HWA2 Nightrage (Levels 7-9).pdf

An Official DUNGEONS & DRAGONSQGame Supplement

NIGHTRAGE

by Allen Varney

Part Two of the Blood Brethren Trilogy

Table of Contents

........ 2 Chapter 8: Serpent Oasis ............... 42

Introduction .........

Chapter 9: Nightrage Foundq ................ 48

Adventure Overview .........................

Chapter 10: The Trail to Koresh Teyd .......... 52

Chapter 1: Setting the Stage .................. 5 Chapter 11: Ashinorain .....................

Chapter 2: About Feathered Serpents ........... 9

Chapter 3: Coh .........................

Appendices: NPCs, Monsters, and Magic

Chapter 4: Bat Cavern ......................

Non-Player Characters ...................... 61

Chapter 5: Travelling in Annelids ............. 26 New Monsters .............................

Chapter 6: Worms and Worse ................. 29 New Magic ................................

........... 34 Monster Snmmaq Table ......... inner front cover

Credits:

Chapter 7: The Banks of the Nithia

Design: Allen Varney

Editing: Karen Boomgarden

Cover Art: Fred Fields

Interior Art: Timothy Bradsueet

Cartography: Dennis Kauth

Graphic Design: Stephanie Tabat

Typography: Tracey Zamagne

Production: Sarah Feggestad

Special Thanks to Lillian Butler, Nancy Flowers,

Warren Spector, and Don Webb.

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ISBN 088038898-6

9310XXX1401

INTRODUCTION

In that world beneath, where continents &ifi

lazily moss the sky like dandelion seeds-where, like

firelight seen through patchment, red sunlight

gleams through the dimetrodons’ translucent spinal

webs-nothing has changed.

Whole civilizations of glory and grandeur, lost for

iifty centuries to the outer world, thrive lie trans-

planted orcha,rds. Sages from above would beg to

explore their lands and people; yet the citizens eat

and sleep, mend rips and herd sheep, breed and die,

and know boredom as anyone would; and few thii

can amaze more than the birth of a calf.

Those who have seen the stars may retreat here,

sheltered from the dark. The novelty of this eternal

noon diverts the visitor like a stage’s mappings. But

even here a thoughtfnl hero may finally comprehend

that nothing has changed. Nothing ever changes.

Here, human minds grow like bonsai trees. carefull

stunted.

Change of scene offers a shifungvantage. But as a

tilt of the head shows a jewels new facets, it also reveals1

5ws. The nowlties of this world may only camouflage ~

an unexamiaed and fearsome hollow.

the History section’s account of the burrowers,

otherwise known in this uilogy as the Great Anne-

lids;

the Adas entries on the Merry Pirates, the

Nithians, and the Schattenalfen;

two monster desc~ptions

in the Adas-tht

flying viper from the Azcan Empire listing, and the

manscorpions in the Nithian Empire entry;

and the entries for Thanatos and Asterius in thc

Immortals section.

About the &t

The adventure’splot is described in a sequetlcc

chapters, each keyed to a single setting or idea. The

chapters are summarized in the followingAdventure

Overview. Most of the chapters contain the followin$

entries.

How Thq Get There: Ways the PCs can reach thir

place, including a list of dues from other chapters

that point here.

The Scene: General physical description.

Inve.&atim:

Paths the,pkyers can take to gather

dues leading them further into the adventure.

N ,S

DM NOTES

Events: Occurrences that may happen while the

PCs are present. Some are optional, some manda-

tory.

Where Next?: This entry des

Nightrage is the second module in the DUNGEO

the dues given

in this chapter and the pkres they lead. Just as impor-

tant, it summad2es the fncn that you must convey to

the players More the Pcs leave this am.

Staging Hints: From time to time, the adventure

offers notes on how to stage a scene-that is, how to

pace it, create an appropiiatcmwd, and produce cer-

tain dramatic &. Use this ad& to create avivid,

memomble adventure for the playus.

Not wery chapta has all of these enmes; ?me chap

ten conrain extra enmes not listed hem characrers and

events described in a chapm can appear in vadous

orders, and your storyhe may well depart from the

default sequence this module assumes.

Any text in a box should he read aloud or para-

phtased for the players. All other information is for yoc

alone. Reveal it only in response to PC actions.

THACO: In statistic listings, this stands for “To Hi

Armor Class 0.’’ Suhtract the target’s AC from this

number to get the roll needed to hit.

AbiIiy checks: The adventure sometimes calls for

PGto make an ability check. Roll Id20 and cornpart

the result to the character’s appropriate ability

(Strength, Dexterity, etc.). Ifthe roll is equal D

less than the ability score, the action succeeds. If the

roll is greater than the ability score, the action fails.

& DRAGONS@Blood Brethren adventure trilogy in

the HOLLOW WORLDm campaign setting. To use

this adventure, you need the D&D@Basic. Expert,

and Companion sets and the HOLLOW WORLD

boxed set. Gazetteer 13, ThC Shadow Elves. may alw

prove helpful but not necessary.

This series began in module HWAI, Nighrwail,

and it condudes in HWA3, Nightstom. However,

within broad limits the three modules can he played

in any order. Though part of a series, this adventure

can stand independently with some adaptation. If

you are playing this module alone, see the lead-in

description in the next section, “Adventure Over-

view.’’

Nightrage works best for a party of four to six

player characters (PCs), levels 7-9. Everything that

follows is for the Dungeon Master’s eyes only. Playem

should NOT read huther.

Preparing the Adventure

In HWAI, the PG’ quest began in the outer world

and led them to the Hollow World. (Though nomi-

nally beginning in the D&D Known World, this

trilogy adapts easily to any existing campaign set-

ting.) This part of the adventure takes place entirely

in the Hollow World; if you play it alone, you can

even use PCs native to the Hollow World, according

to the guidelines given in the boxed set. In this mod-

ule, native PCs would most plausibly be Azcans,

other nationalities enslaved by the Azcans, or Merry

Pirates; they should not be Schattenalfen or

Nithians.

Update: In the Timeline given on the inside gate-

fold of HWAl, Nightwail, the reference *- “h~

maqs” should be changed to “Nithia.”

.. .

.., ., . ;

;;:i%

+,,

..,

.. .

’.*

>.!

.. ,’ .

.._.. . .

.I.’

Because this module ranges across 3,000 m

the Hollow World and through a complex storyline,

ADVENTURE OVERVIEW =

As outlined at the beginning of Nightwlil, this trilogy

details an elaborate plot by the Entropy Immortal Thanatos to

corrupt the Hollow World and pvtr of the outer world. He has

set in motion wed schemes-in the Arcan Empire, the

Nithian Empire, and, fa overseas, the land of Shahjapur (a

new culture introduced in this trilogy; for denils, see Night-

storm). This module details the Nithian section of Thanatos's

plot, thc project code-med "Nighagc."

The boxed set outlined a pivotal mntin rhe Hollow

World's bistoty, the onslaught of a monstrous me of burrowets

(unnamed in the boxed set. but one we is identified hcrc

called "Great Annelids''). The Annelids' and other burrowers'

devastation throughout the Hollow World led the lmmomls to

mite their Spell of Premaon. The Spell put the Annelids

into suspended animation, beyond even the Entropy Immor-

uls' power to rcvivc them. . . the other Immorrals thought.

master he has installed one ofthe Blood Bmhrm. the evil

outer-world xmts detailed in rhe fm module of this series.

(See the "NPCS" section of the zppcndix for a mmnmy.) This

is the evil sorcerer Korcsh Tcvd.

THE DECOYED

IMMORTALS

As detailed in HWA1. Thanatos has staged a doer me to

divert host all the world's Imm~rtd~

into the distant past.

With a magical "timc marker" he has delayed their remfor

some months. Thcrcforc, for the duration of this zdvcnture,

no dend speUs above 2nd led sm available! Thc only crcep-

tion applies to dcrics of Thanatas himself, induding Simm of

the Blood Brethren. (Simm figures in HWAI. Note that

Koresh Tcyd, villain of this module, is not z dcric.)

Clcricr can cast 1st- and 2nd-level spells as usual, since these

arise from rheir own purity of spirit. But higher-led spells M

granted by thcir patron Immornls. and the Immonals won't

return until the end of HWA3.

Astadus: One Immornl, htsrerius, has rcmained in the

present-but Thanatos captured him and has imprisoned him

in the hdof Shahjapur, using a powerful device called a

~mpirc

Yct now Thanatos has revived some of the Annelids. As their

sheath. Asterius sent out 2 fraction of his awareness to

remc the POin HWA1, for he recognizcd that as outsiders in

the Hollow World they have the best bcc of freeing him. Io

this advcnnue, he can do no more than scnd them a few

cnigmztic dreams.

Optionally, you can decide that Asvrius (substituting for the

PCr' patron Immorrals) grants PC de& spells highcr than 2nd

level. However, only PCs gain this advantage; NPC detirs dl

mnot cast hieh-level SOCIIS. Note that PC detis hive no due

why this shouid be!

KORESH TEYD'S SCHEME =

Certain Annelids, +?xous lgain despite the kck oftheir

once-fabled intdlicncc. have been tunneling through thc

World-Shicld, the anti-magic boundarg Layer between thc

outer wotld and the Hollow World. Por remns ddedin the

fmt module, Thanatos wants to turn the World-Shidd into a

honeycomb of passages. This is pur of his plan to spread the

Hollow World's corruption to the outer world, the PCs' home-

land.

Symbionts: To datc. the Annelids have tunneled at random

without guidance. But Korcsh Teyd recently mtived in the

Hollow World (his entry was detailed in HWAl) and has begun

supervising the Annelids' tunnding. He has lchicvcd control

of the Annelids with a symbiont. a new organiSm that survives

through an attachment to the Annelidd nervous system. With

a symbiont aached. an Anndid obcys Koresh's commands to

saturate the World-Shieldwirh NM&.

What are the symbionts, and where did Koresh get them?

This provides the cmdmystery of this adventure.

hpent-minr and Shrtdm: Io lieu of* full explanation

at this pint, dice it to say that Koresh requires a vital

ingredient for the production of these symbionts: an otherwise

innocuous herb called serpent-mint.

This herb grows only in rare spots in the Hollow World. and

Koresh must cnlisr thc aid of the Schaucnllfcn, thc dark dva,

to procure it. Fommtdy, the Annelids givc Komh the vital

element he netds to enlist the elves' coopcntion.

The Annelids' leavings, you see, indude pure World-Shield

ore. Though he himself has no need for the waste me. Koresh

Teyd can forge it into powerful anti-magical mor. With this

armor, the Schattenalfen become much more powerful and can

ph the conquest of their hated enemies. Thaefore. thev have

great incentives IO harvest mote serpcnt-mint to trade to

KOXSh.

Elemmpls: In order to forge the World-Shield ore, Koresh

requires SupernaNd arSistulcc. He has morrcd ompention

fmm evth and fm elemends of the Elemend Plana, bring-

ing them here to a volcatllc vent in the Nithian Empire. There

they srzff and maintain a foundry. Nigbuage foundry, that

mates the finished World-Shield armor.

The plibt ofthe unwilling clcmmnls brings the POinto

the adventure. An ewaped evth elemental, Gabbro, enlists

their aid in louting the foundry and defearing Kotesh Tcyd.

This inidmission m dwdneatly with the one given in

HWA1,ifyouucplayingallthrremodulaofthisuilogg.The

migment also imts incidental missions, as ddedin the

Adventure Summary below. But fist. a Mcr

ADVENTURE SUMMARY =

The adventure begins near Atardpa. the ruins described in

w U

Chapter 6 ofNighd as the pcs' arrival point in the Hollow

World. Prom there it progress to i sehattenllfen urn;

auws the continmr to &chis, capital of the Nithian EmpirC,

and it Drobablv condudes on the floadnn continmr of Ashno.

tain. What foliows is only one likely mu& the adventure my

using the settings desuibed.

Chapter 1, Setting the Stage: The PO joumq to thcir fist

stopping place and encounter their first infomation sourrc, a

humble but garrulous shepherd named hl. Dzcl tells them

the lore of an important (and cndangcrcd)Hollow World

aeam. the fcithmd stpent. Noone un =plain its rapid

population decline.

Chapter 2, ALwutFcatheredSerpnts: Details, both wdl-

known and sa.

that the PCs may ~vmruallyuncwcr.

Chapter3, Colirm:Ad~mwnwh~fheFGtaLcona

qum to Imu rhc supnts' mysredous bxeding pd. Chw

pint towvd the Nirhiuls, whom no m has evaseenin$his

rcgion bdorr, and mwvd rhe Sdmmdkn,who haw mysmim

ami-magical mor thar mdm them llmmt invincible.

amp, and the fmt brief encounter with Koresh Teyd.

Chapter 4, Bar Gvem: A foray into a Schattedm guerilla

Chapter I, liaveling in Annelid%The PO gn to the

Nithian Empire via ht

Annelid-the

hard way-imide the

gigantic creature!

Chapter 6, Worms and Worse: Three thousand miles inlad,

thc PO again meet Koresh Teyd and his Nithian henchman

Kruthep, and they fmd dues to the World-Shield scheme. The

be- may tide in Koresh'smagid Scmckhtet-barge. which

pwes m~thly

through solid radr.

Chapter 7. The Banks of rhc Nithis: 'Ihc hemes qlore one

of the great cities of the Hollow World, and my well meet its

Phanoh, for bcttcr or worn. Koresh Tcyd bas used flattery and

deception to bdricnd Pharaoh, in order to prevent intecference

in his lvgcr schcmc. Clues lead to a seuet oasis in the desert,

and to a mokiog vent in the mountains near the capital UQ.

Chapter 8. Serpent Ouic: In the desert of the Nithim

Empire lies P fertile os.&. Here the feathered serpents gathet

and breed. And here the PCs mccf and fight a fierce tribe of

manrcorpions,which are hating the serpents' cou~tls

for

plot element

mystedous purposes. Do the PCs

Preservation?

lfoul of the Spell of

vital to this adventure.

Chapter 9, Nightage Foundry In the heart of a river of

lava, the PO &ova how Koresh Teyd makes the and-magiql

armor. With the help of clemends, he forges it from ore of

the planetw World-Shield,ftom scavenged ore that the

Annelids mine. But how dwhe enlist the clemmds' caaper-

ation?

Chapter 10, The Wl to Korcsh Tep! Beneath the

Nightnge foundry, the POconfront Koresh Tcyd (they think).

Can the hemes frec the captive clement& and xrpenrs?

Chapter 11. Ashnorain: On this floating continent the heraes

discoscr the mast secm lair of the feathered scrpenrs, the

hatching chambers; znd they meet the wingQucen Moth?

of the spcucs-as well as the real Korcsh Teyd. Here the PO

may em gain the powcr to komc serpents thnasclvcs! With

this powcr, they have the chance w rescue the rcsidcnts of the

omis before the lava dcsnoys them.

the Gwr Annelid's tunnel. You and they both dimbed

down about a mik. and then dimhed the gme disnncc

back up again; so you fwd pu mulddt be far from

where you stwted.

But you cmaged in the Hollow World: a huge spherical

cavern in the core of your world, rhoumnds of miles maw,

with a brilliant red sun floating at its cmter. You stood on

the inside of this sphere, Idkgout at a hodEon that

bends upwvdat huge islands flmdng by in the sk-at

dismt Oceans and mntinents. homes to

what? Suddeaty you had to go back aud rethink eve-

you k& before.

But when you tried to Isk thc elves about this ph. thq

lookcd s confused ss you. From their panic, you gathered

that the earth elcmcnd had dcpmited you all somewhcrc

in thc Hollow World that the dves hadn't asked for or

FOR NEW PLAYERS.

If you ue playing this madule alonc, or u the fmt in the

series, read thc following scnion aloud to the players w bcgin'

the game. If you are not using the Known World campaign

scuing, make appropriate s~bsti~tio~~~

DM Note The lnrtodumon to rhr pomr pznllcls the

opening of HWAI. Nighmu' The follovnng conclusion ddfr

ftom HWAl The change crpcdrrcr the vuon and dsposcs 01

I-

for Ghtri (a powerful

confederacy) and the Broken Lands (a savage territory on its

borders). It you have .lrradg phyed Nigh&,

ends thls module don not rrpolsc

skip this

section and go to &pm

Your Schattenalfen cyom blamed you for the stupme.

Even though you daimed innocence, they started to a&.

But thcu the ground msc around thek feet! The elves

nuwd by their patron, Auantcod, as pillars of dirt gm ro

cover them. like giant anthills. The ht sounds you heard

from them were smdcred suewns.

A mouth opened in the ground not far from you. The

earth clcmental spokc, in 2 voice like wind through dccp

caverns: "I 1pn Gabbro, a holy one of my folk. We of thc

sod, and those ofthe flamc. are trapped, by thm Wre the

ones I just rook. I seck your help.

"I cm not take you the-I cmtgo near. or I risk the

trap that once held me. PI-. Go to that place: the pit

with rodr that flows. Thepeak that smokes. The ool in

the sand. In thc rich earth, evil gmws. The Workf-Shicld 4

weak. The worms gnaw. Help us."

Your whole idea ofthe world has dungcd-expmded. Ihc

solid ground you've walkcd all you lives has wed out no

more solid than a nutrhcll. The world is hollow.

The quest started routinely enough. The Principditiesof

Ghuihired you to fmd 2 cmvan that had gone missing.

You were also looking for the caravan's leaders: two goblin

princes, Udm and Kano, and a Ghtrian mhr. a

human named Ma Kazc.

The mision grew "ngc a fw days along thc trail,

when one morning the cledcs discovctcd they had not bccn

granted powcdul spells. You had no idea whx nor whether

this was specific to you party alone or more widespread.

While you were puzzling ma this, you followed the cam-

van's trail to the ins of Barleycorn Monastcq, in the

Broken hds.

The whole pke was a me&. You found that the minis-

ter and the goblins had been looking for something bc-

neath the monasurg-and they set it frec. Whatem it was,

it possessed thcm, shrink the caravan, and fled with it

underground.

In z cavcrn under the momstcry you saw the dead re-

& of= 20-foot-long worn-aeature that must have

eaten away the ~UMCI to the monuterg. Then you mer an

matt patty of strange folk-elves, appaxmtly, but they

were short, with pure white skin and hair.

They called themselves "schattenalfen:' and claimed

they were Eent here by a drcam vision from their patron

mtity, Atzanteod, to SCN~ the possessed princes, whom

they ded the "Blood Brethren:' They called thc worm-

aeature a "Great Annelid."

The Brehn had told these Schittenalfen to wait for

&s who would bc showing up, and the ekes &took you

for those allies. You wisely said nothing to contradict that.

For the elemental's game statistics, dt

the Monster

Summvy Tahk on the reference SUPCII.

Talking with the elemend: Gabh, a native of the Elcmn

d Phe of Earth, hows little ofthis p!am and Idsthe

vocabulary to tell important faro w the PO. Hc is describing

matters as well as hc can.

"Thc peak that smokes" lies in thc mountains near 'kth

(see Chapter 9). "The pool in the sand" is the feathered

serpents' ovis (Chapter 8). "The pit with rock that flows" is

the volcanic forge bene& the mountain vent. where Komh

Teyd mm the Nigh- foundry devoted ro proceskg thc

World-Shield ore. "The worms gnaw,'' of coursc, refers to thc

Gmt Annelids' NMdS through rhc wotld's mt.

Gabbto can anm qumions, kgh his answer? offer little

help. (For the substance of his mea, eodt Ieter chapters.

especially Chapter 9.) He condudes with, "You must go far.

Craw the wtcr. Talk is hard: I say no more." The mouth in d

earth Mnishcs, lciving the ground uomarked.

The PCs should now follow the tmil thmugh the mountain

to the potr of &ha. Go to Chap= 1.

Gabbro 1s guide: If the PCs are ming in the wrong direc

rim or have uouhle getting started, Gabbro can lurk invkihly

underground as i guide. To prompt &em, he can nudge the

bottoms of their boors. If you wish, he can even bring thcm

freshly-kiUed (but nthcr diq) nbhb and ground squinrls, m

reduce thek hunting time and sped them along. Play Gahbro

as an exotic sometime companion; he even dcn pmibilirics

as comic relief.

When the PCs mch colima, Wbm vanishes. However,

the herocs meet him again, and reme him, hter in the advo

Lm the players ask qnestions, get physical descriptiom, and

so on. For descriptions, scc thc baed set's Schattenllfen

section and this module's zppcndix. For other questions,

improvise answers according to your campaign; ah, the cha-

rm that follow rrpllin much of the mystcrg.

Mmy Tongues," which let you understand their language.

Then the clvcs uscd a device to summon an earth

NIe

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