The Third Portal on the Road to Bisu

The Third Portal (#22/31; #234/365)

"This hemispherical chamber with a tiled ceiling has an immense bronze portal at the far end, surrounded by an archway covered in Djaratian inscriptions. In front of the portal stands its armoured guardian, a deformed and one-eyed mutant, with a hunch-backed though muscular humanoid frame and a lumpy, shaven skull. In its hands is a silver rod with a glowing white gemstone at its tip. The creature lurches towards you."

Contents: The guardian of the Third Portal is a Night Horror that will attack anyone in this chamber. The portal can of course be opened with a Bronze Key. The inscriptions describe the third portal as belonging to the brother of Viglos One-Eye, Khorthos, who was a mighty Cyclops warrior dwelling on the borderlands of the Djaratian Empire, until slain by the Sand Emperor Varnonkhamen and raised as an undead Night Horror.

Stats:

NIGHT HORROR, SKILL 10 STAMINA 10, Silver Rod of Incandescent Doom, Iron Mace, Chainmail Hauberk. Heroes armed with normal weapons must roll a die whenever they hit;  on a roll of 1-3 the blow will not harm the creature's undead flesh, but on a 4-6 it cause damage as normal. When the Night Horror wins an Attack Round using the beam of light from the Silver Rod of Incandescent Doom, the blazing white light causes 2 STAMINA damage and drains 1 SKILL point. Anyone whose SKILL score is reduced to zero, has their life-force drained away.

Constantly ringing any sort of hand-bell causes extreme pain to the Night Horror, and it must reduce both its SKILL and STAMINA score by 2 until the ringing stops.

The Silver Rod of Incandescent Doom has 2-12 charges left before it runs out of enchantment. Keep a record of how many charges the Night Horror uses up in combat; if there are any charges left after the battle, a Hero may take it and use its powers as detailed above. If it runs out of enchantment before the fight is over, the Night Horror will cast it aside and draw an iron mace from its belt.

The Silver Rod is worth 150GP just as an item of treasure, if its magical powers are exhausted.

Further Along the Road to Bisu

The Waters of Life (#18/31; #230/365)

"This small circular chamber features a simple fountain, carved to depict a Djaratian lady with a water-jug, from which tumbles a crystal clear stream of liquid."

Contents: This fountain contains the fabled Waters of Life, cool and refreshing waters with incredible powers of revitalization. Anyone who drinks from the fountain can restore STAMINA points to half their Initial score, and also restore 2 SKILL and 2 LUCK points. It also cures any poisons or diseases the drinker may be suffering from, but not curses.

Heroes can only drink from the found once, further drinks have no effect. However, if the Heroes have any empty bottles or vials they can take samples of the Waters of Life, with effects as above, when drunk (at any time except during combat). In addition, the water can be thrown at Undead creatures, which it will burn them like acid for 1-6 STAMINA points of damage.

Warden of the Portals (#19/31; #231/365)

"This square chamber contains nothing other than a bare stone plinth. Behind the plinth is a bronze archway, covered in Djaratian inscriptions. As you stand there, a glowing ghostly figure materializes behind the plinth."

Contents: The figure is Sorvosis the Warden of the Seven Portals, an a Greater Spectre. Sorvosis will attack anyone who does not understand Djaratian or have a Bronze Key, as the door requires a Bronze Key to enter, and leads to the First Portal Chamber. Otherwise, Sorvosis will explain in Djaratian that the Heroes must enter the seven Portals of Doom, to continue along the Road to Bisu.

Stats:

Sorvosis the Warden, GREATER SPECTRE, SKILL 10 STAMINA 14, 2 Attacks, Large Claw. Only harmed by magic weapons. Anyone wounded must lost 1 SKILL point on  a roll of 1-5 on a die at the end of the battle.

The First Portal (#20/31; #232/365)

"This large chamber has an immense bronze portal at the far end, surrounded by an archway covered in Djaratian inscriptions. In front of the portal stands its guardian, a huge iron statue of a bestial humanoid, with a single eye that appears to be a large glowing yellow jewel. The creature lurches towards you."

Contents: The guardian of the First Portal is an Iron Cyclops that will attack anyone in this chamber. The portal can of course be opened with a Bronze Key. The inscriptions describe the first portal as belonging to the Cyclops Hero Viglos Single-Eye.

Stats:

IRON CYCLOPS, SKILL 10 STAMINA 10, 2 Attacks, Large Fist, Heavy Armour, +1 Damage Roll. Every Attack Round a burning beam of yellow light will flash from the creature's eye, hitting an opponent on a roll of 1-2 for 2 STAMINA damage.

If successfully removed, the Eye of the Cyclops is an enormous yellow Topaz worth 50GP.

The Second Portal (#21/31; #233/365)

"This octagonal chamber has an immense bronze portal at the far end, surrounded by an archway covered in Djaratian inscriptions. In front of the portal stands its guardian, an immense skeleton with glowing green eyes, with four arms, two of which wield curved silver swords, two of which hold shields. The creature lurches towards you."

Contents: The guardian of the Second Portal is a Major Thassaloss that will attack anyone in this chamber. The portal can of course be opened with a Bronze Key. The inscriptions describe the second portal as belonging to the undead warlord Govinthaten.

Stats:

MAJOR THASSALOSS, SKILL 10 STAMINA 15, 2 Attacks, Khopesh (as per Scimitar), 2 Large Shields. Sharp and bladed weapons do only 1 STAMINA point damage per hit. Every Attack Round a freezing beam of green light will flash from the creature's eyes, hitting an opponent on a roll of 1-5 for 1 STAMINA damage.

The two silver Khopeshes are worth 30GP each. The shields are made of bronze and wood and possibly worth something to a collector of Djaratian antiquities.

The Green Lake

The Green Lake (#17/31; #229/365)

"This is an enormous cavern containing an immense subterranean lake, whose waters are a deep and vivid green in colour. On a shingle shore lies a raft with a pole; next to it is a bronze bell, stained green with age, and, attached to it with a corroded chain, a simple club. Off, across the lake, can be seen some sort of rocky islet."

Contents: The Green Lake is a holy area dedicated to Cracca, the Djaratian Ferryman of the Gods, and the equivalent of the modern day Aqualis, God of Rivers. Ringing the bell summons Ganshu the Boatman, a TEMPLE GUARDIAN and avatar of Cracca. Ganshu appears as a crook-backed boatman in a heavy cloak, with a long staff, a ferry pole, and a thick cloak hiding plated crocodile-like armour, while protruding from their hood is a long crocodile-like jaw full of sharp teeth.

Ganshu only speaks Djaratian and will indicate that passage across the Green Lake costs 2GP (Djaratian coinage only) per passenger - his low narrow skiff fits 8 extra passengers. Ganshu will only attack if attacked; his skiff is actually tied to an immense white scaly SWAMP MUTANT that will also attack if Ganshu has to defend himself.

The other option is to pole and paddle the raft across; the raft fits four passengers, and requires a successful Skill Test to get to the central isle, and another to get to the further shore; failure indicated the raft goes nowhere and attracts a wandering monster from the below table.

The central isle is a shrine to Aqualis/Cracca with a low black stone idol surrounded by two large pools of green water. Any gift of meat will be gratefully accepted, even if it little more than a Purple Crab or a single Snapperfish. Failure to provide meat on the shrine's altar will cause two POOL BEASTS to erupt from the green water and attack the miscreants.

Stats:

Ganshu the Boatman, TEMPLE GUARDIAN, SKILL 9 STAMINA 10, Quarterstaff, Heavy Armour (crocodile skin). Ganshu has 2-12 GP in Djaratian coinage in his pockets. 

SWAMP MUTANT, SKILL 10 STAMINA 16, 3 Attacks, Large Claws and Very Large Bite, Medium Armour, +2 to Damage Roll.

2 POOL BEASTS, SKILL 8 STAMINA 10, 3 Attacks, Tentacles (as per Large Claw) and Large Bite, Light Armour. Each Pool Beast has a Violet Jewel (worth 10-60GP) embedded in its forehead.

To determine random encounters on the Green Lake, roll on the following table:

1. an amphibious LITHOGEN, pretending to be a small island

2. a swarm of subterranean SEA SPIDERS

3. a school of albino SNAPPERFISH

4. a swarm of purple CAVE CRABS

5. a school of albino carnivorous FLYING FISH

6. a POOL BEAST, as above

The Lake of Fire

The Lake of Fire (#16/31; #228/365)

"This is an enormous cavern, radiating intense heat and glowing red light from a lake of boiling lava, that almost covers the entire cavern-floor. Here and there a rocky islets rising from the lava, connected by rock platforms like stepping stones. The lava is occasionally roiled from below, as if, impossibly, there was something living in there, and the rocks appear to be home to a stinking horde of ragged baboons, screeching and howling at your intrusion. At the end of the cavern, on the far shore of the lava lake, you see a tunnel onwards."

Contents: To get to the next entrance the Heroes will have to cross the lava lake via the series of stepping stones from shore to shore via the small rocky islets. Each set of stepping stones requires a Test for Skill to navigate; success means they have reached the next islet or shore. Failure means they have become stuck and must Test their Skill again; success and they move onwards, failure means the have now fallen into the lava!

Making things worse, the colony of 3-18 BABOONS on each islet will hurl rocks at whoever is attempting to cross the stepping stones and attack them as soon as they make landfall. Defeating at least half of the Baboons will cause the rest to retreat to the far side of the islet, screeching in outrage.

There is little of interest on most of the islets, other than bones and refuse. However, the final islet is home to the GREAT BABOON and 3-18 of his family group. Stashed in a dark hollow on the rockier side of the islet is a sack containing 17GP, a Bloodstone (25GP), and a clay gourd of Shroomshine Grog.

If a fight begins, roll a die every Attack Round. On a roll of 1, a LAVA BEAST erupts from the lava and attacks whichever opponent is closest to the lava's edge, whether Hero or Baboon. At the bottom of the lake (which will take some serious magical ingenuity to achieve, given there is around ten metres of boiling lava to navigate), is a magical portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire; anyone entering this to travel to that plane immediately summons the portal's guardian, a FIRE ELEMENTAL, which will attack whoever has entered the portal.

Anyone unfortunate enough to fall into the lava suffers 2-12 STAMINA per Attack Round and is immediately attacked by 1-3 LAVA BEASTS.

Stats:

3-18 BABOONS per islet, SKILL 6 STAMINA 6, Rock or Large Bite

BABOON CHIEF, SKILL 8 STAMINA 7, Rock or Large Bite

LAVA BEAST, SKILL 8 STAMINA 8, Large Claw, Light Armour, +1 to Damage Roll. Opponents must reduce their SKILL by 1 due to the steam and heat the creature generates. Anyone hitting the Lava Beast with a regular weapon must roll a die, on an odd number their weapon is destroyed.

FIRE ELEMENTAL, SKILL 14 STAMINA 18, Large Claw, Light Armour, +2 to Damage Roll. Only harmed by magical weapons. Two successful strikes on the Elemental will destroy any weapon!

Proclamation Chamber

Proclamation Chamber (#15/31; #227/365)

"This is large chamber with multiple exits in the south wall. All the walls are covered in various inscriptions depicting heroes dying by a multitude of different means. As you stare about you, in the middle of the dusty floor by a bare stone podium, a glowing green apparition materializes; even as a phantasm it is little more than bones and rotting bandages. Observing yourselves, it strides forwards, gesticulating at your choices onward, via a stone slab of a door on either the right or left wall of this chamber, while intoning a long and bizarre chant in a language you may not understand."

Contents: The phantasm is G'vul Otep, a GREATER SPECTRE and herald of the challenges faced by Heroes as they embark upon the Road to Bisu. G'vul speaks only Djaratian and will attack anyone who fails to comprehend them. Essentially the choice is a simple declaration of left or right, but in Djaratian mythology this is riven with significance; left indicates sorcery and shortcuts best left untampered with, while right indicates martial might and brute strength, but a disturbing lack of intelligence! What will the Heroes decide?

Stats:

G'vul Otep, GREATER SPECTRE, SKILL 10 STAMINA 14, 2 Attacks, Large Claw. Only harmed by magic weapons. Anyone wounded must lost 1 SKILL point on  a roll of 1-5 on a die at the end of the battle.

In a secret compartment at the back of the podium can be found a heavily annotated series of papyrus scrolls. This is a condensed version of the Djaratian Book of the Dead, with many subsequent alterations made in Vatosian and Ancient Allansian, commenting on the best route forwards through the Road to Bisu.

The Road to Bisu (Part One)

Personal Sacrifice Chamber (#7/31; #219/365)

"This is a bare-walled stone chamber, with what looks like some sort of dusty marble desk in the middle of the floor. Upon the desk are a large number of clay jars, along with a flat stained block of slate, and an ancient bronze knife covered in dried blood. As you stare at this, a pale glowing form begins to materialize behind the desk, what looks like the ghost of a Djaratian girl in ceremonial robes. She sees you and begins to speak in an archaic language."

Contents: The GHOST is Khem-Tepjiri, a guardian spirit of this room. Unfortunately she only speaks Djaratian; if the Heroes cannot understand her, she will become enraged and curse them (anyone Cursed by the Ghost loses 2 LUCK and 1 SKILL). She will then attack them immediately, along with the sacrificial knife, which animates, and an invisible POLTERGEIST will start hurling clay jars about.

If the Heroes can understand Djaratian, Khem-Tepjiri will explain that they must sacrifice some aspect of themself using the bronze knife, and leave it behind in a clay jar. Refusal to do so means the Hero must leave the Road to Bisu via the bronze door, or Khem-Tepjiri will become enraged, as per above.

The actual nature of the sacrifice is entirely up to the penitent. Examples of sacrifices that may be given include:

Lock of hair: No effect

Blood: -1 STAMINA

Finger: -1 STAMINA, -1 SKILL

Toe: -1 STAMINA, -1 SKILL

Tooth: -2 STAMINA (could be a bit messy)

Nose: -1 STAMINA, -4 to all social tests

Ear: -1 STAMINA, -1 to all Awareness tests

Eye: -2 STAMINA, -2 SKILL, -1 LUCK

After the Heroes have made a sacrifice each, the Poltergeist will place their sacrifice in a clay jar and take the jar to the Sacrifice Storage Chamber below. The Heroes must record the words Ritual Chosen as a title on their Adventure Sheet and are then free to chose their way onward via one of the Cleansing Chambers, one at a time. Khem-Tipjiri will outline the contents of each chamber as the Test of Salt, the Test of Heat, etc.

If the bronze knife animates and is defeated, it becomes a normal bronze knife, equivalent to a dagger, but probably worth a lot more to a collector of Djaratian antiquities. There is nothing else here, other than a lot of clay pots, and the cutting slate.

Stats:

Khem-Tepjiri, GHOST, SKILL 9 STAMINA 8, Ghostly Touch (see Beyond the Pit, p. 58).

1 POLTERGEIST, SKILL 9, STAMINA 0, Attacks: 1 per Hero, Flings clay pots (1 STAMINA damage), does not take damage. Disappears if successfully Warded or Banished  by a Priest.

ANIMATED BRONZE KNIFE, SKILL 6 STAMINA 4, as per Dagger,

Sacrifice Storage Chamber (#8/31; #220/365)

"This cramped room contains mouldering wooden shelves covered in clay pots, some of which appear to be slightly bloodstained. From one rather large pot on a lower shelf, you think to hear a steady tapping sound."

Contents: This is where the sacrifices made by the Ritual Chosen are stored. Different penitents make different sacrifices depending on their personal reasons for embarking upon the Road to Bisu; thus the canopic jars contain a wide variety of contents. Roll a die on the table below to determine the contents of any canopic jar the Heroes open:

1. Dried blood.

2. Heart. This may seem self-defeating until one learns of the sadistic Djaratian Sand Emperor Varnonkhamen, who would steal the hearts (or other bits) of his enemies, reanimate the enemies as Zombies, and command them to embark upon the Road to Bisu; succeed and they would regain their heart and their life. None succeeded.

3. Finger.

4. Toe.

5. Lock of hair.

6. Tooth. (1 in 6 chance it belongs to a Goblin)

The tapping noise is coming from a large jar that contains the ANIMATED LEFT HAND of the undead Magister Nimquarlotep, a victim of the Sand Emperor Varnonkhamen. The Magister is a Lich, trapped somewhere within the Road to Bisu, and the left hand (decaying, mummified, covered in dried bandages) wishes to reunite with him. The Animated Hand will accompany the Heroes, indicating which direction it wishes to travel in to reach the Magister; they may think the hand is guiding them to safety unless one of the Heroes can communicate with the dead (hand). The hand will defend itself if attacked.

Each jar also contains a ivory chit (worth 1GP) embossed with a number (roll a d10 if you have one, two times to determine the number.)

Stats:

ANIMATED HAND, SKILL 6 STAMINA 2, Damage as per Unarmed Human.

Salt Cleansing Chamber (#9/31; #221/365)

"This is a bare, square room, empty of everything save a dusty paved floor and an exit opposite you. However, as you stand here, the air around you changes. It appears to be full of swirling clouds of tiny white crystals."

Contents: The Cleaning Chambers are where the Ritual Chosen are stripped of impurities before embarking upon the Road to Bisu. The type of cleansing depends purely on the whim of the penitent, though some may be ordered or commanded to undergo a specific process, or possibly several, in a sacred sequence.

This is the Cleansing Chamber of Salt. Upon entering, a SALT SPIRIT materializes and engulfs the sacrifice, stripping all excess salt from the surface of their body, before dematerializing. The sacrifice will feel slightly weakened and shaky, and must reduce their SKILL score by 1 for 10-20 minutes.

Anyone who is not a Ritual Chosen will be instantly attacked, however, the Salt Spirit can be appeased by offerings of honey, sweet fruit or sweet liquids. A flask of Shroomshine Grog would also work.

Stats:

SALT SPIRIT (also known as the PEI-KHEM), SKILL 8 STAMINA 7, Wind Blast (as per Sling. Anyone fighting a Salt Spirit must reduce their SKILL by 1 due to the blinding salt, and all blows on the Salt Spirit only cause 1 STAMINA due to its shifting form. Anyone hit by the Salt Spirit suffers from magical hunger (-1 SKILL for 1-6 hours, meals consumed in this time restore half STAMINA only, must drink full waterskin every hour for 1-6 hours or lose 2 STAMINA each time. Effects cured by a healing potion (that will have no other effect)). See The Warlock Returns issue 6.

Heat Cleansing Chamber (#10/31; #222/365)

"This is a bare, square room, empty of everything save a dusty paved floor and an exit opposite you. However, as you stand here, the air around you changes. It appears to be getting warmer!"

Contents: The Cleaning Chambers are where the Ritual Chosen are stripped of impurities before embarking upon the Road to Bisu. The type of cleansing depends purely on the whim of the penitent, though some may be ordered or commanded to undergo a specific process, or possibly several, in a sacred sequence.

This is the Cleansing Chamber of Heat. Upon entering, a hazy SHIMMERA materializes and engulfs the sacrifice, stripping all excess moisture from the surface of their body, before dematerializing. The sacrifice will feel physically drained and must reduce their STAMINA score by 2.

Anyone who is not a Ritual Chosen will be instantly attacked, however, the Shimmera can be appeased by offerings that create or produce heat, such as a torch, candle, lantern, Yokka Egg, and so on.

Stats:

SHIMMERA, SKILL 9 STAMINA 10, Heat Blast (as per Dagger). All opponents must reduce their SKILL by 2 for this battle, and only inflict 1 STAMINA damage per successful hit.

Water Cleansing Chamber (#11/31; #223/365)

"This is a bare, square room, empty of everything save a dusty paved floor and an exit opposite you. However, as you stand here, the air around you changes. It appears to be getting wetter and more humid."

Contents: The Cleaning Chambers are where the Ritual Chosen are stripped of impurities before embarking upon the Road to Bisu. The type of cleansing depends purely on the whim of the penitent, though some may be ordered or commanded to undergo a specific process, or possibly several, in a sacred sequence.

This is the Cleansing Chamber of Water. Upon entering, a Lesser Water Elemental materializes and engulfs the sacrifice, stripping all excess dirt and grime from the surface of their body, before dematerializing. The sacrifice will feel an odd sense of foreboding and must reduce their LUCK score by 1.

Anyone who is not a Ritual Chosen will be instantly attacked, however, the Water Elemental can be appeased by offerings of Holy Water in a flask or vial.

Stats:

LESSER WATER ELEMENTAL, SKILL 9 STAMINA 10, Water Blast (Small Claw), Light Armour.

Dust Cleansing Chamber (#12/31; #224/365)

"This is a bare, square room, empty of everything save a dusty paved floor and an exit opposite you. However, as you stand here, the air around you changes. It appears to be dustier and hazier."

Contents: The Cleaning Chambers are where the Ritual Chosen are stripped of impurities before embarking upon the Road to Bisu. The type of cleansing depends purely on the whim of the penitent, though some may be ordered or commanded to undergo a specific process, or possibly several, in a sacred sequence.

This is the Cleansing Chamber of Dust. Upon entering, a Dust Devil materializes and engulfs the sacrifice, stripping all excess moisture from the surface of their body, before dematerializing. The sacrifice will feel irritable and unsettled, and must reduce their Attack Strength by 1 for their next battle, or suffer a -1 penalty to their MAGIC characteristic the next time they try to use it.

Anyone who is not a Ritual Chosen will be instantly attacked, however, the Dust Devil can be appeased by offerings of something sparkly and luminous, such as phosphorescent fungi or mould, or a Glowstone.

Stats:

DUST DEVIL, SKILL 7 STAMINA 7, Wind Blast (as per Sling), all hits only cause 1 STAMINA damage to the DUST DEVIL. Can execute a charge attack once per battle; opponent must Test for SKILL or be sucked into the whirlwind and get battered about, losing 2 STAMINA and be knocked unconscious for 10-60 minutes.

Bone Pit (#13/31; #225/365)

"The corridor ends in a shallow pit, full of the bleaches bones of various creatures, including humans."

Contents: The corpses of dead Heroes, adventurers, looters, tomb-robbers, and others, who perish while on the Road to Bisu, are thrown here, after being stripped of equipment. Anyone who spends an hour searching here may find:

1. Bone Rat, 2-7 of the little undead horrors, attack immediately

2. Minotaur Horn, still attached to a skull

3. Banshee Tooth, only one in a skull

4. Giant Tooth, only one left in a huge skull

5. Deathling, 1, one tiny humanoid skeleton in decaying bandages, armed with a sharpened bone needle. Will automatically join any party with a Necromancer and act as a Familiar, otherwise will attempt to flee.

6. Bone Spider, 1-3 skeletal stalkers will shamble from the pile and attack

Stats:

BONE RAT, SKILL 5 STAMINA 4, Small Bite 

BONE SPIDER, SKILL 6 STAMINA 6, 2 Attacks, Large Bite, Light Armour

DEATHLING, SKILL 6 STAMINA 3, Dagger, -1 to Damage Roll

Guardian of the Ritual Chosen's Possessions (#14/31; #226/365)

"This large stone chamber contains a huge monster that appears to be half dragon and half golden-maned lion. It is wearing a pair of spectacles and is in the middle of devouring a bloody chunk of meat. On a low bench in front of it are a folded series of papyrus scrolls, next to an inkwell and a quill, while behind the creature is a large entrance to another darkened room that appears to be full of shelves, crammed with gear and equipment.

The creature mutters to itself, 'It would have to be while I am eating' and turns to face you. 'Right, you lot Heroes? I need names please, now!"

Contents: The creature is Feruginean, a DRACON bound to be a guardian of the chambers in exchange for a prior debt. Heroes passing through the cleansing chambers, regardless of whether they are Ritual Chosen or not, must give their name to the Dracon, who will click his claws, animating the MAGIC QUILL, which will record their name in the papyrus Ledger of Heroes, in Djaratian. (The Dracon speaks Allansian, Djaratian and several other languages.)

The Hero will then be given an ivory chit to be carried at all times. The chit is worth 1GP and bears a two digit number (roll a d10 twice to generate this). If the Hero is slain while on the Road to Bisu, their body is dumped in the Bone Pit, their gear and accoutrements are stored on the shelves in the chamber behind the Dracon, and the ivory chit returned to the canopic jar that contains their sacrifice if a Ritual Chosen, or back here, if not.

Enterprising Heroes may present chits from the Storage Chamber to claim the belongings of a lost comrade, ancestor or colleague. To randomly determine such belongings conferring to a given chit, assume starting adventuring gear and modify by rolling on the Rich Humanoid column of the Creature Treasure Table in the Encyclopedia Arcana: Volume 1 (p. 30). Names can be generated for the Ledger of Heroes using the Random Name Generator in the same volume (p. 159).

The Dracon will defend itself if attacked or if the Heroes attempt to intrude upon the Road to Bisu without a chit, or if they try to enter the storeroom. The quill will animate fully at this point and is identical to a Magic Paintbrush in effect. However, Feruginean is nearing the end of his service, and if the Heroes can find a potential replacement to be trained to do his job, may be amenable to alternative arrangements.

Stats:

Feruginean the Guardian DRACON, SKILL 10 STAMINA 17, 2 Attacks, Large Bite and Claw, Light Armour, +1 to the Damage Roll.

Has gold-rimmed spectacles worth 10GP, a chunk of meat worth 1 Provision, and the Ledger of Heroes (in Djaratian, a list of all Heroes who have embarked upon the Road to Bisu)

ANIMATED QUILL, SKILL 7 STAMINA 8, as per a Magic Paintbrush (Return to the Pit, p. 19).

Further Fiendish Chambers

The Pottery Barn (#5/31; #217/365)

"This chamber smells like a barn, which is reinforced by the dried straw, or is it some kind of dried yellow fungus, that covers the floor. In one corner, a Fiend feeds meat from a wooden bucket to a terrifying creature, a black scaly horse with wings like a bat, that breathes fire and smoke, slapping it on the flanks and saying, 'Whoa there, settle down Foul Terror!

In the other corner sits a Fiend on stool, apparently making clay vials on a pottery wheel, which are then laid to dry on a nearby table. The pottery wheel is powered by a rotary contraption, inside which is a scaly red rat that occasionally burps fire. The Fiend making pottery looks at you and says 'Can we help you?'"

Contents: This is the personal chamber of Khorthax, leader of the Fiend workers who maintain the Road to Bisu, and his right-hand Fiend Vengorfing. Khorthax is a surprisingly conscientious leader, who has also discovered a love of pottery. This is why he crafts the ceramic vials that contain the Potions of Noise the Fiends use as alarm signals and to confuse and terrify some of the more dangerous creatures within the Road to Bisu.

The horse-creature may appear to be a Night-mare, but it is actually a Chaos Steed, used by Khorthax for rapid transit, such as setting up negotiations with various peoples of the Down Below to buy excess meat and offal, in exchange for Potions of Noise, or trinkets won off adventurers.

Khorthax will advise Heroes they must take the Road to Bisu, it represents the only way onwards in these dungeons. If they don't have a Bronze Key, he will tell them the Sphinx Maisramafooz definitely has one, and to tell the Sphinx that Khorthax sent them. Khorthax will also advise it is advantageous, if not imperative, that they have read the Djaratian Book of the Dead, and visited the Map Room of Ymhu-Tepris.

The creatures of this room will all defend themselves if attacked, but Khorthax would prefer to sit down, drink grog and exchange information. He cannot be bribed to allow alternative access to the Road to Bisu; to be a true Hero you must do things exactly by the Book (of the Dead), he believes.

Stats:

Khorthax, FIEND Leader, SKILL 9, STAMINA 16, Battleaxe or Small Claw, Light Armour. Breathes Fire: hits on a 1-2 on one die for 1 STAMINA damage. Khorthax has 4-24 GP, ear plugs, and a Potion of Noise. 

The table has a single draw containing a ring of all the keys to all the grilles in the Feeding Corridors, a hipflask of Spleen Eleven, and a battered and fire-blackened copy of 'Gone to Pot: the Life and Times of Mayrek the Clayworker' (which contains a Conjuration Ritual for creating Clay Golems).

On the table are 4-24 finished clay vials ready to contain Potions of Noise, and a clay jug of Shroomshine Grog and two clay tumblers. On a wall by the door is a slate with chalk on a string, depicting the current feeding rotation of Beastkeepers among the chambers of the Road to Bisu.

Vengorfing FIEND Stablehand, SKILL 8, STAMINA 12, Spear or Small Claw, Light Armour. Breathes Fire: hits on a 1-2 on one die for 1 STAMINA damage. Vengorthing has 3-18 GP, ear plugs, and a Potion of Noise.

CHAOS STEED, SKILL 7 STAMINA 10, Hooves, Medium Armour, can Fly. Roll a die each Attack Round; on a 1 or 2 the CHAOS STEED breathes fire on their opponent for 1 STAMINA damage.

HELLRAT, SKILL 5 STAMINA 5, Small Bite, Light Armour. Roll a die each Attack Round; on a 1 or 2 the HELLRAT breathes fire on their opponent for 1 STAMINA damage.

Feeding Corridors (#6/31; #218/365) <All the same>

"This long dank corridor finishes at a dead end. On the ground is a large locked grille, below which is a darkened chamber. From the chamber below comes a rank stench of a large animal, offal, and decay."

Contents: The iron grille allow access for the Fiends to feed the creatures inhabiting the chambers of the Road to Bisu. The grille is locked - regular patrols of Fiend Beastkeepers have keys to all the grilles on their feeding rotation. The drop from the grille to the floor in each of these chambers in the Road to Bisu is around four metres, and unless care is taken, the inhabitants below will also be alerted.

There is a 2 in 6 chance that a given corridor has a team of two Fiend Beastkeepers. These Beastkeepers will be pushing a small bloodstained wooden cart, and depending on the stage of their rotation, the cart may be empty, half-full, or full of chunks of bloody meat and offal from the Food Preparation Chamber.

Beastkeepers are happy to allow adventurers access to the chambers via unlocking the grille in exchange for a bribe of 4-24GP each. These may seem high, but the Beastkeepers point out they are breaking the tenets of the Road to Bisu, and as such require compensation to assuage their conscience. The Beastkeepers will also point out that access is one way only, and they are not responsible for anything that may happen.

Stats:  

2 FIEND Beastkeepers: SKILL 6, STAMINA 8, Spear or Small Claw, Light Armour. Breathes Fire: hits on a 1-2 on one die for 1 STAMINA damage. The Beastkeepers have 1-6 GP, ear plugs, and a Potion of Noise each. One of them has keys to all the grilles on their feeding rotation.

HEROES OF TITAN: A new Advanced Fighting Fantasy sourcebook

Arriving very soon, HEROES OF TITAN, a new sourcebook for Advanced Fighting Fantasy, with full colour cover and internal artwork by John Kapsalis and brand new Adventure Sheets by Dyson Logos. Heroes of Titan features 80 pre-generated Heroes or NPCs for your AFF game complete with full stats and lore background. Whether you need a brave fighter, a holy priest, a trickster rogue or an arcane spellcaster, you will find them in HEROES OF TITAN! 🙂

 

How to make a Potion of Noise

Whistle Bud Cultivation Chamber (#4/31; #216/365)

"This warm rough-hewn chamber emits a strong organic smell of plants and compost. The floor is covered in dirt, growing on which is a peculiar plant growth that appears as flat red creeper-foliage bearing many large dark red buds, that appear to have small sharp teeth. Moving through the plants are several Fiend gardeners, armed with sickles and trowels, engaging in plant cultivation. At the far end, one of the plants lies on a stone slab, cut into pieces, while another Fiend uses its sword to stir the contents of an iron cauldron on an open fire.

Occasionally, one of the plants stirs and begins snapping its jaws and starts to whistle before being quickly rapped with a trowel by one of the gardeners. As you enter, one of the gardeners looks up at you, and whispers 'Sssshhhhhh!'"

Contents: This is where the Fiends cultivate the carnivorous vegetation known as Whistle Buds in order to produce their magical Potions of Noise. The Whistle Buds are fed with a steady diet of unwanted offal from the Food Preparation Chamber, grown to a reasonable size, and then harvested for their noise glands and herbal extracts. Incredibly enough, as a druid or anyone who has plant communication abilities can tell, the Whistle Buds are aware of their fate and not too happy about it. If roused,they will attack anyone in the chamber regardless of who they are.

Currently the Whistle Buds are dormant, but any fight or other commotion in the chamber will wake them up. The Fiends for their part will continue gardening, but will also trade Potions of Noise for 20GP a vial. All of this negotiation has to be carried with sign language as  the Fiends refuse to speak and encourage the Heroes to do the same.

In the cauldron is the base for Potions of Noise. Once the extracts of a Whistle Bud are added to it, it creates enough for five Potions of Noise, which are then bottled in large ceramic vials. A pile of empty vials lies next to the stone slab, alongside a barrel of half-fermented Shroomshine Grog (drinking this causes the loss of 1-3 STAMINA points and temporary blindness and clumsiness for 10-60 minutes).

Stats:

4 FIEND Gardeners: SKILL 6, STAMINA 8, Sickle or Trowel (as per Improvised) or Small Claw, Light Armour. Breathes Fire: hits on a 1-2 on one die for 1 STAMINA damage. The Gardeners have 1-6 GP, and ear plugs, and two of them also have Potions of Noise.

1 FIEND Brewer: SKILL 7 STAMINA 10, Sword or Small Claw, Light Armour. Breathes Fire: hits on a 1-2 on one die for 1 STAMINA damage. The Brewer has 2-12GP, earplugs, a Potion of Noise, a flask of Shroomshine Grog, and a slim book in both Orcish and the Goblin language, entitled "Badduz's Special Brewz" that appears to be full of recipes for fungi-based alcohol beverages, including Shroomshine Grog, and a strange purple syrup called Spleen Eleven.

4 patches of WHISTLE BUDS: each SKILL 7 STAMINA 11, 3 Attacks, Small Bite, High-pitched whistling causes loss of 2 SKILL points for the entirety of a battle, unless one is wearing earplugs.

Month #8: Level Five of the Found Tombs of Arvakaten - The Road to Bisu

And still it continues. Seven months in the bag and well over 200 "rooms", and we are still going! For August we continue exploring the Found Tombs of Arvakaten, to see what terrors are lurking on level five of the mega-dungeon crypt-complex. This area is known as the "The Road to Bisu", a series of ancient and near-undisturbed catacombs representing an allegory of the dead soul's journey of reincarnation, back to the Forge of Bisu, the Maker God. The Lich-Lord Arvakaten was previously entombed within this complex to oversee this level, but, in his current dreams of conquest, has all but forgotten what happens down here. The Djaratian Book of the Dead, a copy of which can be found in Arvakaten's sarcophagus, details the mythological aspects of this journey, though not how they may be represented physically in the catacombs.

The Found Tombs of Arvakaten, Level Five: The Road to Bisu

Fiend on Guard (#1/31; #213/365)

"This small stone-walled chamber contains a bored-looking creature sitting on a stool in front of an immense wooden door, while smaller passages head off on either side. The creature has red scaly skin, huge horns on its head, and a bronze spear grasped in one clawed hand. It yells at you in a language you do not understand, before switching to Allansian, saying:

'Sorry, what I said was: 'Are you travellers on the road to Bisu?'."

Contents: The creature is a Fiend, guarding the entrance to the Road to Bisu. It speaks Djaratian, Vatosian, Allansian and Demon Speech. The wooden door marks the start of the Road; it requires a Bronze Key to open. If the Heroes do not have a Bronze Key, the Fiend will suggest returning to an upper level to find one. Entrance to either of the two side passages can be arranged for a bribe of 2-12GP each.

If the Heroes attack the Fiend, it will throw its Potion of Noise on the floor. This results in a howl of white sound, which lasts for one battle, causing everyone in the vicinity to reduce their SKILL by 2, unless they are wearing ear plugs. It also summons 2-7 more Fiends.

Stats:

1 FIEND Guard : SKILL 6, STAMINA 8, Spear or Small Claw, Light Armour. Breathes Fire: hits on a 1-2 on one die for 1 STAMINA damage.

The Fiend guard has 1-6 GP, ear plugs, and a Potion of Noise.

A Game Room for Fiends (#2/31; #214/365)

"This room is a barracks of some sort and very warm to enter. Flaming torches blaze on every wall and there are brass mirrors everywhere, reflecting light and heat. Four red-skinned Fiends sit around a flat black stone table, arguing about some sort of board game made from ivory pieces. They look up as you enter.

'Fancy a game?' one of them says."

Contents: The Fiends are currently playing a game of Tenet (see Curse of the Mummy, p. 274) but are bored, and will happily challenge Heroes to a game or two, for either cash wagers, information, or access to passage onward.

If attacked at least one of them will smash a Potion of Noise upon the floor, with effects as per above.

Stats:

4 FIEND Guards: SKILL 6, STAMINA 8, Spear or Small Claw, Light Armour. Breathes Fire: hits on a 1-2 on one die for 1 STAMINA damage.

The guards have 1-6 GP, and ear plugs, and two of them also have Potions of Noise.

The Tenet gameboard and pieces are made from ivory and ebony, and are in excellent condition. They could be worth 100-600GP to a collector of Djaratian antiquities.

Also on the table is a fungus gourd full of Shroomshine, and four clay mugs.

Food Preparation Chamber (#3/31; #215/365)

"This large cavern, well-lit by flaming torches, opens at one end into a dark chasm. In the centre of the cavern, several Fiends with cleavers are talking to a group of shadowy creatures; on the ground in front of them is the carcass of some enormous hideous subterranean creature. It seems like a deal is going down.

To one side are several stone tables, covered in blood, and a huge rectangular stone casket with a thick wooden lid."

Contents: In order to maintain order on this level of the Found Tombs, and especially since Arvakaten seems to have forgotten them, the Fiend guardians have resorted to buying meat in bulk from other underground people, to keep all the monsters properly fed. To determine who is selling meat to the Fiends, and also what they are selling, roll on the tables below.

If the Heroes wish to get into the business themselves, the Fiends will buy creatures at the rate of 2GP per original STAMINA point, more for tougher, bigger monsters. They will not buy dead sentient creatures, curtly directing the Heroes to the services of Skapulet the Corpse Collector.

The Fiends make money by selling off various monster bits and pieces that are inedible and valuable. Currently for sale are the following:

• 6 Grannit Carapaces: 10GP each.
• 2 Giant Firefly Glow Organs: 5GP each.
• 1 clay pot full of Imitator Glue: 10GP
• 3 Burrowbear pelts: 10 GP each (worth double to a Dwarf).
• the spike from a Gigantus: 15 GP.
• the egg of a Basilisk, wrapped in a spider-silk cocoon for ease of handling: 50GP.
  

Stats:

3 FIEND Cooks: SKILL 6, STAMINA 8, Cleaver or Small Claw, Light Armour. Breathes Fire: hits on a 1-2 on one die for 1 STAMINA damage.

The Cooks have 1-6 GP, and ear plugs, and one of them also has a Potion of Noise.

In an enormous stone casket containing an ICE MITE (SKILL 8 STAMINA 2) in a brass cage, are 2-12 haunches of prepared meat, equal to an equivalent number of provisions. The Ice Mite will happily join the Heroes if freed, but will hide if confronted with fire-based or fire-using creatures, such as flame-breathing Fiends.

In a secret compartment behind the casket is a an old sack with 175GP - this is the creature procurement fund.

Who sells the meat?

1. 2-4 Flayers and 1 Brain Slayer: big game hunters from Grx, with tentacle nets and poison tridents. Brain Slayer has purple steel plate armour and a blue glowing Force-Glaive.

2. 2-4 N'yadach: hunters in banded armour, with clubs and rope.

3. 2-4 Spider Cultists: in ragged spider-shaped cloaks, with daggers covered in Spider Venom.

4. 2-4 Skeleton Men: mercenaries, wearing breastplates and wielding swords.

5. 2-7 Dark Goblins: trappers with iron armour, nets and spears.

6. 2-12 Troglodytes: tribal warriors in warpaint, armed with obsidian knives, short bows, and arrows coated in fungal poison.

What monster meat carcass have they brought?

1. Lurking Horror

2. Giant Mudworm

3. Desert Bison

4. Giant Lizard

5. Giant Slug

6. Devilworm

There is a 1 in 6 chance the monster is not quite dead yet, and, regaining consciousness, attempts to escape or eat people or both.

Hidden Temple of the Spider God (The Final Part)

Deep Dark Pit of Spiders (#30/31; #211/365)

"This web-laden sinkhole goes in one direction: straight down into a black pit! There appears to be another cave on the far side of the pit, and spanning the drop is the log-bridge of an enormous dead tree, riddled with several large holes."

Contents: The tree is actually the resinous self-made home to three GIANT SPIKE SPIDERS that will attack as soon as several Heroes are half way across the log-bridge to the other side. It is flammable and will burn quickly, but then there will be no way across the pit. The spiders will not attack if the Heroes are disguised as spider cultists.

The pit is a six metre drop to the bottom, and full of webs, bones, and various kinds of GIANT SPIDER, that will attack anyone falling here or climbing down to investigate.

Among the bones and webs can be found:

• 14 GP (various coinage)
• a vial of blue dye
• a shortsword
• gloves made from Salamander skin (worth 30GP)
• the Eye of Amber, in a leather pouch
• a single Whitewood Arrow
  

Stats:

3 GIANT SPIKE SPIDERS, SKILL 7 STAMINA 6, 2 Attacks, Large Bite and Tail Spike, Light Armour. First attack is a Tail Spike which requires a Test for Skill to avoid being poisoned by the venom and paralysed completely.

For inhabitants of the pit, roll on the table below (one roll per Hero that fell in):

1. a GIANT BLOODSUCKING SPIDER, SKILL 6 STAMINA 12, 2 Attacks, Large Bite, Light Armour. Spits web - Test for Skill to avoid.

2. 1-2 GIANT TRAPDOOR SPIDERS, SKILL 7 STAMINA 8, 2 Attacks, Large Bite, Light Armour. Test for Skill to avoid surprise and automatically losing the first Attack Round.

3. 1-3 GIANT JUMPING SPIDERS, SKILL 6, STAMINA 4, Poison Bite (-1 SKILL and -4 STAMINA). First Attack Round is a leap - if win then knock opponent over.

4. a GIANT WOLF SPIDER, SKILL 8 STAMINA 8, 2 Attacks, Large Bite, Light Armour

5. a GIANT SPITTING SPIDER, SKILL 9, STAMINA 6, 2 Attacks, Large Bite, Light Armour. Spits web - Test for Skill to avoid.

6. a GIANT CRAGSPIDER, SKILL 8 STAMINA 10, Stabbing Proboscis (as per Spear), Medium Armour (see Citadel of Chaos, p. 36).

Temple of the Spider God (#31/31; #212/365)

"This immense pillared hall has a high ceiling, lost in curtains of tattered cobwebs. Guttering torches bracketed to the wall illuminate a large group of cloaked cultists, praying in front of an enormous jewelled idol of Arhallogen the Spider God; there are eight huge emeralds embedded in the idol as the eyes of the god. In front of the idol, a Dark Elf priest lectures the cultists, waving a curved knife about and telling them never to struggle free from the web of the Spider God. Behind the idol lurks an enormous hairy spider with the warped head of a human, while elsewhere you see giant spiders waiting patiently in the shadows."

Contents: This is the main prayer hall of the Spider God's temple and a group of new cultists are currently being admonished by Vigorn the Under-Priest to remain steadfast in their faith and vigilant against those who may be shirking their beliefs. Vigorn is a DARK ELF from the colony-fort of Rokyliarc on the shores of the Sunless Sea, in the Down Below. Rejecting the typical path of his people, he has wandered out into the world as a missionary to spread the word of the Dark Gods, and in this case, Arhallogen.

However, his duties currently bore him. He finds the lower cultists tedious to work with, and some of them are absolutely disgusting. While the GIANT SPIDERS in the temple instantly obey his commands, and the summoned and restrained DEATH SPIDER Quan T'ltoru is both terrifying and full of hate, neither are a source of intellectual stimulation. Worse, those that could be, such as Uncinata and Theraphosa, look down on him and share none of their secrets. In short, Vigorn is starting to think he needs a new challenge.

Similarly, the Death Spider Quan T'ltoru, lurking in the background, is completely bored of his commands, which are to guard the jewelled idol of Arhallogen and attack anyone who intefers with it. He is constantly looking for ways to goad people into touching the idol, so he can attack, slay the fool, and, now free from bondage, embark on an eventful mission of carnage. He wants to start with eating that smirking priest Vigorn, and then trying to track down his friend and colleague J'zel Vilthang, who he knows is also being held captive somewhere else on this particular dungeon level.

The eight emeralds embedded as eyes in the idol of Arhallogen are each worth 100GP. However, assuming they survive the attack of the Death Spider, whoever attempts to remove them triggers a pit trap. This is a two-metre square covered chute directly in front of the idol. It requires a Test for Luck to avoid, and dumps victims, after they lose 2-7 STAMINA from bumps and scrapes, straight into the bottom of the Deep Dark Pit of Spiders, as described above. 

If the eyes of Arhallogen are successfully removed, whoever did so will suffer the Curse of the Spider. This is an Affliction (see Heroes Companion, pp. 73-75). Any Hero afflicted with the Curse of the Spider will slowly turn into a Spider Man after one to three months, in a gradual and disgusting process, including a profusion of black spiny hair growth, random extra limbs budding off from the torso until the afflictee has eight of them, the growth of poisonous fangs, the reduction of the torso area into a globular abdomen, etc. etc. etc.  The cure should take at least a session to research, and 1-3 sessions to seek out an appropriate cure.

Stats:

4-24 SPIDER GOD CULTISTS: SKILL 6 STAMINA 6, Poisoned Dagger (does 4 STAMINA damage)

Each cultist has 1-6GP in addition to their poisoned dagger, their spider-shaped cloak, and various web-like tattoos on their skin.

The Director can assume the cultists all have the same stats; if you want to differentiate more, roll on the table below to determine the race of each cultist:

1 Cavern Elf

2 Human

3 N'yadach

4 Dark Goblin

5 Skeleton Man

6 Dark Elf

Vigorn the DARK ELF UNDER-PRIEST, SKILL 9 STAMINA 14, Poisoned Dagger (4 Stamina damage), Chainmail Cuiraas (under robes), Hand Crossbow with 10 bolts dipped in Spider Venom. Vigorn has Devotion 10 and the priestly Powers of Arhallogen the Spider God: Shapechange (into a Giant Spider), Weakness, Curse, and never attacked by, and can communicate with, all spiders.  In his possession he also has 3-18 GP, a Garnet Holy Symbol of Arhallogen (25GP), an extra vial of Spider Venom, and a Dark Elf Cloak.

2-12 GIANT SPIDERS: SKILL 7 STAMINA 8, 2 Attacks, Large Bite, Light Armour.

Quan T'ltoru, a DEATH SPIDER, SKILL 14, STAMINA 9, Small Bite. Test for Luck if bitten or be paralysed.