Month #11: The Eyrie of Mount Gulugu

(Last two months to go and we have also crashed through the 300 rooms/encounters/locations barrier. Woohoo! This month we return to the Found Tombs of Arvakaten to detail a slightly different dungeon level,  a sort of level 0 or level -1 as it were.)

The Eyrie of Mount Gulugu

Mount Gulugu is the largest mountain in the rugged uplands from which flows the river Murab, and most of the Found Tombs of Arvakaten can be found tunneling within its stony depths. Above the Tombs proper, are a series of interlinked caves and caverns, nests and lairs, forming an Eyrie level of weird inhabitants, all scratching out a living in this rocky, boulder-strewn wilderness.

A Nest of Vultures (#1/30, #305/365)

"Up on a rocky outcrop you spy the sprawling nest of some large bird, a mess of guano-stained branches and sticks, and possibly even a few bones. You see the pink, wattled head and neck of a huge bird of prey of some sort, with a curved black beak, emerge from the nest and eye you warily."

Contents: This is the nest of a pair of GIANT VULTURES, who will attack anyone coming within ten metres of their domain. They will attack the most precariously positioned Heroes first, trying to get them to lose their footing and stumble down the mountain. Any dead or unconscious Heroes will be carried back to the nest to be eaten.

The nest is built against a flat cliff-face and scrabbling among the rocks will reveal a tight crawl-space tunneling into the mountain, with a successful Test for Awareness Special Skill roll. The crawl-space is large enough for a normal-sized human or smaller to enter; larger races, such as Half-Ogres, Half-Trolls, Rhino-Folk, Half-Giants, and so on, will be unable to gain access.

Stats:

2 GIANT VULTURES, SKILL 7 STAMINA 10, Large Claw.

Within the nest itself can be found 2 Giant Vulture Eggs worth 50GP each (see Encyclopedia Arcana: Volume 1, p. 95), 2-12 SP, 1-6 GP, a Sapphire (worth 15GP), and a Golden Holy Symbol of Glantanka in the form of a blazing sun, worth 25GP.

A Final Roundup of Thagwar Locales

Court of the Gorgon Queen (#28/31, #301/365)

In a distant corner of the Quartz Quarter lies the Garden of Garjana, a Gorgon Queen of immense and disturbing powers, who sometimes ranges further afield in search of hidden lore or obscure treasures. It was Garjana for example, who petrified the Titan, Pallias the Protector, while both were attempt to wrest the Banner of the Titans from a treasure cache out in the wilderness of the Plane of Rust. Here in the garden, Garjana lives a more measured existence, waited upon by Medusae, Gorgons and Snake-Girls, until she feels the need to strike out again in search of adventure!

Catacombs of the Eye Tyrant (#29/31, #302/365)

Beneath the streets of the Mirror Quarter lie the catacombs of J'Hai the Watching Tyrant, a winding, curving series of tunnels arranged in great circling loops and spirals. Patrolled at all times by Eye Stingers, Diadrones, Walking Mouths, and others, the catacombs open up into a circular chamber that is the domain of J'Hai itself, a humongous spherical green-scaled spheroid creature, floating in the air, with a single gigantic eye. The Eye of J'Hai is reputed to possess powerful magic abilities; agents of the Moth Goddess of Ymphos are currently attempting to find an entrance to the catacombs in order to obtain it and free their deity from her captivity.

Crypt of the Snakespawn Warriors (#30/31, #303/365)

This black basalt pyramid in the fog-haunted depths of the Mist Quarter is home to the Thirteen Apostles of Xiarga, Chaos-cursed SNAKESPAWN warriors with 1-3 mutations each, entombed within crystal eggs, waiting to be awoken by their followers on Titan and summoned to deal death and destruction to the enemies of their faith. This is currently unlikely, as the priesthoods of the Caarth snake people are engaged in a low-level civil war among themselves for primacy, and the followers of Xiarga are fairly low on the totem-pole compared to other, greater, sects. Watching over the Thirteen Apostles are 2-12 mutated Great Serpents, who are in turn fed by 3-18 snake-headed BEAST DEMON acolytes, collecting tithes of gold and fresh meat from the few Thagwar faithful to maintain this silent shrine.

Cell of Arzochollien Resistance (#31/31, #304/365)

The Order of Arzochollies is dedicated to the fight against Evil, and in recent times, possibly best known among those in the know for the battle against Ar Gadayon of the Tower of Hades led by the Dwarf, Belkor of Salamonis. However, the Order has contacts far beyond Titan itself, and here, holed up in a safe-house on Thagwar, are 2-7 legendary Dwarf Heroes, led by Kazek Steelbeard of Fangthane, as well as 2-7 TITANS, whose mission is to find the kidnapped Maker God Bisu/Verlang, and free them from demonic captivity!

A Rogue Cell...

Plane of Steel Infiltration Cell (#27/31, #300/365)

Covert operatives from the Plane of Steel have established a safe-house in a nondescript tenement in the Slaughter Quarter of Thagwar, masked by the blood, gore and dying screams of food-creatures being processed. Comprising 2-12 Demonspawn, 2-7 Chaos Warriors, 2 Chaos Champions and an Iron Demon, Velantha the Vicious, this infiltration cell is tasked with both gathering intelligence for Sith, back on the Plane of Steel, as well as keeping an eye out for rival machine and technomancy-based entities and organizations, and sabotaging them to prevent any progress. Whilst the Gargantus Scrap Yard has thus been a target for low-level provocations, the cell currently remains ignorant of the continuing existence of the Machine Mage, though they are searching for its lost grimoire, "Better Living Through Autonomous Compartmentalized Technology".

Complicating matters is Velantha's cover-story as a gladiator at the Circus Demonicus, the renowned 'Kerintha of the Twin Sabres', who, with each win, attracts further scrutiny by agents of both Myurr and the First Overlord. Velantha knows of an even safer bolt-hole further north, at the Pit of Endless Nightmares, and plans a hasty retreat to there if her unmasking looks imminent or they find the grimoire (heavily disguised Chaos Warriors have been making daily forays to both the Book Quarter and the Thagwar Archival Library to browse through the stacks, shelves and filing cabinets in their quest for the Machine Mage's forgotten opus).

Rusted hulks of corroded metal...

Gargantus Scrap Yard (#26/31, #299/365)

The Plane of Rust takes its corrosive toll on all metals, even upon metallic demons, golems and automatons. And so, here at the Scrap Yard, a team of Gargantus demons work on finding spare parts from rusty hulks, and using them to repair themselves and others, aided by covert tech from the Machine Mage. In addition to running fix jobs, unsalvageble scrap is sold on to the Circus Demonicuss for their Wheelie Races.

The leader of the Scrap Yard is a Brass Golem, whose skull-chamber contains the transplanted brain of Q'suul CopperBolt (verbose, calculating), a Pangarian Technomancer operating at the very limits of machine intelligence. Q'suul and her Gargantus minions sell the following parts which can even be bolted on the living tissue, with the marginal loss of 1-6 Initial STAMINA:

• Mechanical Arm or Hand: Counts as Medium Armour, +1 to Damage Roll when striking with that hand, also has Strength Special Skill. Activities requiring fine motor skills, such as writing, sleight of hand, disarming traps, etc., have a penalty of -1 to -3 to the dice roll.
• Mechanical Leg: -1 to -3 for any Movement or Stealth Special skill rolls, but counts as Medium Armour, and grants an extra kick attack with +1 to the Damage Roll.
  
• Armoured Torso: Heavy Amour, +1-6 STAMINA points, however all electrical attacks cause double damage.
  
• Mechanical Eye: Replaces one normal eye, provides vision and special attack as per a RED-EYE.
  

Currently, the Scrap Yard has been the scene of numerous sabotage attempts including an infestation of Iron-Eaters, an attack by a Ferrovore, and even an outbreak of Ironbane fungi. Q'suul is perplexed by the bad fortune, and looking to hire extra guards to man the perimeters of the Scrap Yard at all hours. In reality, they have been perpetrated by a rogue cell of Plane of Steel operatives, working covertly within the Thagwar to disable rival machine technologies.

Selected Day-Trips within inner Thagwar precincts

(Yet more select locales from the Primal City of Thagwar)

Circus Demonicus (#22/31, #295/365) 

The Port Blacksand Sports Arena. The Gladiatorial Park of Ashkyos. The Arena of Death upon Blood Island. The Circus Mirabilis in the vibrant city of Bakulan, capital of far and distant Shabak. The Tourney of the Planes!

These are but all mere sideshows to the ongoing event of the millenia, the Circus Demonicus, the Colosseum Abominablis, the Arena of Ultimate Doom, within the corrupt and decadent avenues of Thagwar the Primal City!

The Circus is an enormous stone-tiered gladiatorial colosseum within the Sword Quarter of Thagwar, capable of holding between 100,000 to 200,000 Demon spectators, depending upon the available of portal-mirrors, pocket dimensions and trans-ocular spaces. It hosts some of the most incredible contests of the ages, and the current top three weekly happenings, guaranteed to sit scaly bums on seats are the following:

1. Gladiator Combat. Fighting mano-a-mano may be the simplest form of conflict within the Macrocosmos but it is still the most popular, particularly with a rotating card of fighters including some of the most ferocious monsters and demons ever seen, pitted against a spectacular array of mighty Heroes, occasional Demigods, warrior Titans and extra-planar Champions. These bouts are held two times a week, typically on Moonsday and Windsday, with 3-4 scheduled fights on the card. A typical card for any given night might read as follows:
1. FIGHT #1! Sir Versabian of the Fifth Wall Battalion versus the Iron Demon, Kerintha of the Twin Sabres
   
2. FIGHT #2! Kurgoth of the Wastes, Conqueror of Calah versus Vilefor the Purple Dragon of Deathtrap Dungeon IV!
   
3. FIGHT #3! The Lost Centurion, Raskos Half-Troll versus P'lynthe, the Grand Corruptor and Warrior of Shadows
   
4. FIGHT #4! Grang, Avatar of Osmani, God of Mercenaries versus Electron, Elemental Demiurge and Lord of Thunder Beasts!
   
2. Wheelie Races. Unlike on Titan, where Wheelie Races are contested by individual creatures on a solo basis, here in the Pit 4-8 Wheelies organize themselves into a team to carry a rusted iron hulk for as many laps around the Circus as they can endure, until only one team's vehicle is still perambulating. Complicating matters are rules stipulating the hulks double as fighting platforms for Imp, Gremlin, Troglodyte and Scuttlie clans, who conduct running battles with all the other teams as the Wheelies race around the circuit. The best team therefore has the strongest, fastest Wheelies and the most organized and tactical passenger-militias.
   
3. Orc Knees. This popular Orcish past-time is also popular in the Pit, especially since revolutionary regeneration magic allows for the recreation of losing teams, without too many penalties, after they have been eaten by the winners. The best Orc players from Titan are lured to the Pit with the promise of unlimited riches should they join with one of the premier Quarters' teams. Some Quarters, in a bid to catch up, are experimenting with non-Orcs, including Goblins, Trolls and Ogres, to find hidden pathways to success. There are at least two divisions of Thagwar Quarters teams, and on Seaday or Fireday most of them will be battling it out for supremacy at the Circus Demonicus.
   

Lord of the Circus is a Snakespawn, Ophidiophagus the Immense (strong, charming), who runs a slick professional outfit, aided immeasurably by organized teams of Accursed, who run tight security, training, and containment protocols. Hawkers wander the stands selling all manner of food and beverages, mostly intoxicants, while bookies, touts and scalpers line the concourse, attempting to entice the unwary with transactions of dubious provenance.

The Gardens of Unrelenting Decay (#23/31, #296/365)  

The Gardens, who give their name to their own Quarter, are a slough of despair, an awkward wander through decaying pathways of rotting foliage, of a bewildering array of plants and fungi drawn from across the Macrocosmos and then left to either rot or strive. Making things difficult for pedestrians, pet-walkers, commuters and wayfarers are carnivorous vegetation, roaming gangs of bandits and robbers, and factional divides between different gardener-tribes, including devotees of Myknosis and the Darkthorn, as well as covert operatives of both Thozer and the Free Fungus Front.

"As the people of Thagwar say,

DO NOT go down to the garden to play!"

The Glass Menagerie of Indescribable Horror (#24/31, #297/365)  

The Menagerie is an immense series of glass tanks housing hideous creatures from across the Macrocosmos, usually aligned to some wacky and impracticable theme or idea. After an exhibition the creatures will be returned to their native habitats. Currently the big idea is 'Marine Apex Predators', and thus three enormous aquariums separately house an Island Beast, a Sky Manta, and the Black Whale (the Black Whale is also restrained with a Psionic Lock as a result of developing psychic powers in its transition to the Demonic Pit). Accompanying mini-exhibits include various sea reptiles (Plesiosaurus, Elasmosaurus, Tylosaurus and Nothosaurus), several Kraken, and a nest of Sea Serpents, among other spectacles.

The Menagerie is maintained by Ishkarim workers, armed with stun-staves, and overseen by Janoth the Jovial (part-metal, good-humoured), a Venom Demon who, owing to work-related injuries, has replaced substantial amounts of body parts with robotic alternatives, including a poisonous tail-sting that injects a strong sedative, and three of five heads which breathe sleeping, befuddling, or fea-causing gas. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Janoth is also part of a secret cyborg collective including Bitis Beast-Mech, and the Machine Mage (below). 

The Vorpit Machine Foundry: A Machine God! (#25/31, #298/365)  

The Vorpit Machine Foundry is a successful franchise of iron-smiths, whose VMF logo is often seen across Thagwar. Staffed by competent Vorpit smiths, their iron implements, weapons and armour are a byword for reliability upon the Plane of Rust, so much so they supply the Circus Demonicus with weaponry and armour, as well as sponsor the most currently successful Orc Knees squad ('Foundry Quarter Irons') and manage their own champion Wheelie Race team ('Team VMF').

This unprecedented success is all due to their cunning hidden master-mind, none other than the Machine Mage, Vth-Lq-Srv. Once a Rust Demon, the Machine Mage has been subdivided into a series of metal and glass canisters and compartments, each containing a vital function of the creature, and connected together and interacted with, via a strange mirror-screen terminal; in short, a demonic fungal supercomputer! Strengthening the Machine Mage's powers is its ability to easily swap different in/outputs, allowing it to access a greater variety of data than the simple spore-based tech of its predecessors. 

With such power comes jealousy however, and the Machine Mage is currently keeping a low profile to avoid various diverse enemies including agents of the First Overlord, terrified of its power; rival machine factions from the Planes of Platinum and Steel, intent on clamping down on such an upstart disruptor; and various plant and fungi related causes, include Mould Monks, Clerics of Corruption and the Free Fungus Front, all happy to slay a traitor to the rise of sessile vegetational supremacy.

Yet More Encounters Within the Avenues of Thagwar, Primal City!

(And our delve into the various places of interest within the Primal City of Thagwar continues...)

Zed Varrl, Fixer and Investigator (#18/31, #291/365)

"If you've come to me for help, you must be in trouble."

Zed Varrl is a Lesser Shadow Demon (nondescript, patient), who uses their tenebrous skills to ferret out information, find lost entities (or their remains), conduct independent covert surveillance, and a host of other marginal activities, for a price, of course. They have an excellence knowledge of Thagwar, its customs and factions, but, being a freelance operator, work very carefully and slowly to avoid disturbances. A relatively simple personal assignment may cost 50-100GP while something involving one of the larger political groups within the city will likely price at 500-1000GP, assuming Zed takes the case at all.

Zed's office and storage library is in a backstreet part of the central quarter, not far from the Broken Tusk Tavern, a several story town-house of moss-covered brick, overgrown at its summit with writhing vines and creepers. Zed presents as a typical Shadow Demon, aside from an impressive array of masks and disguises, and an unfortunate addiction to Smoking Weed and warm ale. When not working on a case, Zed can typically be found at the Circus Demonicus, placing bets with various bookies, particularly on Orc-Knees teams, informed by scuttlebutt picked up while out on the street.

Watch Blockhouse (#19/31, #292/365)

These cuboidal fortress-like structures, like compact urban keeps, can be found in each quarter of Thagwar, usually one of several in that sector, reporting to the central bureaucracy at the head T.U.P. offices. Each Blockhouse holds 8-48 of the Watch, who are mainly Fiends, Vorpits, Quagdin and other abyssal humanoids; one will be the Captain, with 2-7 Sergeants, and the rest rank and file officers of the Watch. They wear a purple steel chainmail cuirass and are usually armed with a club and a shortsword. Each blockhouse may also have 2-12 missile specialists, typically carrying hand crossbows, with a variety of poisoned bolts. Inside each watch-house are barracks, a mess-hall, a waiting chamber, storerooms for records, weapons, armour, and 'contraband', interrogation chambers and holding cells for prisoners (including those who lack proper identification when stopped fo a 'ID check' while within Thagwar). The Watch Commander is a Hell Demon, Valgrievus Firehoof (imposing, distractable), who works within a division of the T.U.P central headquarters, and has proved clear-sighted and adept at rooting out threats to the First Overlord, less so when the threats are directed at others.

Free Fungus Front Infiltration Cell (#20/31, #293/365)

The Free Fungus Front arose from a realization among some Demons that plants and fungi have souls too and thus those dwelling within the Pit should have greater choice over their fate. Subsequently, the Front, which is largely based within the Plane of Rust, though there are breakaway factions on other Planes, has proved remarkably resilient at infiltrating small cells within settlements or other regions, waiting for the moment is right before striking. Actions undertaken by the Front in Thagwar typically include liberating shipments to and from the Grand Fungi Souq, fire-bombing the homes and offices of merchants linked to the trade in plants and fungi, and generally interfering anywhere they perceive slights and injustices to have been committed on our more sessile and immobile lifeforms.

The leader of the Front in the Primal City is Thatanthia Indigo-Calabash, a Wood Demon (rotting, paranoid) who has put down roots in a ruined villa within the poorer regions of the Lake Quarter. Here they order cohorts of vat-grown renegade Clone Warriors on secretive missions across Thagwar. The FFF are sworn enemies of the Monks of Fungus and the Clerics of the Darkthorn, who they view as state-sanctioned religious oppressors of the spiritual freedom of all plants and fungi. This low-level street war has yet to spiral outwards into full-blown conflict, but the seeds of such a potential urban conflagration are certainly there!

The Grand Fungi Souq (#21/31, #294/365)

One of the major markets of Thagwar is this enormous souq, a huge plaza full of Qagdin trading caravans and their Wudrefmik steeds, vast quantities of weird fungi and plants for sale, and a bewildering diversity of customers of all shapes, colours and sizes from across the Primal City. With such olfactory confusion, nose plugs or filters are almost mandatory for the sensible purchaser. To create a list of potential items for sale, see the Fungal Wares table, and assume there are 2-7 Grand Caravans visiting the market at any given time. Selling produce requires a Merchants Permit from the Qagdin-only Fungi Traders sub-section of the T.U.P. - such permits are rarely issued to non-Qagdin. 3-18 Watch patrol the Souq at all times, dealing with pickpockets, grab-thieves, fake traders, fungi-authenticity disputes and escaped plant or fungi-based monsters.

Sundry Locations within the Primal City of Thagwar

(Apologies for the lack of updates. A friend came from overseas and we headed down to the islands for some chill time, sans laptop. Normal service to resume gradually.)

The Embassy of Qag (#14/31, #287/365) and the Ambassador of Kor (#15/31, #288/365)

Both the twin northern cities of the oases maintain a semblance of presence within Thagwar to further their interests. Qag runs a professional organization out of an opulent repurposed semi-palace in the centre of town, staffed with efficient Wraiths, and led by a Bone Demon, Sha-Han the Sceptic (angular, suspicious), and, in addition to promulgating overt efforts at advancing Qag's interests, also operates a covert program collecting as much information as possible from as many sources as possible, and are always eager to recruit new pundits to the cause.

By contrast, the post of Ambassador of Kor is more of a ceremonial role, that city-state being somewhat further distant, and the current incumbent, a Hellhorn Champion called Fenrab Foulspleen (obese, drunk) certainly sees it that way. Fenrab can be found across Thagwar, at any event or occasion, proclaiming themselves as "Their Excellency, the Korian Ambassador", while getting completely plastered on the local booze provided. Those in the intelligence community are unsure as to whether Fenrab is actually a master-disseminator who is possibly fooling everyone, or a totally incompetent drunkard.

Gwegbalm's Items Most Peculiar (#16/31, #289/365)

Gwegbalm's is a byword for quality in Thagwar, a mark that what you have purchased does what it says it will, a signature implying consistency and effectiveness. Some say this is because Gwegbalm himself, a Netherworld Demon (elderly, honest-ish), has teleportation access to a Lost Artefacts Dumping Site on the Plane of Platinum, rescuing choice items before they are ground back into their constituent particles. No one knows what security measures Gwegbalm actually employs because no one has been stupid enough to try and steal from him, but the rumours indicate everything is very, very well protected, thank you very much!

Handling all items with his trademark green velvet gloves, Gwegbalm will display his most potent treasures for sale. A selection of items currently in the shop could be generated by giving the magic treasure tables in Encyclopedia Arcana's chapter 5, a good shakedown, as follows:

• Scrolls: 2-7 scrolls
  
• Curiosities: 2-7 items
  
• Components: 2-12 items
  
• Potions: 2-12 vials or bottles
  
• Trinkets: 2-7 items
  
• Enchanted Items: 2-7 items
  

Assume Gwegbalm has one of each item for sale, except if you roll duplicates of that item, in which case he as as many of them as you rolled duplicates for.

The Broken Tusk Tavern (#17/31, #290/365)

The Broken Tusk is literally the Tavern of Taverns. Some say a ramshackle hovel, standing in this exact location, was serving alcoholic beverages in the days before the Irritarian Cataclysm. Others claim the tavern predates Thagwar's founding as a city. Regardless, the Broken Tusk has been destroyed, burned down, flooded, carried off by predatory Rocs, disintegrated via local meteor swarm, eaten by a passing Godtime Creature, and sat on by a Gargantuan Automaton, multiple times over the centuries, but has always been rebuilt in this exact spot.

And how it springs back anew! A low clay-brick building with orange lamps and open windows, where creatures gather from across the Macrocosmos to gossip, consume liquor, get drunk, gamble, fight and a host of other interesting and potentially painful activities. The current tavernkeep is a Dai-Oni called Fan-Xi IV (scarred, placid), twelfth in a long line of tavernkeepers from the Second Khang Dynasty according to the Broken Tusk genealogy records. Fan-Xi's personal retinue of attendant demons (a Skurasha, a Smoke Demon, a Gargantus, and a Rock Demon), all work as security staff. Weapons are allowed on the premises and the Watch never venture here, but general behaviour promotes an honour-code of 'relatively' neutral ground. Assume anything can be drunk or eaten here, any game can be played and bet upon, and any sentient beast from across time and space may be found, having fun.

Lord of the Flies!

"Hammurabi is the Lord of the Flies and a demigod serving under the Fly Queen Hmurresh. In appearance he is a gigantic dragonfly with forty-foot wings, gleaming multi-faceted eyes, and great curved mandibles. Hammurabi's colour is emerald-green and his symbol is that of a dragonfly."

 Vade Mecum Infernum by Aughm Lightchaser (p. 44)

Temple of Hammurabi (#13/31, #286/365)

The temple of the Lord of the Flies is a towering edifice of baked clay bricks, overgrown with fungal tendrils and mycnotic loops. Hammurabi is the lieutenant of Hmurresh and constantly embroiled in schemes against other insect gods, such as Ymphos and Khepra Dark-Shell. This extends to the temple's priesthood of Insectoid Monks, who seem to go out of their way to pick fights with rival clerics, though, like true bullies, avoiding scarier threats, including the scarlet-clad adepts of Vurgothrax. 

Also dwelling within the temple is a resident clan of the Scourge (see "Denizens of the Pit", The Warlock Returns #11), who have converted several nearby dwellings into stables for their Giant Locust steeds. These grasshopper-like insect men double as local muscle for the Cult of Hammurabi, and occasionally ride out on long swarming flights across the Carnelian Desert, accosting caravans and remote oases alike in search of plunder. All of these activities are enthusiastically encouraged by the Dragonfly High Priestess, Macromia  Verdes (scarred, haughty), who exults in the carnage caused by her rather small sect of believers. Long-time Thagwar watchers expect there to be a reckoning soon, with one of the older or larger factions, and that the outcome will likely be unpleasant for both sides. 

Forgotten Coleopteran Deity

"Khepra Dark-Shell is the near-forgotten Beetle God of ancient Djarat, and only worshipped these days by obscure races such as the Droug or secretive cults of the Inland Sea region of Khul. Legend holds that Khepra was an armoured behemoth as big as a hill, with a toothed beak, insectoid limbs, and a forked red tongue, who thundered across the lands of Titan during the Deep Night of the Godtime. Along with other insect gods he is a lord of pestilence and decay, and his acolytes are armed with long dirks and wear crocodile-skin armour. The chosen colour of Khepra is dark green and his symbol is a beetle."

 Vade Mecum Infernum by Aughm Lightchaser (p. 44)

Temple of the Beetle God (#12/31, #285/365)

The almost-abandoned temple of Khepra Dark-Shell the Beetle God is a festering ruin hidden near the centre of Thagwar, screened by crumbling tenements, ramshackle hovels and forgotten shrines. The reasons for this decline are manifold and well-documented in the files of the T.U.P. offices, but largely boil down to the worship of Khepra being usurped over the centuries by more vibrant and popular insect deities including Hammurabi, Vurgothrax, and the inestimable Hmurresh. Still, the temple provides something of a refuge for the local slums, sheltering Insectoid Monks, Droug and Weevil Men. In addition, trained Giant Scarab Beetles form an excellent waste disposal system present on the temple precincts.

Inside the temple is the ubiquitous idol of Khepra in a standing pose, dismembering the unbelievers; the idol's tongue is said to be carved from a single ruby, but trapped, so those that attempt to pilfer it have their hand(s) amputated by the idol's stony jaws. The altar is strange though, a weird asymmetrical protuberance rising straight up as if bursting through the floor, and made from an unknown black horn-like substance. The Beetle Abbot, Lamprimus the Venerable (albino, hunched), knows the true secret, that the altar is in fact the tip of Khepra Dark-Shell's actual nose-horn, who lies buried in their entirety under this temple and a large part of central Thagwar!

The mysteries as to why the Beetle God slumbers beneath the city of Thagwar are lost to all save Lamprimus and the spore-library of the First Overlord, suffice to say, neither of them wish the leviathan coleopteran deity to awaken and destroy everything in its singular brutish fashion. Lamprimus is accompanied everywhere by a squad of Insectoid Monks armed with venomous-barbed spears and acid gourds, and also rides on a howdah atop a Giant Beetle for visiting the Grand Fungi Souq, or a rare trip to the T.U.P. to meet representatives of the First Overlord to assure them Khepra still sleeps quietly in the depths under the city's catacombs and sewers, prevented for now from running amok and causing havoc!

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Gore-stained followers of the Mantis Goddess

Cult of the Scarlet Mantis (#11/31, #284/365)

Vurgothrax the Mantid Goddess has a small but devoted following within the city, particularly in the poorer quarters of Thagwar. Every morning, her red-robed INSECTOID MONKS gather offerings from the true believers and take them to the temple - little more than a semi-ruined tenement whose internal structure has been radically reorganized - and place them upon the altar, and quickly too, to avoid ritual decapitation by the Mantid Priestess Thesprotia Gigas (sharp-eyed, patient). Thesprotia maintains a network of fear across Thagwar; those who displease her know they can be abducted at any moment by her scarlet monks, her lurking Mantis Demons, her imperturbable Mantis People, and carted off to the crimson altar to have whatever they use as a head(s) ceremonially removed.

Invariably, such elimination services are also offered for monetary exchanges, which usually leads to the enforced disappearance of somebody or something important. The resultant outcry then creates an investigation by the Thagwar Watch, typically meandering through a maze of dead-ends and counter-accusations, before finally expiring in a "Inconclusive Judgement" report, which is then filed away in the depths of T.U.P. headquarters. Now, though, the Mantis Cultists have gone too far and kidnapped Ishtra's Consul, Naj-Narlene of Nystos, possibly on the orders of the Poison Trio. The Watch are under real pressure to obtain a positive result this time and even the First Overlord is beginning to consider the dilemma of whether it is really necessary to keep this bloodthirsty sect active within the Primal City.

INSECTOID MONK, SKILL 7 STAMINA 8, Staff or Club, Light Armour. 

Followers of the various insect gods - Hmurresh, Ymphos, Hammurabi and Vurgothrax, to name but a few - whose religious fervour and piety earns them the deity's blessing, will find themselves gradually mutating into a sort of insect-humanoid hybrid - the INSECTOID MONK. These shuffling, chittering horrors are known from such places on Titan as the Black Abbey of Lupravia and Shakuru, City of Beggars, and take the form of a heavily robed and shrouded figure with the head of a Giant Insect. To determine the type of head, roll on the following table:

1. Cockroach, +1 Attack, Small Bite

2. Mantis, +1 Attack, Large Claw

3. Beetle, +1 Attack, Small Bite, Medium Armour

4. Maggot, +1 Attack, Large Bite

5. Weevil, +1 Attack, Small Claw, Heavy Armour

6. Moth, +1 Attack, Small Bite, can Fly

Insectoid Monks spend their days in prayer and contemplation to their chosen god, as well as indulging in corrupt rituals, experiments and practices designed to further the cause of insects everywhere, whether that be creating weird mutants like the Moth-Men (see Return to the Pit, p.134), or contaminating local farms, orchards and apiaries. They are suspicious of outsiders and will defend themselves with clubs and staves if attacked. Leading a cell of Insectoid Monks will be an INSECTOID ABBOT (SKILL 8 STAMINA 16, 2 Attacks); roll on the table above to determine the type, however note that the the process of mutation has been accelerated, and the Abbot will now resemble a very large-sized Giant Insect of its type, lurking in a slimey pit in the centre of its lair.

Insectoid Monks welcome similar creatures into their cloisters, including Droug, Weevil Men and Mantis Men, but they are sworn enemies of both the Spider King Arhallogen and Xoromik the Ant Goddess, and will attack followers of those demigods on sight.

The Root of all Evil

Temple of the Darkthorn (#10/31, #283/365)

The Darkthorn is the Root of Evil, the God of Corruption, stylized as the Lord of Weeds, Thorns, Brambles, Briars, and parasitic Epiphytes. They are the antithesis of Galana the Plant Goddess, not growing for life, but growing instead to strangle the life out of others. This is the last of the major Four Temples of Thagwar; there are plenty of other gods to worship, but their holy houses are smaller and lack the religious militia-guards of Myknosis, Decay, Hmurresh and the Darkthorn. The Darkthorn Guards are Accursed and Ishkarim soldiers like the other temples, but armoured with weird wooden-plaques of lamellar armour, and are armed with thorn-covered staves with which to thrash the unbelievers. 

The High Priestess is a Qagdin, Tsath-Mio of Urev (thick-set, forceful), who was once a caravan-leader Macrosporum until, legend has it, the Darkthorn appeared to her whilst traversing the Deepshadow Woods. Tsath-Mio has a sideline selling magical items such as Thornbeasts and Scrolls of Darkthorn to the heathens, raising funds for the temple while hopefully winning converts with their latent power. She has heard rumours of the Crystal Pyramid of Thozer, who sounds to have strayed from the path of pure Decay and Corruption. Currently, Tsath-Mio's pet project is funding a Grand Caravan as a front, with which to infiltrate Thozer's gardens and seed them with the twisted pets of her God.

Magic Items:

Thornbeast Potion (Potion): When poured on the ground, summons a Thornbeast to do the bidding of the pourer. If the pourer is not a disciple of the Darkthorn, or a Qagdin, they may require a Test their Luck roll to control the creature. 50GP per potion

Scroll of Darkthorn (Scroll): When read (and usually inscribed with the Demon's Tongue, which may make reading difficult), summons a Darkthorn to do the bidding of the reader. If the reader is not a disciple of the Darkthorn God, or a Qagdin, they may require a Test their Luck roll to control the creature. 250GP per scroll

Fungus for the Fungus God!

Temple of the Mushroom God (#9/31, #282/365)

This is the worship-place of the Fungus God Myknosis, Lord of the Purple Mushroom and Master of Slow Rot. The temple is carved from an entire baobab-shroom, its walls adorned with a catalogue of the fungal followers of the god. Everywhere are colonies of rustling Fungoids and spore-shooting Lavender Dream-Shrooms, lurking in the darker corners of the temple. The central chamber bears an enormous statue of Myknosis, in their form as a huge humanoid mushroom, carved from a single amethyst, mined from the Plane of Platinum.

The High Priest of the Mushroom God is Xx-Th-Yrg-ll ("Spores carried upon clouds to parts unknown") a Rust Demon who has overcome the incipient sessility of their type, by growing on a wheeled wooden wagon. This is then pushed about the temple and also Thagwar itself by a team of armoured Qagdin, Xx-Th taking a mobile interest in all proceedings that can be backed up later with spore-born data. Xx-Th is an old companion of Arg-Rth-V-Gl, administrator of the Forbidden Garden of Thay, and the two of them go back a long way in their devotion for bringing upon the dawn of a new age of fungal cataclysms and devastation.

One of their current shared problems are constant low-grade attacks and assaults by members of the Free Fungus Front, who wish to liberate all fungi from all forms of spiritual and physical repression. As a result, the temple is heavily guarded with Ishkarim and Accursed soldiers, wearing purple tabards and armed with violet-glowing Power-Halberds and a selection of elemental Glyph-Bombs. For this reason, whenever Xx-Th is wheeled around on their wooden chariot, at least one squad of temple guards will also be on hand, clearing the way and wary of assassins.

Further Gods of Evil (Factions V)

"His brother is Decay, prince of insects and mould and all that rots, worshipped in southern Khul by the beggars and lepers of the foul city of Shakuru."

Life on Titan, Ernst Kandermann, p. 70

The Grand Chapel of Decay (#8/30, #281/365)

This grand temple to one of the three prime Dark Lords, is a monument of bone, a worship hall constructed from the very skeletons of its followers, molded and sculpted over time, for surely as sand runs through the Overglass, these are the days of their lives. The High Priestess is Her Deaconess Viluet (scheming, tall). A Skeleton Woman previously from high society within the Kingdom of Skulls, Viluet was exiled as an enemy of Queen Ulna and her sister Uncinata, and has taken up time here in the Pit, as the holiest avatar of the Dark Lord Decay.

This is possibly the biggest temple to Decay in all the Macrocosmos; many pilgrimages are made here as a result, dodging residual colonies of Decayers within the temple, along the way. The full compliment of soldiers and militia guard the temple, known as the Sentinels of Rot, and are an elite armed force, willing to be hired out for any engagement as long as it advances the inevitable invasion of their Dark Lord Decay. Their commander is  Vaskelios Erethrim (thoughtful, short-sighted), a renegade exiled Dark Elf from a lowly clan, who, here in the Pit, has become much more than they could possibly imagine. Despite their success Vaskelios is bored, and happy to hire out should an interesting assignment drop their way.

Priests of Decay are inevitable within the city of Thagwar and hold regular quarter-drives, descending upon a particular district of the settlement to harass heretics, collect tithes, berate the non-devout, and preach the word of Rot. Such drives typically take the form of a mob of Demonic Servant devotees, all robed in white, stained from a lifetime of abuse, and one of whom will bear the holy standard of a skeleton hand outlined upon a white field. Such mobs will be led by one of the popular Demagogues of the moment, such as Khulkotha, Sxilios Silverbane, or J'hulrue of the Red Eye, who will whip up the crowd into a religious frenzy, directing their anger at whatever has irked their ire this week, or been paid to do so.

Minions of an Insect God (Factions IV)

As one would expect for any city of note, Thagwar is also riven by rival religious factions. The four most eminent deities of worship comprise Hmurresh, Decay, Myknosis, and the Darkthorn, though other gods are worshiped also. Each of the major four quartet is accorded around 75 Ishkarim soldiers and 150 Skeletal Warrior militia to preserve law and order within their holy precinct, but most also moonlight on the side as extortionists and stand-over people. The holy factions are as follows:

Temple of the Fly Queen (#7/31, #280/365)

"Hmurresh, queen of flies, who dwells on the Elemental Plane of Air, from where she dispatches her subjects to bring plague and pestilence to all corners of the world."

Life on Titan, Ernst Kandermann, p. 71

The temple to Hmurresh is an immense conical clay-brick hive, though one so ancient any trace of inscription has been lost from the architecture. Instead, it is a thrumming vestibule of noise, home to Emissaries of the Goddess, Fly People, and their Queen Ixtibula (quick-thinking, nervous). Hmurresh is one of the dominant deities of this plane, promulgating the stench of decay and decrepitude far and wide, and her temple occupies a prime place in Thagwar society. Ixtibula runs an intelligence network to rival that of the First Overlord, and thoroughly enjoys setting up little armed tete-a-tetes that are invariably fatal for one if not both of the opposing sides present. She is currently sitting on the news of the capture of the Maker God Bisu, and is internally debating when would be the best time to act upon this knowledge.

FLY QUEEN, SKILL 10 STAMINA 12, 2 Attacks, Large Bite or Shortsword, Light Armour. 

Fly Queens are the rulers of Fly People and are identical to them in appearance, aside from a haughtier demeanor, better and more expensive clothes, and grossly enlarged mouthparts to contain vicious mandibles. They can be considered to be Priestesses of Hmurresh, having a DEVOTION score of 12 and the following Priestly Powers: Animal Command, Ill-luck, Shape Change, Weakness. In addition, once per combat, they can unleash a spray of 3-18 FLESH GRUBS at any one opponent (Test for Luck to avoid).

FLY PEOPLE, SKILL 5 STAMINA 6, Shortsword, Light Armour. 

Fly People are decrepit humanoids, hunched over and vaguely human, but with the head of a Giant Fly. Thought to be a stabilized bestial Chaos race from out in the wastelands, Fly People live on the margins of regular society, in the slums and the sewers, detested by all for their filth, scum and contagious depravity.

EMISSARY OF HMURRESH, SKILL 6 STAMINA 6, Small Bite, Light Armour, Acid Spit: -1 to any Armour Roll.

The EMISSARY OF HMURRESH takes the form of a Giant Fly, with the head of a human, whose eyes have been replaced with faceted orbs of somber hue. It flits between the Planes, gathering information for its mistress, the Goddess of Flies, endlessly accumulating gossip and slander from across the Macrocosmos. The Emissary can defend itself by extruding a secondary mandibular orifice from within its human mouth; this pincered extension causes regular Small Bite damage, and their acidic spit gradually dissolves armour. Anyone wounded by an Emissary must roll a die, on a 6 they have been contaminated. Roll on the Disease chart (The Warlock Returns #9, p. 8) to determine the type and effects of their infection. Emissaries of Hmurresh are summoned to Titan by acolytes of the Fly Goddess, typically in the slums and poor quarters of large cities, for example, Shakuru, City of Beggars is a known haunt. Once per week the Emissary can Teleport to any destination on any plane, but must remain there for seven whole days before moving somewhere else using this ability.

Envoys of the Demon Princes (Factions III)

The three Snake Demons, Ruler-Princes of the Pit, all maintain representatives within the Free City of Thagwar, keeping their fingers on the pulse as it were. All ambassadors are Lesser Snake Demons (see Demons of the Doom, p. 49), with 1-3 Lesser Night Demon factotums (see Demons of the Doom, p. 48).

Emissary of Myurr (#4/31, #277/365)

Envoy of Sith (#5/31, #278/365)

Consul of Ishtra (#6/31, #279/365)

Myurr is the tacit ruler of the entire Plane of Rust, overseeing planar affairs from their great central palace, described thusly by one observer:

"The domain of the Great Deceiver is a series of gigantic ebony fibrous puffballs, coiled up into a single towering super-spire. It is guarded by Sand Demons and Death Spiders, who prowl its organic corridors on the orders of the Snake Demon Myurr, who is the most sophisticated of all the Demon Princes. Strange fungal-based living machines are found in abundance within the palace, and its nerve-centre is an immense hall where a colony of Rust Demons use their sentient spore clouds to gather information from across the planes. Myurr himself is rarely here; he prefers to venture elsewhere, often, and in disguise, to observe and manipulate the many schemes and plots he has concocted to ensure a grand dominion over all others. Naturally then, the Palace of Myurr is also a nest of spies, both working for him and double and even triple agents working against Myurr's interests for other Demon Lords, Dark Gods and even mortal adventurers."

Vade Mecum Infernum by Aughm Lightchaser (p. 15)

The Emissary of Myurr, Skorg the Sinister (corrupt, thin), thus presides over a similar complex, a huge ebony puffball transported straight from the palace and guarded by a corp of Death Spider soldiers. However, given Myurr's frequent absences, Skorg has been largely left to their own devices and has developed something of an independent streak, nominally carrying out Myurr's will but also playing other factions off against each other for its own amusement and material gain.

Sith, being the preeminent Demon Prince across the entire Pit, has an embassy made of iron-hard serpent's scales, configured with insane geometrical precision, and staffed entirely by a diplomatic staff of inscrutable Time Demons. This is because her regular Iron Demons find the Plane of Rust naturally oppressive, and only the most recalcitrant are sent here as exiled punishment. Nevertheless, the Envoy, M'synix Moonfang (genius, lisps), is frighteningly competent at keeping tabs on what is happening within Thagwar and her loyal staff file a constant series of reports that wing their way back to the Plane of Steel with all haste.

Ishtra's consulate is a fortified pyramid of green stone, whose internal gardens contain much of the local fungi, as well as imports from the Plane of Ichor, and is guarded by Fire Demons, who constantly complain about the local weather conditions, and armies of Clone workers. Ishtra's fungal workers rival the local Rust Demons in ability, which is why, despite their best efforts, the consulate remains an unknown quantity to the First Overlord of Thagwar. This is prescient, as the Consul, Naj-Narlene of Nystos (calm, one-eyed), is the facilitator, through Ishtra, of the plot to kidnap the Creator God Bisu!

Factions of Thagwar (Part II)

The Poison Trio (#3/31, #276/365)

These are a counterpoint to the First Overlord that have arisen over recent centuries after seeing the example of the Venom Demon rulers of the twin oasis cities of Qag and Kor, and have attempted to recreate it within Thagwar. Naturally, the trio are all also Venom Demons, as follows:

• Bothrops the Belicose (brave, muscular): Bothrops is the unacknowledged leader of the trio. She commands the armed forces, often in person, against any threat to Thagwar and the interests of her faction. Bothrops has a fascination for military literature from Titan, and is currently attempting to track down histories of the Trolltooth Wars in her spare time.
  
• Bitis Beast-Mech (pedantic, crippled): Bitis is the creative presence, the researcher and tinkerer. She was nearly dismembered in an Iron Demon incursion around a century ago, and has used a combination of technomantic rust-proof alloy and marrangha-based biomech to rebuild her shattered body. Bitis is currently feeling pressured because her attempts to imitate the fungi-based tech of the Overlord are proving difficult.
• Bungarus Bungaroides (mild-mannered, gaunt): Although Bungarus appears the least-threatening of the trio, she is actually the most dangerous, commanding a web of spies and assassins spreading outwards from Thagwar to foster alliances and disputes between Qag, Kor and even Gabonika of the Northern Silt Dunes. She is constantly looking for imaginative ways to infiltrate the First Overlord's quarters of the city, and place spies within the T.U.P. bureaucratic hierarchy, as well as uncover moles within her own urban espionage networks.
  

The Poison Trio control around thirty percent of Thagwar's districts, mostly on the outer edges of the sprawl, and thus provide a natural partial chokepoint at times to physical land-based movement in and out of the city; other methods of travel remain open and viable.

They also command the rest of the armed forces, including all of the remaining elite and regular soldiers and half of the remaining militia forces. These troops are ostensibly used to deal with external threats to Thagwar, including invasions from other city-states or minor demonic satrapies, aggressive swarming behaviour from sundry hordes (demon, undead, endemic or otherwise), awoken gargantuan Creatures from the Godtime, avenging Gods of Good or Neutrality and their holy retinues, and occasional crusading adventurers and their followers and hirelings.

The Poison Trio are in a state of perpetual frustration as they seek to be independent operators but require gear from the Overlord's T.U.P. offices to exist in any viable sense. For example, they attempted to create their own identity passes to be used in their areas of the city, but, lacking the Overlord's expertise, the Trio's versions are poor, low budget imitations and easily hackable. The same problem has befallen their efforts at minting new currencies which have become instantly forged in such numbers as to render the coinage almost worthless. They suspect their own districts are riddled with Overlord spies as a result and there is usually some sort of purge or inquisition in effect to root out traitors to the Trio's just cause.

(The one secret they are currently succeeding in hiding however, is the presence of the kidnapped Maker God Bisu within the city; they know something has happened, but not the specifics or who did it, however, if it shakes things up and gives them extra leverage then the Poison Trio are all on board!)

Factions of Thagwar (Part I)

The First Overlord (#2/31, #275/365)

The most powerful faction leader in Thagwar is Ffr-Ygh-Ss-Kll ("They who see all that happens within the walls"). This entity is either one extremely powerful Rust Demon, or perhaps several Rust Demons subsumed together, that exists as a vast fungal colony in a huge dome near the centre of Thagwar. The First Overlord "Ferygskul" has tacitly controlled large swathes of Thagwar for centuries, being in charge of around forty percent of the overt military forces within the city, including all of the Watch, and around a quarter of the soldiers (elite, regular, and militia). The First Overlord ensures Thagwar largely functions, insomuch as a gigantic ancient demonic metropolis can ever do so realistically, and alongside their dome-lair are towering edifices containing a labyrinthine bureaucracy of Demonic Servants known as the Thagwar Urban Protocol. 

One of the main functions of the demon bureaucrats is the issuing of Thagwar City Passes to all eligible citizens; those who fail to produce them at regular Watch checkpoints will be captured, restrained and placed in blockhouse holding cells. Thagwar City Passes, which take the form of fungal slices encoded with information and coated with silver are recognized as legitimate documents as far afield as the Twin Cities of Qag and Kor as well as the Forbidden Gardens of Thay. The City Pass can be obtained via a lengthy and expensive process at the T.U.P. offices; any resident is eligible however the passes are graded according to status based on current demonic tiers. Outsiders are accorded as aliens, captives, servitors, intended sacrifices, hauls, and so on, depending on means and status.

Like many Rust Demons, the First Overlord is obsessed with obtaining and cataloging knowledge, largely for its own sake, but also to ensure it knows everything and anything about all inhabitants within the city. Lately, it has established contact with the Brain Slayer city of Grx (thanks to the pilgrimages of that settlement's Archvuelt), and some degree of information-sharing has occurred between the two entities. The First Overlord is particularly interested in the recently discovered Cavern Elves, and what secrets their society may contain given it harks back to Irritarian times, just after the Elves diverged into separate races, and in particular the monotheistic Cavern Elves' sole deity Vacavon. The First Overlord thinks that Vacavon could be one of the prophesied Lost Gods from before the First Battle, and perhaps represent an alternate source of theistic power instead of the usual squabbling machinations of the current Dark Lords and Demon Princes. 

(The First Overlord is currently unaware that the Creator God Bisu is being held captive in their city however.)