Mark's Campaign
This website is a place where friends and strangers can browse the ancient and current RPG campaigns that I have created over the past 40 years. Rather than simply shredding my creations from past decades, I will hopefully engrave them in the dubious permanence of the internet. Enjoy the gallery!
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So the party needed to decide whether they would accept new powers (aka accepting a hidden infernal pact) or forgo these gifts...
The Decision
The group can decide to either take up the Oracle on his offer and return the next day, or they can refuse and do their own investigations. Either way, the next step would be for them to discover that the pool of amber at the front of the room can be used to transport to the Tree’s receiving chamber. This chamber may be empty and not depending on whether the group has accepted or denied the offer.
Nudging the Group
The best course of action would be for the group to investigate the Lodge on their own and eventually find the portal that leads to the inside of the Tree. However, if they do not get the hint, they will see this during the late evening hours:
While you are watching the camp with your fellows, you catch sight of movement near the far walls of the Lodge. It appears that a group of small humanoids is trying to stealthily move from window to window, testing the openings as they pass.
A group of 3 halflings will eventually get to room 3G and will be able to remove one of the wooden bars in the window and sneak in. Their goal is merely to investigate and maybe find a few valuables.
During the night, Hygan communes with any person who has accepted the pact and gains all the information they have gathered from the previous day. During this time, the person is essentially comatose and cannot be awoken by anything short of a powerful dispel magic or a Protection from Evil spell. Anyone who examines the person magically will detect a moderate divination magic spell. The communion lasts for about 4 hours.
This night, Hygan gathers info about all of the hopefuls including the party, which he has not quite decided whether they are corruptible or not. He does consider them dangerous and will make the portal to the inner Tree available to test them and possibly destroy them.
Adventuring Inside the Tree; while adventuring inside the tree the following conditions exist:
- A fine glowing mist hangs in the air providing constant illumination, however all forms of vision are limited to a range of 30 feet
- The walls are made of smooth, natural wood, however there are places where the wood looks like it may have been shaped to serve a function. The walls are virtually impervious to damage however and act as ironwood (hardness 10, SR25)
- Tracking can be done as on hard ground (DC20)
- Yggdrasil mainly exists in the astral plane, so teleport will only work to another place within that plane. Planar spells such as Gate will only work in the near-astral locations such as the areas the party is exploring in the Lodge.
Travelling within Yggdrasil
A druid of 11th level or higher can use Transport via Plants to travel anywhere that Yggdrasil exists including near to other planes/dimensions. It is in this way that Lyana travels within the Tree and she does not usually patrol the halls.
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The Nature of Yggdrassil
The senior druids have an innate connection to the living entity known as Yggdrasil. Anyone of sufficient power can influence the basic structure of the tree in the area he resides for a long period. This facilitates the tastes, biomes and cultures of Yggdrasil’s visitors. The Tree will not tolerate outright destruction to itself and is very difficult to damage in any respect. The ability to drawn upon various natural defenders can also be communed through the empathic bond the Tree has with those powerful individuals.
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Hygan has taken advantage of this arrangement and while his power exists in this little corner of Yggdrasil’s network, he has cut off normal travel routes through the tree from the Wildwood Lodge. Once he has been eliminated, the structure of the tree will begin to revert to normal, quickly in this case since Hygan has used considerable effort to bend the tree to a rigid flat structure that it naturally avoids. The native passages of Yggdrasil can be confusing and dangerous to those unfamiliar to its ways. Anone who tries to travel Yggdrasil without knowing where they are going has a chance of exiting in a completely different part of Golarion or even a different plane of existence.
13. Arrival chamber - Depending on when and how the group arrives here, there may be greeters or guards. If the group comes after hours on their own, this room will have 8 guards, but if they come here invited or during regular hours, there will be double that amount. When the group arrives, the circular room appears empty, but soon the guards emerge from the very walls.
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As you step into the pool of liquid amber, you have a brief moment of panic as the substance engulfs your head and you find yourself holding your breath. But just as with your hands earlier, the viscous liquid wicks off of your skin staying in a small pool around your feet. You find yourself standing in a roughly 30’ diameter room made entirely of smooth, dark wood. The air glimmers with a fine yellow mist which seems to emit its own light, but cuts your effective vision down to about 30 feet. In the center of the room there is a circle of four wooden chairs with high backs, carved into the likeness of branches and leaves facing a small 2’ diameter pedestal. On the pedestal are 4 empty wooden goblets.
As you are taking in the surroundings, you suddenly realize that the walls are shifting and 8 humanoid creatures apparently made entirely of wood begin to close with you, arms raised as giant cudgels.
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The pedestal and cups are for when visitors are received. The Tree has the ability to fill these cups with a refreshing, nourishing drink when desired. If someone takes one in hand and mentally thinks about a liquid, the substance is created (tastes like sweet honey ambrosia). The cups can be refilled 3x per day and if quaffed, act as a CSW potion, neutralize poison and lesser restoration. The cups lose their magical ability if they leave the Tree and will quickly decompose.
8 Advanced Wood Golems CR 7
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Anabelle, the Doppleganger
‘Annie’ was recruited by Foronath Vrelek many years ago when this project first started. Her innate ability to read surface thoughts made her the perfect spy during the recruiting process. Archdruid Damaski knows her simply as a servant of the Oracle who lives within the Tree. She enjoys her work and has been compensated very well for her service, knowing the true nature of her direct employer (Foronath) but not his boss (Hygan). Most of the time Annie appears as a young half-elf woman with rather plain features and a pleasant servile attitude. If discovered, she will attempt to play it off as her job to keep tabs on everyone and serve the Oracle.
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Advanced Doppelganger CR 9 (+6CR)
XP 6400
N Medium monstrous humanoid (shapechanger)
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +9
Defense
AC 23, touch 19, flat-footed 21 (+1 Dex, +1 dodge, +11 natural)
hp 75 (10d10+10)
Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +12
Immune charm, sleep
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +12 (2d6+4)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 18th)
At will—detect thoughts (DC 13)
Statistics
Str 18, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 13
Base Atk +8; CMB +8; CMD 24
Feats Dodge, Great Fortitude
Skills Bluff +11 (+15 while using change shape ability), Diplomacy +6, Disguise +11 (+31 while using change shape ability), Perception +11, Sense Motive +8, Stealth +7;
Racial Modifiers +8 Bluff, +6 Disguise
Languages Common
SQ change shape (alter self), mimicry, perfect copy
Special Abilities
Mimicry (Ex) A doppelganger is proficient in all weapons, armor, and shields. In addition, a doppelganger can use any spell trigger or spell completion item as if the spells were on its spell list. Its caster level is equal to its racial Hit Dice.
Perfect Copy (Su) When a doppelganger uses change shape, it can assume the appearance of specific individuals.
Equipment: Ring of Invisibility, Potion of Cure Light Wounds (x4), Cauldron of Plenty
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15. Storage/kitchen/temp living quarters for Annie – this room has several crates and barrels with non-perishable food and drink, some of it very fine and rare (1200gp weighing 50#). But Annie will use her Cauldron for large meals or Hero’s Feast for new honorees. Also in here is a simple pallet and a few changes of clothes fit for a medium sized woman.
16. Library – shelves and nooks are filled with scroll tubes, books and tablets. The light in here is much better and comfortable chairs with side tables are scattered throughout the room. This is where the ‘recruiters’ come to show off part of their collection. The recruiters have enchanted the books in here (which are mostly theory books) with a mild charm of suggestion (these are very valuable books and you should learn as much as you can for the next hour, also the people here are to be trusted as advisors and mentors) via a spell glyph of warding (mild abjuration if detected, Wil DC18 to save).
17. Any people that are not recruited but are deemed dangerous are brought to this room for memory altering, capture or destruction. A cleverly designed trap that scales to the power if its intended targets awaits the unwary who enter this room. (this trap will reset itself after 1 hour, although the inhabitant will need to be cloned to return to guard duty)
A) A permanent (one way) Silent Image of a wall covers this area. Wil DC16 to bypass.
B) When someone gets within 5’ of the circle at B, dimly glowing runes appear on the ground (DC15 Per to notice). The runes gradually get brighter and brighter over the next 5 rounds. A DC 25 Spellcraft is needed to determine that the runes are abjuration/protective in nature. Shortly after the group enters the room two things happen; First, a large snake-like creature begins slithering from room C into the area to investigate. Second, with a DC28 Per check someone may notice that the room’s floor is glowing. If anyone wants to jump into the circle at this point, they need a DC15 Acro roll if within 5’ (+1DC/extra foot). Otherwise, at this point a modified Mages Disjunction (CL18) pulse goes off everywhere in this room (40’ radius, centered on X) except for within the circle. Each magic item needs to make DC24 Will save (or character’s Will if higher) or be ‘destroyed’. Item save is 2+1/2 caster level. If the item fails its save, the Creature gains a level of power as the magic is drained from the item and enters a series of metallic bands around the Creature’s body. Any item that fails its save by 10 or more is permanently drained, but does not feed the Creature.
C) Once the pulse goes off, the newly energized Guardian in here cleans up the remaining party strength.
Ghykkrhth the Advanced Dark Naga CR 8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15 (advancements are in parentheses)
XP 4,800
LE Large aberration
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect thoughts; Perception +19
Defense
AC 22-24-26-28-30-32-34-36, touch 15-17-19-21-23-25-27-29, flat-footed 16-18-20-22-24-26-28-30 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +7 natural, –1 size) +4 for Shield if active
hp 85-93-101-109-117-125-133-141 (10d8+40)
Fort +7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14, Ref +10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17, Will +9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16 (+11 vs. charm effects)
Defensive Abilities guarded thoughts; Immune poison
Offense
Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15 (1d4+2-4-6-8-10-12-14-16), sting +8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15 (2d4+2-4-6-8-10-12-14-16 plus poison)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Spells Known (CL 7th-8-9-10-11-12-13-14) – DC=10+Spell Level+3/5/7
5th (3/day) – baleful poly, cone of cold
4th (4/day) – stoneskin, black tentacles, fear
3rd (5/day)—displacement, lightning bolt (DC 16), dispel magic, stinking cloud, hold person
2nd (7/day)—cat's grace, invisibility, scorching ray, web, mirror image
1st (7/day)—expeditious retreat, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement (DC 14), shield, silent image
0 (at will)—daze, detect magic, light, mage hand, open/close, ray of frost, read magic
Statistics
Str 14, Dex 21, Con 18, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 17 (+4 to 8 to +12)
Base Atk +7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14; CMB +10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17; CMD 26-28-30-32-34-36-38-40-42 (can't be tripped)
Feats Alertness, Combat Casting, Dodge, Eschew Materials, Lightning Reflexes, Stealthy
Skills Bluff +13, Diplomacy +9, Disguise +9, Escape Artist +13, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (arcana) +13, Perception +19, Sense Motive +10, Spellcraft +12, Stealth +18
Languages Common, Infernal
Ecology
Environment any underground
Organization solitary or nest (2–4)
Treasure standard
Special Abilities
Detect Thoughts (Su) A dark naga can continuously use detect thoughts as per the spell (caster level 9th; Will DC 18 negates). The save DC is Charisma-based.
Guarded Thoughts (Ex) Dark nagas are immune to any form of mind reading, such as that granted by detect thoughts. This ability also grants a +2 racial bonus on all saves against charm effects.
Poison (Ex) Sting—injury; save Fort DC 19-21-23-25-27-29-31-33; frequency 1 round; effect sleep for 2d4 minutes; cure 1 save.
Spells Dark nagas cast spells as 7th-level sorcerers.
Strategy: When Ghykkrhth hears someone enter the room and sees the floor begin to pulse, he will cast Stoneskin (70), Displacement (50% miss) and Shield (no MM, +4AC) and then emerge to see who has been caught and allow the trap to enhance his power. He will try to keep his distance and cast spells (+4 Conc), but will go into melee if pressed. He fights to the death since he knows he will be cloned if he is defeated. He also has orders to try to not kill his opponents unless he has to or has been given explicit instructions. He has a gladiatorial attitude and relishes “the fight”.
Once the naga is killed, the magical energy that it absorbed (but not destroyed) is returned to the characters’ items.
Part of the deal with Ghykkrhth is that she is allowed to keep several potent items and treasure for her tour of duty with Hygan. Deep within the cave at C is her nest of bones and clothing, hiding the following: small chest with 3650 gp, 625 pp, a small sack with 2 potions of CMW, a Wand of Detect Animals or Plants, Bracers of Armor +4, 2 Darkwood Shield.
18. When the arch-druid used to bring those he wanted to test into this area, he watched from behind the illusory wall and offered healing assistance if the group survived. The Oracle had ‘convinced’ him that this test is necessary to weed out the unworthy.
In the chamber are several comfortable chairs and a couple of pallets stained with old blood for tending to the wounded. On small tables near the pallets are healing herbs and bandages, including 4 healer’s kits, 10 vials of anti-toxin and 4 wooden goblets similar to the ones in #14.
At the X, there is a hidden compartment (DC 26 Per to find) under one of the tables that holds 34 small vials of preservative and fleshy samples of Ghykkrhth the naga used to create new clones for room 17 (DC28 Know Dung to ID as Dark Naga).
19. Past this point is restricted. An Arcane locked (DC30) ironwood door (hardness 10, 60HP, break DC28) prevents any guests from ‘accidentally’ going further into the complex. If the door isn’t enough to deter the curious, a pair of fierce looking creatures stand near the southern wall and will growl menacingly if any stranger approaches the door.
2 Fiendish Dire Wolverines