (x5), buckler +2, medium (x3), body (x 1).
Weapons: 8 daggers (bone x4, obsidian X2, wood, metal), obsidian dagger +2, bone
footman's flail, 3 hand axes (obsidian), metal hand axe -hi, 4 slings, 7 spears, obsidian
battle axe, short bow, short bow +1, long bow, 2 quarterstaves, obsidian mace -hi, 6
chatkcha, 2 impalers, impaler +1, gythka +1, 2 obsidian short swords, bone long sword,
metal scimitar.
Ammunition: 117 sling stones, 20 bone sling bullets, 17 obsidian sling bullets, 6
metal sling bullets, 20 bone flight arrows, 10 obsidian sheaf arrows, 6 metal sheaf arrows
-hi.
5tores:The chest contains enough dried rations and water to last six man-sized charac-
ters 10 days. Each day's food ration weighs one pound, and each full waterskin holds one
gallon and weighs nine pounds.
Miscellaneous: 1 5 small sacks, 5 large sacks, 7 small belt pouches, 2 large belt
pouches, 15 candles, fire kit, 6 sticks of colored chalk, 2 hooded lanterns, 12 torches, 5
flasks of oil, 50 feet of giant-hair rope, 5 shovels, 3 bone picks (not suitable as weapons),
set of bone thieves' picks.
Magical Items: 6 potion fruits of extra healing (remember to subtract from this number
any fruits used to heal characters earlier), enough spell components for 1 d20+10 spells of
any level.

Next From here go on to 11—The Journey.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. This encounter begins once the characters have outfitted themselves for the jour-
ney to "Varamuke. Farcluun is in a hurry (and the poisoned PCs should be as well) to get
to *Varamuke, and he hustles the characters along as quickly as possible. Remember, Far-
cluun maintains his human disguise for as long as he can.

Start Once the PCs have taken all the gear that they can carry from Farcluun's chest,
read the following aloud:
"Farcluun watches as you pack the equipment. A smirk curls the edge of his thin lips
as he sits in the lap of a zombie kneeling back on his heels. As you complete your prepa-
rations, he closes his eyes and the wind rises aboutyou. For a moment,you fear another
sandstorm. Then the winds die down again and you look around. Farcluun is standing
with arms raised, but his undead are nowhere to be seen. ^lou realize that the undead have
returned to the ground where they belong. Without a word or backward glance, Farcluun
sets off across the desert."

Encounter. It is only about 1 5 miles to ^faramuke, and Farcluun has chosen a route that
detours around the Oasis of Black Waters. Very little happens during the journey.
Although the characters are traveling with a dragon of no little power, there are many dan-
gers in the desert—not the least of which is the weather. By this point in their careers,
most characters should know enough not to burden themselves with lots of metal armor
and heavy weapons on an overland journey. Some players, however, may not realize the
dangers in burdening characters with these items. Be very particular of the encumbrance
rules during this journey and penalize greedy or foolish characters appropriately. Keep in
mind, too, the water requirements of those traveling across Athas.
Farcluun carries a one-gallon waterskin, although he needs very little. He has watched
the characters very closely, and if he thinks they ignored an important item, he is likely to
either have it on his person or to have magical access to it. Of course, even Farcluun can-
not think of everything, and he has been more than a little preoccupied with his own
thoughts. Farcluun will "save" the characters only three times.
The parry's trek most likely starts around midday, so the characters will camp with the
dragon only one night. While the characters are camping, have the players turn to the
Player's Book, page 46—Farcluun Speaks, and ask one of them to read the page aloud.
Farcluun relates what he knows of "Varamuke (which is really very little) and emphasizes
the need to find Sielba's palace.

Next Farcluun and the characters continue their journey the next day. Continue with
Part Two.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 "Varamuke was once a proud city built around a great oasis. Its sorcerer-queen, Sielba,
was as just as a tyrant can be, and under her rule the city prospered. "Yaramuke's fiercest
competitor in all things was Urik, the great thorn in Sielba's side. While "Yaramuke's
trading caravans brought in much revenue, Urik controlled the Smoking Crown, a valu-
able obsidian quarry. The Smoking Crown shifted the balance of power in Hamanu's
favor.
Sielba conspired with many of the great merchant houses to bring about the fall of
Urik through trade embargoes and high prices. When Urik fell, Sielba would control the
obsidian quarries and offer good prices to those who had backed her.
Unfortunately, Hamanu caught wind of the scheme before it could be put in motion.
Enraged by Sielba's plots, the sorcerer-king of Urik amassed his army. Within a week he
was camped outside Varamuke. Within a month, little remained of Sielba's city, and
Hamanu cursed its oasis with foul magicks.
Now all that remains of the city are haphazard piles of stone, which may have once
been buildings, and a forlorn statue that stares, one hand upraised, toward the northern
horizon. Though Varamuke was once large and prosperous, time and the elements have
nearly erased all traces of its existence. Few treasure hunters come here because of the
immense difficulty of excavating the ruins. Until now, the city was thought to contain little
of value, since it was sacked by King Hamanu and his army ages ago. And no one has yet
found the ruins of the palace; Hamanu's rage seems to have buried it beneath the desert
sands.
Characters who explore "Varamuke should take care, for the very land here is dangerous.
As time buried the city beneath the sand, layers of rubble became dangerous sinkholes.
Hamanu's sorcerous bombardment also tore at the fabric of magic in "Varamuke, creating
a number of zones of wild magic. (Both sinkholes and wild zones are described in Geog-
raphy of the Ruins.)
Another interesting side effect of the intense magical battle is the Wall. How it came
to be is something of a mystery, as this magical construct has never been duplicated. Any
powerful evil creature (of at least 10 HD) entering "Varamuke is deprived of three of its five
senses—only touch and hearing remain to these characters. The Wall permits no saving
throw, and even creatures as powerful as dragons are unable to avoid its effects.
The Wall is the reason that Farcluun needs the characters to help him. Abalach-Re is
researching magicks to destroy the Wall, while Farcluun has opted to circumvent it by
using human proxies—the player characters.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 There is a map of the ruins in the Player's Book (page 31 —Ruins of ^(aramuke) that the
players can use throughout Part Two; this map also appears on the next page. The charac-
ters enter the ruined city from the southwest, and Farcluun waits for them in the south-
west corner of the area. While the \aramuke ruins contain many distinct features, they
also hide much. Hidden throughout the ruins are sinkholes, carnivorous vegetation, areas
of wild magic, and, of course, the ruins of the palace. Each feature's location is shown on
your map. Naturally, none of the hidden features are shown on the players' map.
As characters explore the ruins, make sure the players tell you which squares they are
passing through. Familiarize yourself with the area's hidden features and be prepared to
spring its tricks and traps on unsuspecting characters. Players who depend too much on
what the map shows will soon find that their characters are in serious trouble. Caution is
the watchword within the ruins.

Sinkholes. Sinkholes cannot be detected until they collapse. If a character passes through
a map square containing a sinkhole, there is a 45% chance that the character will step
into the sinkhole (roll for each character in the party). If the PCs were testing ahead with a
pole at least 6 feet long, they are allowed a roll against their Dexterity to avoid the sink-
hole.
Characters who fail the above rolls and weigh at least 50 pounds will cause a sinkhole
to give way. The character falls ldlO+ 10 feet and sand pours on top of him or her.
Unless another character successfully gets a rope to the trapped PC, the sand covers the
person in Id6 rounds. Before he or she is covered with sand, a combined strength of 30
is enough to pull the PC to safety. After a character is covered, the strength total rises to
60, and the character should be treated as drowning {Player's Handbook, page 1 22).
Characters attempting to shovel their friends out of a sinkhole will not be able to get to
them in time to save them. The following areas contain sinkholes: 1 A, 41, 8J, 12O, 16E,
and 19M.

Spicier Cactus. Some areas that appear to be normal scrub actually contain dangerous
spider cacti. A single spider cactus lives in 11E, while 8K has two. There is a 55% chance
that any group in the area will pass close enough to the cacti to be attacked. Characters
who are actively scanning for dangerous flora or fauna move at half speed, but will notice
the small piles of bones around each cactus on a successful Intelligence roll and so will be
able to avoid these dreaded plants.

'wild Magic. When Hamanu attacked Tlaramuke, Sielba defended her city with a stun-
ning display of magic. The two sorcerers' disparate spells were of such power that the very
nature of magic has been permanently disrupted in some areas of "Yaramuke. Any time a
spell is cast in these areas, it becomes a wild surge (Tome of Magic, page 7). These areas
cannot be detected until a spell has been cast within them. The affected areas are 6L, 7D,
and 8 Q
i

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 i trrr

A Sinkhole
B Wild Magic
^^ c Spider Cactus
C
L 1.

I Square = 56 Feet
A B C D E F G H 1 J K L M N O P

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 The t'chowb is an agent of Abalach-Re, Farcluun's enemy. He lurks in the ruins of lara-
muke, searching for the Eye and the Orb and reporting any intrusions to his mistress.
Since beginning his assignment, S'kin'di has befriended the gith and silt runners in the
ruined city. He eats the minds of untalented explorers (none have so far found anything
he or his mistress are interested in), leaving the bodies for the other monsters. In return for
the carrion, the gith and silt runners leave the t'chowb alone.
The t'chowb becomes aware of the characters if they trip the pit trap at location 2C on
the map of the ruins (see previous page) or when they enter the palace at 5K. Once
S'kin'di realizes what the characters are attempting, he will do everything in his power to
disrupt their explorations. Specifically, he will do the following in the order listed:
1. Notify Abalach-Re of the characters' arrival. (The sorcerer-queen of Raam gave
the t'chowb a magical stone for this purpose.)
2. Scurry to the silt runners' lair at 1 5C. The silt runners have agreed to work with
S'kin'di and will do what they can to aid him. They will follow the characters throughout
the ruins and attack them from time to time.
3. Go to the gith cave at 14K. The gith will harass the characters like the silt runners
and will back up the reptiles should there be a problem.
4. Get as close to the characters as possible without being seen and watch for a
chance to steal the Eye and Orb from them. If he can do this, S'kin'di will order the silt
runners and the gith to attack the characters while he escapes with the prizes.
5. Send a second message to Abalach-Re telling her that either he has retrieved the
Eye and the Orb or that Farcluun and the player characters have entered the ruins of
mramuke. (S'kin'di will recognize the human disguise of his mistress's enemy.)

Note that S'kin'di does not want to slay the characters. He is

more interested in letting them find the Eye and the Orb so that
he can steal them for his mistress without endangering himself.
If S'kin'di becomes aware of the characters only after they have
entered the ruins of ^aramuke, he will not perform actions 1, 2, 3,
or 4. He sends the message in action 5, then tells the silt runners
and gith to lie in wait for the characters outside the palace ruins.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. The museum is at location IE on the map of "Varamuke. For this encounter, have
the players turn to the Player's Book, page 10—Museum.

Start. The museum is almost completely buried in the sand; the doors are barely visible
above the line of a dune. Five hundred pounds of sand block the entrance to the
museum. Three characters at a time can dig out the sand; each character with a shovel
can move one pound of sand per point of Strength per round—without a shovel, a char-
acter can move only half that amount. Once the sand is out of the way, the doors pull
open easily.

Encounter. The walls of the museum are of fine marble, the ceiling and doors of deco-
rated ironwood. Areas numbered on the map of the museum are described below.
Room l:The floor of the main hall is covered with a thick layer of gritty sand and dust,
and the supporting pillars are chipped and cracked.
Room 2: In this room, broken picture frames hang crookedly on walls defaced with
crude graffiti and battle signs.
Room 3: A fine collection of rare ceramics once rested here, but now only shards of
glazed pottery remain.
Room 4: Once-beautiful statuary now lies broken and destroyed in this room.
Room 5: What used to be books are strewn about here as a collection of time-faded
pages and piles of ashes.
Room 6: A. rare collection of abstract sculptures used to reside here, but now the
pieces resemble bizarre puzzles to be fitted together, not art.
Room /-This room is relatively intact, but its purpose is indecipherable. The walls are
lined with mirrors tilted at odd angles. Walking through here is disorienting.
Room &The door to this room is blocked by rubble. A maximum of two characters
can clear a number of feet of rubble in one round equal to their total Strength divided by
10. Little of value remains here save the Orb, a blue-tinted, solid-glass sphere, located
amid the rubble.

Next The characters may continue their exploration of the ruins. If the characters have
found both the Eye and the Orb and wish to place them, continue with Encounter 2H—
Eye and Orb.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Part Two:
"The Barrack.
Setup. The barracks are at location 51 on the map of Yaramuke. For this encounter, ha
the players turn to the Player's Book, page 43—Barracks.

Start Only the top of the barracks' clay dome is visible above the dune. Characters must
clear away the sand before they can enter the building. It takes one character two rounds
to clear sand away from the window to the commander's quarters. Getting to the door on
the floor below the commander's quarters is impossible without heavy excavating equip-
ment.

Encounter. Once the characters have cleared the sand away from the window into the
commander's quarters, they may squeeze in one at a time. Half-giants and thri-kreen can-
not fit through and must remain outside.
The barracks once housed an elite group of templars who were Sielba's bodyguards
during her frequent trips away from Karamuke. Unfortunately, the templars were caught
off guard by King Hamanu's attack and were slain before they could gather their wits
about them. A skeleton fills each bed here, their very bones shattered and charred by
some powerful force. Other than these grisly reminders of a war long past, little of interest
remains here. Areas numbered on the map of the barracks are described below.
Room I — The Commander's Quarters: The templar in charge of Sielba's personal
bodyguard was caught napping when disaster befell his city. Characters who search the
bed discover a scorpion hidden among the bedclothes. Unless extreme caution is taken
when removing the blankets from the bed, the scorpion automatically gains surprise, strik-
ing first. Once the scorpion is defeated, the characters can notice three rings on the skele-
ton's left hand. All are normal rings with no magical properties, but are of finely wrought
copper and are worth 1 sp each. The desk here contains only inconsequential items such
as signet seals, wax and a handful of faded papyrus fragments. The altar is bare save for
the tattered, molding cloth covering it.
Room 2— Templars'Area: If the characters descend the ladder to this room, they find
the skeletons of 1 3 of Sielba's finest templars in the beds here. A chest in the corner once
contained their weapons and armor, but Hamanu's looters took most of these after the
war. Those who search the chest discover a secret panel in its bottom on a roll of 1 on
1 d6. (Thieves may use their Find/Remove Traps score for this search.) A tiny cavity
within the chest's bottom holds a steel dagger +1. This dagger is attuned to the Orb and
will vibrate slightly if within 50 feet of it (a character feels these vibrations only if he or
she is holding the dagger). Within 20 feet of the Orb, the dagger vibrates more intensely;
a character will notice the vibrations unless the dagger is in a backpack. Within 10 feet of
the Orb, the dagger vibrates so strongly that it can be noticed even through a backpack.

Statistics. Scorpion: AL Nil; AC 5; MV 9; HD 2+2; hp 17; THACO 19; #AT 3;

Dmg 1—4/1—4/1, if stung save vs. poison +2 or die next round; SZS; ML 8.

Next Characters may continue to examine the ruins. •

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Part Two:
C—Warehouse

Setup. The warehouse is at location 111 on the map of "Yaramuke. Have the players5 turn I
to the Player's Book, page 1 —Warehouse.

Start The warehouse is the only building in the ruins that is more than half-visible above
the shifting sands. The upper 10 feet of the building can be seen for quite some distance.
Characters can easily enter through a window. The only window large enough to accom-
modate half-giants and thri-kreen is in the center of the eastern wall. Once at a window,
characters must climb 25 feet down to the floor of the building. If the characters enter
through a window at the southeast corner, they may easily climb down the rubble pile
there. This is a simple task requiring a roll vs. Dexterity. If the character fails, he or she
takes 1 d4 damage from the tumble down the sharp, irregular surface.

Encounter. The building is mostly vacant. A few chests are piled along the north wall and
some barrels and crates fill the northwest corner. However, the containers are in bad
repair and whatever they once held has long since decayed. Should the characters exam-
ine the crates or barrels, they will fall prey to a dangerous pit trap. All squares adjacent to
the crates and barrels are part of the trap, and once more than 100 pounds is placed on
any part of the trap, it springs. The barrels, crates, and surrounding area collapses in a
cloud of dust, dumping anyone in the trap's area of effect into a 10-foot—deep hole. Char-
acters take 1 d6 points of damage from the fall and 1 d4 points from the wreckage that falls
down on top of them. A successful save vs. paralyzation reduces damage by half. Before
the trap is sprung, a thief has half his or her normal chance to discover the trap, which
cannot be disarmed, only avoided. The pit is the work of the t'chowb S'kin'di (see S'kin'di
the T'chowb in this flipbook and the Story Book for more information).
Through his psionics and some magical items from Abalach-Re, S'kin'di has trans-
formed the walls of the pit to obsidian. Climbing this glassy rock is impossible for any
character but a thief, and even thieves' chances to climb out are reduced by 1 5%. Should
characters attempt to extricate themselves from the pit using grappling hooks and rope,
there is a 25% chance that the glassy edge of the pit will give way. Shards of obsidian rain
down upon the PCs. These shards are THACO 17, and each PC may be injured by 1 d4
shards. Half-giant characters may attempt to pull themselves out of the pit by their hands,
but must protect themselves first. Unprotected hands suffer 1 d4 points of damage each.
There is a 30% chance of the edge of the pit crumbling while a half-giant climbs out.

Next The characters may proceed with their investigation of "Yaramuke.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. The Temple is at location 11N on the map of the Ruins of
"Varamuke. Have the players turn to the Player's Book, page 48—
Temple, after they discover the entrance to the temple's basement.

Start Read or paraphrase the following:

"Though little remains of this place save crumbled masonry
and shards of fired clay bricks, a sense of pleasant warmth seems to
rise from the ruins. If there was ever a hope of better times for the people of Athas, its
secrets once rested here. Perhaps some still do."

Encounter. This pile of rubble and wreckage was once the foremost Temple of Earth in
the Tyr region. All that remains of the place now is its cramped basement quarters. Char-
acters must spend a good deal of time digging through the masonry rubble and crumbled
clay to discover the entrance. If they start at the south end of the ruins, it takes one hour to
clear away the basement entrance; otherwise the job requires four hours. Half-giants
reduce this time by 20 minutes per half-giant. Areas numbered on the map of the temple
are described below.
Room 1 —Fountain:This room protects a simple stone fountain that is, amazingly, still
filled with stale water. Though not fresh, the water is safe to drink.
Room 2—Cloak Room: Hanging on pegs here are three robes, each old and moldy
and inscribed with the symbol of earth (a flat line with a blue orb above). The robes have
no magical properties and are covered with a thick layer of dust.
Room 3—Workroom: Priests and preservers once exchanged ideas and information
here, benefiting from one another's knowledge. All that remains now are six corpses clad
in robes like those found in the cloak room. Searching the corpses reveals a single bronze
key as well as several pendants inscribed with the earth symbol. The key opens the door to
the Chamber of the Eye.
Room 4—Chamber of theEye:T\\e Earth's Eye (see 2H—Eye and Orb) rests atop the
simple altar here. Unfortunately, guarding the Eye is a dwarf banshee. The Eye looks like
an eyeball, complete with iris and pupil, although the white of the eye is inlaid with pic-
tograms of mountains, gorges, and other earthen wonders. In life, this dwarfs focus was to
place the Eye in its socket—a chamber in the now-fallen tower of this temple—in a yearly
ceremony. The dwarf was denied this mission by Hamanu.

Statistics. Dwarf Banshee: AL LE; AC 0; MV 1 2; HD 4; hp 26; THACO 16; # AT 1;

Dmg 1 d6+9 (obsidian mace); SA gaze, malediction; SD steel or +1 or better weapon to
hit; SZ M; ML 1 7; Psionics—Sciences: death field, shadow-form; Devotions: body
weaponry, cause decay, chemical simulation, double pain; Defenses: IE MB; PSPs 110.
(If the PCs do not have any steel or magical weapons and are without a strong psionicist
and/or mage, do not use this encounter.)

Next Characters may continue to explore the ruins. If the characters have found both the
Eye and the Orb and wish to place them, continue with Encounter 2H—Eye and Orb. I

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. The silt runners' lair is at 15C on the map of the Ruins of ^aramuke. Have the
players turn to the Player's Book, page 17—Cavern Level 1. Statistics for silt runners are
in the Monster Table and the DARK SUN1 M MC.

Start This encounter begins when the characters enter the cave. Only one character can
squeeze through the small opening at a time. Read or paraphrase the following:
"The opening to the cavern is low, and you must crawl to enter. The shift from sunlight
to the darkness of the cavern is sudden and blinding—for a moment all is black. Then
the musky odor of reptiles fills your nostrils and stings your eyes. Smiling down at you are
two saurians, claws and fangs at the ready."

Encounter. This is home to an especially poor tribe of six silt runners. Areas numbered
on the map of the silt runners' lair are described below.
Room 1 —Guard Post: From here the silt runners can easily watch anyone nearing
their cavern while remaining unseen in the shadows. There are two silt runners here at all
times; they attack anyone coming into the cave (see the Monster Table). When combat
begins, one of the runners sounds the alarm by ringing a bell that hangs from the ceiling.
As this is their home, the silt runners will not break off combat.
Room 2—Waste Pit The silt runners dump their garbage into this sinkhole. Anyone
unfortunate enough to take a tumble into it falls for 30 feet and takes 3d6—4 damage.
Damage is lessened somewhat by the waste at the pit's bottom.
Room 3—Food Stores: Surplus foodstuffs used to be stored here, but the area is cur-
rently empty.
Room 4—Sleeping Oiam&err The silt runners sleep in this communal area. Old
blankets and moldy straw litter the area, and there is virtually nothing of value here. If the
silt runners are not already pursuing the characters, there are two sleeping here. (There is
a 15% chance that they did not hear the warning bell.)
Room 5—Condensation Room: This room is the most desirable feature of the lair.
Due to its proximity to an ancient well, water seeps through the northern wall. Buckets
catch the water, they hold Id3 gallons of water when the characters enter.
Room 6—Treasure Chamber/Chieftain'sRooavTh.e silt runner chieftain sleeps here
surrounded by his tribe's treasure. If the silt runners have already gone after the charac-
ters, this room is guarded by a single silt runner. Otherwise the chieftain and one silt run-
ner are here. Like the rest of his tribe, the chief fights with his bare hands and has no
armor. Roll on Treasure Type A on the Treasure Types Table, page 73 of the DARK
SUN™ boxed set's Rules Book, and halve the amount of treasure to determine the
group hoard.

Next The characters may continue to explore the ruins of ^aramuke.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. The gith cave is at location 19K on the map of the Ruins of Tlaramuke. Have the
players turn to the Player's Book, page 36—Cavern Level 2. Statistics for gith are in the
Monster Table and 77ie Wanderer's Journal.

Start This encounter begins when the characters enter the gith cave. Read or paraphrase
the following:
"The cavern is surprisingly spacious past the entrance, as the floor slopes away and the
walls curve to either side, KJU can smell old food and unwashed bodies, though no one is
in sight."
The gith are watching the characters very closely. They remain hidden until the charac-
ters get deeper into their lair, then they attack.

Encounter. Areas numbered on the map of the gith cave are described below.
Room 1 —Entrance: The entrance to the gith cave is large and high due to the down-
ward slope of the floor. Peepholes are located high on the walls, and gith sentries posted
here watch the intruders.
Room 2—Watch Tunnels: Three gith wait in each of these tunnels, two at the peep-
holes and one ready to run and warn the others. Once the characters enter the cavern, the
runners warn the rest of the gith to hide.
Room 3—Main HalhTriis is where the gith eat their meals and settle disputes. Piles of
rubbish abound and heaps of rotting scraps line the walls. Once the characters pass
through here, the sentries will move into attack position behind them.
Room 4—Children's Quarters: When the characters arrive there are no gith children
present and the room is mostly empty. A few straw mats litter the floor, but that is all.
Room 5—Females' Quarters: The gith have set their first ambush here. When charac-
ters enter, the sentries charge to attack, as do the four female gith hiding here (see the
Monster Table for gith statistics). Six gith children are also hiding here behind the
females. The children are half the size and statistics of the adults and will not fight
against the PCs. If none of the characters enters this room, the sentries and two females
spring their trap in Room 6 or 7, whichever the characters enter first. In this case, two
females charge out of Room 5 to join the fray while the remaining two females stay in
Room 5 to guard the children.
Room 6—Weapons Storage: Two gith guard the tribe's stash of weapons here. The
weapons include 2 bone long swords, 1 long bow, 3 bone maces, and 13 wooden arrows.
Room 7—Chieftain's Lair The main fighting force of the lair is currently hiding here.
There are six gith here, along with the gith chieftain. The gith's treasure hoard is also here
(roll on Treasure Type I on the Treasure Types Table, page 73 of the DARK SUN™
boxed set's Rules Book, to determine the group hoard).
Room 8—Sleeping Area: Several mattresses of straw and mangy pelts cover the floor. If
the characters take the time to search the 10 beds, they will find Id8 cp in each.

Next The characters may continue to explore the ruins of \aramuke. •

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. The visitors' center is at location D23 on the map of the
Ruins of "Varamuke. Once the characters trigger the mural, have
the players turn to the Player's Book, page 9—Visitors' Center.

Start When the characters prepare to enter the ruins of this build-
ing, read or paraphrase the following:
"This building seems to have fared better than most in Tara-
muke. Its obsidian walls are still standing, though the ceiling collapsed long ago. Even the
doors are still on their hinges, albeit somewhat askew."

Encounter. The visitors' center, located just outside the city, gave visitors a short history of
"Varamuke. Though it now lies in ruins, it can still perform this function if it is activated.
Special areas on the illustration of the mural in the Player•'$ Book are described below.
Coin Slot If a coin of any size or denomination is placed in this slot, the mural springs
to life. If another coin is inserted, the magic mouth is activated.
mural WaiJ:This wall is, surprisingly enough, completely intact. Before a coin is
inserted in the slot, only faint outlines of the mural are visible. Once a coin has been
inserted, however, the mural springs to vivid life as though lit from within, and the charac-
ters can see "Varamuke at the height of its glory. From the statue of Firehand a beam of soft
blue light lances down toward the palace doors; from the tower of the Temple of Earth's
Wonders a red beam shines down upon the palace doors.
Magic Kiouth: If a second coin is slid into the coin slot, the magic mouth utters
the following.
"Here is the majestic city of "Varamuke, carved from barren wilderness by the
hand of Emperor Kadiran Firehand a thousand generations ago. As the mural
shows, our city has prospered since its founding and since the coming of Empress
Sielba. Her palace is blessed by not only the physical representation of Emperor
Firehand, but also by the Eye of the Earth, which is held in the tower of the Temple
of Earth's Wonders. It is said that when the light of these blessings no longer shines
upon the door of the palace, Sielba's rule will come to an end."

The players should now be able to decipher the use of the Eye and the Orb. The chief
difficulty in using the two items is that the tower of the temple is no longer standing. The
players will have to estimate the tower's height from its relation to other structures in the
mural and come up with some way to elevate the eye to that point. See Encounter 2H—
Eye and Orb for details.

Next Characters may continue to explore the ruins of "Varamuke. If the characters have
both the Eye and the Orb, go to Encounter 2H—Eye and Orb.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Part Two:
"Eye and Orl:

Setup. The statue of Firehand is at location 7D on the map of the Ruins of Taramuke.
Have the players turn to the Player's Book, page 1 3—Statue, when the characters
approach the statue of Firehand. When sunbeams finally lance through the Eye and the
Orb, have the players turn to the Player's Book, page 47—The Palace Revealed.

Start This encounter begins as soon as the characters try to place the Eye and the Orb in
their proper locations.

Encounter. The Orb is simple to place, as the characters need only climb the statue and
place the Orb in Firehand's open hand. Thieves are at a +10% to their climbing skill as
the statue is very rough and provides plenty of handholds. Others may attempt to climb
with grapples and rope. Half-giants and thn-kreen are far too heavy to climb up and may
damage the statue. The statue is approximately 30 feet tall from base to head. The left
arm extends another 7 feet above the head.
Placing the Eye where it belongs is a bit trickier and calls for ingenuity on the part of
the players. Judging from the mural, the tower of the temple is a little more than the height
of the statue of Firehand. The characters must come up with some way to raise the Eye to
a height of nearly 40 feet. There are several ways to do this. First, the characters could use
magical or psionic levitation to hold the Eye in place. Because the sunlight must shine
through both the Eye and Orb at sunset, timing is critical for this approach. Characters
could also pile rubble up to the correct height and place the Eye atop that. While not
easy, this method produces a structure that will hold the Eye until sunset without the
expenditure of spells or PSPs. Clever characters will surely think of other methods, and
you should be fair when the players are especially inventive. This is a critical juncture in
the adventure, and while the task must be difficult, it should not be impossible.
If characters become stumped, it may be necessary to prod them. Perhaps the t'chowb
steals the items while the PCs ponder the situation. He can use the Eye and the Orb him-
self, thereby showing the characters the location of the palace. Of course, the characters
can always return to Farcluun and ask his advice. If they tell him everything that they have
seen (including the mural at the visitors' center), he should be able to piece things
together for them. After all, he is a very intelligent dragon.
Once the items are in place and the sun is about to set, beams of red and blue light will
lance from both Eye and Orb. These two beams intersect at 5K on the map of the Ruins
of Iaramuke in the Player s Book, page 31. Characters must somehow mark this spot,
hope that they can remember where it was (Intelligence check at -3), or wait until the next
sunset and try again.

Next Proceed to either 2l—Bringing the Dragon or 2j—The Palace.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Part Two:
I—Bringing tKe Dragon

Start Read or paraphrase the following to the characters when

they return to Farcluun:
"Farcluun is fairly bursting with excitement as he awaits your
return. 'It's about time!' he cries when he sees you. 'I was beginning to believe that you had
failed. Lead me through the ruins. '

Encounter. It is important to remember that Farcluun has lost

three senses: He can only hear and touch what he can reach. The
characters must guide the dragon across the ruins, avoiding sink-
holes and other traps.
Farcluun is excited and nervous, which is a very bad combina-
tion. Though he insists that the characters tether themselves to
him, he is much stronger than most of them and has a tendency to
whip them around on the end of the tethers. On occasion he may
try to run, dragging the characters 50 feet in a random direction. This can be very danger-
ous, as Farcluun cannot see hazards that are obvious to the characters. This may be the
characters' first opportunity to realize that the "man" they are traveling with is more pow-
erful than he appears.
Another danger in bringing Farcluun through the ruins is that S'kin'di will immedi-
ately recognize his mistress's enemy (even though he is in his human disguise) and notify
Abalach-Re. From the moment the characters enter the ruins with Farcluun, the t'chowb
follows them, even down into the palace. Should the characters become aware of the
t'chowb's presence, he will try to escape them. S'kin'di then asks either the gith or silt run-
ners (whichever is closer) to distract the characters so that he can get close enough to
them to steal their treasures (the Eye, the Orb, or the black waters scroll if they acquire it
later). (Remember: In the bestial minds of the gith and silt runners, distraction always
means to attack.)
Once the characters get to the palace with Farcluun, the dragon casts sands of time.
This powerful spell restores the first floor as well as all the two subterranean levels that
Farcluun is interested in. Describe this vividly; it's not every day that the characters will
witness time rolling backward and the unveiling of such a wondrous piece of architecture.
Since he is blind, Farcluun will not know when the palace has been fully reconstructed,
and he must rely on the characters for this information. The spell must be cast at least six
times before the required portions of the palace are fully restored. Since Farcluun has
seven such spells available (one memorized and six scrolls), this should not be a problem.

Next The characters may begin to search the ruins of Sielba s palace.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 1
Setup. Once the dragon casts the sands of time spells, have the
players turn to the Players Book, page 2—The Palace.

> Start. This encounter begins when Farcluun has restored the
palace so that the party may explore it. Sands of time will not com-
8 pletely restore the palace, only this main floor and two sublevels.
The main floor remains open to the sky.

Encounter. Numbered areas on the map of the palace are described below. Areas let-
tered on the palace map will be used in later encounters.
Room I —Main Ha//: This is where Sielba held many informal parties and dances.
The columns that seem to support the ceiling here are, in fact, obsidian golems. They
become active once Farcluun and Abalach-Re engage in battle.
Room 2—Meeting Roonv7\\e table and numerous stools here mark this place as an
informal meeting room of some sort.
Room 3—Kitchen: Assorted bone and ceramic cooking utensils hang neatly from
pegs around the room. There is also a fireplace with spit, a table, and long counters.
Room 4—Changing Room: Robes of fine silk hang from pol-
ished obsidian pegs. Marble benches line the walls.
Room 5—Bathing Room: Sielba liked to conduct business in
luxury—and what could be more luxurious on Athas than a room
with plentiful water? Now empty, the bath's function is still obvi-
ous.
Room 6—Courtyard: Withered shrubs and sere grasses now
make this once verdant courtyard seem dismal.
Room 7—Guest Room: While far from luxurious, this room has all the basic ameni-
ties, including a silver mirror and brush and comb that seem to be worth about 6 sp.
Room 8—Guest Room: This room is identical to Room 7, though it lacks the brush,
comb, and mirror. Instead a fine bronze wash basin rests on a marble pedestal in the cor-
ner. The basin might bring 5 sp for its metal, or twice that for its workmanship.
Room 9—Guest Room: This room is identical to Room 7, but without the mirror,
brush, and comb.
Room 10—Banquet nalhTne tables here are of polished ironwood stained deep red.
The stools are made of various materials, all ridiculously expensive. A secret door in the
northeast corner opens upon a staircase that now leads up to nowhere, and descends to
the palace vaults.
Room 11 —/Cito/ien.'This kitchen is built on a scale to cook
for hundreds.

Next The characters may continue to search the ruins of Sielba's

palace.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. The characters and Farcluun continue to search Sielba's palace. Have the players
turn to the Player's Book, page 40—Palace Sublevel 1.

Start. This encounter begins when the characters enter this level of the palace.

Encounter. Numbered areas of the vaults are described below. Lettered areas will be used
in later encounters.
Room 1 —Main /•&//: This is the main hall of Sielba's treasure vaults. It was obviously
abandoned in a hurry, as burst sacks of coins litter the floor. Characters who spend five
turns can find ldlOOxlOcp, ldlOOsp, ldlOgp.and 1 d4 gems scattered about here. It is
unlikely that Farcluun will allow them this much time, however. As in the main hall of the
main floor, the pillars here are actually obsidian golems.
Room 2—Art Room: This chamber is filled with priceless objets d'art that are too
heavy to move.
Room 3—Gem Room: Sielba was fascinated with gems, and this room attests to that.
Countless gems have been embedded in the walls. Sacks of gems filled to bursting lie on
the floor. A hurrum has found its way down here and is living in one of the bags. It begins
to hum as soon as the characters enter the area. (See the DARK SUM™ MCfor
statistics.)
Room 4—Records Room: Metal-bound books and ledgers fill this room's floor-to-ceil-
ing shelves. These list treasury, debt, income, and other miscellaneous records.
Room 5—Weapons Storage: lne walls of this room are covered by numerous weapon
racks, many of which are now empty. A handful of metal weapons remain (two daggers
and one long sword), but everything else here is useless.
Room 6—iArmoryrThis room once held Sielba's valuable collection of antique armor.
All that remains now are shattered bits of lacquered wood and splintered obsidian. The
room s contents seem to have been destroyed systematically.
Room 7—Sielba sRoom: Sielba liked to oversee the counting of her money and would
often grow so weary at this chore that she would need a nap. A huge bed fills most of this
room, surrounded by an ankle-deep layer of metal coins. An exquisite gilt-framed mirror,
makeup, and a variety of brushes and combs lie on a small table. A secret door in the
south wall hides a staircase to Sielba's magic lab.
Room 8—Counting Area: A number of abacuses as well as papyrus, quills, and pots
of ink lie scattered on tables here. The tables are covered with sacks of gold and silver
coins.
Rooms 9,10,11, and 12—Coin Rooms: The bulk of Sielba's wealth is stored here.
Hundreds upon thousands of coins of all types fill these rooms.

Next The characters may continue their search of Sielba's palace.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. Have the players turn to the Player's Book, page 14—
Palace Sublevel 2.

Start. This encounter begins as soon as the characters enter

Sielba's lab from the palace vaults.

Encounter. This room contains many of Sielba's prized magical

texts and apparati. Numbered areas are described below. Once the scroll is found, go
immediately to 2NJ—Betrayal!
Room I —Library ofSpell Theory: During her time as Empress of Ifaramuke, Sielba
collected a huge assortment of treatises on magical theory. With these she developed the
spell of black waters. A thorough search of this area takes 60 turns.
Room 2—AlchemicalLaboratory: "T\\is area contains all manner of alchemical sup-
plies of the finest quality. Searching this area takes 40 turns.
Room 3—Summoning CnflmbeirThe floor of this room is covered with circles, spirals,
and other strange patterns. If the drawings are described to him, Farcluun recognizes this
as a summoning chamber. All summonings made in a room such as this are guaranteed
to succeed. The only drawback is that it takes more than 100 years to enchant such a
room and only its creator can use it. This area can be searched thoroughly in 50 turns.
Room 4—Draconic Research Chamber This room excites Farcluun. A number of
large obsidian orbs rest on an obsidian table. A dozen books with dragon-embossed cov-
ers are here as well, and Farcluun is most interested in these. It takes 50 turns to search
this room, and Farcluun orders the characters to take as many orbs and books as they can.
The books measure 8"x 14", are metal-clad, and weigh 10 pounds apiece. The orbs range
from 1 " to 20" in diameter and weigh 1 pound for every 2" diameter.
Room 5—Recipe Room: This room contains various alchemical recipes and the like.
It will take the characters two turns to search.
Room 6—Farduun'sPrize: Sielba kept her most valuable books here. The black
wafers scroll is hidden behind a secret panel in the north wall, which can be discovered
on a roll of 1 on 1 d8. This chamber takes 10 turns to search.
Room 7—Dead Experiment This room holds strange bones in a very large cage.
Room 8—Summoning Equipment This room holds valuable items for the summon-
ing of a wide variety of creatures and elementals. Unfortunately, these items are all
attuned to Sielba, and no one else may use them.

Outcome. If the characters are wasting too much time searching the large rooms,you may
wish to allow each one an Intelligence check to realize that a valuable treasure is likely to
be well hidden, possibly in a secret location. If the characters all fail these checks, Far-
cluun may say something to this effect.

Next If Farcluun must help the characters find the scroll, go to 2M—Helping Claws. If
the characters discover the scroll on their own, go to 2NI—Betrayal!

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. Use this encounter if the PCs cannot find the black waters scroll on their own.

Start If the characters have searched the palace and Sielba's alchemy lab and have still
not discovered the black waters scroll, read the following aloud:
" 'Fools!' White-hot anger laces the words torn from Farcluun's throat. His unseeing
eyes orbit their sockets in maddened frustration. I entrusted you with this one simple task
and you fail me! So be it!' With that, his long fingers begin weaving arcane patterns in the
air before you.'

Encounter. Farcluun is not patient. If the characters are absolutely unable to find the
black waters scroll, the dragon will aid the search with his magical powers. Though loath
to do so, Farcluun will cast true seeing on one of the characters.
There are two problems with true seeing. The first is that the characters must look at
the wall that hides the secret panel before the spell wears off. This may be trickier than it
sounds, as that wall is hidden by floor-to-ceiling shelves and the books that fill them. The
characters will have to clear at least one wall to find the secret compartment and, because
Farcluun does not want any books damaged, be careful as they do so. Farcluun had also
intended to use this spell to search the palace further and will not be pleased to have to
use it up on incompetent helpers.
The second problem with true seeing is that any character who looks at Farcluun while
under its influence will see him as a dragon. Farcluun will try to prevent this revelation.
He's afraid that the characters may panic and run when they see him as a dragon, and he
doesn't want them to get away before they find his treasure. If he must use the spell, he will
tell the character to stand facing a wall, cast true seeing, then sidle out of the room and
stay just out of the character's sight in Room 1. If the character happens to see him as he
truly is despite this precaution, play it up for all it's worth. Farcluun will threaten and
intimidate the characters even further, playing on their fears to bend them to his will.
If the characters cannot find the scroll with Farcluun's magical aid, they are likely to
find themselves trapped in a room with a very angry dragon. Farcluun should not fly into a
homicidal rage immediately; instead, he may give the characters a time limit, at the end of
which he must have the black waters scroll. This is an effective tension-heightening
device, and one that will fill players with a more immediate sense of urgency than even the
curse of the Black Waters gives.
Parties who cannot find the scroll, even with Farcluun's help, are in deep trouble. The
enraged dragon will try to kill them. He has worked very hard to get this far; being
thwarted by incompetent hirelings is simply infuriating. Though it will be relatively sim-
ple to escape from the blinded dragon, the curse of the Black Waters will still take its toll
on the characters. Eventually, they will die.
Kind DMs may have the dragon's first attack blast through the wall where the scroll is
hidden. While the dragon angrily blames the characters for the damage to the magical
texts, the scroll will be found unharmed.

Next Once the black waters scroll is found, continue with 2N—
Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)
 Setup. This encounter begins as soon as the characters find the
black waters scroll. Have the players turn to the Player s Book,
page 45—Betrayal.

Start Read the following when the characters finally remove the
black waters scroll from its hiding place (if the true seeing spell in
2M—Helping Claws has already let the characters see Farcluun
as he really is, don't read the sentences about Farcluun's transformation at the end of the
first paragraph):
"A cold chill brushes your skin and raises the hairs on the back of your neck. For a
moment it seems that frost will rime the walls of this room, for it has become so cold. *tou
shiver for a heartbeat longer, then warmth replaces the bizarre cold. From behind you, Far-
cluun laughs. l(ou turn to face him, and horror coalesces in your gut like cold steel. No
longer a man, Farcluun towers overyou, hideously transformed into ... a dragon.
'"Time for your reward, little ones,' Farcluun growls. 'Come, give me the scroll and I will
give you the price of your services.' He extends one long finger to you, then curls it beck-
(r
1 TM III'"
omngly. 1 he scroll!
If the characters Jon't hand over the scroll, read the following:
'"Puny children! Do you think that I would let you live—that I would let anything
stand between the scroll and my needs?' The dragon roars, the sound fillingyour head
and batteringyour souls. Before you can react, the dragon launches himself atyou."
If the characters hand over the scroll, read or paraphrase the following:
"Thankyou,' Farcluun says as a gravelly chuckle bubbles up from his cavernous chest.
The dragon runs a forked tongue over its scaled lips. '"Vour services have been most appre-
ciated. The sorcerous beast pauses a moment and scratches its chin with the scroll, fur-
rows of thought creasing its horny brow. 'However, I do not believe I can just leave you
here,' Farcluun says mockingly.Kou see, I know your kind. I can t take the chance that
you'll want this scroll for yourself, that you'll track me and use it to my disadvantage. So,
I'm forced to alteryour reward a bit. I think,' he continues as he laughs ominously, I think
I'll... give .. .you . . . DEATH]' The dragon lunges atyou, fangs bared, talons thrust
forward.'
Encounter. Farcluun wants to kill the characters. Don't let him kill them, but do give
them a good scare. Use this encounter to show Farcluun's power. Tell the players how the
dragon, even though blinded, tears great hunks from the walls with a single swipe of his
talons and how his breath turns hard stone to oozing slag. Make the players believe that
their characters are going to die here. Then, just as the dragon corners them and the char-
acters think their time is up, spring the next encounter.

Next Continue with 20—Abalach-Re.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. Begin this encounter once the dragon has the characters cornered. Have the players
turn to the Player's Book, page 35—Dragons Battle, after reading the dialogue in Start

Start After the characters have discovered the black waters scroll and played through
encounter 2N, read or paraphrase the following:
"Farcluun's tail lashes the floor, agitation making every muscle in his body twitch. His
fangs glint in the torchlight, tiny sparks of death dancing across their razor points. The
dragon has you cornered.
"Then, from somewhere away, you hear, Upstart!' The words are barely a hiss, but Far-
cluun winces as if they were screamed in his ear, and he whirls toward the sound. Behind
him stands a tall woman dressed in noble finery. She stares blindly ahead, seeking Far-
cluun, and is flanked by squads of putrefying corpses—zombies armed with metal
weapons and mismatched armor.
"'Abalach-Re!' Farcluun shouts. He has forgotten you, his attention focused on his
enemy, whom you realize with terror is the sorcerer-queen of Raam.
"Farcluun, you have meddled in my affairs for the last time,' Abalach-Re cries. Once
again, your bungling attempts to gain power have interfered in my own intrigues.' The
woman takes one step forward. H(ou sought the scroll of black waters foryour own ends,
without understanding its true powers. Had you traveled to the oasis and cast the spell as
you had planned, the curse of the waters would have been lifted. Fool! /will use the scroll
to enslave those undead who dwell at the oasis, and all those who drink there from this day
forth. Give me the scroll that I may amass my army.'
"With that, the woman changes, her features growing long and vulpine, scales sprout-
ing along her flesh like alien vegetation in a verdant field. In a heartbeat, two of Athas's
most deadly creatures lunge blindly at each other and lock in mortal combat."

Encounter. This encounter reveals to the characters how to rid themselves of the curse of
the Black Waters (they must travel to the oasis and somehow cast the spell), and it weak-
ens Farcluun. When the weakened dragon catches up with the characters again later on,
they will have a chance of destroying him.
The two dragons ignore the characters. They have other things on their minds than
puny humans. Make this battle sound as exciting as possible. Also remember that both
dragons are blinded by the Wall; they are likely to injure any PCs who are slow about run-
ning from the battle scene.
Abalach-Re's undead companions are intent upon retrieving the scroll of black waters
for their mistress, and they will stop at nothing to get it (see 2P—Undead).
The characters are also confronted by the large number of golems that will soon
become active in the palace. These powerful creatures will try to stop the characters from
leaving with the scroll (see 2Q—Golems).

Next Characters continue on to 2P—Undead.

J
Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)
 Setup. Escape does not come easily for the characters. Have the
players turn to the Player's Book, page 16—Enemies.

Encounter. Abalach-Re brought a large contingent of undead

slaves with her to laramuke. These undead have taken up posts
throughout the palace and have strict orders to keep the black
waters scroll from leaving the building.
The letters on the three maps of the palace in the Player's Book refer to the encounters
below. Unless otherwise noted, the undead listed below are identical to those found on
the Monster Table.

The Palace (Player's Book, page 2)

A. Three zombies armed with obsidian maces stand guard here. They will back up the
skeletons at Area B on this level.
B. Three skeletons have taken up positions here. Two of them are armed with short
bows and have 10 arrows each; the third is unarmed. They will fire up the corridor to the
north if the characters come that way.
C A squad of four unarmed zombies lurks here. They will try to force the characters
down the east hallway into the line of fire of the skeletons at Area B on this level.

The Palace, Sublevel 1 (Player's Book, page 40)

A. Two skeletons armed with bone scimitars guard these stairs.
B. Four zombies armed with wood long swords and small shields wait here.
C. Six unarmed skeletons wait to the left of the door, hoping to catch PCs off guard.
D. Three unarmed zombies back up the skeletons at Area C.
E. Three zombies are here, one armed with a steel short sword, the others unarmed.

The Palace, Sublevel 2 (Player's Book, page 14)

A. Five zombies armed with obsidian axes guard the stairs here.
B. Four unarmed skeletons mount the stairs ahead of the characters and attempt to hold
them back.
C Two unarmed zombies back up any undead fallen in this area.
D. Armed with bone maces, five skeletons move to attack any openings.

Role-playing. Keep in mind that Athasian undead are slightly smarter than their counter-
parts in other settings. Also, these undead are controlled by a powerful magic-user. They
are determined and will use good battle tactics to carry out their orders.
Tfou may wish to play out this running battle with miniatures on a large-scale map.
Miniatures often help the game come alive for the players and can make it much easier
foryou to keep track of all the undead that will be running about.

Next FVoceed with Encounter 2Q—Golems.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. In this encounter, Sielba's ancient magicks unexpectedly
protect the characters. Have the players turn to the Player's Book,
page 41 —Golems.

Start Begin this encounter at least three rounds after Abalach-Re

and Farcluun begin fighting. As soon as the characters enter an
area in the palace that has pillars, read the following:
"Even as you begin to fear that there may be too many undead to combat, a new danger
presents itself. The pillars supporting the building seem to burst and tall, black figures
step from the rubble. They have no facial features and look like nothing so much as crude
obsidian statues. The creatures suddenly turn and move, then begin to attack the
undead!"

Encounter. When Sielba first began improving her palace with magical defenses, she
installed many obsidian golems. Unfortunately, she never quite set the triggering circum-
stances to work properly. The golems were supposed to come to her aid should another
dragon ever be so bold as to enter the palace. She inadvertently set the golems not to
attack a hostile dragon, but to attack any evil creatures should two dragons ever be in the
palace simultaneously. Thus, when Farcluun and Abalach-Re are together in Sielba's
palace, the golems are activated.
Every pillar within the palace is a golem, and each golem will move toward the nearest
group of undead and begin exterminating them. (In addition to the pillar golems, three
more can make timely appearances to save the characters.) The golems do not wield
weapons, but their awesome strength and stony composition more than make up for this.
In addition to attacking undead, the golems attack any characters with treasure from
the palace. Weapons, coins, gems, and the black waters scroll are all palace treasure.
Should a character slip past the golems, two begin to track the thief. If the parry is seriously
weakened, you may wish the golems to stop one mile from the palace. If the party is doing
well or is not particularly weakened,you can let the golems track up to any distance. In the
latter case, the golems could show up during subsequent battles with the undead or with
Farcluun in Section Three, or when the characters have returned to a city. If the golems
catch up with the characters after the black waters spell is cast, they no longer consider the
spent scroll treasure.
A problem Sielba did not take into account was that, once the pillar golems were acti-
vated, they would no longer be supporting the palace. The characters have exactly 1 5
rounds from the time the golems activate to escape the palace before it collapses. They
should be able to make it out in time; if not, characters still on the bottom two floors will
be killed in the collapse, while those on the first floor will suffer 1 d 10 points of damage. If
the characters are in the palace when it collapses, make sure not to read the description of
the palace collapsing in 2S—Flight.

Next Continue with 2R—Ambush!

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. Angry gith and silt runners under S'kin'di's orders try to
take revenge on the characters. Have the players turn to the
Player's Book, page 8—Ambush!

Start. This encounter begins when the characters escape from the
palace with the black waters scroll. Read or paraphrase the follow-
ing aloud:
"At last you emerge from the quaking, partially restored ruin of Sielbas palace. Dust
and the blood from your wounds coat your skin with a grisly mud. The sounds of battle
continue from below, telling you that the dragons still fight, as do the golems and the
undead. For the moment, at least, you are free. But such moments
are short on the harsh world of Athas. For the night seems to be
alive with floating eyes, hissing voices, and the glint of obsidian in
the moonlight. Again, your enemies are upon you."

Encounter. When Abalach-Re entered the palace, S'kin'di

rounded up the gith and silt runners. They have been waiting for
some time now, and their impatience has brought on their blood-
lust. If the characters fought these monsters in encounters 2E or 2F, subtract any that were
killed from the number in this encounter.
The gith and silt runners have been given very explicit orders: Kill any characters
quickly and efficiently. The scroll must not be damaged.
These new foes have spaced themselves around the main door of the palace in a rough
semicircle. The silt runners have taken the east side of the door, while the gith have taken
the west. Though not particularly brave, neither silt runners nor gith need to check morale
during this combat. They fear Abalach-Re far more than they do the characters.
If S'kin'di could not retrieve the Eye and the Orb from the characters, he will take an
active role in their destruction. He lurks in the shadows around the fray as much as possi-
ble, using his psionic powers to frustrate and confuse the characters.

Outcome. Intelligent players are going to have their characters run for it, and that's just
fine. The adventure is building toward its climax, so make sure to keep things moving
along at a fairly rapid pace—and to keep the characters alive! If the characters run, they
will find it difficult to outpace the silt runners, but they can easily get away from the dan-
gerous t'chowb.

Next Continue with 2S—Flight

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. As soon as the characters have beaten their enemies or run for it, have the players
turn to the Player's Book, page 33—Enemies.

Start This encounter begins when the characters make their break for the open desert
and the oasis of Black Waters. If the characters were trapped in the palace when it col-
lapsed (2Q—Golems), don't read the description of its collapse included below. Read or
paraphrase the following:
""You run from the area, knowing that time is short and you must get to the oasis of
Black Waters. Behind you the sounds of battle continue—then you suddenly hear a
gigantic, roaring sound! "You turn just in time to see Sielba's palace—the stress of war
within too great—collapse in a cloud of dust and obsidian shards. It is with some relief
that you realize nothing could have survived the collapse—not even a dragon. "Your hearts
lighter, you rush into the desert."

Encounter. As the map in the Player's Book shows, the oasis isn't very far from "Yaramuke.
Make this journey relatively uninteresting. By this time many of the characters are suffer-
ing from the effects of the Black Waters curse. Let them set their own pace, but if they
begin lagging, spook them with the sound of night predators on the prowl.

Next The characters' journey brings them at last to the oasis of Black Waters and a date
with destiny.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. The characters discover that a cure is not as close as they had thought. Have the
characters turn to the Player's Book, page 5—Oasis. 0(ou may wish to refer to the battle
map of the oasis that goes with 3C—Enemies, found in this flipbook.)

Start This adventure begins as the characters finally near the oasis of Black Waters.
Winded and worn from their adventures and the long run, the end of the curse that
afflicts them seems at hand. But nothing is ever easy on Athas. Read or paraphrase the
following for the players:
"As you near the oasis, you slow to an easy trot. "You have left your enemies behind, and
all seems hopeful. The oasis is strangely peaceful as the first rays of Athas's sun begin to
peek over the horizon. At last,you have time to relax and take a look at the scroll that
holds the only cure for the wasting curse afflictingyou. Warily,you remove it from its case,
casting about for any sign of the undead hordes supposed to haunt the oasis. The scroll
itself is unremarkable, a rotting scrap of papyrus. A scanty map on one side shows the
area around the oasis; a large star marks its exact location. On the reverse side is a hastily
penned jumble of archaic runes and sigils. It seems that the scroll may not be as much
help as you had thought"

Encounter. This is a breather, a short break that lets the players and characters catch their
breath. Let the players stew a bit about just what they are going to do with this indecipher-
able scroll. Play up any new effects of the curse that may occur during this period; do what
you can to add to the players' unease. Now is the time for characters to worry about their
impending deaths and to come up with desperate solutions.
There are two notable features on the map of the oasis. The first is the oasis itself, a per-
fectly normal-looking oasis surrounded by a few scrawny trees and some scrubby bushes.
Characters will detect this spot as they near it; the powers of the curse intensify the nearer
they come to its origin. Those who gaze into the clear waters will see a shadow beckoning
them. There is no effect; this just tells the characters that the water knows they belong to it
and will soon claim them for its own.
The second feature on the map is the shack of Phabum, Druid of Black Waters. Char-
acters must search for the shack, which looks like just another pile of ruins so common
near Karamuke.

Next If the characters find the druid's shack on their own, go to 3D—Druid of Black
Waters. If the players begin to despair that their characters are sure to die, go to 3B—
Friends?

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Part Three:
B—Friends?

Setup. If the characters don't discover the druid's abode on their

own, use this encounter to get them on the right track. Have the
players turn to the Player's Book, page 39—Friends?

Start This encounter occurs if the characters simply don't know

what to do next. Read or paraphrase the following:
" lou languish in depression, unsure which way to turn. The
scroll that was to have been your salvation is incomprehensible and there seems to be no
other help. As you contemplate your fate, the ground begins to move. All around you
holes form in the earth, and stiff figures crawl out into the light. "Vou realize that emerging
before you is the undead legion of Black Waters."

Encounter. These aren't typical zombies. In fact, they are likely to

be the only good undead the characters will ever meet. Though
they look like zombies, they are cursed dead, strange beings cursed
with undeath by the Black Waters. They wish to help the charac-
ters, but they must get very close before the characters can hear
their whispery voices. If the characters let the cursed dead get close
enough, the leader of the undead will say, "Wish no harm. Wish release. Follow; remove
curse of Black Waters." She then leads the characters to the hut of Phabum the Druid.
Should the characters attack them, the cursed dead do not retaliate, but try to herd the
characters toward the druid's home. Unfortunately, the fracas alerts the counterparts of
the cursed dead: the hungry bodies.
The characters may fight the evil zombies at three different times: 1) when they
encounter the cursed dead (3C—Enemies); 2) on the way from the hut to the oasis (3F—
Run to the Oasis); or 3) when the druid is casting the spell (3G—Battle for Time). Any
encounter with such an overwhelming number of undead could easily be lethal, even for
a party in good shape. These encounters should add excitement and danger to the
adventure, but they shouldn't be a killing machine. Let the characters feel that they might
die at any moment, but don't let them be overwhelmed by the undead army. Tailor the
zombie combat encounters according to whether the PCs are still in pretty good shape or
are on their last legs. Pull your punches if you need to, or let the zombies punish the char-
acters if the PCs need it. Remember that the characters must live to fight the dragon in
encounter 31.

Role-playing. The cursed dead are not the characters' enemies, but they aren't congenial.
Embarrassed by their condition, they don't like to be examined or stared at and will indig-
nantly chastise any rude characters. Speaking causes them great pain, so they prefer to
communicate through gestures whenever possible.

Next. If the characters fight the cursed dead, go to 3C—Enemies. Otherwise continue
with 3D—Druid of Black Waters.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. The characters must fight an army of undead as they race against time to reach the
Druid of Black Waters. Have the players turn to the Player's Book, page 16—Enemies.

Start Use this encounter only if the characters attack the cursed dead in 3B—Friends?
Read or paraphrase the following:
"The undead never retaliate, but they force you on. There are hundreds of them, and it
is unlikely that you could defeat them all. The best course seems to be keeping away from
them. As you step carefully backward, a strong wind suddenly whips sand into your faces.
From all sides comes a long, mournful howl that you are sure isn't the wind. The dust set-
tles again, and you see a second, even larger group of undead advancing toward you."
This second group of undead are the hungry bodies. While identical to the cursed
dead, hungry bodies desire eternal life and wish to gain power by killing the characters.
The two groups of undead move toward each other, trapping the characters between
them. There are 300 cursed dead and 500 hungry bodies. The cursed dead will not
attack the PCs, but instead try to protect them while attacking the hungry bodies. On the
battle map below, each square contains two undead. Fallen zombies are replaced by those
next to them. If the characters can keep a square clear of hungry bodies for two rounds, the
cursed dead will hold the gap and let them through, reiterating their entreaty in 3B —
Friends?

Next Continue with 3D—Druid of Black Waters.

N •

•
• '&••: ,O 4^%i
M i
v •
I tt U U * * '"

**0". °Q .

* *

^ I Square = 30 Feet

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Part Three:
D—Druid of Black Waters

Setup. The PCs find their only hope,

Phabum, Druid of Black Waters. Have the
players turn to the Player's Book, page
1 2 - D r m d of Black Waters.

Start As soon as the characters get to the

hut, read the following:
"You see a ruined stone shelter, its
wooden door crumbling and its windows
hung with tattered cloth. As you approach,
you see recently made human footprints
leading in and out.

Encounter. The characters find Phabum

inside the hut and seemingly uninterested
in the undead battling outside. Phabum is
reclusive, even for a druid; he chose stew-
ardship of the Black Waters because of its
isolation. He ignores the undead; they
don't harm him and he feels they are sim-
ply part of the natural order. Still, Phabum
is interested in removing the unnatural
curse of Black Waters.

Statistics. Phabum (Human): AL CG;

AC 6 (cloak of protection + 2 and Dexter-
ity); MV 24; Drd 7; hp 43; THACO 16;
#AT 1; Dmg 1 d8 (metal scimitar); SZ M;
ML 14; Str 1 4; Dex 17; Con 1 5; Int 1 6;
Wis 19;Cha 16. Spells: 1st) cure light
wounds, entangle, invisibility to undead;
2nd) dust devil, hold person, trip; 3rd) cre-
ate food & water, plant growth; 4th) rejuve-
nate. Languages: aarakocra, belgoi, elven,
halfling, thri-kreen.

Role-playing. Although protective of the

oasis, Phabum doesn't like people, ^ears
of living alone have left him with no social
skills, so he speaks in short sentences.

Next Go to 3E—Convincing the Druid.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. The characters must convince the druid to help them before they die.

Start Once the characters meet the druid, they find that he wants nothing to do with
them. They must try to make him listen to them. Read or paraphrase the following:
"Haven't time for ye,' Phabum says. Oasis important. "You not. Take all time. Go now.
Leave. Can't help.' The druid then slams the door in your faces.'

Encounter. Remember that two groups of undead are battling fiercely outside Phabum's
hut while the characters talk with him. The characters must get Phabum to help them.
Only he can cast the black waters spell. Phabum at first thinks the characters are asking
him to do a favor for them. He doesn't want to get involved in anything that doesn't have
to do with his oasis. The characters must say that the spell will help the oasis before
Phabum will pay any attention to them. Then they must make their request again before
Phabum will agree. Phabum is also stubborn, and he is likely to ignore the characters, so
convincing him should be very difficult indeed. Remember that charm spells and the like
will not work on Phabum, as his Wisdom is too high.
If the players are at a loss, you might reward their characters with the vital clue on a suc-
cessful Intelligence check: "Casting the spell will lift the curse on the oasis.'
If the characters can't convince Phabum, the leader of the cursed dead can burst into
the hut fresh from the battle and briefly plead the characters' case. Phabum will listen
closely to her, knowing how difficult it is for her to speak.

Role-playing; Although Phabum doesn't talk much, his face is very expressive. In a flash
he is startlingly angry, then curious, then disinterested. Use facial expressions when deal-
ing with your players. Phabum also spends much of his time with animals and will grunt
or squeal when excited. Some words the characters use may be beyond Phabum and con-
fuse him. Though intelligent, he doesn't act it. He is as difficult to deal with as a toddler.

Next Once the characters have convinced Phabum to cast the spell, go on to 3F—Run
to the Oasis.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Part Three:
F—Run to the Oasis

Setup. In this encounter, Phabum and the characters go to the oasis. If they did not fight
the hungry bodies in 3C—Enemies, the characters must battle them all the way to the
oasis. Have the players turn to the Player's Book, page 34—Run to the Oasis.

Start. This encounter begins once Phabum agrees to cast the spell. Read or paraphrase
the following:
"The druid asks to see the scroll, "feu hand it to him and he studies it for a moment,
concentration furrowing his brow. Then he nods slowly and looks at you intently. 'Very
dangerous,' he says. Dead not like. We go oasis. Need time.' Phabum heads for the door,
not even waiting for you to follow."

Encounter. There are two ways to run this encounter, depending on whether the charac-
ters found Phabum's shack on their own or whether the cursed dead helped them.
If the cursed dead helped the characters find Phabum, the undead are still fighting
outside the druid's hut when the party leaves; 200 cursed dead and 400 hungry bodies
remain. The characters will have to fight their way to the oasis through the sea of zombies,
protecting Phabum from them all the way.
If the characters found Phabum 'shut on their own, both groups of zombies rise from
the ground to do battle as the party heads for the oasis. Make sure to add the appropriate
description of zombies rising from the ground (from 3B—Friends?) when you read the
Start text for this encounter.
The wakened hungry bodies can sense the presence of the black waters scroll, and they
rush at the party in waves of five or 10 at a time. If the hungry bodies can reach the druid,
they try to kill him to steal the scroll. If this happens, the characters will die and become
either cursed dead or hungry bodies themselves. The cursed dead try to engage any hun-
gry bodies who attack the PCs, but let at least 20 hungry bodies attack the characters.
Phabum will also do what he can to hold off the undead. Although he is loath to
destroy these victimized beings, he will use his spells to protect himself against them.
Phabum first casts invisibility to undead on himself, which gives him six rounds before
the undead can see him again. Despite this spell, the hungry bodies will still be able to
sense the location of the black waters scroll and will try to get it.

Outcome. The odds are against the characters, and it is likely that at least one of them
will die fighting the zombies. But remember that the encounter isn't designed to wipe the
characters out. If the characters are doing poorly, pull your punches. Make the battle dan-
gerous, exciting, and hair-raising, but don't make it too deadly. Let any character who dies
go out a hero. Remember that the characters must live to fight the dragon in encounter 31.

Next Continue with 3G—Battle for Time.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. To reach this encounter, the characters have managed to hold off the undead while
Phabum unleashed the power of the Black Flames. Have the players turn to the Player's
Book, page 18—Black Flames.

Start In the last encounter, Phabum cast enough of the black waters spell to break the
power of the undead. Read or paraphrase the following:
"Suddenly the undead fall back. Fear springs to cold life in the eyes of some, peaceful
relief in the eyes of others. Around you, the air feels tight and constricting, as though it
was charged with incredible energies. It's hard to breathe as the air thickens, and for a
moment you fearyou will suffocate. A deadly silence spreads across the oasis.
"Phabum's voice cuts through the quiet, a vocal knife blade. The sky darkens, then
flares with pure blue lightning. Thunderheads, as rare a sight as any on Athas, rumble
into view, their interiors sparking with frenetic energies. The druid's chanting grows more
intense, and the undead fall moaning to their knees. Phabum's hands slam together with
great force, and the sound is echoed in the roar of thunder. And then the sky splits open.
"Flames fall from the clouds, black teardrops of eldritch fire that sizzle and pop when
they touch the undead flesh. Within seconds the dead are engulfed. They do not move; it
is as if they have become statues of flesh and flame.
"The flames touch you as well and sink into your flesh. But their touch is soothing, a
cool balm to the feverish curse that burns within you. And then the clouds seem to blow
away on unfelt winds.
"The flames recede at last, eldritch energies floating from your bodies. "Vou feel
renewed, revitalized, as if you could conquer the world. There is no sign of the hundreds
of undead that had so recently surrounded you. No bones, no weapons, no ancient scraps
of clothing. It is as if they simply never were. A great sense of relief fills you."

Encounter. The curative spell has been cast, and the undead of the oasis laid to rest The
curse has been lifted from the oasis of Black Waters, and never again shall travelers fall
prey to its evil.
Play this scene to its full dramatic potential. Although the players should think that
this is the end of the adventure, it's not. Let them savor a sense of relief and accomplish-
ment, but don't give them too much time to think about what has happened. Describe
the relief the characters feel and give them all their hit points and PSPs back (the magic
of the black flames is a powerful restorative), but no spells.

Role-playing. This should be a very dramatic scene. If your players enjoy props, use house
fans to whip up a wind (secure maps and character sheets first, though) and dim the lights
as the thunderclouds approach. "Kou could also set up a small strobe light to mimic the
flashes of lightning (it's a good idea to have a penlight for reading the adventure). All this
will enhance the mood during this encounter.

Next Continue with 31—Dragon!

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. In this encounter, Phabum casts the spell from the black
waters scroll. Have the players turn to the Player's Book, page
38—Battle for Time.

Start. This encounter begins once the characters arrive at the

oasis. Read or paraphrase the following:
"Phabum walks into the waters of the oasis, the scroll held high
in one hand. The water seems to surge up around him, engulfing him in a cloak of water.
Then his voice rings out with surprising strength as the undead renew their attack upon
you. T(ou only hope you can hold them off long enough for Phabum to cast the spell."

Encounter. In this encounter, the characters must hold off a horde of hungry bodies while
Phabum casts the black wafers spell. Though the players should not know this, it takes
Phabum 10 rounds to cast the spell. Once Phabum starts to cast the spell, his invisibility
to undeaa ends immediately. He may not cast any other spells once he begins casting the
black wafers spell, nor may he defend himself. It falls to the characters to keep Phabum
safe during the casting.
The cursed dead will help the characters fight off the hungry bodies, but their numbers
are swiftly dwindling as the hungry bodies tear them apart. Unless you must pull your
punches to make sure the characters live, every PC faces 10 Eombies for each of the first
five rounds of the casting. The zombies use whatever tactics you feel are appropriate, from
simply charging the characters to clever feints and strategic withdrawals.
At the beginning of the sixth round of the casting, the undead will attack in groups of
five instead of 10. The numbers of the hungry bodies have been severely depleted, and
the tide of the battle may be turning. Still, five rounds is a long time when you're facing an
army.

Role-playing. This is a climactic battle scene. Vividly describe the fearsome visages of the
attacking undead and their responses to attacks. The hungry bodies are driven creatures
who howl and shriek as they fight. They ignore any wound that does not kill them and
laugh in terrible, gravelly voices when struck. Give the players a feel of being bogged down
in a lopsided battle and let the bitter dregs of defeat always be a hair's breadth away. But
remember that the characters must live to fight the dragon in encounter 31.

Next As the tenth round of the casting draws to a close, continue with 3H — Black
Flames.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. This scene gives the characters a big surprise: Farcluun isn't dead! And he's found
the characters! Have the players turn to the Player's Book, page 32—Dragon!

Start This encounter begins after the black flames have consumed the undead and cured
the characters. Read or paraphrase the following:
"Phabum crawls out of the oasis, exhausted and drenched. As you go to help him, a ter-
rible sensation of dread crawls up your spine. "Vou glance fearfully out across the desert. A
large form is approaching at great speed. As it draws near, sunlight glints off reptilian
scales and the figure takes on more definition. Incredibly, it is the dragon Farcluun."

Encounter. Farcluun managed to survive both the battle and the collapse of Sielba's
palace. (Abalach-Re also barely survived, though Farcluun left her for dead.) The need
for vengeance fills Farcluun's mind. He must make the characters pay for his defeat. He
knows that the wounds from his battle with the sorcerer-queen are quite serious, and that
he is going to die soon. He wants to take the characters with him and will pull out all the
stops to do so.
It will take a minute or so for the dragon to reach the characters, during which they
should make whatever hasty preparations they can manage. When Farcluun gets closer,
the characters can clearly see that he has been badly hurt and that he is not going to live
long. Despite his wounds, he is still quite a threat, and it is likely that one of the characters
will die in the upcoming battle.
Phabum will be of no help in this battle, as he is still exhausted from the strain of cast-
ing the black wafers spell. He can do no more than lie panting next to the oasis.

Role-playing. Farcluun curses the characters throughout the fight, hurling insults with as
much force as his spells. He is enraged at the characters' betrayal and wants them dead.
Make the characters feel the terrible fear of having a dragon; even a wounded dragon, after
them. It should be a feeling they won't soon forget.

Next When Farcluun finally dies, continue with 3J—Fond Farewells.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. This encounter lets the characters cement their friendship with the Druid of
Black Waters and then leave the desert for civilization. Have the players turn to the
Player's Book, page 37—Fond Farewells.

Start Once the dragon has been defeated, read or paraphrase the following:
"Phabum seems to have recovered from his magical working and is sitting on a small
stone near the oasis. From the look on his face it is apparent that he quite enjoyed the bat-
tle. He motions for you to come to him. '"You fight good,' he says, a mischievous grin creas-
ing his face, 'but dragon bad hurt. We do good, but you go now. Someday come back, help
me, help you.' He seems a bit sad, then continues, 'People come soon, trample everything,
hurt plants. No more dead here now, all will come. Much work me do.' With that, he leads
you back to his hovel.'

Encounter. Phabum feels he owes the characters something for their part in cleansing the
oasis. He will use his spells to help get them on their feet again and will let them stay in his
hovel for a night, possibly two. He will also give advice as to what the characters should do
next. It is obvious that he is sad to see them go, but equally obvious that he wishes to be
left alone with his newly-restored land. He never thought that he would witness the mira-
cle he has today—and he is very tired!
If the characters wish, Phabum will help them cut the dragon up. There's no telling
what uses there might be for parts of such a creature. The head is an excellent trophy, but
the characters must be careful not to display it lest they incur the wrath of the sorcerer-
kings. The rest of the creature can be used as spell components, though the characters
must be quick about the butchering as the dragons flesh and blood will rot within three
days.
Should the characters ever come back through this area, Phabum will be glad to see
them and will offer them food and shelter. He feels a fondness for the people who brought
the spell that healed the oasis and he will treat them like family.
When they are ready to depart, the druid gives the characters a map to Urik as well as a
few pointers for surviving in the desert. If the characters have told Phabum about the
other dragon and her identity, Phabum will also warn them to stay away from Raam, where
they are surely wanted men.

Next From here, go to the final encounter, 3K—Aftermath.

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)

 Setup. The characters accomplished a lot in this adventure. But
all actions have consequences. Use these adventure seeds once
the characters return to a city.

House Site/: If a House Stel agent hired the characters for cara-
van duty or to prevent ambush, the House will wonder why the
PCs—and the most valuable item from their caravan—suddenly
disappeared during the freak sandstorm. The House will certainly wish to find the char-
acters and question them.
Farcluun's Lair Although the characters may search for Farcluuns lair, they will not be
able to find it. Dragons have little to do with men, and the PCs can find no leads as to the
lair's whereabouts.
Abalach-Re, Sorcerer-Queen of Raam: When the PCs escaped with the scroll, not
only did Abalach-Re lose her never-ending supply of soldiers, she was thwarted by mere
humans. She will hire assassins to do the characters in, and she will do anything possible
to hamper the characters and to foil their plans. Abalach-Re will not forget this disap-
pointment, nor will she tire of plotting the characters' destruction. Should the characters
ever go to Raam, they will have to maintain disguises. If Abalach-Re's templars discover
the characters' true identities, the characters will immediately find themselves arrested
and sentenced to death.
Shaziva: If Templar Shaziva hired the characters as guards, she may seek out the PCs
and enquire why they disappeared during the journey.
5 kin ai: S'kin'di was punished for failing the sorcerer-queen. Now minus one eye, the
t'chowb has vowed to destroy the characters. He will surround them with a complex plot
of blackmail and sabotage which only the t'chowb's death will end. S'kin'di may prove
even more dangerous than Abalach-Re: S'kin'di can focus his attention on the characters
while Abalach-Re must also run her kingdom. S'kin'di will not reveal himself until the
characters are near the bitter end, when he comes forward to gloat.
Black Waters: Now that it has been cleansed, the oasis will host many traveling
between Urik and Raam. It will soon be renamed Cool Spring. Phabum stays and
remains friendly toward the PCs. The characters may become well known for their part in
the cleansing, and they may be invited to join a merchant house. On the other hand, their
new popularity makes them an easy target for their enemies.
YaramuAe;The city remains abandoned. Characters who try to explore it again find it
even more dangerous than before. The destruction of the palace's lower levels started a
chain reaction that sank the rest of the palace ruins beneath a layer of sand. Treasure seek-
ers will forever wonder what may have been hidden there, but no expeditions are launched
to find out

Cameron Graf (Order #17604520)