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Adventure Summary:  Here, the PCs will go through another part of the twisted dungeon.  But they will encounter some monsters to deal with this time ::evil laugh::  The will meet Lestat's mount, the dracolich Inferno and with any luck, they will manage to live past him :)  
     They will encounter more traps and puzzles (I'm testing the PCs wits in this whole adventure) as usual, but only a couple.  There are secret tunnels all over the place that the PCs will have to find.  It's gonna be a touch adventure for the PCs.

Part 3A.  Not Again...
     Once the PCs step off the teleporting pad, they will come to a hallway that looks exactly like all the other they've been to before.  Read the following to them:

"As you step out of the room with the teleporting pad, you enter another hallway that is as dark and damp (if not darker and damper) as the others you've been through.  You see a turn to the left (DM NOTE:  the turns are being told as from the PC's point of view) that leads into darkness.  Now all you can think to do is go exploring (again) or go back the way you came.  Now which would you like to do (DM NOTE: give the group a large, evil grin)."

     Naturally the PCs with go explore the turn and stuff.  When the PCs arrive at letter "B", read the following:

"You turn the corner and just as you are about to walk down it, you are stopped by a bunch of pillars of fire that go from floor to ceiling and ceiling to floor.  You can feel the heat as you stand near it and it is quite hot to you with all that armor, except you (point to the mage or mages) because you aren't wearing armor.  In the distance, you also hear an uncanny roar echoing throughout the halls... the roar of some BIG creature no doubt!  So now what are you gonna do?"

     These pillars of fire are powerful illusions created by Lestat, Porthos, and Rowan to scare off any intruders.  It can't be dispelled, but it is effected by some things.  If water is thrown on it, it disappears for a second and then burst back up just as the PCs are about to step on it.  If some control flames or douse flames, or something like that is used on it, nothing happens.  If a true seeing or some other detect spell is used on it, it will radiate magic, but that is it.  True seeing and detect illusion don't do anything to it and don't reveal the illusion.  The only way for them to find the truth is to walk into it.  When they walk into the fire, they don't burn at all and don't even feel the intense heat anymore.  Now didn't that frustrate them =  
     Go on to the next part once the PCs get over yelling at you for all the aggravation it caused them (which will undoubtedly occur).

Part 3B.  Secrets to be found, key nowhere to be found
     Once the PCs get to the doorway right across from the secret passage "C", tell them of the great roar and how it is incredibly loud.  As for the doorway, it seems locked, but if you knock 5 times and then 2, it opens (DM NOTE:  The PCs might be here for awhile so have plenty of food ready and maybe a soda or two).  After that, the PCs can explore everywhere until they get to letter "D".  When they get there, read the following:

"You round the turn and discover, much to your disliking, a bunch of skeletons walking around in front of a doorway!  They see you and without hesitation, they charge at you spears, swords, maces, and all.  In your head, you meekly here your mind cursing everyone  for getting into this mess (your brain and your body that is, but it isn't heard out loud)."

     The skeletons are in fact skeleton warriors controlled by the dracolich Inferno.  There are around 7 skeletons warriors (you thought it would be an easy fight?) that the PCs have to get rid of.  

Skeleton, Warrior (7):  AC 2; MV 6; Hd 9+6 each; THACo 11; #AT 1; Dmg 1d8+7 (scimitars +2); SA see Monstrous Manual book; SD see Monstrous Manual book;  SZ M (6-7 ft. tall);  Int Exceptional (16);  AL Neutral Evil;  XP 4,000 each

     Of course, this should be no challenge to the PCs and they should defeat them with ease.  Next, they are probably going to head for the door.  When they get there, they can open it, but it leads right into the wall.  And according to the DM's map (included in the file as undthm~2.bmp), it leads to a secret passage.  The only way the PCs can find this is if they actually walk through the wall.  If they put their hand on the wall, it feels real, but if they walk through it, they pass through as if it was nothing.  
     Of course, if they do this, they can end up fighting Inferno.  In fact, when they get to the junction in the secret passage, read the following:

"As the junction makes itself known in the passageway, you look to see where it leads.  Next thing you know, you are staring right into the face of what looks like a red dragon, but with skeletal parts sticking out around it's right side, some parts of it's arms and even it's face around one of it's eyes.  'Who are you?' the creature bellows.  'Why have you intruded in my lord's lair?  Answer quick or be roasted like fried orc,' the creature says.  You begin to think that you could always attack it, but then you see a pile of bones in the back of the room at the end of the hall making you think that this creature may be more powerful than originally thought."

     By all means feel free to kill a PC or here if they try to fight, but Inferno has orders not to kill them (or at least not all of them).  Inferno will fight until reduced to 1/2 his hp at which time he will teleport away.  But if the PCs are wise, they will realize that talking their way out of the mess will work better than fighting.  If they role-play out, give them 1,000 XP each since Inferno has been around for nearly a millennium and has seen all the tricks.  

SIDENOTES:  Letter "C" is another passageway that takes the PCs to Inferno and acts as a short-cut to the teleporting pad.  Letter "F" is where the mummies of Rowan reside.  There are 10 tombs here and each contains a full strength mummy as detailed in the Monstrous Manual.  Once the PCs get to the teleporter, go on the next part.


Curse of Undeath, Part 4

Adventure Summary:  This is the climax to the adventure (finally your say).  Here, the PCs will encounter Lestat, Rowan, Porthos, and worst of all (even worse than the 3 of them), Lasher.  When the PCs arrive, Lestat is finishing up his arcane words to summon Lasher.  But unfortunately, Lasher will come and then the fireworks begin.  The town will never be the same again ::soft, evil laughing in the background::

Part 4A.  Ah HA!!! Found you stupid undead!!
     Once the PCs reach the teleporter, read the following:

"Once again, you are teleported to another area.  This time, it is not a dungeon-like area.  It is a valley in the middle of what appears to be an under-ground forest.  As you look around from the edge of the forest, you notice 3 people standing around 3 points of a pentagram.  They are located at the bottom of a stairway which leads to a roofless temple.  At the other 2 points of the inverted star, hundreds of bodies are piled up as well as what looks like thousands of gold pieces."

     Now that the PCs have found the Triad, Lestat will continue chanting arcane words while Rowan goes to deal with the PCs.  The PCs have to fight her for 2.5 turns of combat.  If any mages are still alive in the group, they will recognize Lestat's chanting as arcane words of lore that are used in summoning powerful fiends to the Prime.  In 3 turns, the spell will be finished and Lasher will come.  Good Luck to the PCs cause they're gonna need it!  DO NOT LET ROWAN DIE AT THIS TIME!!!

Part 4B.  Now you see me, now you see the town, now you see me destroy the town!
     At the end of 3 turns, all the PCs and Rowan (if she isn't dead) are teleported back to the pentagram.  When that happens, read the following:

"You are teleported against your will to the pentagram, surrounding you with a sense of evil like none other you have ever faced before.  Lestat goes into a crescendo as he finishes the words to the arcane spell.  For a moment, there is nothing... but then the pentagram starts glowing a fiery red color and you can feel heat rising from it.
     Then, the gold melts away and disappears as do the bodies, all gone without a trace!  You look around, trying to find out the cause of this and your gaze catches Lestat's.  'Yes yes yes!!!! Come to me Lasher!!!  Show me your power so that everyone may cower before us!!!!' Lestat booms.  Porthos just smiles and Rowan starts shifting uneasily.  The sky begins to darken, not from the arrival of the storm clouds, but because the day is changing to night... and it is hours before sundown!
     Then, and ear-piercing screech fills your ears and you can do nothing as you cover your ears in hope that you won't go deaf.  Lestat still smiles as does Porthos.  Meanwhile, Rowan has a look of stark terror on her face.  The next moment, you can figure out why.  In the center of the pentagram, a giant demon appears right before your eyes!  It is surrounded in flames and looks exactly like a balor tanar'ri from the Abyss, but much larger and more evil looking (as if it was possible).  'Why have you summoned the great Lasher foolish mortals?!' the demon bellows, almost knocking you over as it catches you off-guard.  
     Lasher then points to Rowan and she screams and then her mummified flesh peals from her body and it explodes in blood.  Lestat tries to regain control over Lasher, but seems to have no luck doing so.  And Porthos is hurling all kinds of colorful rays of light to powerful meteors at Lasher.  But Lasher pays this no attention and goes over to Porthos and grabs both his arms.  Then, he picks up Porthos and in one horrifying scene, rips him in half, one half in each of his hands.  Finally, you regain control of your bodies and not a moment too soon for Lasher seems to be looking in your direction!"

     Lasher is going to attack the PCs now.  Lestat, of course, hadn't planned on this at all.  The PCs will here Lestat cursing in the background as they fight Lasher (who shouldn't even be close to being killed at  this time and if he is, the PCs are too powerful at the current time).  The PCs have to fight Lasher for 1 turn of combat.  Lasher should kill at least 2 of the PCs in the fight (make the PCs get real scared).  Any attempts to escape fail (no teleporting anywhere, no plane shift) and any kind of spell the imprison/banish Lasher fails as well.  After one turn, read the following:

"You've been fighting him for a little over 10 minutes and already (DM points to the dead players) you are dead!  'Mortals, you have summoned the most powerful living demons and now you try to escape, but you can't.  What a pity for you!' Lasher sneers.  He then conjures up a large sword that looks like a lightning bolt and raises it in preparation to strike (point to the strongest player alive) you down.  
     But before the strike lands, you are surrounded by a blue light and when the light disappears, you are back at the Glamora castle at the mountain top with Lestat and his dracolich Inferno.  You hear Lasher scream in rage and even though he is like a half a mile away from you, you can hear it as if it was right next to you.  
     Lestat turns to you and speaks in a soft voice, 'I'm truly sorry about all this.  I thought I could control him.  Now, he is out of control and as you can see, he is destroying the town.'  You look down on the town of Glamora and see Lasher burning down buildings, dismembering people, obliterating roads and mills and you realize you can't do anything to stop him.  
     'Aye.  You can't stop him with your weapons.  I am willing to help you find a way to stop Lasher since I don't want my people killed. Will you help me?' Lestat asks of you. Well, will you?"

     The PCs have a choice.  If they do, all the better.  If they don't, then they live with the guilt of knowing that they let a whole city crumble under Lasher's power and they didn't do anything about it.  Plus, Lasher will come looking for them eventually.  

     Pray as the DM that the PCs say yes.  If they do, this adventure is over.  You see, this is the first of a 3 part trilogy of adventures that deal with Lasher, Lestat, Glamora, and the PCs.  The next one is the one in which the PCs will go on a quest to find a lost artifact of ancient times, a sword called the Daemon Blade.  With that, they will go to the third and finally part of the trilogy in which they will confront a more powerful Lasher than when they first met him.  And Lestat will play a big part in the next adventure as well.

Give the PCs enough XP to advance 1 level up and then a tiny bit.  After all, if you thought Lasher was tough now, wait till you see him after he has brought Glamora to his own demonic control.  Sorry to end it this way, but this was just the base of the trilogy and if you didn't like this adventure that much, don't worry.  The other 2 will blow you away!

Email comments, criticism, insults, etc.  to Lithindrym@aol.com and until then, keep an eye out for Lasher.  You never know where he might turn up next ::fade out with loud, evil laughter::
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